Crosbie Family WW1

The Crosbie Family

In 1872 Anne Murray a sister of Margaret Caffrey(nee Murray) married Edward Whelan. They had just 2 children, only one  survived. Dora Whelan married in 1893 John McFeeley. They had 2 boys Patrick and John. Initially Patrick McFeeley joined the Dublin Fusiliers in 1910, and was stationed in Aldershot in the 1911 census. He survived the war, but changed regiments to the Munster Fusiliers. On demob he was a Lance Sergeant.

Here is  Patrick's Medal Card

His younger brother John McFeeley, joined he Lancashire Fusiliers. Initially went to France in 1914, came back to England and was aboard the Prince Edward when it was sunk by a German U Boat, close to Gallipoli 1915. His death is noted in the Crosbie Memorial of the Dead.

On 28 July 1915, Royal Edward embarked 1,367 officers and men at Avonmouth.[a] The majority were reinforcements for the British 29th Infantry, with members of the Royal Army Medical Corps. All were destined for Gallipoli.[5] Royal Edward was reported off the Lizard on the evening of the 28th, and had arrived at Alexandria on 10 August, a day after sister ship Royal George had sailed from Devonport. Royal Edward sailed for Moudros on the island of Lemnos, a staging point for the Dardanelles.

On the morning of 13 August, Royal Edward passed the British hospital ship Soudan, heading in the opposite direction. Oberleutnant zur See Heino von Heimburg in the German submarine UB-14 was off the island of Kandeloussa and saw both ships. He allowed Soudan to pass unmolested, and focused his attention on the unescorted Royal Edward some 6 nautical miles (11 km) off Kandeloussa. He launched one of UB-14's two torpedoes from about a mile (2 km) away and hit Royal Edward in the stern.  She sank by the stern within six minutes.

Royal Edward was able to get off an SOS before losing power, and Soudan arrived on the scene at 10:00 after making a 180° turn and rescued 440 men in six hours. Two French destroyers and some trawlers rescued another 221. According to authors James Wise and Scott Baron, Royal Edward's death toll was 935 and was high because Royal Edward had just completed a boat drill and the majority of the men were below decks re-stowing their equipment. Other sources report different numbers of casualties, from 132 to 1,386  or 1,865. An admiralty casualty list, published in The Times in September 1915, named 13 officers and 851 troops as missing believed drowned, a total of 864 lost.

(courtesy Wikipedia)

John left his belongings (and cash) to Dorothy Barnes. Dorothy married a Harry Aston in 1918.

Out of pure curiosity I obtained Dorothy's marriage cert to Harry.

William Farrell married Mary Caffrey, daughter of Nicholas Caffrey in 1919. During the war he was in the 4th Hussars. Here is his Medal Card. He received the 1914-1915 Star, Victory and British War Medal. After the war he was attached to the Royal Tank Corps.

Thomas Gallagher

This the most likely medal card for Thomas Gallagher (1894-1947). He joined the army just after the 1911 census.  In 1916 he was injured and recovered on the Hospital Ship St Patrick.

William Walsh was the son of  Mary Coyle Patrick Walsh. Mary Coyle is a first cousin of Mary Crosbie nee Caffrey.  Her mother is Mary Murray.

William died as a Lance-Corporal in 1917. Included here is his medal card and his Will. 

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Patrick Wheeler was born to Margaret Cummins and Francis Wheeler in 1891. Margaret Cummins was a cousin of Mary Caffrey who married Patrick Crosbie.

He had a somewhat strange career. He is in the prison records for going AWOL from the Leinster Regiment in 1915. He disappeared on March 31st 1916, just before the Easter Rising.  He then appears in Liverpool with the birth of Margaret Wheeler in 1921. He died in Liverpool in 1936. He would have had all the campaign medals.

And on the Crosbie Extended Family Tree a grandson Joseph Cahill of James Kearney, possible brother of Esther Crosbie (nee Kearney), was killed/missing in an attack in Neuve Chapelle France on the 27th October 1914. He had joined the Royal Irish Rifles in 1911. He received the 1914 Star, Victory and British War Medal.  In 2022 his death was added to the CWGC data base.  In the future his name will be added to a fitting memorial.

Joseph was the son of Cornelius Cahill and Elizabeth Kearney. He was born December 1892.

I have put his army service records with the Military Enlistment and Service Records