Private John McCarthy
16940 6th East Lancashire Regiment
Wounded in Action 1915, in Gallipoli
Lived at 11 Leyland Road

Born, 16 Jun 1885 at Burnley. Also recorded as 340201 Gloucester regiment, living at 29 Bedford Street

Died, 27 May 1976 at 47, Sycamore, Burnley, Lancashire
As read in Burnley Express and Advertiser - September 11, 1915

Lost an eye. Burnley Soldiers Injury.

Pte. John McCarthy, of the 6th Batt. East Lancashire Regiment, whose home is at 29 Bedford Street, Burnley, has lost an eye as the result of a wound received at the Dardanelles. Writing to his wife, he said; -- "I got the bullet in the left eye, and it came out at the cheek. I am very lucky to be living. I am all right in myself and feel very well indeed. We get well looked after, and have had very good food. We were just coming out of the trenches to be relieved when I got hit, and I thought it was all over."
Pte. McCarthy was taken to a hospital at Port Said, and then sent to this country, now being at Brockenhurst, Hants. In a letter from the latter place he says; -- "My wound has healed up wonderfully. You can hardly see a mark on me, except my eye, which has vanished."
One of his brothers, Pte. James McCarthy, of the 1st East Lancashire Regiment has been killed in action, and another Sergt. M. McCarthy also of the East Lancashire has been wounded. Another brother, Thomas, is serving with the 6th Batt. East Lancashire Regiment at the Dardenelles.

Family That Has Been Hard Hit. -- Two Brothers Killed, Two Wounded, Cousin Missing. (Burnley Express and Advertiser, March 17, 1917 (page 9))

A family very hard hit by the war is that of the McCarthy's, one of whom as announced Wednesday's issue, has now been presumed dead, after being missing at the Dardanelles from August 9, 1915. It is a remarkable record of four brothers and a cousin. All were in the East Lancashire Regt. Two brothers have now been killed; one has lost his left eye but is still serving; whilst the cousin, Pte. Lavin, has been reported wounded and missing since July 1st last, and there are no hopes that he is alive, as nothing has been heard of him, either officially or otherwise since. The unmarried McCarthy brothers lived at 11, Leyland Road, and the cousin (the only cousin) resided with his widowed mother in Pitt Street. Two of the brothers, John and Thomas, and the cousin enlisted within three days of each other.

The eldest of the McCarthy brothers is Sergt. Michael, who is forty years of age. He served in the Boer War, and was a reservist when the present war began with the 3rd East Lancashire Regt. He was on going out attached to another battalion, and has been wounded twice -- once at Neuve Chapelle and once at Salonika. He has now been in hospital at Salonika for the past eight months. He is unmarried.
Denis McCarthy, the second brother, has been rejected for military service, but he is working munitions.
The third, Pte. James McCarthy, who was 33 years old at the time he was killed, was with the 1st East Lancashire Regiment, and previous to joining the Army worked at Cooper's Foundry. He was married. He was killed at Ypres on July 6th 1915. He was a reservist having been with the colours seven years. He went through the Boer War. He left three little children, and on his dead body was found a photograph of his wife and children.
John McCarthy, the fourth son who is 32 and married, and belongs to the 6th East Lancashire Regiment lost his left eye through a bullet wound received at the Dardanelles. He was just coming out of the trenches when he was hit. He was taken to a hospital at Port Said, and afterwards came to a hospital at Brockenhurst, Hants. Pte. John McCarthy is still serving, being at the headquarters at Plymouth. He was formerly a joiner's labourer.
The fifth brother, Thomas is now presumed to have been killed after being missing at the Dardanelles since August 9th 1915. He was 23 years of age then, and previously was employed at Rowley Colliery. At the time he was missing a comrade said he was wounded in the head and body, and then disappeared.
Their cousin Pte. John Lavin, also of the East Lancashire Regiment was wounded and has been missing since July 1st. It is feared that he is dead.
The McCarthy family are connected with St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church.