Private
Thomas McCarthy
16967 6th East Lancashire Regiment
Missing in Action 9th August 1915, aged 23
Lived at 11 Leyland Road
Commemorated on the Helles Memorial, Gallipoli
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Burnleys Great War Centenary | Sponsored by: Gary Blakeley |
The McCarthy brothers of Leyland Rd are my Mums Uncles, as is P Lavin (my Great Uncles) I have a copy of the Burnley Express with the article A family hard hit. My Grandmother called her first son James (who died in childhood) and her other son Thomas (who is now 87) after her two brothers who died. My mum can still remember her Uncle Mick of 11 Leyland Rd looking after her as a child whilst her mother worked in the factory at the top of Leyland Rd (my mum lived at 21)
As read in Burnley Express - 1915
News Wanted - Young Burnley Soldier Missing
Mrs. McCarthy, of 11, Leyland road, Burnley, is desirous of obtaining definite news of her youngest son, Pte. Thomas McCarthy, of the 6th Batt. East Lancashire Regiment, who has been missing since August 9th. Pte. McCarthy, who is 23 years of age, was formerly employed at Towneley Colliery. His brother, Pte. James McCarthy, of the 1st East Lancashire Regt., was killed on July 6th, while another brother, Pte. John McCarthy, also of the 6th Batt., has lost an eye in action, and is still in hospital. Sergt. M. McCarthy, another brother, has also been wounded, but has recovered, and is now at Salenika.
Mrs. McCarthy has received the following letter from Lieut. Hugh Kelly; -- "I have made every effort in my power to trace your beloved son. I found out from Sergt. Taylor, of the machine gun section, that he was wounded in the head and also in the body, and he wandered off towards the dressing station a long way behind us. God in Heaven only knows what became of him afterwards. I hope you will put your trust in God, and hope for the best. If I ever find out any news of him I will let you know at once, as I thought a great deal of your son. Give my best wishes to your other boys."
Burnley Express - 5 February 1916
Express and Advertiser, March 14, 1917 (page 3)
Now Presumed Dead. Missing in Eastern Campaign.
On Saturday Mrs. McCarthy, of 11, Leyland road, Burnley, received a communication from the War Office, stating that her youngest son, Pte. Thomas McCarthy, of the 6th East Lancashire Regiment who was reported missing in the East since August 9th, 1915, is now presumed to have been killed on that date.
Pte. McCarthy, who
was 23 years of age, was formerly employed at Towneley Colliery. His brother
Pte. James McCarthy, of the 1st East Lancashire Regt. was killed on July
6th, while another brother, Pte. John McCarthy, also of the 6th Batt.,
has lost an eye in action. Sergt. M. McCarthy, another brother has also
been wounded. At the time Thomas was reported missing, Mrs. McCarthy received
the following letter from Lieut. Hugh Kelly; -- "I have made every
effort in my power to trace your beloved son. I found out from Sergt.
Taylor, of the machine gun section, that he was wounded in the head and
also in the body, and he wandered off towards the dressing station a long
way behind us. God in Heaven only knows what became of him afterwards.
I hope you will put your trust in God, and hope for the best. If I ever
find out any news of him I will let you know at once, as I thought a great
deal of your son. Give my best wishes to your other lads."
Express and Advertiser, March 17, 1917 (page 9)
Family That Has Been Hard Hit. -- Two Brothers Killed, Two Wounded, Cousin Missing.
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 beig missing at the Dardenelles from August 9, 1915. It is a remarkable record of four brothers and a cosuin. 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 widowd 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 Dardenelles. 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 Dardenelles 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.
HELLES MEMORIAL, Turkey - Location Information:
The Helles Memorial stands on the tip of the Gallipoli Peninsula. It takes the form of an obelisk over 30 metres high that can be seen by ships passing through the Dardanelles.
Historical Information:
The eight month campaign in Gallipoli was fought by Commonwealth and French forces in an attempt to force Turkey out of the war, to relieve the deadlock of the Western Front in France and Belgium, and to open a supply route to Russia through the Dardanelles and the Black Sea. The Allies landed on the peninsula on 25-26 April 1915; the 29th Division at Cape Helles in the south and the Australian and New Zealand Corps north of Gaba Tepe on the west coast, an area soon known as Anzac. On 6 August, further landings were made at Suvla, just north of Anzac, and the climax of the campaign came in early August when simultaneous assaults were launched on all three fronts. However, the difficult terrain and stiff Turkish resistance soon led to the stalemate of trench warfare. From the end of August, no further serious action was fought and the lines remained unchanged. The peninsula was successfully evacuated in December and early January 1916. The Helles Memorial serves the dual function of Commonwealth battle memorial for the whole Gallipoli campaign and place of commemoration for many of those Commonwealth servicemen who died there and have no known grave. The United Kingdom and Indian forces named on the memorial died in operations throughout the peninsula, the Australians at Helles. There are also panels for those who died or were buried at sea in Gallipoli waters. The memorial bears more than 21,000 names. There are four other Memorials to the Missing at Gallipoli. The Lone Pine, Hill 60, and Chunuk Bair Memorials commemorate Australian and New Zealanders at Anzac. The Twelve Tree Copse Memorial commemorates the New Zealanders at Helles. Naval casualties of the United Kingdom lost or buried at sea are recorded on their respective Memorials at Portsmouth, Plymouth
