People on board

DUNNE, Edward R.

Edward Dunne was born on the 23rd of June 1897 in Monasterevan, Co Kildare to Richard Dunne and Catherine (Kate) Fitzgerald. Edward was the second surviving child of the twelve who were born, five of them living in 1911. Both Richard, a Labourer, and Kate were from Monasterevan but they moved the family to Dublin in 1900, presumably for employment. In the 1901 census they were living in Bow Lane in the south city centre but by 1911 had moved to 39 Merchant’s Cottages on Merchant’s Road in the East Wall Dock area of north Dublin. During the 1913 Lockout many families were evicted from Merchant’s Cottages including a Dunne family, no relation, living next door in number 38. In 1901 Richard was working as a ‘Malt Store Labourer’ and in 1911 as a Carter. Two children were born in 1913 to Richard and Kate, the first, Richard, died within months while there is no record indicating what happened the second, Christina.

When Edward Dunne wrote his ‘Soldiers Will’ in July 1916 he was with the Royal Defence Corps. Other record indexes show that he had been with the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, Service Number 27481 and the Royal Irish Rifles, Service Number 3/8722. In October 1918 he was in the 310 Protection Company of the Royal Defence Corps which was based in Cheshire. He was probably returning to duty from leave in Dublin when he travelled on RMS Leinster on the 10th of October. He did not survive the sinking but his body was recovered and he was buried in Grangegorman Military Cemetery in Dublin.