Patrick Francis LYONS

Patrick Francis LYONS Update Details

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LYONS, Patrick Francis

Service Number:	5611
Enlisted:	Not yet discovered
Last Rank:	Private
Last Unit:	27th Infantry Battalion
Born:	Pekina, South Australia, Australia , 8 March 1894
Home Town:	Murray Town, Mount Remarkable, South Australia
Schooling:	Catholic
Occupation:	Farmer
Died:	Killed in Action attack on Malt Trench, Warlencourt-Eaucourt Nord-Pas-de-Calais France, 2 March 1917, aged 22 years
Cemetery:	Warlencourt British Cemetery Special Memorial 3
Memorials:	Adelaide National War Memorial, Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Murray Town Enlistments Memorial

World War 1 Service

12 Aug 1916:	Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 5611, 27th Infantry Battalion, Enlistment/Embarkation WW1, embarkation_roll: roll_number: 15 embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Ballarat embarkation_ship_number: A70 public_note:
12 Aug 1916:	Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 5611, 27th Infantry Battalion
Date unknown:	Involvement 27th Infantry Battalion, Battle for Pozières

Help us honour Patrick Francis Lyons's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.

Biography

In February 1917 the Germans took the Allies by surprise by withdrawing from their front line to consolidate along the much stronger and straighter / shorter front along the Hindenberg Line. The 27th Battalion for its part, followed the retreating Germans as they went.

As part of their retreat German forces had left behind fortified towns and isolated fortified positions to slow down the Allied advance. The 27th Battalion was responsible for attacking one of these isolated fortified positions near Warlencourt. As a result on the night 2/3 March 1917 the 27th Battalion attacked the German Mault Trench near the Butte du Warlencourt, a terrain feature that gave significant advantage in terms of observation.

AWM - 27th battalion war diary out lines the course of events leading up to a major attack on 2 March. It is paraphrased here:

The 27th Battalion went into the line near Warlencourt on 27 February 1917, relieving the 24th Battalion (Victoria) as part of the follow up of the German withdrawal to the Hindenburg Line.

Its major operation there took place on 2 March which consisted of an attack towards a German defensive position (Malt Trench) and an attempt to link up with the 17th Battalion of the 5^th Brigade on their right flankThe assault was flanked and 'turned' by the Germans but a 27th Bn counterattack was organised and executed successfully by Captain Devonshire and led by Lieutenant Davies securing the Grevilliers line of some 500m of trench. The sum total of casualties was significant:

3 officers, Lieutenants Botten, Lewis and Caldwell were KIA and Captain Joyce MC severely wounded. 22 OR were killed and 95 wounded.

The Battalion war diary reports 60 enemy killed and 29 PoW taken.

Patrick Lyons was among those killed in this action

Patrick Lyons was one of some 55 soldiers whose remains are believed to be interred in the cemetery but not explicitly identified. There are other 27th Battalion personnel killed on or about the same day / time who are similarly recognised on Special Memorials. A number are listed below:

6243 Duckmanton, N.A. PTE

4139 Hardy W.H.

2421 Routley A.H. Corporal

4221 Tasker T.A.C. PTE

5611 Lyons P. PTE

Virtual
War Memorial
Australia