Pte 31887 Patrick Doyle

• Age: 34
• From: Carrowcanada, Swineford, County Mayo
• Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 19th Btn
• K.I.A Wednesday 27th March 1918
• Commemorated at: Pozieres Memorial
  Panel Ref: P21-23

Patrick Doyle was born on the 08th June 1883 at Carrowcanada, Swineford, County Mayo the son of John Doyle and his wife Ellen (nee Conway).

The 1901 Census he is shown as aged 15 living at house 24 in Carrowcanada. His father, John, is aged 50 and employed as a farmer, whilst his mother Ellen is also 50. Patrick's siblings are shown as; Thomas 28, Winifred 21, Martin 12 (all born Co. Mayo).

Patrick married Elizabeth McCormick in Wigan in 1905.

The 1911 Census shows the family living at 4 Cross Street Haigh Near Wigan. Patrick is shown as being aged 30, born 1881 in Wigan and is an underground collier/ labourer for Wigan Coal Co. His wife Elizabeth is aged 27, born 1884 in Aspull as were their two children. John aged 4, born 1907 and Annie aged 1, born1910. They have a lodger Samuel Gibson a widower aged 58, born 1853 who is employed as a banksman above ground and he was born in Aspull. 

They had three further children born after the 1911 Census; Mary born in the December quarter of 1911, Ellen born in the December quarter of 1914 and James born in the first quarter of 1919 who sadly died in infancy.

Patrick enlisted in Wigan and was serving in the 19^th Battalion, The King’s Liverpool Regiment as Private No 31887 when he was killed in action on the 27^th March 1918 during the German Spring Offensive aged 34 years.

The Battalion diary gives details of the events of the day:

The night of 26^th into 27^th  was spent “standing to” in the new position at ROUVECY BOUCHOIR  During the morning the attack on our right and left continued , the Battalion, now being in the support line and was withdrawn at 11am. Both flanks having gone and a position was taken up on a line FOLIES-ARVILLERS the Battalion supporting the 2^nd Battalion Bedfordshire Regiment & 2^nd Battalion Royal Scots Fusiliers. This position was held during the night. 

Patrick has no known grave and is commemorated on the Pozieres Memorial.

The POZIERES MEMORIAL relates to the period of crisis in March and April 1918 when the Allied Fifth Army was driven back by overwhelming numbers across the former Somme battlefields, and the months that followed before the Advance to Victory, which began on 8 August 1918. The Memorial commemorates over 14,000 casualties of the United Kingdom and 300 of the South African Forces who have no known grave and who died on the Somme from 21 March to 7 August 1918.

The cemetery and memorial were designed by W.H. Cowlishaw, with sculpture by Laurence A. Turner. The memorial was unveiled by Sir Horace Smith-Dorrien on 4 August 1930.

Enquiries were made to the British Red Cross and Order of St John concerning Patrick on 2nd August 1918 and again on 20th November 1918.  

Soldiers Effects and Pension to widow Elizabeth and children John, Ann, Mary and Ellen.

Grateful thanks are extended to Michael Doyle, the great-grandson of Patrick for providing the photograph and some of the biographical information contained herein. Also to Dave Bohl for editing the photograph provided by Michael. 

We currently have no further information on Patrick Doyle, If you have or know someone who may be able to add to the history of this soldier, please contact us.