Peter Francis Neary
Incident
Patrolman Peter Neary died as a result of complications after contracting Spanish Influenza while in the performance of his duties a week earlier. His duties were to respond to medical assistance calls and help the coroner.
The first case of Spanish Influenza was reported in Boston on August 28, 1918, resulting in more than 4,000 deaths by the end of 1918. Boston Police Officers performed many tasks to help stop the spreadof the flu while working an average of 73-98 hours weekly.
Patrolman Neary was assigned to District 5.
The 1918 Influenza Pandemic
Patrolman Peter Francis Neary died on September 21, 1918 of influenza contracted in the line of duty. He was 33.
He is one of 201 officers honored here, and one of 14 at Boston Police Department.
The influenza pandemic of 1918 killed more people worldwide than the war that preceded it. Police officers worked it without vaccines, without antibiotics, and often without masks, enforcing quarantines, transporting the sick, and standing posts in cities where the dead outpaced the undertakers.
They caught it doing the job. There was no treatment to give them.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife and two children.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
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- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- August 2, 2026
- Last updated
- August 2, 2026
Honored here by 1 tribute.
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Tributes
No vaccine, no antibiotics, and you stood the post anyway.
Patrolman Neary served with the Boston Police Department.
Thank you for your service to the Roxbury Crossing community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Patrolman Neary.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
The Sacrifice · Illness
Boston Police Department has lost 106 officers; 22 of them lost to illness.
Peter is one of 59 officers lost to illness in MA, 12.6% of the 469 remembered there.
Peter is one of 2,028 officers lost to illness in the United States, 7.4% of the 27,552 remembered there.
Peter is one of 2,979 officers lost to illness worldwide, 8.7% of the 34,103 remembered here.
34,103 officers are remembered on this memorial. Each number below is one of them.
Time
In 1918, 15 officers at Boston Police Department were lost to illness, more than in any other year.
In 1918, 35 officers in MA were lost to illness, more than in any other year.
In 1918, 226 officers in the United States were lost to illness, the 3rd heaviest of 108 years on record. The heaviest was 2021, with 564.
In 1918, 235 officers worldwide were lost to illness, the 3rd heaviest of 197 years on record. The heaviest was 2021, with 566.
Who
Peter was 33. Of the 22 lost to illness at Boston Police Department whose age is recorded, half were between 33 and 41.8; the middle age was 39.
Peter was 33. Of the 59 lost to illness in MA whose age is recorded, half were between 32 and 46; the middle age was 38.
Peter was 33. Of the 1,996 lost to illness in the United States whose age is recorded, half were between 42 and 58; the middle age was 51.
Peter was 33. Of the 2,916 lost to illness worldwide whose age is recorded, half were between 39 and 56; the middle age was 49.
When
September holds 27.3% of these deaths at Boston Police Department; October holds the most, 31.8%. Saturdays: 9.1%.
September holds 18.6% of these deaths in MA; October holds the most, 27.1%. Saturdays: 3.4%.
September holds 11.2% of these deaths in the United States; October holds the most, 14.9%. Saturdays: 13.9%.
September holds 9.8% of these deaths worldwide; October holds the most, 12.6%. Saturdays: 14.8%.
How
Illness deaths account for 20.8% of all 106 deaths at Boston Police Department, the 3rd most common cause.
Illness deaths account for 12.6% of all 469 deaths in MA, the 3rd most common cause.
Illness deaths account for 7.4% of all 27,552 deaths in the United States, the 3rd most common cause.
Illness deaths account for 8.7% of all 34,103 deaths worldwide, the 3rd most common cause.
His people
Boston Police Department has 106 officers remembered here, Peter among them.
