Terence Rooney

The 2nd (Lowland) Field Company were part of the 29th Division. The Field Company of the Royal Engineers provided technical skill and know-how in support of the fighting units of the formation known as a Division. The 29th Division embarked at Avonmouth on the 16th - 22th March 1915 and went via Malta to Alexandria. On the 7th April the first units to have arrived at Egypt began to re-embark for the move to Mudros, the deep-water harbour at the island of Lemnos that was going to be used as a forward base for operations at Gallipoli. The Division landed at Cape Helles on Gallipoli on the 25th April 1915. Following the failure of the First Battle of Krithia, the exhausted soldiers of the British 29th Division halted to consolidate their positions. They had to endure a number of Ottoman counterattacks on the 1st and 4th May. The Second Battle of Krithia : The village of Krithia and neighbouring hill of Achi Baba had to be captured in order for the British to advance up the Gallipoli peninsula to the forts that controlled passage of the Dardanelles straits. A small amount of ground was captured after two days of costly fighting, but the objectives remained out of reach.The Allied advance began later than scheduled, around 11:00 on the 6th May, and was swiftly halted by strong Ottoman resistance. The 88th Brigade of the 29th Division advancing on Fir Tree Spur managed to capture Fir Tree Wood, and the "Hood" Battalion of the British Royal Naval Division advanced strongly along Kanli Dere, but at all points on the line the gains were never more than 400 yd (370 m). At no point were the Ottoman defences reached. The attack was resumed on the 7th May; it used the same plan and produced largely the same results. On the morning of the 8th May, the 88th Brigade in front of Krithia on Fir Tree Spur was relieved by the New Zealanders who made yet another attempt which failed with huge losses. Terence was wounded on the cheek on the 16/05/1915 shortly after the Second Battle of Krithia. He wrote 2 letters home to his siblings stating he had to undergo an operation but he was much better (see Newspaper clipping 2). He succumbed to his wounds on the 02/06/1915. SEE PHOTOS x 10 FOR THE 1/2nd (LOWLAND) FIELD COMPANY WAR DIARY APRIL - JUNE 1915. Terence is listed as SAPPER on the Coatbridge Memorial. A huge thank you to fellow Coatbridge people Jimmy Cunningham and Carol Frew who supplied the photos of Terence's Grave along with photos of Cairo War Memorial Cemetery. They also spent Remembrance Sunday 14/11/2021 at the Cemetery and laid a rose at Terence's grave (see main grave photo and attached photos). Jimmy and Carol paid another visit to the Cemetery and Terrence's grave on Remembrance weekend 2022 (see photos x 3). Terence is also remembered on the St. Patrick's Church and Stewarts and Lloyds Rolls of Honour (see photos). See photos for Terence's Medal Index Card, his Newspaper clippings x 2, his Army Register of Soldiers Effects, his Service Medal and Award Rolls x 2, his CWGC Grave Registration x 2, his Headstone Report, Cairo War Memorial Cemetery x 4, Terence's Pension Records x 2 and the Royal Engineers Cap Badge.