Remembering Athy’s dead from World War I

THE TOUR of the ancient cemetery of St Michael’s by Michael Donovan and Clem Roche concluded with a visit to the graves of the six Athy men and one woman who enlisted and died during World War I. They found a last resting place in their home town, unlike many others who lie buried in foreign soil. The bodies of many of those unfortunate men were never found, while other Athy men were laid to rest in military cemeteries as far apart as France, Belgium, Turkey, Iraq and Germany.

The 1914-18 war saw more men from Athy enlisting than any other town in Co Kildare. Athy also suffered the greatest casualties in the war, with more than 120 deaths. How sad it must have been for James and Mary Kelly of 4 Chapel Lane to receive a telegram from the War Office advising of the death of their 20-year-old son John in Netley Hospital England on 23 May 1915. John had enlisted on the same day as his brother Owen, who, aged 21 years, was killed in action on 1 August 1915 and is buried in France.

The Kelly parents John and his wife, the former Mary Haslem, were to receive a third War Office telegram following the death of another son on 30 September 1918. Denis Kelly was only 20 years of age and he is buried in Belgium.

One can only imagine the sadness which surrounded the Kelly family following the loss of three young sons. It was a sadness which was also felt by John and Margaret Curtis of Kilcrow who, like the Kellys, received telegrams from the War Office advising of the death of their sons Patrick and John.

A telegram advising of the death of another son was sent to the wife of Laurence Curtis, who had married and lived in Glasgow. Patrick, who had enlisted in the British Army in 1909, was killed on 5 November 1914 aged 26 years. His brother John who worked in Glasgow was killed in action on 9 January 1917 aged 24 years, while his other brother Laurence Curtis died of wounds on 4 December 1917 aged 34 years.

Their brother Ted, who served during the war, survived.

Another Chapel Lane family to suffer the loss of three sons were the Byrnes, who later resided at 11 James’s Place, Athy. James Byrne, a shoemaker, and his wife Bridget lost two sons: Joseph, killed in action on 26 April 1915 aged 21 years, and Anthony, killed in action two days later, aged 17 years. Another son, James, was killed in action on 30 March 1916 aged 24 years.

Athy families who lost sons during World War I included the Stafford family of Butler’s Row, who lost son Edward, a reservist recalled to the ranks in August 1914. He died of wounds on 24 September 1914 aged 28 years, while his brother Thomas was killed in action in France on 6 September 1916 aged 25 years.

Both were survived by another brother Frank, who also served during World War I.

Some years ago, when I was chairman of Athy UDC, I received a letter from Mrs Mae Vagis, who lived in America and who recalled her father Edward Stafford leaving his home in Butler’s Row to join the British Army. She was then seven years’ old and recalled the sadness in the Stafford household when the telegram arrived advising of her father’s death.

That same sadness pervaded the Heydon family of Churchtown when two Heydon brothers were killed in action. Both Patrick Heydon and Aloysius Heydon enlisted in Liverpool, and Patrick was killed in France on 4 September 1914 aged 31 years. His brother Aloysius was killed in France on 27 November 1917 aged 26 years.

The Heritage Centre was presented many years ago with a beautiful memorial to the Heydon brothers made of spent ammunition by their comrades in the Irish Guards.

Another family who suffered the loss of two sons were the Flynn family of Whitebog, Athy. Their sons Thomas, who enlisted in the Connaught Rangers, died of TB in the Athy workhouse on 26 February 1915 aged 23 years. Another son, Patrick, was killed in action in France on 14 September 1916 aged 21 years. Thomas Flynn is buried in St Michael’s Cemetery and his grave was visited during the cemetery tour. Both Thomas and Patrick enlisted on the same day and uniquely both were members of Churchtown National Volunteers.

The Hannon families suffered the deaths of four sons during World War I. Henry Hannon, who enlisted in the Canadian Expeditionary Force, was killed in action near Ypres on 9 June 1916 aged 24 years. He was a cousin of John Coulson Hannon, who was killed in action on 18 August 1916 aged 24 years, and his brother Norman Leslie, who was killed in action on 14 May 1915 aged 20 years.

Both John and Norman were the sons of John and Martha Hannon of Ardreigh House, from where I am writing this Eye.

Another cousin, Thomas Hannon, who died of his wounds on 1 December 1917 aged 20 years, was born in Ardreigh House, the only child of Georgina Hannon, whose husband died two weeks before the birth.

The deaths of over 120 men from Athy who enlisted in the British Army during World War I is perhaps an indication of the poverty which marked the lives of so many Athy families.

One family had eight sons who enlisted. They were the sons of Michael Delaney, a labourer and his wife, the former Margaret Curtis, who lived in Ballitore. Two sons, Andrew and William, died: Andrew of gas poisoning in Netley Hospital on 31 May 1916 aged 36 years, and William killed in action on 13 March 1916 aged 22 years. Andrew was buried in Crookstown, while his brother rests in Flanders.

Andrew Delaney’s story and his war documents are featured on a video in Athy’s Heritage Centre. The graves of World War I soldiers buried in St Michael’s – Michael Byrne of Green Alley, James Dwyer of Canal Side, Martin Hyland of Offaly Street, John Lawler of Ardreigh, Michael O’Brien of Meeting Lane and that of Eleanor Orford of Foxhill – were visited during the tour.

Thanks to Michael Donovan and Clem Roche for remembering the Athy men and Eleanor Orford who died during World War I.