"A brilliant scholastic career marked the life of Major Eric J. Cornes, whose death at the age of 28 occurred at the military annexe of the Auckland Hospital yesterday. Major Cornes, husband of Mrs. B. D. Cornes, of Clifton Road, Heme Bay, won a junior national scholarship at the Normal School, Mount Eden, in 1928 He entered the Wellington Boys' College, where he was later awarded the college Rhodes Scholarship and finally the Moore Scholarship. He was a member of the college first fifteen, winners of the intercollegiate tournament in 1934. He continued his studies at Victoria and Auckland University Colleges, and graduated bachelor of science. He won his football blue, and was also a keen tennis player, yachtsman and swimmer. He later became a telegraph engineer and held a commission in the New Zealand Corps of Signals, Territorial Forces. When war broke out, he was appointed staff officer, signals, Northern Military District, and later general staff officer, Combined Headquarters, Auckland, and major in command of signals at Alexandra Park training camp. He was also liaison officer covering coastal defence communications, Northern District."

[Auckland Star, Volume LXXV, Issue 249, 20 October 1944, Page 6]