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Online Cenotaph

Cenotaph record

Māori ›

Paddy Costello

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  • Service number
    943 AWMM
  • Also known as
    • D. P. Costello AWMM
    • Desmond Patrick Costello AWMM
  • Armed force / branch
    Army AWMM
  • Last rank
  • War
    World War II, 1939-1945 AWMM
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Identity

About

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  • Title
  • Forenames
    Paddy AWMM
  • Surname
    Costello AWMM
  • Ingoa
  • Also known as
    • D. P. Costello AWMM
    • Desmond Patrick Costello AWMM
  • Service number
    943 AWMM
  • Gender
    Male AWMM
  • Iwi
  • Hapū
  • Waka
  • Rohe
  • Religion

Civilian life

About birth

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  • Birth
    31 January 1912 AWMM
  • Date of birth
  • Place of birth
  • Birth notes
  • Address before enlistment
    Unknown AWMM Care of John Prendergast, Ngaruawahia, New Zealand AWMM
  • Post war occupation
  • Next of kin on embarkation
    Mrs D.P. Costello (wife), 9 Longbrook Terrace, Exeter, England AWMM
  • Relationship status
    Unknown AWMM Married AWMM

Service

Wars and conflicts

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Military decorations

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  • Medals and Awards

Training and Enlistment

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  • Military training
  • Branch Trade Proficiency
  • Enlistment
    WW2 Unknown AWMM Teacher/Civilian AWMM
    London, England AWMM
  • Occupation before enlistment
  • Age on enlistment

Embarkations

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Prisoner of war

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  • Capture details
  • Days interned
  • Liberation date
  • Liberation Repatriation
  • POW liberation details
  • POW serial number

Medical history

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  • Medical notes
    Died of Disease, Cause of Death AWMM
    Heart Attack AWMM

Last known rank

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  • Last rank

Biographical information

Biographical information

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    • Husband of Bella nee Lerner AWMM
    • A brave soldier but with left-wing leaning communist views. Believed to be a Soviet spy in the Cold War years. Public - J H - 13 October 2017 - See bibliography below

Death

About death

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  • Death
    23 February 1964 21Bn Assoc. Inc. Records. MS-2008-42.
    Age 52 AWMM
    Manchester, England 21Bn Assoc. Inc. Records. MS-2008-42.
  • Date of death
  • Age at death
  • Place of death
  • Cause of death
    Died of Disease AWMM
  • Death notes
  • Cemetery
  • Cemetery name
  • Grave reference
  • Obituary
  • Memorial name
  • Memorial reference

Memorials

Memorial

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  • Memorial name

Roll of Honour

Remember Paddy Costello by laying a poppy.

Leave a note

Leave a tribute or memory of Paddy Costello

Leave a note

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  • Paddy, You Passed away when I was very young. My Father, your brother Phil spoke very highly of you as did the rest of the family. I do not believe the Spy stories. Media hype and sensationalism at it's worst.
    May you rest in peace.
    Public - Christopher John - Direct descendant - 11 June 2021
    Report 

Sources

Sources

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  • External links
  • Documents
    • Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force. (1941). Nominal Roll Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force No. 3 (Embarkations from 1st July, 1940 to 31st March, 1941). Wellington, N.Z.: Govt. Printer. AWMM
      WW2 3: WW2 100 AWMM
    • Ell, S. (2008). A New Zealand Christmas: three centuries of Kiwi Christmas celebrations from the Alexander Turnbull Library. Auckland, N.Z.: Godwit. AWMM
      Ell, S. (2008). p. 168-169 Christmas card sent by Paddy Costello then of the New Zealand Legation, Paris AWMM
    • McNeish, J. (2007). The Sixth man. Auckland, N.Z.: Vintage New Zealand. AWMM
    • Veterans' club : the comradeship and memories of Auckland's 21st infantry battalion. Auckland War Memorial Museum : Auckland. Accompanies exhibition held in the Pictorial Gallery, second floor, Auckland War Memorial Museum, 24 March-21 May 2006. AWMM
    • 21 New Zealand Infantry Battalion Association Inc. Records, 1955 - 2005. Auckland War Memorial Museum. MS-2008-42. AWMM
    • 21 Battalion (Official history of New Zealand in the Second World War 1939-45) AWMM

Contributors

Command item
Command item
Add new record Refresh
DateFirst namesLocationRelationshipContact
11 June 2021Christopher JohnKelsoDirect descendant
13 October 2017J HQueenslandOther

The development of the Online Cenotaph is an ongoing process; updates, new images and records are added weekly. In some cases, records have yet to be confirmed by Museum staff, and there could be mistakes or omissions in the information provided.

Creative Commons LicenseOnline Cenotaph Data by Auckland War Memorial Museum is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.