A century on from the end of World War I we acknowledge their service …
Lest we forget.
Private Patrick Fahey
Born: 1891 – Pakenham. Killed in action: 16 October 1917 – near Ypres, Belgium
Enlisted: 16 November 1915 aged 24.
Served: Egypt and Western Front.
The final of five Fahey brothers to enlist was Patrick, who ended up being transferred to the 5th Pioneers , the same battalion as his brother Thomas, so it is highly likely that the two brothers served side by side on the Western Front.
On 19 August 1916, Patrick was wounded in action, suffering severe gunshot wounds to the shoulder and hip.
On 15 October 1917 during the Third Battle of Ypres (Passchendaele), he was severely wounded in action again, this time in the stomach and thigh. At the time, the Battalion was engaged in work around the Dickebush, Westhoek and Zonnebeke area. Patrick was evacuated to a casualty clearing station, but died of his wounds the following day, and was buried in the Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery, along with Jack Clancy, another digger who attended St Patrick’s School.
Among Patrick’s personal effects returned to his mother Margaret were a religious book and scapulars, perhaps in part reflecting the faith development he received years before at St Patrick’s.
Coming less than a year after Thomas’s death, it must have been absolutely devastating for Margaret.
This is an extract from Patrick Ferry’s book A Century After The Guns Fell Silent – Remembering the Pakenham District’s WWI Diggers 1914-18.
For more details on this and other profiles in the book, head to the website www.pakenhamww1.com
