Pte 332341 Owen McCann

• Age: 39
• From: Cooley Town, Co. Louth
• Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 18th Btn
• K.I.A Tuesday 31st July 1917
• Commemorated at: Menin Gate Memorial
  Panel Ref: Panel 4 & 6

Owen McCann was born in March 1878 in Cooley Town, Co. Louth and was the son of James and Mary (nee Donnelly) McCann, of Glenmore, Riverstown, Dundalk. Glenmore is in the Electoral Division of Rathcor, in the Civil Parish of Carlingford, in the Barony of Lower Dundalk, in the County of Louth.

His CWGC record states, son of James and Mary McCann. The only Owen McCann born to  parents of these names was born in March 1878 to mother (nee Donnelly) and baptised on the 15th of March. However, his age on censuses does not match this birthdate.

His parents married in 1868 in Carlingford (his grandfather was Owen McCann). Unfortunately, earlier Irish censuses no longer exist, but baptisms for other children born to James McCann and Mary Donnelly include Ellen, born in 1872, Mary, 1876, and Catherine, born in 1880. However, these names and birthdates do not match those of the children found on censuses.

On the 1901 Census the Roman Catholic family are living at House 48 Glenmore, Rathcor, County Louth, Ireland. Owen 21 (based on his birthdate, he would have just turned 23). His father, James, is aged 70, he is a farmer, his mother, Mary, is aged 45, (age transcribed as 45 but likely incorrect).  His parents are not literate. Their children are listed as; Owen 21 a farmers son, John 16, Annie 18, and Kate 12. The  children have no occupation other than farmer's sons and daughters.

On the 1911 Census, Owen, is living with his married sister, Mary Feehan, at 338 Great Howard St, Liverpool. Head of the household is John Feehan 42, a licensed victualler, his wife Mary is 38 years of age, and Owen McCann is aged 31, (he would have been 33) a dock labourer, all born in Cooley Town, County Louth, Ireland. Also in the household is a 22-year old barman, and Mary Hanlon, 42, described simply as a relative, married, born in Carlingford.  (Another Owen McCann, aged 30, son of Patrick McCann and Catherine Hanlon of Carlingford, was lost on the Lusitania, and was apparently a relative of Owen's.)  
 
Mary had married in St. Alban's Church, Liverpool, on 10th November 1901, address 5 Cambridge Road, Waterloo, witness Ellen McCann, of 2 Adelaide Terrace, Waterloo. The 1901 census shows Ellen McCann, 27, at this address, a domestic cook born in Ireland, possibly her elder sister or a cousin.

In 1911 his mother, now 67 and widowed, is still farming, with son  John, 27, and daughter Kate, 23. They have a 14-year old farm servant.

He enlisted in Liverpool joining the 18th Battalion of The King’s Liverpool Regiment as Private No 332341. Based on the amount of the War Gratuity, Owen enlisted in about January 1916. The surrounding regimental numbers are men from the 9th Bn K.L.R. It is possible that Owen initially enlisted in the 9th Bn. but was later transferred, as the medal roll shows overseas service only with 18th Bn.

Owen was killed in action on the 31st July 1917, aged 39, during the Third Battle of Ypres.

On this day, before Zero Hour, the 18^th Battalion was part of 21^st Brigade and was to form up for the attack from trenches from the area of Sanctuary Wood to Observatory Ridge but it was dark and continually falling rain gave very poor visibility. The departure of the 21^st Brigade was delayed by heavy shelling.

The 18^th King’s began to move forward in the rear of the 2^nd Battalion of the Wiltshire Regiment who had been detailed as the left attacking battalion of the 21^st Brigade.

No’s 1 and 3 Companies of the King’s led the way followed by No’s 2 and 4. In Sanctuary Wood there was considerable confusion, as a result No.2 and No.4 Companies became separated from the others, and were moved over to the left flank towards positions known as Surbiton Villas and Clapham Junction in the direction of the 90^th Brigade.

No.1 and 3 Companies were soon in action with the enemy, and were for a time, held up against an enemy strong point. They pushed forward with their right on a trench known as Jar Row and their left on the tramway south of Stirling Castle. Advance along Jar Row was held up by the Germans who put up a fierce resistance and the party was forced to withdraw.

