Roll of Honor
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
BO-US-MA-89826C39- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 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
Patrolman Peter Francis Neary is one of 2,974 officers lost to illness connected to their service across the full record of this memorial — 9.1% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In MA, 59 of 469 officers were lost to illness connected to their service — 12.6% of this state's fallen. That is 3.5 percentage points above the national rate of 9.1%.
At Boston Police Department, 22 of 106 officers on record were lost to illness connected to their service — 20.8% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Illness compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Peter Francis Neary's cause is highlighted.
How Peter Francis Neary Compares
When Illness Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Illness deaths across the full memorial record. Peter Francis Neary is highlighted in Sep.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
105 officers from Boston Police Department are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
