Private Donald McCarthy
| Date of Birth | c.1898 |
|---|---|
| Age at Death | 19 |
| Date of Death | 28 July 1917 |
| Service Number | 82459 |
| Military Service | 112th Machine Gun Company |
| Merton Address | 10 Stanley Road, Morden |
| Local Memorial | St. Lawrence Church, Morden |
Additional Information
Private Donald McCarthy was born in the Parish of St Lawrence c1898. He was the son of Thomas Macarthy, a plumber, and his wife Jane who lived at 7 Crown Cottages, Morden. Donald was the second youngest in family of six children – three boys and three girls. By 1911, when he was 15, the family had moved to 10 Stanley Road in the same parish and his two older brothers were working as milk carriers.
Donald was working as a gardener when he was recruited in October 1916 following the introduction of conscription. He was 18 years and 8 month old. By 1917 he was serving in France in the 112th Company of the Machine Gun Corps (infantry). His service number was 82459.
The 112th Machine Gun Company was formed in Grantham and moved to France on 4th March 1916 to join the 37th Division. As part of the 37th Brigade the company was engaged in prolonged fighting in the Ypres salient and Private Macarthy died on 28th July 1917 early in the Third Battle of Ypres. He is commemorated on the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial, Panel 56, in Belgium. The Menin Gate is one of four memorials to the missing in Belgian Flanders.
He and older brother John are both commemorated at St. Lawrence’s Church, Morden, where their names appears on one of the panels in the Lychgate which serves as the parish war memorial. Their names also appear on a brass plate in the Assembly Hall of Morden Primary School and on the Roll of Honour at Morden Baptist Free Church. .