John Henry “Harry” McNeaney

1897–1919

As the Friends research further the war graves scattered around the Cemetery, the more we are understanding the connections many of the fallen had with the local community. Many of them belong to the fathers, brothers, sons and daughters of Fulham families. 

John Henry McNeaney’s body, however, was never to return to his family in Canada. Instead, the remains of this First World War hero are interred in the Northern end of the Cemetery.

In 1917, at the age of 20, John McNeaney, of Upper Hamilton, Ontario, was recruited into the Royal Air Force. As no Canadian Air Force then existed, Canadians were enlisted to British flying units. It is estimated that, in total, up to 22,000 individuals from Canada joined the British Royal Air Force or its predecessors.

A commercial artist by trade, John McNeaney, was to play a significant role in the defeat of the German forces. Flying a Sopwith 5F.1 Dolphin with No 79 squadron, he claimed four Fokker D.VIIs and a Halberstadt C. In September 1918 he and two others engaged about 10 Fokkers near Paschendale, destroying four of them. Afterwards he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (D.F.C), and the accompanying citation testified to his gallantary and courage.

After the war, Captain McNeaney was stationed in Germany but transferred to England when he caught influenza. Although we haven’t any evidence, it is likely that he spent his final days at the War Hospital established at the Bishop’s Palace, Fulham. He left behind a young wife, Bertha, and son, Winsor, and is also commemorated on a cenotaph in Hamilton Cemetery, Ontario.

Image of a Sopwith 5F.1 Dolphin