Fr John J. O'Donnell MacSheahan SJ

A dog tag or identity disc with John J. Looby AIF KOFC, Paris, written on it. || John J. Looby was my maternal granduncle and he fought in WWI. I inherited the “dog tag” I have with me today from my mother, who divided her valuables with my sister and me before she passed away, on the advice of a friend. I had always been fascinated by this “dog tag”, and my sister agreed I should have it. It was something a soldier wore around his neck during the Great War to identify him. The “dog tag” or identity disc here has his name on one side, and the letters AIF KOFC written on the flip side along with the location – Paris. We have recently established as far as possible that AIF stands for (First) Australian Imperial Force and that KOFC is for Knights of Columbus. I don’t know what happened to my granduncle and would be most interested to find out. The key may be in the National Archives of Australia where the Australian Imperial Force records are held. || || John J. Looby's dog tag or identity disc || John J. Looby's dog tag or identity disc with the initials AIF and KOFC Paris || John J. Looby || Trench Life

Memorial for Fr WJ Doyle, who died at Ypres in 1917 || Belonged to my grandfather Patrick Joseph Morrin who fought in the 1914-18 War, who must have known the Chaplain. Because they worked so close to the fighting, many chaplains died in the line of duty: in total, 172 British Army chaplains were killed or later died from their wounds in the war. Father William Doyle SJ, from Dublin, was ordained in 1907 and was appointed chaplain to the 16th (Irish) Division in November 1915. Fr Doyle spent much of his time at the front lines, frequently going ‘over the top’ to help injured and dying men. His bravery was a source of inspiration to many and his good humour and generosity made him an extremely popular figure. Fr Doyle was killed in shell-fire while tending to wounded men during the Third Battle of Ypres on 16 August 1917.