Sergeant
Michael McCarthy (served as Carter)
7419 6th East Lancashire Regiment
Wounded in Action
Lived at 11 Leyland Road
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.
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