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Memories of The Morrissey Brothers from Fermoy | Co Cork

Image 1 Photo of panel 44 at Menin Gate – inscription of Richard Morrissey’s name. Image 2 Photo of Matthew Morrissey’s grave and headstone in Flanders. Image 3 Photo of Mary O’Reilly and her brother at their grandfather’s (William Morrissey) grave in Rouent, France.
My grandfather, William Morrissey, came from Fermoy in Co Cork, Ireland. He was born c. 1884. Fermoy was a garrison town and the Morrissey family home was situated beside the barracks. William was the eldest of three boys and had a big interest in horses. Both his brothers had enlisted in the British Army before the war. As a young man William immigrated to Cape Town in South Africa. He married an Irish lady (maiden name Smyth) in 1907. They returned to Ireland and are recorded in the 1911 census as living in Fermoy and having three children. William signed up on 3rd November 1914 in Newcastle, England to the Royal Army Service Corps as a foreman in charge of horses. He was stationed in Rouen, base Depot No 1. In 1916 William was sent home on compassionate leave as he had sustained an injury. He recovered and was sent back to fight once again, but sadly contracted Spanish Flu and died on Armistice Day 1918 in hospital in Rouen, aged 34. His widow, Henrietta Smyth from Waterford, received a war pension. William’s brother Matthew Morrissey was a drummer in the Leinster Regiment and was stationed in India when war broke out. He was involved in several battles in France. He was employed as a stretcher-bearer and participated in a regimental band. He was killed in action in West Flanders on 5th April 1916. Another brother Richard was a cavalry solider with the 8th (King's Royal Irish) Hussars in Ambala in India when war broke out. His regiment was moved to Marseilles in France in November 1914. He was killed in action in July 1917 and his body was never found. His name is on panel 44 of the Menin Gate. Shortly before he died he requested a transfer to join his brother Matthew in the Leinster Regiment

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CONTRIBUTOR

Mary O’Reilly

DATE

/

LANGUAGE

eng

ITEMS

1

INSTITUTION

Europeana 1914-1918

PROGRESS

START DATE
TRANSCRIBERS
CHARACTERS
LOCATIONS
ENRICHMENTS

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METADATA

Source

UGC

Contributor

europeana19141918:agent/4b26c69120c0b3767a6672bece493367

Date

1914-11-03
1918

Type

Story

Language

eng
English

Country

Europe

DataProvider

Europeana 1914-1918

Provider

Europeana 1914-1918

Year

1918

DatasetName

2020601_Ag_ErsterWeltkrieg_EU

Begin

1914-11-03

End

1918

Language

mul

Agent

Mary O’Reilly | europeana19141918:agent/4b26c69120c0b3767a6672bece493367
Matthew Morrissey | europeana19141918:agent/6653ccfea364f8b8fab0de9f912b99b0
William Morrissey | europeana19141918:agent/77df7410b25ebff4cafbc378f3389120

Created

2019-09-11T08:48:09.085Z
2020-02-25T08:57:53.781Z
2020-02-25T08:57:53.782Z
2014-08-07 15:07:38 UTC

Provenance

INTERNET

Record ID

/2020601/https___1914_1918_europeana_eu_contributions_17204

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