Pte
William John McGaffin
Information about birth
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Year of birth: 1889 |
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Place of birth: Knocknamuckley, County Down, Ireland, United Kingdom |
General information
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Last known residence: Bleary, County Down, Ireland, United Kingdom |
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Profession: Labourer |
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Religion: Church of Ireland |
Army information
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Country: Ireland, United Kingdom |
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Force: British Expeditionary Force |
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Rank: Private |
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Service number: 24734 |
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Enlistment place: Portadown, County Armagh, Ireland, United Kingdom |
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Units: — Royal Irish Fusiliers, 9th Bn. (County Armagh) (Last known unit) |
Information about death
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Date of death: 16/08/1917 |
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Place of death: Aisne Farm, Saint-Julien, Belgium |
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Cause of death: Killed in action (K.I.A.) |
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Age: 28 |
Cemetery
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Tyne Cot Cemetery Plot: VI Row: H Grave: 24 |
Distinctions and medals 2
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British War 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
William John McGaffin was born around 1889 in the small parish of Knocknamuckley, situated right on the border between County Armagh and County Down. William worked as a labourer and lived with his parents in the nearby town of Bleary, in County Down.
William served on the Western Front with the 9th Battalion (County Armagh) of the Royal Irish Fusiliers, part of the 108th Brigade in the 36th (Ulster) Division.
During the Battle of Passchendaele, on 16 August 1917, the 9th Royal Irish Fusiliers assembled in an old trench running from Pommern Redoubt — the battalion headquarters — to Iberian Farm. Their objective was to advance towards the Zonnebeke–Langemark road, roughly 1.5 kilometres further on.
Moments after moving forward behind the creeping barrage, the men were already held up at Hill 35. But despite sustained machine-gun fire from Somme and Gallipoli, the battalion succeeded in capturing Hill 35. Meanwhile, contact had been lost with the 7/8th Royal Irish Fusiliers, and as the artillery barrage continued to roll forward, the men were increasingly exposed to German fire.
One platoon stayed behind to consolidate Hill 35 while the attack continued. The Fusiliers pressed on until they ran into a double belt of barbed wire at Gallipoli, north of Hill 35. The wire had been cut in only one or two places, forcing the men to squeeze through. It was precisely on these bottlenecks that German machine-guns concentrated their fire — from dugouts in Gallipoli, Aisne Farm and Martha House north of Hill 35, and from Hill 37 to the east along the Zonnebeke–Langemark road. The consequences were devastating.
Further advance proved impossible. The battalion was forced to withdraw and consolidated its positions in a trench in front of Hill 35. But even there, sustained machine-gun fire from Hill 37 made the position untenable. They pulled back again, this time to a trench on the southern slope of Hill 35.
This position linked up with the lines of the 16th (Irish) Division on their right. But when that division was also pushed back by German counterattacks, the right flank of the Fusiliers was exposed. From Iberian Farm, south of Hill 35, they were enfiladed by German machine-gunners. With no cover remaining on their right, the 9th Royal Irish Fusiliers were ultimately forced to withdraw back to their original lines. The attack was a complete failure.
William, 28 years old, was killed during the assault on Hill 35. He was initially buried in the field near Aisne. After the war, he received his final resting place at Tyne Cot Cemetery, Plot VI, Row H, Grave 24.
William served on the Western Front with the 9th Battalion (County Armagh) of the Royal Irish Fusiliers, part of the 108th Brigade in the 36th (Ulster) Division.
During the Battle of Passchendaele, on 16 August 1917, the 9th Royal Irish Fusiliers assembled in an old trench running from Pommern Redoubt — the battalion headquarters — to Iberian Farm. Their objective was to advance towards the Zonnebeke–Langemark road, roughly 1.5 kilometres further on.
Moments after moving forward behind the creeping barrage, the men were already held up at Hill 35. But despite sustained machine-gun fire from Somme and Gallipoli, the battalion succeeded in capturing Hill 35. Meanwhile, contact had been lost with the 7/8th Royal Irish Fusiliers, and as the artillery barrage continued to roll forward, the men were increasingly exposed to German fire.
One platoon stayed behind to consolidate Hill 35 while the attack continued. The Fusiliers pressed on until they ran into a double belt of barbed wire at Gallipoli, north of Hill 35. The wire had been cut in only one or two places, forcing the men to squeeze through. It was precisely on these bottlenecks that German machine-guns concentrated their fire — from dugouts in Gallipoli, Aisne Farm and Martha House north of Hill 35, and from Hill 37 to the east along the Zonnebeke–Langemark road. The consequences were devastating.
Further advance proved impossible. The battalion was forced to withdraw and consolidated its positions in a trench in front of Hill 35. But even there, sustained machine-gun fire from Hill 37 made the position untenable. They pulled back again, this time to a trench on the southern slope of Hill 35.
This position linked up with the lines of the 16th (Irish) Division on their right. But when that division was also pushed back by German counterattacks, the right flank of the Fusiliers was exposed. From Iberian Farm, south of Hill 35, they were enfiladed by German machine-gunners. With no cover remaining on their right, the 9th Royal Irish Fusiliers were ultimately forced to withdraw back to their original lines. The attack was a complete failure.
William, 28 years old, was killed during the assault on Hill 35. He was initially buried in the field near Aisne. After the war, he received his final resting place at Tyne Cot Cemetery, Plot VI, Row H, Grave 24.
Sources 5
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9 Battalion Royal Irish Fusiliers (The National Archives, Kew (TNA), WO 95/2505/2). 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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Cunliffe, M., Passchendaele: The Royal Irish Fusiliers : 1793-1968. (Oxford, Oxford University Press, 1970) 324-327. Sources used |
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Harris, H., The Royal Irish Fusiliers (the 87th and 89th Regiments of Foot). (London, Leo Cooper, 1972) 100-103. Sources used |
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McCarthy Chris, Passchendaele: The Day-By-Day Account (Londen, Arms & Armour, 2018) 52-55. Sources used |
More information 3
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Lives of the First World War (Imperial War Museum) https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lifestory/2791312 |
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Commonwealth War Graves Commission Database https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/463752 |
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Namenlijst (In Flanders Fields Museum) https://namenlijst.org/publicsearch/#/person/_id=74817cad-8a34-45e1-860e-9cdf2954c988 |