Pte
Francis Donnery
Information about birth
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Date of birth: 18/12/1891 |
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Place of birth: Liverpool, Lancashire, England, United Kingdom |
General information
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Last known residence: 73 Latham Street, Liverpool, Lancashire, England, United Kingdom |
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Religion: Roman Catholic |
Army information
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Country: Verenigd Koninkrijk |
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Force: British Expeditionary Force |
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Rank: Private |
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Service number: 18976 |
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Enlistment place: Liverpool, Lancashire, England, 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: Somme - Wiesengut, Saint-Julien, Belgium |
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Age: 25 |
Cemetery
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Tyne Cot Cemetery Plot: IV Row: F Grave: 1 |
Points of interest 4
| #1 | Place of birth | ||
| #2 | Last known residence | ||
| #3 | Enlistment place | ||
| #4 | Place of death (approximate) |
My story
Francis Donnery was born in December 1891 in Liverpool, Lancashire, into an Irish Catholic family. When Francis volunteered for military service, he was still living with his parents on Latham Street, Liverpool. From June 1915 onwards, he served on the Western Front, ultimately with the 9th Battalion (County Armagh) of the Royal Irish Fusiliers, part of the 108th Brigade within the 36th (Ulster) Division.
During the Battle of Passchendaele, on 16 August 1917, the 9th Royal Irish Fusiliers gathered in an old trench that ran from Pommern Redoubt — the battalion headquarters — to Iberian Farm. Their objective: to advance towards the Zonnebeke–Langemark road, about one and a half kilometres away.
Moments after advancing behind the creeping barrage, the men were held up at Hill 35. But despite sustained machine-gun fire from Somme and Gallipoli, the battalion managed to capture Hill 35. Meanwhile, contact was lost with the 7/8th Royal Irish Fusiliers, and as the artillery barrage moved on, the men were increasingly exposed to German fire.
One platoon stayed behind to consolidate Hill 35 while the attack continued. The Fusiliers advanced until they reached a double line of barbed wire near Gallipoli, north of Hill 35. The wire had only been destroyed in one or two places, forcing the men to squeeze through. German machine guns targeted these bottlenecks — firing from dugouts in Gallipoli, Aisne Farm, and Martha House to the north, as well as from Hill 37 to the east, along the Zonnebeke–Langemark road. The results were devastating.
Further advance proved impossible. The battalion was forced to fall back and dug in along a trench in front of Hill 35. But even there, constant machine-gun fire from Hill 37 rendered the position untenable. They withdrew again, this time to a trench on the southern slope of Hill 35.
That position connected with the lines of the 16th (Irish) Division to their right. But when that division too was pushed back by German counterattacks, the right flank of the Fusiliers was exposed. From Iberian Farm, south of Hill 35, German machine gunners opened fire on their flank. With no cover remaining on their right side, the 9th Royal Irish Fusiliers were ultimately forced to retreat to their original positions. The attack had been a complete failure.
Francis, 25 years old, was killed during the attack on Hill 35. He was initially buried in the field near Somme. After the war, he received his final resting place at Tyne Cot Cemetery, Plot IV, Row F, Grave 1.
During the Battle of Passchendaele, on 16 August 1917, the 9th Royal Irish Fusiliers gathered in an old trench that ran from Pommern Redoubt — the battalion headquarters — to Iberian Farm. Their objective: to advance towards the Zonnebeke–Langemark road, about one and a half kilometres away.
Moments after advancing behind the creeping barrage, the men were held up at Hill 35. But despite sustained machine-gun fire from Somme and Gallipoli, the battalion managed to capture Hill 35. Meanwhile, contact was lost with the 7/8th Royal Irish Fusiliers, and as the artillery barrage moved on, the men were increasingly exposed to German fire.
One platoon stayed behind to consolidate Hill 35 while the attack continued. The Fusiliers advanced until they reached a double line of barbed wire near Gallipoli, north of Hill 35. The wire had only been destroyed in one or two places, forcing the men to squeeze through. German machine guns targeted these bottlenecks — firing from dugouts in Gallipoli, Aisne Farm, and Martha House to the north, as well as from Hill 37 to the east, along the Zonnebeke–Langemark road. The results were devastating.
Further advance proved impossible. The battalion was forced to fall back and dug in along a trench in front of Hill 35. But even there, constant machine-gun fire from Hill 37 rendered the position untenable. They withdrew again, this time to a trench on the southern slope of Hill 35.
That position connected with the lines of the 16th (Irish) Division to their right. But when that division too was pushed back by German counterattacks, the right flank of the Fusiliers was exposed. From Iberian Farm, south of Hill 35, German machine gunners opened fire on their flank. With no cover remaining on their right side, the 9th Royal Irish Fusiliers were ultimately forced to retreat to their original positions. The attack had been a complete failure.
Francis, 25 years old, was killed during the attack on Hill 35. He was initially buried in the field near Somme. After the war, he received his final resting place at Tyne Cot Cemetery, Plot IV, Row F, Grave 1.
Sources 6
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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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British Army World War I Medal Rolls Index Cards, 1914-1920 (The National Archives, Kew (TNA), WO372). https://nationalarchives.gov.uk 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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Liverpool Catholic Parish Registers (Liverpool Record Office, Liverpool (LivRO), 282 SYL/1/2). https://liverpool.gov.uk/ 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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Namenlijst (In Flanders Fields Museum) https://namenlijst.org/publicsearch/#/person/_id=f977fc25-2e7c-401a-b39f-91c0d212f322 |
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Commonwealth War Graves Commission Database https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/462592 |
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Lives of the First World War (Imperial War Museum) https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lifestory/1670679 |