Birth

Enlistment Information

Military Service

Embarkation Information

Military Awards

Death

Biographical Notes

John James O’Shea, born at Timaru 0n 6 January 1880, was the son of Sylvester and Ellen (née O’Sullivan) O’Shea. His sister Minnie O’Shea, was born in 1879 at Timaru and, dying in infancy, was buried at Timaru. His brother Jeremiah Sylvester O’Shea was born at Timaru in 1882 and another sister, Ellen Mary O’Shea, was born in 1885, her birth registered at Fairlie. Ellen Mary married Henry Janes in 1906. They lived at Wadestown, Wellington, and Ellen was the next-of-kin for her brother, John James O’Shea. Sylvester was a carpenter at Timaru in 1890 and in Wellington in 1896. It was at Wellington that Mrs Ellen O’Shea died, aged 41 years. She was buried in Karori Cemetery with her little daughter Catherine (Kitty) Teresa O’Shea who died in 1893. Kitty was born in Melbourne in 1891. And a son was born to Sylvester and Ellen in Melbourne in 1887, dying there in 1888 at one year of age – Sylvester Francis O’Shea. John James O’Shea enlisted with the Australian Imperial Force on 25 February 1916 at Goulburn, New South Wales. He was 37 years 1 month old, a labourer and single. He named his sister as next-of-kin – Mrs H. James, Wadestown, Wellington, NZ. He had served for 7 months with the South African Light Horse. J. J. O’Shea returned to Australia on 3 March 1919 per the “Euripides” and was discharged on 3 June 1919. Sylvester O’Shea died suddenly in July 1920 at Melbourne, aged 67 years. He married for a second time in Victoria in 1908, to Matilda Major. Matilda died in 1925. Eugene O’Shea, who was 40 years 11 months old when he enlisted with the Australian Imperial Force in 1916, was a son of Sylvester O’Shea living in Victoria. Eugene was born in Ireland. John James O’Shea, a pensioner, died on 6 March 1945 at the Prince of Wales Hospital, aged 65 years, and was buried in the Botany Roman Catholic Cemetery within the Eastern Suburbs Memorial Park Cemetery, Randwick, New South Wales.

Sources

NZ BDM Indexes (Department of Internal Affairs) [18 April 2020]; Australia Death Index (ancestry.com.au) [18 April 2020]; Australia Cemetery Index (per ancestry.com.au) [18 April 2020]; NZ Electoral Rolls (ancestry.com.au) [18 April 2020]; Evening Post, 19 August 1920 (Papers Past) [18 April 2020]; Australia Electoral Rolls (ancestry.com.au) [18 April 2020]

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Researched and Written by

Teresa Scott, SC branch NZSG

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