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Private John Bernard McManus
Description
TitlePrivate John Bernard McManusSummaryA soldier in World War One. DescriptionJohn was born at Balcairn on 17 September 1896, the only son of William Edward and Mary McManus. At the time of enlisting his father had died and he noted when enlisting that he was partially supporting his mother. Shortly after leaving school he joined the staff of the Leeston Post Office as messenger, and subsequently became letter-carrier, which position he held for several years. He was an enthusiastic member of the Leeston Volunteer Fire Brigade. He was 5ft 3in tall with fair complexion, blue eyes and fair hair.
John enlisted at Leeston on 23 November 1916 aged just 20, His obituary notes that he “enlisted while in his teens, but was not accepted until he reached military age” but this does not show on his enlistment papers. He was assigned to the 25th Reinforcements, Canterbury Infantry Regiment, C Company but was then transferred to make up numbers, to the 24th Reinforcements on 2nd February 1917. He embarked on board the Pakeha on 26th April 1917 and arrived in Sydney on 2nd May where, after a week, he re-embarked for England on 9th May. He finally arriving on 28th July 1917 and marching in to Camp at Sling. He left for France on 5th September and was attached to the strength on the 9th September. He joined the 2nd Battalion, 13th Company, Canterbury Regiment in the field on 16th September and it was only just a month later that he died of his wounds in the field, aged 21, during the disastrous Passchendaele action. He was buried in the field at Passchendaele by one of his unit, S.J. Weaver no 45290, although no explicit directions are given. This may be why his body was not recovered and his name is inscribed on Panel 2 of the Tyne Cot Memorial to the Missing, NZ Apse. In New Zealand, John is remembered on the Leeston Plaque of the Ellesmere County War Memorial.
The Tyne Cot Memorial is one of four Memorials to the Missing in Belgian Flanders which cover the area known as the Ypres Salient. Broadly speaking, the Salient stretched from Langemarck in the north to the northern edge in Ploegsteert wood in the south, but it varied in area and shape throughout the war. the salient was formed during the first battle of Ypres in October and November 1914, when a small British expeditionary force succeeded in securing the town before the onset of winter, pushing the German forces back to the Passchendaele ridge. the second battle of Ypres began in April 1915 when the Germans released poison gas into the allied lines north of Ypres. this was the first time gas had been used by either side and the violence of the attack forced an allied withdrawal and a shortening of the line of defence. there was little more significant activity on this front until 1917, when in the third battle of Ypres an offensive was mounted by commonwealth forces to divert German attention from a weakened French front further south. the initial attempt in June to dislodge the Germans from the Messines ridge was a complete success, but the main assault north-eastward, which began at the end of July, quickly became a dogged struggle against determined opposition and the rapidly deteriorating weather. the campaign finally came to a close in November with the capture of Passchendaele. the German offensive of March 1918 met with some initial success, but was eventually checked and repulsed in a combined effort by the allies in September. the battles of the Ypres salient claimed many lives on both sides and it quickly became clear that the commemoration of members of the commonwealth forces with no known grave would have to be divided between several different sites. The site of the Menin gate was chosen because of the hundreds of thousands of men who passed through it on their way to the battlefields. It commemorates those of all commonwealth nations except New Zealand who died in the salient, in the case of United Kingdom casualties before 16 August 1917. Those United Kingdom and New Zealand servicemen who died after that date are named on the memorial at Tyne cot, a site which marks the furthest point reached by commonwealth forces in Belgium until nearly the end of the war. Other New Zealand casualties are commemorated on memorials at buttes new British cemetery and Messines ridge British cemetery.
The Tyne cot memorial now bears the names of almost 35,000 officers and men whose graves are not known. the memorial, designed by Sir Herbert Baker with sculpture by Joseph Armitage and F.V. Blundstone, was unveiled by Sir Gilbert Dyett in July 1927. The memorial forms the north-eastern boundary of Tyne cot cemetery, which was established around a captured German blockhouse or pill-box used as an advanced dressing station. The original battlefield cemetery of 343 graves was greatly enlarged after the armistice when remains were brought in from the battlefields of Passchendaele and Langemarck, and from a few small burial grounds. It is now the largest commonwealth war cemetery in the world in terms of burials. At the suggestion of king George V, who visited the cemetery in 1922, the cross of sacrifice was placed on the original large pill-box. There are three other pill-boxes in the cemetery. There are now 11,952 commonwealth servicemen of the first world war buried or commemorated in Tyne cot cemetery. 8,365 of the burials are unidentified but there are special memorials to more than 80 casualties known or believed to be buried among them. Other special memorials commemorate 20 casualties whose graves were destroyed by shell fire. The cemetery was designed by Sir Herbert Baker.First NameJohn BernardLast NameMcManusFamilySingleSon of William Edward and Mary McManusDate of Birth17 September 1896Place of BirthBalcairnDate of Death12 October 1917Place of DeathBelgiumCause of DeathDied of woundsAge at Death21
John enlisted at Leeston on 23 November 1916 aged just 20, His obituary notes that he “enlisted while in his teens, but was not accepted until he reached military age” but this does not show on his enlistment papers. He was assigned to the 25th Reinforcements, Canterbury Infantry Regiment, C Company but was then transferred to make up numbers, to the 24th Reinforcements on 2nd February 1917. He embarked on board the Pakeha on 26th April 1917 and arrived in Sydney on 2nd May where, after a week, he re-embarked for England on 9th May. He finally arriving on 28th July 1917 and marching in to Camp at Sling. He left for France on 5th September and was attached to the strength on the 9th September. He joined the 2nd Battalion, 13th Company, Canterbury Regiment in the field on 16th September and it was only just a month later that he died of his wounds in the field, aged 21, during the disastrous Passchendaele action. He was buried in the field at Passchendaele by one of his unit, S.J. Weaver no 45290, although no explicit directions are given. This may be why his body was not recovered and his name is inscribed on Panel 2 of the Tyne Cot Memorial to the Missing, NZ Apse. In New Zealand, John is remembered on the Leeston Plaque of the Ellesmere County War Memorial.
