Owen and Michael Carroll were two of the eleven children born to Tom and Margaret Carroll of Ballyconnigar, Blackwater, Co. Wexford. Owen was born in 1884 and worked on a lightship in Liverpool for a number of years. He travelled to the US in 1909 to find work and lived in Long Island, New York. In 1916 he became a naturalised American citizen. He worked on the Corsair, a private cruise ship belonging to American industrialist, J. P. Morgan jnr. In May1917 the Corsair was chartered by the US Navy and in June of the same year the USS Corsair sailed from New York with the first contingent of the American Expeditionary Force to France, arriving at Saint-Nazaire on 27 June. During the war, the USS Corsair crossed the war zone many times on convoy escort, and rescued survivors of torpedoed vessels. After the war Corsair was returned to her owner and once again became the private yacht Corsair II. Owen returned to Ireland and married Catherine Corrigan of Ballyconnigar in 1922. He remained in Ireland and took up farming, having inherited a farm from his aunt in Ballina, Blackwater, Co. Wexford. He died in 1969. Michael Carroll was born in January 1891. He followed his brother, Owen, to the US looking for work and took a job as a bartender. He went to college to study medicine. He was drafted in 1918 and had the choice of leaving the country or becoming an American citizen. As he wanted to continue his medical studies he agreed to the terms of citizenship. He enlisted as a Private in Casual Company 410, Medical Department and in September 1918 shipped out aboard the troop carrier HMS Otranto bound for Liverpool with American troops. On 6 Oct. 1918, during a heavy storm, HMS Otranto collided with another troop-carrier HMS Kashmir in Machir Bay off the north coast of Islay, Scotland. The collision ripped a large hole in her side at the point where the ship’s hospital was, killing several men in the hospital. Private Michael Carroll’s body was washed ashore at Colonsay, a small island near Islay a short while later. He was buried in Kilchoman cemetery (near Islay), overlooking the sea. He was 26 years old. He had married Nellie Reilly in St Joseph of the Holy Family church in Upper Manhattan. His death certificate was issued on 14 April 1919 and in the early 1920s, Michael’s wife Nellie requested that he be re-interred in Queen’s Cemetery, New York. The church service for his re-interment took place in the church where they were originally married. || Michael Carroll; Owen Carroll; USA army cert for Michael Carroll || || Michael 'Mike' Carroll 1891-1918 || Michael Carroll || Photograph || || Michael Carroll || United States || US certificate of honour for Michael Carroll || Official document || || Owen Carroll || Owen Carroll 1884-1969 || Photograph

John Carty memory card; John Carty service record; Peter Carty enrolment papers; Peter Carty service record; Matthew Carty identity papers. || John, Peter and Matthew Carty were three sons of Philip Carty, a shipwright in Wexford town, Ireland. John was the eldest of the three, born in 1890, Peter was born in 1892, and Matthew in 1898. They lived in the Tuskar View/ Seaview Avenue/Trinity Street area of Wexford town. John’s service record describes him as being 5 feet 3½ inches tall with blue eyes and a fair complexion. He worked as a fireman (boiler man) at the Mill Road Ironworks (Pierce’s foundry) before enrolling with the Royal Naval Reserve (service number 1656S) as a stoker in April 1910. After a training period he returned to Wexford and worked again in the foundry for a year or two. His service was renewed in April 1912 and he made a few trips with the Mercantile Marine. Shortly after the outbreak of the war he was deployed as stoker on the SS Monmouth, an armed cruiser. A family story had it that John was coming into dock having finished a tour of duty when he was sent unexpectedly to the Monmouth. On 1 November 1914 the Monmouth was sunk during the Battle of Coronel off the coast of Chile. There were no survivors. Peter Carty was described on his service record as being 5 feet 4 inches tall, with fair complexion and blue eyes. Like his brother John, Peter worked in the Mill Road Ironworks. He enrolled in the Royal Naval Reserve October 1911 and joined the Royal Navy in March 1912 as a stoker, 2nd class. Matthew, the youngest of the seafaring brothers, was described as being 5 feet 7 inches tall, with dark hair, and blue eyes. He served as an AB Seaman towards the end of the war period. Anastasia Carty Coles, the three boys’ sister, had photos of the ships they served on on her wall but the boys were rarely spoken of. Each year she would light a candle on 1 November in memory of John, a tradition that continued into subsequent generations. After the war, Peter and Matthew lost touch with their family in Wexford. || || Photograph || Seaman John Carty - memory card || Seaman John Carty || || John Carty's service record, page 1 || Official document || John Carty || || Official document || John Carty's service record, page 2 || John Carty || || Peter carty || Official document || Peter Carty's enrolment papers, page 1 || || Official document || Peter Carty || Peter Carty's enrolment papers, page 2 || || Peter Carty's service record || Peter Carty || Official document || || Matthew Carty || Matthew Carty's identity document || Matthew Carty's identification papers, with photograph. || Other

Photo - at home on leave June 1917 Scanned document - Arrival Report, 10 days leave June 1917 || Sunday 25th March 1917, Lieutenant Archibald Cecil Margrett, of the 8th Bu. East Lancashire Regiment, was at Rebruviette for bombing (hand-grenade) training. The next day his commanding officer, Major I. M. Campbell wrote to his father to advise that your son has met with an accident. He was attending a course of instruction in bombing and I know no details.....he has been wounded in both legs and one arm. I am happy to say that the Commandant states that the wounds are not considered (dangerous deleted) serious.....very sorry to lose a very promising young officer. \n By Monday 9th April 1917 he was back with his unit at Port d'Amiens, under the city of Arras as the hour of the assault approached during which the East Lancs supported for a number of days in the advances beyond the German Brown line. Saturday 9th June 1917 Lt. Archibald Margrett, with permission, left his unit for Boulogne and Folkestone to spend 10 days leave at home in Leywood House, Meopham near Gravesend where his mother was the school headmistress. The War Office form Arrival Report states the cause of the return as Shell-Shock. Wednesday 20th June saw him return to France and his unit. Did that time at home make any difference to his condition? Over the Autumn the East Lancs. moved to the Ypres field and the 8th Bu. was disbanded and he joined the 11th Bu. There were several actions including at Hazebrouck and other fields. On Monday 24th June 1918 Lt Archibald Margrett before the sitting of a Courts Marshall, in field, to face charges of desertion, disobedience and miscelaneous offences according to the Registers in the London Archives. On the line recording this capital charge is written in red ink acquitted, insane at the time of commission of offence. It seems plain that he had been in the same mental condition since 1917, and on aquital was returned to the unit and it's action in the field. On Wednesday 21st August 1918 his departure at Bolougne by the Ambulance transport St Denis arriving at Dover and on the same day being admitted to the Royal Victoria Hospital, Netley, Southampton, Hampshire. He was under their care until January 1924 when he was discharged from the Army on the grounds of ill-health and received a disability pension for the rest of his life. A sad waste of a life? No. After perhaps two years unemployment, with the help of his sister Dorothy, he was employed by Barclays Bank. He worked for them gaining a circle of friends and getting married. His fiance, Mary Jarrett was called to meet the doctors at Netley under whom his recovery was placed, to be warned about his mental injuries. There were tough times in their marriage not least in the Second World War when he dug a trench in the garden after joining the Home Guard. But he was a very good Father and much acclaimed as a fair and caring Office Manager of Barclays Bank when he retired aged 60. Just before his death in January 1981, he celebrated with Mary their Golden Wedding. || || Official document || France || Leave ticket June 1917 || A 1917 page from the Army Personnel file of Lt. Archibald Margrett recording he was suffering from Shell-Shock and allowing 10-days home leave in the UK from France. || || London? || Recruitment and Conscription || 2nd Lt. Archibald Margrett || Trench Life || (left) 2nd Lt. Archibald Margrett after enlistment and on being commissioned 1915 || Photograph || || Remembrance || Meopham, Kent || June 1917 Lt. Archibald Margrett at home on leave in Meopham, Kent with his Mother and Father || Trench Life || Photograph || Lt. Archibald Margrett