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Ezekiel Wentworth Hodsdon
Oct 18, 1857
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Seth A. Noyes Oct 18, 1870
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Danford D. Dunn Jul 6, 1886
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Daniel W. Sullivan Feb 11, 1893
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Cornelius F. Regan Jan 13, 1898
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Alonzo Burnham Feb 19, 1899
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Alfred Mitchell Sturdivant
Sep 4, 1904
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Walter E. Harris
Nov 19, 1906
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John T. Lynch
Jan 16, 1908
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John J. Fitzgerald Apr 6, 1908
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Frederick Schlehuber
Nov 10, 1910
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Richard J. Gallivan
Feb 8, 1911
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Thomas Edmond Young
Jan 10, 1912
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Albert R. Peterson
Oct 29, 1912
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Thomas J. Norton
Jun 19, 1914
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Patrick J. Carr
Aug 1, 1916
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John J. Earle
Oct 21, 1916
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Joseph C. Reiser
Jan 20, 1918
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Michael Brennan
Jul 7, 1918
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David Vincent Birmingham
Sep 13, 1918
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Leo Clarence Pollard Sep 19, 1918
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Peter Francis Neary Sep 21, 1918
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William F. Ahern Sep 22, 1918
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Harris Thomas Smith Sep 25, 1918
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Maurice Aloyisus Ritchie
Sep 25, 1918
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Joseph Francis Eberlein Oct 2, 1918
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Lawrence Joseph Nagle Oct 3, 1918
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John Joseph Delaney, Jr. Oct 4, 1918
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John Henry Patten
Oct 8, 1918
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Bernard Joseph Fallon Oct 11, 1918
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Edward M. Day Oct 17, 1918
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Frederick Joseph Gibney
Oct 30, 1918
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William James Irwin
Dec 13, 1918
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Timothy William Hurley Dec 28, 1918
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Thomas H. Lynch
Feb 2, 1919
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Charles E. Deininger
Feb 13, 1919
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Hugh J. Lee
May 3, 1919
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Adolph F. Butterman
Jun 16, 1919
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William G. Clancy
Jan 22, 1920
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Ward M. Bray
Apr 14, 1921
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Andrew B. Cuneo
Aug 13, 1921
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Daniel J. McShane
Jan 31, 1922
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Albert Harry Giles Jun 16, 1922
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Peter P. Oginskis
May 5, 1923
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Joseph E. Gonya
Oct 21, 1923
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Albert Motroni
Sep 22, 1924
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Benjamin Alexander
Jul 4, 1925
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Frank J. Comeau
Mar 24, 1926
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Harris Bruce McInnes
Jul 3, 1927
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John Condon
Oct 7, 1927
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Herbert D. Allen
Dec 25, 1927
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John Franklin Montague
May 24, 1929
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Edward Q. Butters
Aug 14, 1929
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John Ivar Jackson
Sep 4, 1929
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James J. Troy, Jr.
Jan 13, 1930
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Franklin B. Dreyer
Apr 24, 1930
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Frederick W. Bartlett
Dec 10, 1930
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Joseph L. A. Cavagnaro
Nov 17, 1931
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William L. Abbott
Nov 28, 1931
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John P. M. Wolfe
Dec 1, 1931
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George J. Hanley
Mar 20, 1934
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James T. Malloy
Jun 4, 1934
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John G. Ralph
Oct 7, 1934
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James Brickley
Nov 25, 1934
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Daniel A. McCallum
May 12, 1935
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James D. Hughes
Sep 10, 1935
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James B. Roche
Mar 21, 1936
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Laurence V. Sheridan
Jul 28, 1937
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Walter Baxter
Aug 4, 1937
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John H. Manning
Feb 6, 1938
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Paul J. Murnane
Sep 23, 1938
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Thomas A. Davis
Apr 13, 1939
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Patrick C. Gannon
Apr 2, 1940
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Felix Francis Sharkey
Jun 3, 1942
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John Lynch
Sep 19, 1944
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Frank B. Callahan
Feb 20, 1945
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Robert Andrew Maher
Apr 10, 1946
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William F. Healey
Oct 2, 1946
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John J. Mehegan
Jan 11, 1950
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Michael J. Crowley
May 12, 1961
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John J. Gallagher
May 25, 1962
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James B. O'Leary
Aug 2, 1963
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George J. Holmes
Nov 6, 1963
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Edward C. Lynch
Mar 6, 1964
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Charles A. McNabb
Nov 23, 1968
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Francis B. Johnson
Mar 17, 1969
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Walter A. Schroeder
Sep 24, 1970
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Samuel Reynolds
Oct 22, 1971
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Joseph M. Mullen
Dec 18, 1972
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John David Schroeder
Nov 30, 1973
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Donald A. Brown
May 24, 1974
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Francis E. Creamer
Oct 7, 1974
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Richard F. Halloran
Nov 6, 1975
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William R. Beckman
Sep 1, 1976
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Jose A. Maceira
May 1, 1977
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David Ray Brown
Aug 14, 1983
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Roy Joseph Sergei
Oct 26, 1987
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Thomas J. Gill
Feb 10, 1988
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Sherman C. Griffiths
Feb 18, 1988
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Louis Harry Metaxas
Aug 27, 1989
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Jeremiah J. Hurley, Jr.
Oct 28, 1991
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Thomas F. Rose
Feb 19, 1993
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John James Mulligan
Sep 26, 1993
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Berisford Wayne Anderson
Feb 5, 1994
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Dennis Oliver Simmonds
Apr 10, 2014
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Jose V. Fontanez
Apr 14, 2020
Where
Where the Name Is Cut
National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial · Panel 5-E
Also Remembered
National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial — requiem.nw →
Others Who Wore This Badge
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