John arrived on Gallipoli only to be sent back with a corneal ulcer and he was discharged as medically unfit in November of 1915, after his return to New Zealand in the Warrimoo.
SOLDIERS FROM THE FRONT.
THE WOUNDED AND INVALIDED.
ARRIVAL OF THE WARRIMOO. (excerpt)
At 9.30 a.m. on the 16th the Warrimoo swung into the Rattray street wharf from the basin. She had on board the southern quota of the Now Zealand wounded and invalided soldiers brought to Wellington on Saturday by the Tahiti. As the vessel closed on the wharf the soldiers could be seen ranged along the rail, and their faces were eagerly scanned by the expectant eyes of relatives. Then a hand would be waved front the vessel, a soldier would call across the intervening space — the eyes of a relative had found their objective. A single whistle sounded its welcome, and then whistles from all parts of the city joined in the accompaniment, and the assembled crowd broke into cheers. Flags were hung from the different buildings; but it was a beautifully sunny morning, with hardly a breath of wind, and these decorations therefore did not have their full effect, hanging listless on the poles. In the afternoon the wind freshened, and the banners stretched out in the breeze.
The arrangement for getting the men off the ship worked well. Part of the wharf had been barricaded off, and a large number of motor cars, provided by private owners, under the control of the Otago Motor Club, were ranged up in one of the sheds. As the men trooped down the gangway they were taken along to the shed, placed in cars, and driven off to their homes through the crowds who lined the streets. The stretcher cases were conveyed to the Hospital in ambulance waggons. At 25 minutes past 10 the last soldier had been motored from the wharf. -Otago Witness, 22/9/1915.
A Soldier's Return. — A large number gathered in the school on the evening of January 14 to welcome publicly the return of Trooper McMenamin from the battle front. Mr Kenneth McKay occupied the chair, and welcomed the hero back to Ferndale. He was followed up by Mr Nickol and Mr Bradly, who presented Mr McMenamin with a purse of sovereigns and a shaving outfit. The evening was spent in dancing, etc, Messrs Bradly and McCready supplying the music. -Otago Witness, 9/2/1916.
ACCIDENTS & FATALITIES
INQUEST AT MATAURA
An inquest was held at Mataura on Thursday, touching the death of John McMenamin, farmer, who resided at Ferndale, before Mr Robert Winning, J.P., Acting Coroner.
Lawrence Macready, farmer, Ferndale, in his evidence, said that he had known deceased about a year. He went to deceased’s hut on January 30 at 7-30 p.m., and found him dead in his bed. He then communicated with the police.
Constable Barrett deposed that he, with Dr Fleming, found that deceased had been dead for some time. On searching the hut he found a soldier's pay book, an Anzac medal, and a Government Insurance policy for £200. In reply to the foreman, he said that he believed that deceased had three brothers who had gone to the front with the Main Body. One had been killed, another wounded, and the third was still on active service.
Dr Fleming deposed that deceased appeared to have been dead between 12 and 24 hours, and he considered that the deceased had died from hemorrhage and heart failure, the result of heart apoplexy, probably aggravated by some chronic disease of the kidneys. There were no marks of violence on the body. A verdict was returned in accordance with the medical evidence. -Southland Times, 3/2/1917.
Obituary. — It is just about a year ago since I recorded a welcome welcome held in honour of a returned soldier, Mr John McMenamin. To-day I have to record his death, which took place rather suddenly on January 30, and came as a shock to us all, as he was about and seemed in his usual health up to the last. But his health has always been very indifferent, and it was a wonder that he kept up as well as he did. The way he toiled on his farm in the face of much discouragement marked him as a patriot, even if he had not been to the front, and he well deserved the honour of the military funeral accorded to him in Mataura. -Otago Witness, 14/2/1917.
Yesterday being Anzac Day, Mesdames R. W. Brown, J. Friend and Miss Hastie visited the Mataura Cemetery and placed wreaths upon the grave of Trooper McMenamin, who saw service through the Gallipoli campaign. -Mataura Ensign, 26/4/1917.
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