Person:Thomas Maher (6)

Thomas Francis Maher was always called Pop, by his children and his grandchildren. He was a man who never spoke about himself. On reading the 1901 Clonmel Ireland Census it was discovered that he was an apprentice printer, a trade that none of his family knew about.

When he walked, Frank, as he was known, quite often complained about his bad feet. When asked about them, all he told anyone was that he had been torpeoded at sea in the First World War and had been in the water for some days before being rescued. He had also been torpeoded once before that time as well. It is presumed that he was in the merchant Navy, although this has not be confirmed. Also one of his sons remembers him saying something about 16th Regiment of the Irish Guards. Although there were Mahers in this Regiment, none of the details seem to fit his details. There is an Army Barracks just down the road from where he lived as a child and a letter was written to them to ask if they had any information regarding him should he have joined at Clonmel, but a reply was never received.

It is not known when he arrived in New Zealand. In N.Z. his sole job was as a hospital orderly at the Auckland Hospital. In retirement he was a very hard-working gentleman, doing all the house work as his wife Mercia was unable to at the time. Pop was a very stubborn gentleman even until the end, when it was sure that he had cancer, but would never go to a doctor and have anything diagnosed because everybody would have worried. Pop is buried with his wife Mercia at the Glenfeild Cemetary, Auckland.

In the 1911 Census Pop was classed as a Printer and was boarding at 20 Thomas St. Clonmel with a Thomas Lonergan, a possible cousin by marriage.