Denis Hickey died this day 100 years ago in Gallipoli

Lance-Corporal Denis Hickey died this day 100 years ago in Gallipoli, Saturday November 27th 1915, having arrived there on August 16h.

Officially it is stated that he was killed in action, but it appears that while the fighting had almost ceased in Gallipoli at the time, the weather may have been a factor in his death: “Late in the month gales swept over the peninsula, hundreds were drowned in the flooded trenches or from exposure or frostbite”.

He is commemorated at the Helles Memorial, Panel 185 to 190.

Born in Millstreet, he was one of about twenty Millstreet men that died in the great war, but we have been able to find out little about him. Does anyone have some background on him, or know someone that does ?

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War Time Memories Project shows his listing in Ireland’s Memorial Records (page 133) and his Medal Card

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“There was little further action other than holding front lines from September through November, when the weather worsened. Late in the month gales swept over the peninsula, hundreds were drowned in the flooded trenches or from exposure or frostbite, followed on 28 November by a blizzard. The battalion was evacuated as it arrived, on the River Clyde sailing 2 January 1916 for Alexandria. From there it sailed with the rest of the 29th Division arriving in France on 22 March. Three years of warfare still remained for the battalion in France and Flanders on the Western Front. It had already suffered 45% of its total losses for the entire war, and numbered 24 officers and 287 men when disembarking.”

from the the Royal Munster Fusiliers wiki page

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Cork Men at Galipoli – The outbreak of the First World War on August 4th, 1914 saw the 1st Battalion Royal Munster Fusiliers, a regular unit of the British Army, consisting of men from Cork, Limerick, Clare and Kerry, the recruiting counties for the regiment, stationed in Burma – (Avondhou Press 23rd April 2015)

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HICKEY DENIS 1915-11-27 GALLIPOLI

• Place of birth: MILLSTREET, CO. CORK
• Rank: LANCE-CORPORAL
• Service No.: 7360
• Mil. Unit: ROYAL MUNSTER FUSILIERS, 1ST BATT.
• Commemoration – HELLES MEMORIAL, Panel 185 to 190.
• Reference –
• Date of death: Sat Nov 27 1915 [details] [death cert] [War Memorials Project] [medical card] [last will]

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https://twitter.com/ThisDayInWWI/status/670020520931299328/photo/1

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Note: one lead that i’d like to follow is from the Corkman on April 23rd 2015, page 16, where it says:

“…my granduncle lance corporal Denis Hickey died at Gallipoli and…”

I don’t have the paper any longer, that’s all i can see from a google search. i wonder would it be possible to see the article, so that i could track down the grandnephew and dig a little deeper.

His brother John F. Hickey is buried at the Church Graveyard, West End, Millstreet [article to be published]

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Many thanks to Jean Prendergast for the following addition (27th Nov): Denis Hickey, his Medal Index Card shows he arrived at Gallipoli on the 16th of August 1915 joining the 1st Munsters. In the Soldiers’ Wills series his effects are left to Miss Keate Spuraway, Youghal, Ireland. My ebook “BLOOD, FIRE & FLOOD: The 1st Royal Munster Fusiliers At Gallipoli 1915” covers this time. Also one of the Seanchas Duhallows cover three Hickey bros from Millstreet in WWI.

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Added April 3rd 2018:

Denis’ medals were presented by his family to Millstreet Museum recently. See the article here:

The Memorial Plaque was issued after the First World War to the next-of-kin of all British and Empire service personnel who were killed as a result of the war.The plaques (which could be described as large plaquettes) were made of bronze, and hence popularly known as the “Dead Man’s Penny”. [1]

1914-15 Star : this bronze medal with a red, white and blue watered silk ribbon was awarded to those who served in any theatre of war between 5 August 1914 and 31st December 1915 (other than those who had already qualified for the 1914 Star.)    It is a crowned four-pointed star with crossed swords and a wreath of oak leaves with the royal cipher at the base and a scroll across the centre inscribed 1914-15. Total number of medals awarded = 2,350,000.

Also presented with the Medallion and the Star was a green  A.O.H Div No 755 Millstreet badge.

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