THE ROLL OF HONOR

New Zealand Tablet, 15 July 1915, Page 35

THE ROLL OF HONOR

NEW ZEALAND CASUALTIES. The following is a further list of Catholic soldiers, members of the New Zealand Expeditionary Forces, who have fallen at the front, or have been wounded;PRIVATE ERA K O’CONNOR, AS 11 RU RT< . Mr. Patrick O’Connor, a very old and widely known resident of Ashburton, received word during the week that his second youngest son, Mr. Frank O’Connor (previously reported wounded at the Dardanelles, and now amongst the returning New Zealanders), had received the Distinguished Conduct Medal. Private O’Connor was educated at the local Convent School, and naturally enough, while fully sympathetic with Mr. O’Connor in the fact of his son being listed with the wounded, his many old school-mates, along with the teachers and present-day scholars at the convent, are proud of the fact that one of their number has been thus honored. PRIVATE CECIL CRICHTON, DUNEDIN. Private Cecil Crichton, who died in hospital on June 27 of dysentery, was 22 years of age. lie went with the Third Reinforcements from Dunedin, and was a son of Mr. David Crichton, Pine Hill, and was highly esteemed, particularly by those who knew him best. He was born in Dunedin, educated at the Christian Brothers’ School, acted as chief acolyte of St. Joseph’s Cathedral altar boys for several years, and was a member of the Hibernian Society. He followed his trade as a miller before enlisting, and was a splehdid stamp of a young man, being typical of the best manhood voluntarily and spontaneously contributed by this Dominion to the fighting forces of the Crown. He was a keen and sturdy cyclist. On two occasions he pushcycled from Dunedin to Oamaru and back in one day, besides on another occasion (also in one day) traversing the stiff journey of Dunedin to Balclutha and back. Writing to his mother from ‘ Somewhere in Egypt ’ in April he said;—‘Just a line to let you know I am still well. It is very hot here now, as the summer is coming on. There are very large swarms of locusts all over the place; sometimes the air is just black with them. - They are doing a lot of damage to the crops. We drill from 8 a.m, till 12 noon, then we are finished

fox- the day. We often have route marches. On Friday we were out for one of about five miles. Coming back we came to the Church of the Holy Family. It is a beautiful church of white stone. High above the altar arc statues of the Holy Family (in a recess), and- there is a fine set of Stations of the Cross. On the walls there are large paintings of the Massacre of the Innocents, the warning’to St. Joseph to depart, the Holy Family resting on the bank of the Nile, and the entry into Heliopolis. At the right hand side of the church are the Virgin’s tree and the holy well. The tree is the one under which, it is said, our Lady rested during the flight into Egypt. Half of it has fallen and is dead, but the remainder is still healthy. I think we shall be leaving this place shortly. . . Those of the main body and Second Reinforcements, who did not go away, are left here at the base. They are all together in one company. Wo have been here three weeks.’ PRIVATE JAMES TRAYNOR, WOODVILLE. Private James Tray nor, Wellington Battalion, missing since May 8, was in the 13th Platoon, D. Company, Ruahine Regiment. He was born and educated in Wyndham, and was for some years a member of the Post and Telegraph service, and had been stationed at Wyndham, Riverton, Gore, Christchurch, Queenstown, and Wellington. His father, Mr. Patrick Traynor, died in Invercargill a few weeks ago. Private Traynor was a very popular young man, and was engaged in farming pursuits at Kumeroa, near Woodville,- when ho enlisted. He is a single man, thirty years of age, and his mother resides in East Invercargill. PRIVATE EDMUND WILLIAM. FAHEY, ST. BATMANS. Cable advice has been received that Private Edmund William Fahey, who was wounded at the Dardanelles, on May 2, and was invalided to England, has recovered, and is now fit for service again. Private Fahey left Dunedin with the First Reinforcements. lie took part in eight days’ heavy fighting before being wounded. lie received a bullet in the thigh, and his clothes were riddled with shrapnel bul'ets. In early life Private Fahey followed the occupation of a miner, until eight years ago, when he joined the Railway service, where he was employed as a plate-layer till the outbreak of the war. He was very popular. He is the only son of the late Mr. and Mrs. Michael Fahey, of St. Bat bans, Otago Central. PRIVATE JOHN JOSEPH MERRICK, AUCKLAND. Private John Joseph Merrick, of the Sacred Heart parish (wires our Auckland correspondent) died on board the troopship cn route to the seat of war. SERGEANT E. J. LYNAM, NAPIER. Mr. Joseph Lynam (telegraphs our Napier correspondent) has received advice from the Defence Department that his son, Sergeant E. J. Lynam, is returning by the Willochra. This is the first intimation he has had that his son was unwell, and consequently, he does not know the nature of the injuries or of the illness. Prior to his departure for the front, Sergeant Lynam was president of the local branch of the Hibernian Society.