David Monaghan
New Zealand cricketer and New Zealand Army soldier
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David Wyatt Monaghan (13 July 1922 – 27 January 1944) was a New Zealand first-class cricketer and New Zealand Army soldier.
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | David Wyatt Monaghan | ||||||||||||||
| Born | 13 July 1922 Pahiatua, Wairarapa, New Zealand | ||||||||||||||
| Died | 27 January 1944 (aged 21) Caserta, Campania, Italy | ||||||||||||||
| Batting | Unknown | ||||||||||||||
| Relations | Harold Monaghan (father) | ||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | |||||||||||||||
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Source: Cricinfo, 2 April 2021 | |||||||||||||||
The third son of the archdeacon and cricketer Harold Monaghan and his wife, Jessie, Monaghan was born at Pahiatua in July 1922.[1] He received his early education at Timaru on the South Island, before attending Christ's College, Christchurch. He was a talented sportsman, representing the college in cricket, football, athletics and swimming, in addition to being a champion gymnast in 1940.[2] He was nominated for a team of New Zealand schoolboys to tour Australia in 1939, but the outbreak of the Second World War in Europe led to the tour being cancelled.[3]
Upon completing his education in 1940, Monaghan gained employment in the Public Trust Office in Timaru.[3] By 1943, he was serving in the New Zealand Army as a signalman in the Royal New Zealand Corps of Signals.[1]
He made a single appearance in first-class cricket for the South Island Army cricket team against the North Island Army cricket team at Wellington in February 1943.[4] He made scores of 10 and 9 and was dismissed by Jack Lamason and Tom Pritchard respectively.[5]
By July 1943, Monaghan had gone to Europe with the New Zealand Expeditionary Force, where he saw action during the Italian campaign.[3] He died from sickness in January 1944 at Caserta in Italy.[2] He was buried at the Caserta War Cemetery.[1] Monaghan's brother, Gerald, was also killed in the war.[3]