Mersey tunnel collapse 1928

[desi bannon]

My grand father was Patrick Joseph Durr - he was from Elphin in Roscommon in Ireland - he left to fight in the Great war and settled in Liverpool to raise a family. He died in the tunnel, the local Paper at the time said he was Patrick Dare, he left behind a wife and three kids. Their tragedy did'nt end there, my gran died in childbirth and Mum and her brother and sister were orphaned and split up as kids. They did'nt reunite as a family until the early 1960's - Mum and her brother Tom have passed on but Aunt Mona still lives in St Helens. Granddad is buried without a headstone to mark his grave, such was the poverty then

Memorial details:

JOSEPH BONNER 26th July 1926 Aged 26
JOHN JOSEPH McNULTY 17th September 1928 Aged 29
JAMES HERBERT BROWN 29th November 1928 Aged 18
JOHN WILLIAM BLAKELEY 7th July 1929 Aged 34
JOHN McNICHOLAS 13th September 1929 Aged 55
HENRY FRANCIS GARRETT DE MOUL 28th September 1929 Aged 25
JOSEPH COLLEGE 11th December 1929 Aged 62
JAMES MICHAEL WILMOTT 27th December 1929 Aged 42
JOHN CARBERRY 24th March 1930 Aged 26
ALBERT WHITE 27th November 1930 Aged 42
ALFRED PITMAN DUKE 16th July 1931 Aged 45
HENRY DENTITH 15th September 1931 Aged 24
PATRICK JOSEPH DURR 29th September 1931 Aged 33
THOMAS ARTHUR BECKINGHAM 16th May 1933 Aged 57
JOHN CARR 14th July 1933 Aged 23
JAMES GREEN 14th November 1933 Aged 22
DONALD LESTER 15th September 1934 Aged 24


THIS MEMORIAL WAS ERECTED AS PART OF
THE QUEENSWAY TUNNEL DIAMOND JUBILEE CELEBRATIONS
IN REMEMBRANCE OF THOSE WHO DIED DURING
ITS CONSTRUCTION.
WORK ON THE TUNNEL WAS COMMENCED
ON 16TH DECEMBER 1925 AT THIS SITE
BY
HER ROYAL HIGHNESS PRINCESS MARY
AND THIS GREAT FEAT OF ENGINEERING
WAS OPENED AT OLD HAYMARKET ON
18TH JULY 1934
BY
HIS MAJESTY KING GEORGE V

[ItsaZappathing]

My grand father was Patrick Joseph Durr - he was from Elphin in Roscommon in Ireland - he left to fight in the Great war and settled in Liverpool to raise a family. He died in the tunnel, the local Paper at the time said he was Patrick Dare, he left behind a wife and three kids. Their tragedy did'nt end there, my gran died in childbirth and Mum and her brother and sister were orphaned and split up as kids. They did'nt reunite as a family until the early 1960's - Mum and her brother Tom have passed on but Aunt Mona still lives in St Helens. Granddad is buried without a headstone to mark his grave, such was the poverty then

Hi Desi,
welcome from me. Good story but so sad too.