In memory of the bravery of my 2nd cousin (2 generations removed) Trooper John Alexander McFerran (Service Number: 7/1010).

 His father John McFerran was born in Larne in 1864, but emigrated to New Zealand in 1873 with his siblings and his parents William and Sarah Jane McFerran of Glynn.

Since John Alexander was underage when the First World War broke out he lied about his age when he enlisted with the New Zealand Mounted Rifles under the false name of George Walsh on Dec. 28, 1914. He also gave a false name and address as his next of kin.

 He left Wellington, New Zealand on 17 April 1915 on a troop ship bound for Suez, Egypt. The ship was diverted to the Gallipoli Peninsula, Turkey where he disembarked.

 He was reported missing on Aug. 24, 1915 on Hill 60 (Kaiajik Aghala) during the last major assault of the Gallipoli campaign,

 On August 28 John's body was retrieved. 

I hope that he died quickly on the 24th of August and that he didn't suffer during the four days it took to get to his body but no one will ever know what happened....his date of death is given as August 28th.

Hill 60 turned out to be the last major Allied attack at Gallipoli.

A court of enquiry held at Zeitoun, Turkey on Jan. 14, 1916 indicates that he still had not been identified as John McFerran. There appears to have been a lengthy delay in the news of his death being shared with his parents John and Priscilla McFerran for it wasn't until May 30th 1917 that a newspaper report in New Zealand stated that they had been informed of the death of their son John.

 In the summer of 1920 his mother made a statutory declaration declaring that he was her son John Alexander McFerran.

His body is buried on Hill 60 Cemetery.