The final Papanui casualty of the war was Private Daniel Alphonso Sheehan. Although of Ashburton origin (born in 1890), he had been educated at Harewood School. On enlistment in October 1916, he was farming in Coringa Road in Upper Riccarton. He joined the 13th Company of the 2nd Battalion, Canterbury Infantry Regiment, in December 1917. He was involved in the March battles on the Somme, and in August 1918 reported sick with diarrhoea. His condition was confirmed as dysentery. He embarked for England and was transferred to the 2nd New Zealand General Hospital at Walton-on-Thames, where his condition was diagnosed as “debility”. He was found drowned in the Thames on 13 April 1919. An inquest was held, but as the report of this inquest cannot be located, the exact circumstances of his demise have unable to be established. He is buried in the Brookwood Military Cemetery in Surrey, England, and is commemorated on the War Memorial at Harewood School. (see below)
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