Profile

McCARTHY, John
(Service number 6/4101)

Aliases Archway has indexed Service Number 6/4107
First Rank Private Last Rank Private

Birth

Date 24 February 1884 Place of Birth Kinsale, County Cork, Ireland

Enlistment Information

Date 16 November 1915 Age
Address at Enlistment City Dining Rooms, Timaru
Occupation Labourer
Previous Military Experience R.N.R. - 5 years. Time expired
Marital Status Single
Next of Kin Miss Mary McCARTHY (sister), Kisale, Cork, Ireland
Religion Roman Catholic
Medical Information

Military Service

Served with NZ Armed Forces Served in Army
Military District

Embarkation Information

Body on Embarkation New Zealand Expeditionary Force
Unit, Squadron, or Ship 10th Reinforcements, Canterbury Infantry Battalion, C Company
Date 4 March 1916
Transport Willochra
Embarked From Wellington Destination Suez, Egypt
Other Units Served With
Last Unit Served With Canterbury Infantry Regiment, 2nd Battalion

Military Awards

Campaigns Western European (Somme)
Service Medals
Military Awards

Award Circumstances and Date

No information

Prisoner of War Information

Date of Capture
Where Captured and by Whom
Actions Prior to Capture
PoW Serial Number
PoW Camps
Days Interned
Liberation Date

Discharge

Date Reason

Hospitals, Wounds, Diseases and Illnesses

Post-war Occupations

Death

Date 20 September 1916 Age 32 years
Place of Death No. 36 Casualty Clearing Station, France
Cause Died of wounds
Notices
Memorial or Cemetery Heilly Station Cemetery, Mericourt-l'Abbe, Somme, France
Memorial Reference II. H. 32.
New Zealand Memorials

Biographical Notes

John McCarthy, 6/4101, was born on 24 February 1884 at Kinsale, County Cork, Ireland. In 1915 he was a labourer for the Timaru Harbour Board, his address given as City Dining Rooms, Timaru. A good number of recruits for the Tenth Reinforcements were dispatched from the South Canterbury district on 16 November 1915. Among those for the Infantry was Private J. McCarthy, Timaru. It was 16 November 1915 when he enlisted with the New Zealand Forces. He was single and Roman Catholic, and had served for 5 years with the R.N.R., before his time expired. John named his sister, Miss Mary McCarthy, Kimsale, County Cork, Ireland, as next-of-kin.

Private J. McCarthy embarked per the “Willochra” with the Canterbury Infantry Battalion of the 10th Reinforcements, departing on 4 March 1916 from Wellington for Suez, Egypt. In September 1916 the New Zealand Division of 15,000 troops joined the offensive at the Somme. Within three weeks, 2,000 of these men had lost their lives. Private John Sullivan was wounded and died of his wouns on 20 September in the No. 36 Casualty Clearing Station. He was buried at Heilly Station Cemetery, Mericiurt-l’Abbe, Somme, France. His legal next-of-kin to receive his medals, plawue and scroll was his brother, Mortimer McCarthy, Kinsale, Cork, Ireland.

Sources

Auckland War Memorial Museum Cenotaph Database [26 July 2021]; Timaru Herald, 13 November 1915, 3 Ocrtober 1916, Dominion, 3 October 1916 (Papers Past) [16 December 2020; 26 July 2021]

External Links

Related Documents

No documents available. 

Researched and Written by

Teresa Scott, SC branch NZSG

Currently Assigned to

Not assigned.

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