People on board

McCARTHY, Augustine

Augustine McCarthy was born in Cork city about 1891 to Timothy McCarthy and Catherine Hyde, the tenth of their identified twelve children. When Timothy married in 1869 he gave his occupation as ‘Naval Sailor’ and his address given on the birth certificate of their first child in March 1870 was ‘HMS Inconstant now at Plymouth’. He was still a Sailor in 1875, the next identified birth but by 1877, at the birth of twins, he was a ‘Brewery Labourer’. He remained a Labourer and from about 1880 the family lived at Friar’s Avenue. The youngest child, Monica, was born in 1894 when the family was in Russell’s Cottages and Timothy died between then and 1901, though a death certificate has not been confirmed.

In 1901 Catherine McCarthy, a widow aged forty-seven, was living in Blarney Street, Cork with nine of her children including Augustine, aged ten. Her occupation was a ‘Provision Shop Keeper’, and three of her sons were ‘Shop Porters’. In 1911 Catherine’s occupation was ‘Meat Seller’, again in Blarney Street, with five of her children present. Augustine however was living with his aunt Julia O’Callaghan in Beecham’s Lane, where he was a ‘Ship Messenger’.

Augustine McCarthy enlisted in Cork with the Manchester Regiment, Service Number 34383, but it is not known when. He later transferred to the Labour Corps. He was awarded the Victory medal probably for service in the Manchester Regiment, but details of his military service have not been found. He was presumably returning to duty following leave in Cork when he travelled on RMS Leinster on the 10th of October 1918. He did not survive the sinking nor was his body recovered. His next-of-kin was given as his aunt Julia O’Callaghan, Cork. His name is recorded on the Hollybrook Memorial in Southampton.