Sergeant Richard Owen.
6220 Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers.
Missing in Action 21st March 1918. Aged 38.
(Richard’s brother Joseph was killed in action 25th May 1917)
Richard was born on the 19 Nov 1880 in Dublin and was baptised on the 29th Nov 1880. The son of William Owen and Mary E Glennon.
He was in the 1st Inniskilling Fusiliers in 1899 and was charged with desertion on 7 Nov that year.
He married Catherine McDonald in the Sept quarter of 1909 in Burnley.
In the 1911 census Richard (31) and Catherine (23) were living at 69 Berry St, Springhill, Burnley.
From The Express and Advertiser dated 11th October 1919: OUR FALLEN HEROES. SECOND BROTHER'S FATE.
Mrs Owen who lives at 8 Zion Street Burnley, has received official news now that her husband Pioneer Sergeant Richard Owen, 6220, Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, who was reported missing on March 31st 1918, is presumed to have been killed in action on that date. The deceased soldier who was about 38 years of age, formerly worked on the Burnley Corporation Tramways system in the plate laying department. He was an old soldier, and as a reservist was called up at the beginning of the war, and served from August 1914 to the time of his death he was in Ireland first till 1915, and afterwards in France, where he served for three years without a scratch. A comrade wrote at the time that Owen was killed, but the official intimation has only just come through. He is the second brother to be killed, the other being Joseph Owen Dublin Fusiliers, and a third was badly wounded while a fourth is still in the army and stationed in India.
Born Dublin, lived at 8 Zion Street.
Richard left his effects to his widow Catherine.
Richard is commemorated on the Pozieres Memorial, France: Panels 38 to 40.
Hi George Sent a link to my tree Richard and Joseph were born in Dublin and we think Richard came to Burnley after he left the army In about 1904/5 His sister Margaret was also in Burnley and when the mother died in 1905 their Father came to live here with the younger children inc Joe If you send me your email I’ll tell you the full story My grandad was their brother and he survived the war but was badly injured Judith
Hi George
did you access the info on my tree re The Owens?
attached are newspaper cuttings from the Burnley Express about their deaths
The reason that they were in Irish regiments is that they were both reservists and had joined up before WW1 whilst living in Dublin - Richard fought in the Boer war.
Such a sad story - as I mentioned my Grandad Alfred Owen was their brother and he was injured badly and in hospital when Joe died and then when he recovered he was moved to RAMC at Blackpool and thankfully not sent back to the front lines
If you need any more info or have questions let me know.