People on board

LARNER, Joseph

Joseph Larner was born about 1881, if the age that he gave in the 1911 census was correct. In that census he said that he was born in County Westmeath, but the transcripts of his military records give Dublin as his place of birth. They also say that Dublin was his place of residence and where he had enlisted. His pension records give his wife as Mary B Walsh and name four children. This matches with a marriage in St Michan’s Church in north Dublin in August 1904 between Joseph Larner and Mary Brigid Walsh. His father’s name is given as Thomas Larner. Joseph and Mary actually had six children, between 1905 and 1917. Joseph gave his occupation as ‘General Labourer’ and the family lived in the Smithfield / Stoneybatter area, in Hendrick Street, Coleraine Street and Oxmantown Road.

Joseph Larner’s transcripts of his military records say that in October 1918 he was in the 27th Battalion of The King’s (Liverpool) Regiment, a Home Service Battalion formed in April 1918 at Sidestrand, Norfolk. Prior to that the record says that  he was with the Inisskilling Fusiliers, Service Number 31440, though no record has been found. Presumably returning to Norfolk from leave in Dublin, he travelled on the 10th of October on RMS Leinster. He did not survive the sinking, nor was his body recovered. His name is recorded on the Hollybrook Memorial in Southampton.