Rfn
Paul Lynch
Information about birth
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Year of birth: 1882 |
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Place of birth: Sligo, County Sligo, Ireland, United Kingdom |
General information
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Last known residence: Holborn, Middlesex, England, United Kingdom |
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Profession: General Labourer |
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Religion: Roman Catholic |
Army information
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Country: Ireland, United Kingdom |
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Force: British Expeditionary Force |
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Rank: Rifleman |
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Service number: 40240 |
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Enlistment place: Galway, County Galway, Ireland, United Kingdom |
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Units: — Royal Irish Rifles, 13th Bn. (1st County Down) (Last known unit) |
Information about death
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Date of death: 16/08/1917 |
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Place of death: Somme - Wiesengut, Saint-Julien, Belgium |
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Cause of death: Killed in action (K.I.A.) |
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Age: 35 |
Cemetery
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Tyne Cot Cemetery Plot: V Row: H Grave: 5 |
Distinctions and medals 4
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1914-15 Star Medal |
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British War Medal Medal |
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Queen's South Africa Medal Medal |
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Victory Medal Medal |
Points of interest 4
| #1 | Place of birth | ||
| #2 | Last known residence | ||
| #3 | Enlistment place | ||
| #4 | Place of death (approximate) |
My story
Paul Lynch was born around 1882 in Sligo, a coastal town and the capital of County Sligo, in the Irish province of Connacht. He began military life early. In January 1897, at barely 14 years old, he enlisted in the Sligo Royal Garrison Artillery.
Paul’s youth was far from carefree. He had frequent run-ins with the law. Just six months after joining up, he was arrested for the first time — for assaulting his mother. In the years that followed, more arrests followed, mostly for public drunkenness. As a young man, he served with the Connaught Rangers in the Second Boer War in South Africa.
After his military career, Paul returned to Sligo, where he moved back in with his mother. Civilian life proved difficult. Without the discipline of army life, he became a regular visitor to Sligo's jail cells. Between 1907 and 1913, the heavily tattooed veteran was arrested dozens of times — for drunkenness, violence, theft, disorderly conduct and vagrancy. After 1913, the reports suddenly ceased.
With the outbreak of the First World War, Paul found purpose again. In 1914, he volunteered for the British Expeditionary Force in Galway. He listed Holborn, near London, as his place of residence — perhaps a sign he had since left Ireland. From January 1915, he served on the Western Front, first with the East Lancashire Regiment. He was later transferred to the 13th Battalion (1st County Down) of the Royal Irish Rifles, part of the 108th Brigade in the 36th (Ulster) Division.
On 16 August 1917, the division took up positions just south of the village of Sint-Juliaan. The 108th Brigade advanced on the right, alongside the 109th Brigade on the left. The 16th (Irish) Division was positioned to their right. The 13th Royal Irish Rifles and the 9th Royal Irish Fusiliers led the attack, with the 12th in support and the 11th in reserve.
At 4:45 a.m., the assault began behind a creeping barrage. But the boggy terrain made progress difficult. Waterlogged craters and flooded trenches turned the battlefield into a quagmire. The leading troops came under intense machine-gun and rifle fire from German bunkers at Somme Farm. Although they managed to pass it, they could not hold it, forcing the companies to dig in nearby.
Support troops and reserves were sent forward but were heavily pinned down by fire from Gallipoli, Hindu Cottage, and Aisne Farm on the right, and Pond Farm and Hindu Cottage on the left. Within an hour, the battalion had to withdraw. A second assault, supported by headquarters personnel, was also repelled by fierce crossfire. Disorganized and depleted, the brigade fell back to its original positions. Officers regrouped the remaining men and worked to stabilize the line. The next day, the 108th Brigade was relieved.
The attack was a complete failure. The two Irish divisions gained almost no ground. No further assaults were attempted that day.
Rifleman Paul Lynch, 35 years old, a veteran of many battles — in Africa, in Flanders, and within himself — was killed on 16 October 1917. He was buried near Somme shortly after his death. After the war, he was reinterred at Tyne Cot Cemetery: Plot V, Row H, Grave 5.
Paul’s youth was far from carefree. He had frequent run-ins with the law. Just six months after joining up, he was arrested for the first time — for assaulting his mother. In the years that followed, more arrests followed, mostly for public drunkenness. As a young man, he served with the Connaught Rangers in the Second Boer War in South Africa.
After his military career, Paul returned to Sligo, where he moved back in with his mother. Civilian life proved difficult. Without the discipline of army life, he became a regular visitor to Sligo's jail cells. Between 1907 and 1913, the heavily tattooed veteran was arrested dozens of times — for drunkenness, violence, theft, disorderly conduct and vagrancy. After 1913, the reports suddenly ceased.
With the outbreak of the First World War, Paul found purpose again. In 1914, he volunteered for the British Expeditionary Force in Galway. He listed Holborn, near London, as his place of residence — perhaps a sign he had since left Ireland. From January 1915, he served on the Western Front, first with the East Lancashire Regiment. He was later transferred to the 13th Battalion (1st County Down) of the Royal Irish Rifles, part of the 108th Brigade in the 36th (Ulster) Division.
On 16 August 1917, the division took up positions just south of the village of Sint-Juliaan. The 108th Brigade advanced on the right, alongside the 109th Brigade on the left. The 16th (Irish) Division was positioned to their right. The 13th Royal Irish Rifles and the 9th Royal Irish Fusiliers led the attack, with the 12th in support and the 11th in reserve.
At 4:45 a.m., the assault began behind a creeping barrage. But the boggy terrain made progress difficult. Waterlogged craters and flooded trenches turned the battlefield into a quagmire. The leading troops came under intense machine-gun and rifle fire from German bunkers at Somme Farm. Although they managed to pass it, they could not hold it, forcing the companies to dig in nearby.
Support troops and reserves were sent forward but were heavily pinned down by fire from Gallipoli, Hindu Cottage, and Aisne Farm on the right, and Pond Farm and Hindu Cottage on the left. Within an hour, the battalion had to withdraw. A second assault, supported by headquarters personnel, was also repelled by fierce crossfire. Disorganized and depleted, the brigade fell back to its original positions. Officers regrouped the remaining men and worked to stabilize the line. The next day, the 108th Brigade was relieved.
The attack was a complete failure. The two Irish divisions gained almost no ground. No further assaults were attempted that day.
Rifleman Paul Lynch, 35 years old, a veteran of many battles — in Africa, in Flanders, and within himself — was killed on 16 October 1917. He was buried near Somme shortly after his death. After the war, he was reinterred at Tyne Cot Cemetery: Plot V, Row H, Grave 5.
Sources 5
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13 Battalion Royal Irish Rifles (The National Archives, KEW (TNA), WO 95/2506/3). https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ Sources used |
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British Army World War I Medal Rolls Index Cards, 1914-1920 (The National Archives, Kew (TNA), WO372). https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ Sources used |
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Census of Ireland 1901/1911 (The National Archives of Ireland, Dublin (NAI)). https://www.nationalarchives.ie/ Sources used |
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Ireland Prison Registers (The National Archives of Ireland, Dublin (NAI)). https://www.nationalarchives.ie/ Sources used |
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McCarthy Chris., Passchendaele. The Day-by-Day Account (London, Unicorn Publishing Group, 2018) 52-55. Sources used |
More information 3
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Commonwealth War Graves Commission Database https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/463669 |
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Namenlijst (In Flanders Fields Museum) https://namenlijst.org/publicsearch/#/person/_id=e7f526f8-a2e4-42db-9a6d-311bddf158fe |
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Lives of the First World War (Imperial War Museum) https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lifestory/2734145 |