Private Patrick McPhillips * New Update*
As outlined in the introduction, although the project is largely confined to men who
regularly attended service [at St Patrick’s]; family members of parishioners; men who briefly attended St Patrick’s when visiting the town, for example visitors working in the linen industry, and; individuals whose justification for inclusion is not obvious (i.e. they appeared on the Roll of Honour but the research team can not establish why).
There are those, as the last point highlights, whose inclusion in the database in not obvious. An example of this is the case of Private Patrick McPhillips, 6th Battalion Royal Irish Rifles.
Pat Geary has recently forwarded some research on Private McPhillips who was born into a Louth family, who by 1911 were living in Camlough, Co. Armagh. While the family were living and work in Armagh town Patrick joined the 6th RIR (April 1915), training in Cork. The same year, as Pat notes, the family moved to Bridge Street Hilden, staying until September 1916. Patrick was killed KIA in August 1916 and his death was reported in the Lisburn Standard. He does not appear on the Hilden War Memorial, nor the Standard’s Roll of Honour, although there is justification for adding him to the database on the basis that:
- The Lisburn Standard, a contemporary voice in the town, recognised Patrick’s death as worthy of record
- The McPhillip’s family potentially lived in the town for 4 years (post 1911 to 1916); the data are inclusive.