The Wartime Memories Project - The Second War

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230858 Patrick Joseph Devlin British Army Royal Artillery from:Newry, Co Down I am the youngest of seven children and was just 15 months old when my father died from old war injuries in 1954. My other three surviving siblings are now well into their 70s and, unfortunately, only have scant memories of our father. The fact that my sister and two brothers are getting on in age means we may have only limited time to verify any resultant information on our dad with his children and to finally offer them some information on their late dad. The following detail may well help as my father could also possibly be listed as Joseph Devlin (rather than Patrick Joseph); plus the fact that when he married my mother (Bridget Hughes) on 5th September 1936 he was also noted on the Marriage Certificate as Joseph. We also believe that he may have been a motorbike despatch rider during WWII, at some point during which he was possibly involved in a motorbike accident, when he sustained serious head injuries and was in a coma for some ten days. Apparently the family moved temporarily from Newry, Co Down to Barrow in Furness in Lancashire during WWII and, whilst living in Barrow in 1941/42, he may have been reported as Missing in Action. However, we are unsure of where and when he had been posted - although Malta and Burma have been mentioned. He could possibly have been in the TA and a portrait of him in uniform shows him wearing a beret with w a Royal Artillery Cap Badge. Post WWII, after living in the Monton, Eccles, Manchester area he returned to the family home in 97 Dromolane Park Newry (where he eventually died of war-related injuries on 19th July 1954). Actually, on his death memorial card he is again named as Joseph. We also face problems with his birth details which tend to compound the problems of finding my father's war service records, i.e. his sketchy birth details which are also a major source of frustration. I understand that his DOB may be 29th November 1910 and his mother's name was Elizabeth (Lizzie). My mother (Bridget) died in 1999 after some 45 years of receiving a War Widows Pension. Unfortunately, I was informed several years ago that service records associated with old service pensions were destroyed after 30 years in storage, i.e. in 1984. Hence there is little chance of obtaining WWII service data from old pension records. If anyone can assist in our search we would be most grateful. Tony Devlin Add to this record.  Related Content: Royal Artillery Can you help us to add to our records? Add a record to our website. The names and stories on this website have been submitted by their relatives and friends. If your relations are not listed please add their names so that others can read about them Did you or your relatives live through the Second World War? Do you have any photos, newspaper clippings, postcards or letters from that period? Have you researched the names on your local or war memorial? Were you or your relative evacuated? Did an air raid affect your area? If so please let us know. Help us to build a database of information on those who served both at home and abroad so that future generations may learn of their sacrifice. Contact us. Celebrate your own Family History Celebrate by honouring members of your family who served in the Secomd World War both in the forces and at home. We love to hear about the soldiers, but also remember the many who served in support roles, nurses, doctors, land army, muntions workers etc. Please use our Family History resources to find out more about your relatives. Then please send in a short article, with a photo if possible, so that they can be remembered on these pages.

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