Thomas O'Rourke

Rank:	Private
Street:	Upper Church Street
Townland:
Town/Village:	Edgeworthstown
Civil Parish:	Mostrim
Catholic Parish:	Mostrim
Country:
Alternative Address:
Census 1901:	Resident in Edgeworthstown http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Longford/Edgeworthstown/Edgeworthstown/1551538/
Census 1911:	Resident at Church Street, Edgeworthstown http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Longford/Edgeworthstown/Church_Street/585100/
Regiment/Unit:	Leinster Regiment, 2nd Battalion, 'C' Company
Regiment Number:	3037
Date of Death:	12-04-1917
Cause:	Killed in action, Bois-en-Hache (Battle of Vimy Ridge), France
Memorial:	Arras Memorial, Faubourg-d'Amiens Cemetery, Arras, Pas-de-Calais, France
Information:	Thomas was born Thomas Rorke, on the 21 February 1893 in Edgeworthstown. He was the eldest son of Cornelius Rourke and his wife Rose; Cornelius had passed away by 1901 and his mother remarried Michael Gallagher. Pte O'Rouke enlisted in Longford and entered the war in July 1915 at Gallipoli. He wrote a poem based on his experiences, The Landing of the 10th Division At The Dardanelles, which was featured in the Longford Leader 23 October 1915. O'Rourke was one of 150 men of non-commissioned ranks to have been killed or injured during an operation at Bois-en-Hache between the 11 and 14 April 1917, which was part of the Battle of Vimy Ridge, an action under the broader Battle of Arras. The weather conditions were exceptionally difficult, with heavy snow falling overnight and shell holes then filling with water at the commencement of battle.
Parents Names:	Son of Cornelius Rorke and Rose (née Dowd), and step-son of Michael Gallagher of Upper Church Street, Edgeworthstown.
Notes:
Links:	Link to CWGC entry; Longford Leader, 23 October 1915; link to will; link to Civil Record of Birth;