Another group of men from No.1 and No.3 Companies led by 2^nd Lieutenant Graham were being held up by another strongpoint which was south of Stirling Castle, which was eventually stormed and taken.  Not far away from this action,  an attempt, by other men of No.1 and No.3 companies, was made to penetrate a broad belt of uncut wire, but this was covered by Machine-guns which killed almost every man attempting to pass through the two gaps that were discovered.

The situation was similar with No.2 and 4 Companies, who had attacked along the wrong axis. Their advance was met with fierce opposition, and once all the experienced officer’s had been killed or wounded, all cohesion was lost, although some men did reach and cross the Menin Road at Clapham Junction.

By that time, the situation had become extremely confused, and the whereabouts of all four companies being unknown to Battalion Headquarters, urgent attempts were made to discover their locations. Eventually by mid- afternoon, it was established that the bulk of the companies, although all mixed together, were dug in the vicinity of Stirling Castle and by mid evening, the Battalion Headquarters moved forward to meet them.

During its time in the line the 18^th Battalion lost 7 officers and 76 men killed or died of wounds and 7 officers and 177 men wounded. They were relieved on the 2^nd August.

Owen was reported missing in the Weekly Casualty List on the 18th September 1917:

MISSING

King's (Liverpool Regiment) - McCann, 332341, O.(Liverpool);

CWGC gives his age as 40.

His body was not recovered or was subsequently lost as he has no known grave and is commemorated on the Menin Gate Memorial, Belgium.

The site of the Menin Gate was chosen because of the hundreds of thousands of men who passed through it on their way to the battlefields. It commemorates casualties from the forces of Australia, Canada, India, South Africa and United Kingdom who died in the Salient. In the case of United Kingdom casualties, only those prior 16 August 1917 (with some exceptions). United Kingdom and New Zealand servicemen who died after that date are named on the memorial at Tyne Cot, a site which marks the furthest point reached by Commonwealth forces in Belgium until nearly the end of the war. New Zealand casualties that died prior to 16 August 1917 are commemorated on memorials at Buttes New British Cemetery and Messines Ridge British Cemetery.

The YPRES (MENIN GATE) MEMORIAL now bears the names of more than 54,000 officers and men whose graves are not known. The memorial, designed by Sir Reginald Blomfield with sculpture by Sir William Reid-Dick, was unveiled by Lord Plumer on 24 July 1927.

Soldiers Effects to executor Edwin Berry including a War Gratuity of £5-10s, to Edwin Berry. Pension of 15 shillings a week to mother Mary, Glenmore, Cooley Town South.

Probate 1918:-

MCCANN - Owen of 166 Great Howard Street, Liverpool, Private 18th Battalion King's Liverpool regiment died 31 July 1918(sic) in France Probate Liverpool 3 October to Edwin Berry solicitor. Effects £1961 18s

His mother appears to have died in the early 1930s.

Owen is commemorated on the following memorials -

St. Alban's Church, Liverpool 

Ireland's National Roll of Honour

Both Owen McCanns are commemorated on the Dundalk WW1 Memorial. Dundalk, the county town of Louth, remained the only major town in the county without a memorial to commemorate the soldiers who lost their lives during the Great War. A memorial was due to be unveiled early in 2022, but the central image, a portrayal of soldiers leaving for war, was removed after a U.S. artist threatened legal action over copyright infringement. The image is very similar to that in a major commission by sculptor Sabin Howard for the U.S. National WW1 Memorial which is due to be erected in Washington DC in 2024.

The Dundalk memorial, featuring Irish poet Francis Ledwidge's poem ‘A Soldier’s Grave’ instead of the controversial image, was finally unveiled in October 2022.

(Francis Ledwidge served in the 1st Bn. Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers and was killed in action, aged 29, on the same day as Owen, 31/07/1917, and now rests in Artillery Wood Cemetery, Flanders.)

We currently have no further information on Owen McCann, If you have or know someone who may be able to add to the history of this soldier, please contact us.