Profile

FITZGERALD, Dennis Patrick
(Service number 21809)

Aliases	Denis
First Rank	Rifleman	Last Rank	Rifleman

Birth

Date	11/03/1894	Place of Birth	Temuka

Enlistment Information

Date	3 May 1916	Age	22 yrs
Address at Enlistment	Waiapi, Temuka
Occupation	Farm hand
Previous Military Experience	2nd S. Canterbury Regt.
Marital Status	Single
Next of Kin	Mr James FITZGERALD (father), Waiapi, Temuka
Religion	Roman Catholic
Medical Information	Height 5 feet 7 inches. Weight 10 st 4 lbs. Complexion medium. Eyes blue. Hair medium brown. Sight, hearing, colour vision, heart & lungs - all normal. Limbs & chest well formed. Full movement of joints. Teeth good. Free from hernia, variocele, varicose veins, haemorrhoids, inveterate or contagious skin disease. Good bodily & mental health. No defects. No fits. Vaccinated.

Military Service

Served with	NZ Armed Forces	Served in	Army
Military District

Embarkation Information

Body on Embarkation	New Zealand Rifle Brigade
Unit, Squadron, or Ship	7th Reinforcements 3rd Battalion, G Company
Date	21 August 1916
Transport	Mokoia
Embarked From	Wellington	Destination	Plymouth, England

Other Units Served With
Last Unit Served With	3rd N.Z. Rifle Brigade

Military Awards

Campaigns
Service Medals	British War Medal; Victory Medal
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	21 July 1919	Reason	Termination of period of engagement.

Hospitals, Wounds, Diseases and Illnesses

21 June 1917 admitted to 1st NZ Field Ambulance; rejoined Battalion on 3 July 1917. 28 March 1918 admitted to hospital, 30 March to Chelsea Hospital, after being wounded in France on 26 March. In April 1918 reported as a not severe case.

Post-war Occupations

Death

Date	20 April 1975	Age	81 yrs
Place of Death	Temuka
Cause
Notices	Timaru Herald, 22 April 1975
Memorial or Cemetery	Temuka Cemetery
Memorial Reference	General Section, Row 253, Plot 996
New Zealand Memorials

Biographical Notes

Denis Patrick FITZGERALD was a son of James and Hanorah (Norah, nee SULLIVAN) FITZGERALD. He was baptized Catholic on 26 March 1894 at Temuka. Denis married Catherine Mary SCANNELL in 1929. He was a brother of Michael Joseph who also served in WWI. He served from 3 May 1916; he was discharged on 31 July 1919. On 4 January 1919 he was appointed cook. Denis embarked for NZ on 17 May 1919 per 'Maunganui'. Denis was one of 45 returned soldiers who were presented with gold medals at a most memorable gathering organised by the Waitohi Flat Presentation and Memorial Committee and held in the Waitohi schoolroom in November 1919. an enjoyable concert was provided before the returned soldiers, assembled in the front seats, were thanked and welcomed home. All involved were thanked for their kindness and mementoes of the war and the ladies of Waitohi were thanked for the much-valued parcels sent to the front. After returning from his war service, Denis lived and farmed at Waiapi and later in Temuka, He was accorded RSA honours at his funeral in Temuka. He had died suddenly at home in Temuka, leaving a widow and a family of four.

Sources

Cenotaph Database [31 July 2013]; NZ Defence Force Personnel Records (Archives NZ Ref. AABK 18805 W5537 0040313) [19 March 2014]; TDC Headstone image Temuka Cemetery [05 August 2013]; NZ BDM Indexes (Department of Internal Affairs) [07 August 2013]; Catholic Diocese of Christchurch - Baptism index V.1.2 (South Canterbury Branch NZSG Computer Resources) [27 April 2014]; Timaru Herald, 5 May 1916, 12 April 1918, 10 November 1919, Colonist, 9 April 1918, New Zealand, 12 April 1918 (Papers Past) [27 March 2014, 25 July 2014; 15 & 17 September 2014]; Timaru Herald, 22 April 1975 (Timaru District Library) [19 September 2014]; NZ Electoral Rolls (ancestry.com.au) [2013/2014]

External Links

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Currently Assigned to

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