Friends of the Somme - Mid Ulster Branch  
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Updates for Private Patrick Owens
Date Information
01/05/2020 02262
14/09/2018 By October 1915, Private Patrick Owens was with his battalion in Macedonia, Greece. Here, he was wounded and invalided home.
14/09/2018 Patrick Owens was born on 6th October 1893 in at Cornafanog near Lisbellaw in County Fermanagh. Patrick was the second youngest of at least six children.
14/09/2018 Family: Patrick Owens, Margaret Owens, William Owens (born 22nd September 1879), Annie Owens (born 2nd March 1882), Margaret Owens (born 17th December 1884), Mary Owens (born 25th June 1887), Patrick Owens (born 6th October 1893), John Owens (born 17th June 1897).
14/09/2018 The 1901 census lists Patrick as age 8, living with the family at house 7 in Cornafanog, Greenhill, County Fermanagh. His father, who was born in Scotland, was a general labourer.
14/09/2018 Patrick’s father died on 23rd January 1902. Patrick was eight years old.
14/09/2018 The 1911 census lists Patrick as age 17 at house 71 in Lisbellaw Town Lisbellaw, Fermanagh. Patrick and his blind mother were living with his married sister Margaret.
14/09/2018 Patrick worked at Eadie’s Woollen Mill in Lisbellaw.
14/09/2018 Patrick Owens enlisted in Enniskillen. He was still living in Lisbellaw.
14/09/2018 On 16th December 1913, Patrick enlisted in the 4th (Special Reserve) Battalion, Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, Service No 2178. He was discharged by purchase (£3) six days later.
14/09/2018 On 10th November 1914 he enlisted in Enniskillen and went with the nationalist Irish Volunteers to the Connaught Rangers (No. 2681), then stationed at Fermoy.
14/09/2018 Patrick Owens was the son of Patrick and Margaret Owens. Patrick Owens and Margaret McManus were married on 1st November 1878 in the Fermanagh area.
14/09/2018 Patrick went to Gallipoli with the 6th Royal Dublin Fusiliers, who landed at Suvla Bay on 7th August 1915. The battalion left Gallipoli in September.
14/09/2018 On his recovery he was certified unfit to join his regiment for twelve months, but he again volunteered, this time with the 1st Dublins, serving in France.
14/09/2018 Writing home after 1st July 1916, he said that having escaped that day, he would never be killed in the war.
14/09/2018 Patrick received the Impartial Reporter every week and if he failed to receive it in due time, a frequent request was sent to his mother to ‘send me Trimble’s paper.’
14/09/2018 Private Patrick Owens was serving with the 1st Battalion of the Royal Dublin Fusiliers when he died of wounds in France on Monday 23rd October 1916.
14/09/2018 Private Owens is buried in Longueval Road Cemetery, France. The inscription on the grave reads ‘ON HIS SOUL SWEET JESUS HAVE MERCY’
14/09/2018 Private Patrick Owens’ life is described in the Fermanagh War Memorial Book on page 334. Most of the information here comes from that research.
14/09/2018 The CWGC record Private Patrick Owens as the son of Mrs Margaret Owens of Mount Royal, Tullagh, Cookstown, County Tyrone.
14/09/2018 There is no evidence to suggest Patrick Owens ever lived in the Cookstown area, although he is listed on the town’s war memorial.
14/09/2018
14/09/2018 He was transferred to the 8th Inniskillings at Tipperary, and afterwards volunteered to join the 6th Royal Dublin Fusiliers, 10th (Irish) Division.
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