28 May 1930, Ward succumbed to strong pressure from his colleagues and his family, and passed the premiership to Forbes. Ward had been promoted to Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George in the 1930 New Year Honours. Ward remained a member of the cabinet as a Minister without Portfolio, but died shortly afterwards, on 8 July. He was given a state funeral with a Requiem Mass celebrated on 9 July at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, Hill St, Wellington. Ward had been an active worshipper there (and at its destroyed predecessor, St Mary's Cathedral) for all of his thirty-seven years as an MP. The Mass was celebrated by Bishop O'Shea (the Coadjutor Archbishop of Wellington), and Archbishop Redwood, 1st Archbishop of Wellington, delivered the panagyric. Ward was buried with considerable ceremony in Bluff. His son Vincent was elected to replace him as MP for Invercargill. Arms References Bibliography |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- 1856 births 1930 deaths Australian emigrants to New Zealand Australian people of Irish descent Australian Roman Catholics Baronets in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom New Zealand people of Irish descent New Zealand defence ministers New Zealand finance ministers New Zealand foreign ministers New Zealand Liberal Party MPs Leaders of political parties in New Zealand New Zealand Roman Catholics Politicians from Melbourne Prime Ministers of New Zealand Leaders of the Opposition (New Zealand) United Party (New Zealand) MPs Independent MPs of New Zealand People from Bluff, New Zealand Mayors of places in Southland, New Zealand New Zealand MPs for South Island electorates Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives Unsuccessful candidates in the 1919 New Zealand general election Knights Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George Colonial Secretaries of New Zealand 19th-century New Zealand politicians New Zealand members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom New Zealand recipients of British titles