Pte 41726 Patrick O'Connor

• Age: 29
• From: Liverpool
• Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 17th Btn
• K.I.A Tuesday 31st July 1917
• Commemorated at: Menin Gate Memorial
  Panel Ref: Panel 4 & 6

Patrick Joseph O’Connor was born in c.1888 in Liverpool (1891 census) or c.1889 in Ireland (1901 census) and was the son of Michael Patrick O'Connor and his wife Mary Ann (nee Quinn). His father has a birth record of Connor for the 19th January 1865 in Drogheda, his father Pat is a shoemaker, mother Alice Culligan. His mother, Mary Ann, has a baptism record for the 06th April 1863 at St Peter's, Drogheda, her father being Patrick, and her mother Catherine Moran. His mother Mary Ann had another daughter Christina Ethel in 1902, she may have died aged 36 in 1904. 

On the 1891 census the family are living as Connor at 9 Christopher Street, Kirkdale. Patrick's father, Michael, is aged 24, a shoemaker b.Co.Louth, Ireland, mother Mary A. is aged 28 b.Drogheda, Ireland, children Patrick aged 3 b.Liverpool, Eleanor 4  b.Liverpool, Mary 8 months b.Liverpool.

On the 1901 census the family are living at 82 Nimrod Street, Walton. His father, Michael, is aged 36, a boot maker, his mother Mary Ann is aged 37. They have seven  children in the household; Patrick 12, a greengrocers shop boy b.Ireland?, Helena 14 a general servant b.Ireland?, Mary Kate 10 b.Liverpool, Arthur 5 b.Liverpool, Alice 4 b.Liverpool, Florence 2 b.Liverpool and John 8 months b.Liverpool.

His mother Mary A. died between the 1901 and 1911 censuses, and father has remarried to Ellen but no positive records can be found to substantiate this.

On the 1911 Census the family are living at 49 St Arnaud Street, Walton, Patrick is not present, his father Michael is aged 45, a boot maker, his 2nd wife Ellen is aged 40 and was born in Drogheda, Ireland. They have been married for 1 year with no children born to the marriage. There are four children in the household; Alice 13, Florence 12, John 10, and Ethel 9.

Patrick Joseph married Elizabeth Alice Devlin on the 18th January 1915 at St John's, Fountains Road, Kirkdale, giving his address as 43 Tetlow Street, his father Michael O'Connor. Elizabeth (DOB 28/3/1877), gave the same address, and gave her father as Patrick Devlin. 

A child, Lilian Patricia Margaret was born to the marriage on the 18th July 1916. Her birth featured in the Liverpool Echo on 16th August 1916: 

O'CONNOR - July 18th at 43 Tetlow Street, the wife of Private Patrick O'Connor, 3rd King's Liverpool, (nee Lil Devlin), of a daughter.

Partick enlisted in Liverpool and was serving in the 17th Battalion, The King’s Liverpool Regiment as Private No 41726 when he was killed in action on the 31st July 1917 aged 29 during the Third Battle of Ypres.

17^th Battalion

On that day, the 89th Brigade was to follow up the attacks of the 21st and 90th Brigades and once their objectives had been taken, to go through them and secure a line of strong points on the German third line. The 89th Brigade line of attack was from the South West corner of Polygon Wood, to the Menin Road. The 17th Battalion, The King’s Liverpool Regiment was on the left of the attack, and the 20th to the right, with the 19th Battalion and the 2nd Battalion The Bedfordshire Regiment, in Divisional Reserve.

The Battalion moved into assembly positions east of Maple Copse between 05.00 and 05.20am, they were heavily shelled and suffered many casualties. At 07.50 they began to advance with the 17^th Battalion on the left, and the 20^th on the right, the whole time under heavy shell fire. On reaching their position which was the Blue Line , troops of both the 21^st and 90^th Brigades were still pinned down  and thus any attempt at further progress were futile.

Despite this they pushed on until their flank was just touching Clapham Junction. They then dug in and awaited the inevitable bombardment which hit them soon after. Despite this, they held onto the ground.  

During the action and their time in the line the 17^th Battalion lost three officers and 79 men killed or died of wounds and four officers and 198 men wounded. They were eventually relieved on the night of 3^rd -4^th August.      

Patrick's 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.

He was originally posted as Missing and still declared as such in the Liverpool Echo on 02nd July 1918:

By order of the war office notices of the deaths of soldiers must not give the number of the battalion nor the theatre of war in which the casualty occurred. 

MISSING - INFORMATION WANTED

O'CONNOR - Reported missing July 31 1917, 41726 Signaller PATRICK O'CONNOR K.L.R., most devoted husband of Lily and Dada of Patricia O'Connor - Deeply mourned by all at 45 Tetlow Street, Kirkdale. 

It was not until a year later that news of his death was confirmed in the Liverpool Echo on 1st August 1918: 

O'CONNOR - Reported missing July 31, 1917, now presumed killed on that date, Signaller PATRICK O'CONNOR, 17th K.L.R., most deadly-loved husband of Lily O'Connor and loving dada of little Patricia. R.I.P. - 43 Tetlow Street.

The Nottingham and Midland Catholic News 10^th Aug 1918 

Signaller Patrick O'Connor, of the Liverpool “Pals," who has been posted as missing since July 31 of last year, is now officially presumed to have been killed on or since that date. He was a member of St. John's (Kirkdale, Liverpool) congregation, and leaves a widow and child, whose home is at 43, Tetlow Street. 

Soldiers Effects to widow Elizabeth A.

Pension to widow Elizabeth Alice, and child Lilian Patricia Margaret O'Connor.

1921 census at 51 Gilead St., father Michael is widowed 

Ethel, O'Connor, 1902, Liverpool, Lancashire, England, West Derby, West Derby, Lancashire,  

Florence, O'Connor, 1899, Walton, Lancashire, England, West Derby, West Derby, Lancashire,  

Michael, O'Connor, 1865, —, West Derby, West Derby, Lancashire, 

His father Michael Patrick died at the Royal Infirmary, Liverpool, in 1928, aged 63, he was buried on the 05th October at Ford Cemetery, his address 51 Gilead Street.

Widow Elizabeth died aged 61 in 1938 and was buried at Kirkdale Cemetery on the 2^nd July, her address 6 Millersdale Ave, Walton (the Devlin family). 

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