Profile

McCARTHY, John Joseph
(Service number 90448)

Aliases
First Rank Last Rank

Birth

Date 14/06/1893 Place of Birth Waimate

Enlistment Information

Date 19 May 1917 Age 23 Years
Address at Enlistment Timaru
Occupation Railway Porter
Previous Military Experience Railway Engineers - serving
Marital Status Single
Next of Kin Mrs Catherine McCARTHY (mother), 3 Edward Street, Waimate
Religion Roman Catholic
Medical Information

Military Service

Served with NZ Armed Forces Served in Army
Military District

Embarkation Information

Body on Embarkation
Unit, Squadron, or Ship
Date
Transport
Embarked From Destination
Other Units Served With
Last Unit Served With

Military Awards

Campaigns
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

Railway employee

Death

Date 1 September 1961 Age 68 years
Place of Death Greymouth
Cause
Notices Press, 2 September 1961
Memorial or Cemetery Greymouth Cemetery
Memorial Reference Section 4, Row 19
New Zealand Memorials

Biographical Notes

John Joseph McCarthy was born on 14 June 1893 at Waimate, the oldest son of John and Catherine (née Geaney) McCarthy. Both John Joseph McCarthy and his brother Michael Patrick McCarthy were called up but only John enlisted, having done so on 19 May 1917 at Timaru. A summons had been issued on 8 May and he had submitted an appeal on 15 May. In early May 1917, John Joseph McCarthy, porter, N.Z.R., Barnard Street, Timaru, and Michael Patrick McCarthy, letter carrier, Barnard Street, Timaru, were two of 505 names drawn in the seventh ballot to complete South Canterbury’s quota for the 31st Reinforcement. At the sitting of the Military Appeal Board in Timaru on 20 June, the appeals of both men were dismissed as they had been passed by the Medical Board as fit only for Home Service (C2) and would be called up when required. John was single and said that three people were absolutely dependent on him. He was serving with the Railway Engineers, John Joseph McCarthy married Mary Veronica O’Driscoll in 1924. He died on 1 September 1961 at Greymouth and was buried in the local cemetery. He was survived by his wife, son and two daughters, as well as his brothe Michael and two sisters.

Sources

NZBDM Indexes (Department of Internal Affairs) [19 October 2021]; Timaru Herald, 9 May 1917, 21 June 1917, Press, 2 September 1961 (Papers Past) [08 & 19 October 2021]; Greymouth Cemetery headstone transcription [19 October 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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