The Tyne Cot Memorial is one of four Memorials to the Missing in Belgian Flanders which cover the area known as the Ypres Salient. Broadly speaking, the Salient stretched from Langemarck in the north to the northern edge in Ploegsteert wood in the south, but it varied in area and shape throughout the war. the salient was formed during the first battle of Ypres in October and November 1914, when a small British expeditionary force succeeded in securing the town before the onset of winter, pushing the German forces back to the Passchendaele ridge. the second battle of Ypres began in April 1915 when the Germans released poison gas into the allied lines north of Ypres. this was the first time gas had been used by either side and the violence of the attack forced an allied withdrawal and a shortening of the line of defence. there was little more significant activity on this front until 1917, when in the third battle of Ypres an offensive was mounted by commonwealth forces to divert German attention from a weakened French front further south. the initial attempt in June to dislodge the Germans from the Messines ridge was a complete success, but the main assault north-eastward, which began at the end of July, quickly became a dogged struggle against determined opposition and the rapidly deteriorating weather. the campaign finally came to a close in November with the capture of Passchendaele. the German offensive of March 1918 met with some initial success, but was eventually checked and repulsed in a combined effort by the allies in September. the battles of the Ypres salient claimed many lives on both sides and it quickly became clear that the commemoration of members of the commonwealth forces with no known grave would have to be divided between several different sites. The site of the Menin gate was chosen because of the hundreds of thousands of men who passed through it on their way to the battlefields. It commemorates those of all commonwealth nations except New Zealand who died in the salient, in the case of United Kingdom casualties before 16 August 1917. Those United Kingdom and New Zealand servicemen who died after that date are named on the memorial at Tyne cot, a site which marks the furthest point reached by commonwealth forces in Belgium until nearly the end of the war. Other New Zealand casualties are commemorated on memorials at buttes new British cemetery and Messines ridge British cemetery.
The Tyne cot memorial now bears the names of almost 35,000 officers and men whose graves are not known. the memorial, designed by Sir Herbert Baker with sculpture by Joseph Armitage and F.V. Blundstone, was unveiled by Sir Gilbert Dyett in July 1927. The memorial forms the north-eastern boundary of Tyne cot cemetery, which was established around a captured German blockhouse or pill-box used as an advanced dressing station. The original battlefield cemetery of 343 graves was greatly enlarged after the armistice when remains were brought in from the battlefields of Passchendaele and Langemarck, and from a few small burial grounds. It is now the largest commonwealth war cemetery in the world in terms of burials. At the suggestion of king George V, who visited the cemetery in 1922, the cross of sacrifice was placed on the original large pill-box. There are three other pill-boxes in the cemetery. There are now 11,952 commonwealth servicemen of the first world war buried or commemorated in Tyne cot cemetery. 8,365 of the burials are unidentified but there are special memorials to more than 80 casualties known or believed to be buried among them. Other special memorials commemorate 20 casualties whose graves were destroyed by shell fire. The cemetery was designed by Sir Herbert Baker.First NameJohn BernardLast NameMcManusFamilySingleSon of William Edward and Mary McManusDate of Birth17 September 1896Place of BirthBalcairnDate of Death12 October 1917Place of DeathBelgiumCause of DeathDied of woundsAge at Death21
Connections
CollectionSoldiers of Selwyn World War OneImageLeeston and Ellesmere County War MemorialMore InformationAuckland War Memorial Cenotaph
Military Service
Memorial or CemeteryTyne Cot Memorial to the MissingEllesmere County War MemorialOccupation before EnlistingLetter-carrier & Volunteer Fire BrigadeRegiment or ServiceCanterbury Infantry Regiment Enlistment Details23rd November 1916Service Number44591Embarkation26th April 1917TransportPakehaReinforcement24th Reinforcements
Attribution
Researched ByL. M. Seaton
Private John Bernard McManus. Selwyn Stories, accessed 16/01/2026, https://selwynstories.selwynlibraries.co.nz/nodes/view/225
