Profile

McDONNELL, John Martin
(Service number 2/807)

Aliases
First Rank Driver Last Rank Driver

Birth

Date *1895 Place of Birth Dunedin

Enlistment Information

Date Age
Address at Enlistment
Occupation General Blacksmith
Previous Military Experience
Marital Status Single
Next of Kin M. McDONNELL, care of A. C. Watson, Coachbuilder, Temuka
Religion Roman Catholic
Medical Information

Military Service

Served with NZ Armed Forces Served in Army
Military District

Embarkation Information

Body on Embarkation Main Body
Unit, Squadron, or Ship New Zealand Field Artillery
Date 16 October 1914
Transport Arawa or Limerick
Embarked From Destination
Other Units Served With
Last Unit Served With Field Artillery

Military Awards

Campaigns Balkans (Gallipoli); Western Front; Egyptian
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 May 1919 Age 23 years
Place of Death Caversham, Dunedin
Cause As result of active service
Notices
Memorial or Cemetery Southern Cemetery, Dunedin
Memorial Reference Block 44, Plot 3
New Zealand Memorials

Biographical Notes

John Martin McDonnell was the son of Martin John and Ellen McDonnell. He was educated at Caversham School, Dunedin. On finishing school he was employed by Mr A. C. Watson, wheelwright, Temuka. It was at Temuka that he had enlisted for compulsory military training. Later he moved to Wellington and joined the Permanent Artillery. On the outbreak of war, just 1 years old, he joined up and left with the Main Body. After he was wounded at the Somme, he was invalided home on the "Maheno". His ill health since brought about his death. His father was listed on the Reserve Roll while living at Temuka. Martin O'Donnell died in 1924 and is buried with his son in the Southern Cemetery. Also buried there is a younger brother, Frank Alexander, who was born in 1909 at Temuka, attended school at Temuka, and died in 1917. Also buried in the same plot in Southern Cemetery is Alexander robert who died in 1926 at 8 years. It appears that several of John's siblings died in childhood.

Sources

Auckland War memorial Museum Cenotaph Database [31 May 2019]; Southern Cemetery headstone image (Dunedin City Council) [31 May 2019]; Temuka Leader, 22 May 1919 (Papers Past) [31 May 2019]

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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