Peter Nugent

Peter was born at Drumanure, Abbeyshrule in 1893. He enlisted on 17 January 1916 in Athlone and was posted to the 5th Battalion of the Leinster Regiment. He was promoted to the rank of lance-corporal on 15 June 1916 and transferred to the 7th Battalion on 19 June. Peter left Folkstone for France on 21 June and landed at Étaples the next day. The 7th Battalion, as part of the 16th (Irish) Division, played a central role in the attack on the village of Guillemont on 3 September 1916. The action was part of the Battle of the Somme. During the fighting, Peter was shot in the left thigh by a shrapnel bullet. He was sent to hospital in Rouen on 4 September and transferred back to England on 7 September, on board the ship H.M.S. Lanfranc. He was treated for his wound in the North Staffordshire Infirmary, Stoke-on-Trent. Peter was attached to the 5th Battalion again from 18 January 1917, presumably after recovering from his wound. On 25 January, he was mentioned in despatches. He became an acting corporal on 27 February but reverted to being lance-corporal on 18 April, just after he was transferred back to active service with the 7th Battalion. He was posted to the 2nd Battalion, also part of the 16th (Irish) Division, on 7 May 1917. On 21 March 1918, the Germans launched a major offensive in the area of Ronssoy, near the River Somme. Peter suffered from a gas attack and was taken prisoner. He was reported missing and confirmed as a prisoner-of-war in Germany on 27 March. A German doctor treated him in the camp and helped to nurse him back to health. He was released on 16 December 1918 and sent 'home' the following day. Peter was discharged on 26 March 1919. He immediately re-enlisted in the Leinsters and was soon sent to India where he remained until 1922. He immigrated and died in Florida in 1982. Peter was one of four brothers who served in the war, the others being John (killed in action), Chrstopher and Denis.