Patrick Belton

Patrick was born on the 25 April 1899. His mother, Annie died when he was quite young in 1910  and his father, Henry, appears to have died in 1912. 

Patrick enlisted with the Connaught Rangers for war service in 1915 and arrived at the front in Gallipoli on the 13 September 1915, before likely being withdrawn to the Greek island of Lemnos later that month. He likely fought in Salonika in late 1915, before taking part in the Palestine campaign and returning to France in spring of 1918. Patrick was only 16 when he first went to war - in general soldiers had to be over 19 years of age to be placed in a theatre of war. Unfortunately, Patrick's service record is unavailable, and may have been destroyed in WW2, so we cannot know what information he gave to recruiters. 

While serving with the 6th Connaughts, Patrick was taken as a Prisoner Of War* by the Germans on the 21 March 1918, at Ronssoy at the Somme. This was during Operation Michael, which was the first day of the Spring Offensive 1918, on what was dubbed the 'second-worst day' for the British in the war.  In one file gave his age as being almost 20 at the time and in another a couple of years older, but in reality he was still only 18n when taken prisoner. He was in Muchenberg, Lager Sagan, likely near ?aga? **in Poland and possibly Heuberg. He was recorded as being unverwundst or unwounded.

Patrick was demobilised from war

(probable) Civil Record of Birth; Civil Record of Marriage; Red Cross, German POW records; Connaught Rangers WW1 military overview; possible Civil Record of Death;