diff --git a/src/fs_io.cc b/src/fs_io.cc
index 609e03a43d6..d723f059c85 100644
--- a/src/fs_io.cc
+++ b/src/fs_io.cc
@@ -37,6 +37,26 @@ static void cxx_xfree(void *ptr)
     xfree(ptr);
 }
 
+dwrite_q::dwrite_q(const size_t aSize, char * const aBuffer, FREE * const aFree):
+    buf(aBuffer),
+    capacity(aSize),
+    free_func(aFree)
+{
+    assert(buf || !free_func);
+    if (!buf) {
+        buf = static_cast<char *>(xmalloc(aSize));
+        free_func = cxx_xfree; // dwrite_q buffer xfree()
+    } else {
+        len = aSize;
+    }
+}
+
+dwrite_q::~dwrite_q()
+{
+    if (free_func)
+        free_func(buf);
+}
+
 /*
  * opens a disk file specified by 'path'.  This function always
  * blocks!  There is no callback.
@@ -133,35 +153,18 @@ diskCombineWrites(_fde_disk *fdd)
      */
 
     if (fdd->write_q != nullptr && fdd->write_q->next != nullptr) {
-        int len = 0;
+        size_t wantCapacity = 0;
 
         for (dwrite_q *q = fdd->write_q; q != nullptr; q = q->next)
-            len += q->len - q->buf_offset;
-
-        dwrite_q *wq = (dwrite_q *)memAllocate(MEM_DWRITE_Q);
-
-        wq->buf = (char *)xmalloc(len);
-
-        wq->len = 0;
-
-        wq->buf_offset = 0;
+            wantCapacity += q->len - q->buf_offset; // XXX: might overflow
 
-        wq->next = nullptr;
-
-        wq->free_func = cxx_xfree;
-
-        while (fdd->write_q != nullptr) {
-            dwrite_q *q = fdd->write_q;
-
-            len = q->len - q->buf_offset;
+        const auto wq = new dwrite_q(wantCapacity);
+        while (const auto q = fdd->write_q) {
+            const auto len = q->len - q->buf_offset;
             memcpy(wq->buf + wq->len, q->buf + q->buf_offset, len);
             wq->len += len;
             fdd->write_q = q->next;
-
-            if (q->free_func)
-                q->free_func(q->buf);
-
-            memFree(q, MEM_DWRITE_Q);
+            delete q;
         };
 
         fdd->write_q_tail = wq;
@@ -178,11 +181,10 @@ diskHandleWrite(int fd, void *)
     fde *F = &fd_table[fd];
 
     _fde_disk *fdd = &F->disk;
-    dwrite_q *q = fdd->write_q;
     int status = DISK_OK;
     bool do_close;
 
-    if (nullptr == q)
+    if (!fdd->write_q)
         return;
 
     debugs(6, 3, "diskHandleWrite: FD " << fd);
@@ -246,23 +248,16 @@ diskHandleWrite(int fd, void *)
              * repeated write failures for the same FD because of
              * the queued data.
              */
-            do {
+            while (const auto q = fdd->write_q) {
                 fdd->write_q = q->next;
-
-                if (q->free_func)
-                    q->free_func(q->buf);
-
-                if (q) {
-                    memFree(q, MEM_DWRITE_Q);
-                    q = nullptr;
-                }
-            } while ((q = fdd->write_q));
+                delete q;
+            }
         }
 
         len = 0;
     }
 
-    if (q != nullptr) {
+    if (const auto q = fdd->write_q) {
         /* q might become NULL from write failure above */
         q->buf_offset += len;
 
@@ -276,14 +271,7 @@ diskHandleWrite(int fd, void *)
         if (q->buf_offset == q->len) {
             /* complete write */
             fdd->write_q = q->next;
-
-            if (q->free_func)
-                q->free_func(q->buf);
-
-            if (q) {
-                memFree(q, MEM_DWRITE_Q);
-                q = nullptr;
-            }
+            delete q;
         }
     }
 
@@ -331,18 +319,12 @@ file_write(int fd,
            void *handle_data,
            FREE * free_func)
 {
-    dwrite_q *wq = nullptr;
     fde *F = &fd_table[fd];
     assert(fd >= 0);
     assert(F->flags.open);
     /* if we got here. Caller is eligible to write. */
-    wq = (dwrite_q *)memAllocate(MEM_DWRITE_Q);
+    const auto wq = new dwrite_q(len, static_cast<char *>(const_cast<void *>(ptr_to_buf)), free_func);
     wq->file_offset = file_offset;
-    wq->buf = (char *)ptr_to_buf;
-    wq->len = len;
-    wq->buf_offset = 0;
-    wq->next = nullptr;
-    wq->free_func = free_func;
 
     if (!F->disk.wrt_handle_data) {
         F->disk.wrt_handle = handle;
diff --git a/src/fs_io.h b/src/fs_io.h
index 39645002daa..b2b3ff02d80 100644
--- a/src/fs_io.h
+++ b/src/fs_io.h
@@ -30,16 +30,25 @@ class dread_ctrl
     void *client_data;
 };
 
-// POD
 class dwrite_q
 {
+    MEMPROXY_CLASS(dwrite_q);
 public:
-    off_t file_offset;
-    char *buf;
-    size_t len;
-    size_t buf_offset;
-    dwrite_q *next;
-    FREE *free_func;
+    dwrite_q(const size_t wantCapacity) : dwrite_q(wantCapacity, nullptr, nullptr) {}
+    dwrite_q(size_t, char *, FREE *);
+    dwrite_q(dwrite_q &&) = delete; // no copying or moving of any kind
+    ~dwrite_q();
+
+    off_t file_offset = 0;
+    char *buf = nullptr;
+    size_t len = 0; ///< length of content in buf
+    size_t buf_offset = 0;
+    dwrite_q *next = nullptr;
+
+private:
+    size_t capacity = 0; ///< allocation size of buf
+    /// when set, gets called upon object destruction to free buf
+    FREE *free_func = nullptr;
 };
 
 int file_open(const char *path, int mode);
diff --git a/src/mem/forward.h b/src/mem/forward.h
index 8a0b287fa14..0ec985739ee 100644
--- a/src/mem/forward.h
+++ b/src/mem/forward.h
@@ -52,7 +52,6 @@ typedef enum {
     MEM_32K_BUF,
     MEM_64K_BUF,
     MEM_DREAD_CTRL,
-    MEM_DWRITE_Q,
     MEM_MD5_DIGEST,
     MEM_MAX
 } mem_type;
diff --git a/src/mem/old_api.cc b/src/mem/old_api.cc
index 461be27d02d..d6fc8058fee 100644
--- a/src/mem/old_api.cc
+++ b/src/mem/old_api.cc
@@ -309,7 +309,6 @@ Mem::Init(void)
     memDataInit(MEM_64K_BUF, "64K Buffer", 65536, 10, false);
     // TODO: Carefully stop zeroing these objects memory and drop the doZero parameter
     memDataInit(MEM_DREAD_CTRL, "dread_ctrl", sizeof(dread_ctrl), 0, true);
-    memDataInit(MEM_DWRITE_Q, "dwrite_q", sizeof(dwrite_q), 0, true);
     memDataInit(MEM_MD5_DIGEST, "MD5 digest", SQUID_MD5_DIGEST_LENGTH, 0, true);
     GetPool(MEM_MD5_DIGEST)->setChunkSize(512 * 1024);