Additional Information
The Battalion arrived at Le Havre on the 06/11/1914 and were part of the 25th Brigade, 8th Division when Patrick fell. Patrick embarked for the Balkans on the 20/07/1915 as part of the 6th (Service) Battalion Royal Irish Rifles. They were part of the 29th Brigade, 10th (Irish) Division. On the 6th / 7th of August 1915 the Division landed at Suvla Bay, less 29th Infantry Brigade which went to ANZAC Cove. The main body made an attack on Chocolate Hill on the 7th / 8th of August. Parts of the 29th Infantry Brigade took part in actions on Sari Bair on the 6th - 10th of August and at Hill 60 later that month. On the 29th of September 1915 the Division withdrew from Gallipoli and moved to Mudros. On the 4th / 5th of October it went on to Salonika, landing there between the 5th - 10th of October. They took part on the 7th and 8th of December 1915 in the action at Kosturino during the retreat from Serbia. Patrick became part of the 1st Battalion Royal Irish Rifles and was Killed in Action on the opening day of the Battle of the Somme at Albert. He was 1 of 15 men from the Coatbridge Memorial to pay the ultimate sacrifice that day. He was Killed in Action at the Battle of Albert, 1st - 13th of July 1916 : In this opening phase, the French and British assault broke into and gradually moved beyond the first of the German defensive systems. For the British, the attack on the 1st July proved to be the worst day in the nation's military history in terms of casualties sustained. It is the aspect of the battle that is most remembered and most written about, and for good reason, but to concentrate on the failures is to entirely miss the point of the Somme and why the battle developed into an epic period of the Great War. On the first day, British forces at the southern end of the British line made an impressive advance alongside the French Sixth Army, capturing the villages of Montauban and Mametz and breaking through the enemy's defensive system. North of Mametz the attack was an almost unmitigated failure. The situation led to a redirection of effort, with the offensive north of the River Ancre effectively being closed down and all future focus being on the line south of Thiepval. There was a stiff fight for Trones Wood and costly, hastily planned and piecemeal attacks that eventually took La Boisselle, Contalmaison and Mametz Wood during the rest of the period up to the 13th of July. This was part of the Battles of the Somme, 1st July - 18th November 1916 : A Franco-British offensive that was undertaken after Allied strategic conferences in late 1915, but which changed its nature due to the German attack against the French in the epic Battle of Verdun, which lasted from late February to November. Huge British losses on the first day and a series of fiercely-contested steps that became attritional in nature. For all armies on the Western Front it was becoming what the Germans would call "materialschlacht" : a war not of morale, will or even manpower, but of sheer industrial material might. The 15th September 1916 saw the first-ever use of tanks in the step known as the Battle of Flers-Courcelette. The British army in France is now approaching its maximum strength in numbers but is still developing in terms of tactics, technology, command and control. SEE PHOTOS x 14 FOR THE BATTALION WAR DIARY MAY - JULY 1916. The Battalion War Diary concerning casualties for the 01/07/1916 states : Officers - 1 Killed, 1 Died of Wounds, 12 Wounded, 1 Wounded and Missing, 2 Missing. Other Ranks - 17 Killed, 348 Wounded, 8 Wounded and Missing, 27 Missing. See War Diary photo 12 for the Battalion casualties and action on the 1st July and total casualties for the month of July. A huge thank you to Patrick's great grand-daughters Claire and Erica and ALL the family for their amazing work remembering Patrick and his son and daughter. Thanks for all the fantastic and sad stories Claire. Great to see the pride you have of your relatives. I'm sure its felt the same back to you all. Patrick is listed as PRIVATE on the Memorial. He was an enthusiastic athlete (see photo of Patrick and fellow runners. Patrick is on the right hand side) and a parishioner of St. Mary's Church, Coatbridge. See photos for Patrick's Medal Index Card, his Army Register of Soldiers Effects, his Service Medal and Award Rolls x 2, Patrick remembered at the Shrouds of the Somme exhibition in Belfast City Hall 23/08/2018 x 4, his name on the Thiepval Memorial, his CWGC Grave Registration, the Royal Irish Rifles Cap Badge, poems written by Claire and her brother Jim x 2 (both were uploaded onto the Shrouds of the Somme website) and Patrick's Pension Records x 2. Also see photos for Patrick's daughter Mrs Mary Morgan (Cairney) and 2 of her 3 sons (Edward and James, 3rd son wasn't born yet. He was later named Patrick after his Grandfather) a photo of Patrick's son James (Jimmy) and Patrick and Helen's (Ellen) photos on a brooch. Finally, SEE PHOTOS x 21 FOR THE 8th DIVISION BOOK JUNE - AUGUST 1916 and see photos of the 8th Division Order of Battle x 12 (the Division who he was with when he died). See comments for 3 messages sent by Patrick's relatives Erica and Claire.
