Thomas Francis Donlon

Rank:	Private
Street:
Townland:	Doonacurry (probable)
Town/Village:	Ledwithstown, Ballymahon
Civil Parish:	Shrule
Catholic Parish:	Kilcommock
Country:
Alternative Address:	London, U.K.
Census 1901:	N/A
Census 1911:	N/A
Regiment/Unit:	Middlesex Regiment, 1/7th Battalion (The Duke of Cambridge's Own)
Regiment Number:	6215124
Date of Death:	02-11-1942
Cause:	Killed in Action
Memorial:	Benghazi War Cemetery, Benghazi, Libya & Kilcommock Cemetery, Kenagh, Co. Longford
Information:	Thomas was born in Co. Longford c.1914, possibly at Doonacurry. He later moved to England, likely London as per accessible army records. During WW2, Thomas enlisted with the 1/7th Middlesex Regiment, a machine-gun regiment, that was part of the 51st (Highland Division) in what was known as the Western Desert campaign. He was killed in action likely in the Battle of El Alamein or in eastern Libya, near Agedabia, in the lead-up to the Battle of El Aghelia. The exact date of his death is unclear. It is recorded in some sources as the 2 November (Commonwealth War Graves Commission) although the wartime daily casualty list states it was 2 December 1942, as he was struck off on that date. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission records the 2 Nov as the date of death, correlating with a death in "D" Company in the regimental diary on that date (available on Ancestry, accessible free-of-charge via selected Longford Library branches). However, the December diary includes Thomas's name as being a battle casualty on the 2 December, with two other deaths on this day. In this entry Thomas is recorded as being a Stretcher Bearer attached to the HQ Coy). In addition, what is believed to be the family headstone at Kilcommock Cemetery includes the date of death as the 2 De
Parents Names:	Son of John Donlon and Mary (née Kenny), Doonacurry, Ballymahon
Notes:
Links:	Link to CWGC entry; link to possible Civil Record of Birth; interview with Alfred Leigh, who served with the 1/7th in 1942-43, Imperial War Museum;