SS Campania sailing from Liverpool, arriving NY on June 23 1912.
Catherine McNamara (line 29), Female, 21y, single, occupation: switcher, able to read and write, nationality: English, people: Irish, last residence: Belfast Ireland
Parents living at 16 Woodstock Place, Belfast.
Final destination: NY NY, passage paid by brother, possessed $50 or more, never in USA before.
Going to join brother, Chas McNamara at 499 53rd Street, NY
Healthy, height: 5ft 7ins, complexion: brown, hair: brown, eyes: brown.It appears that Katie went back in 1916 with her baby son John and returned to the USA with her widowed mother.
SS New York sailing from Liverpool on 11th November, arriving NY on 20th November 1916
Manifest includes the following:
Catherine Cull, 25, married, Housewife, Irish, resident in NY USA, nearest relative: Nellie McNamara, sister, 46 Agra Street, Belfast.
Passage paid by self, going to Husband, Thomas Cull, carpenter, 3107 Park Avenue, NY
height: 5ft. 5ins, complexion: fair, hair: fair, eyes: brown, place of birth: Portaferry, Ireland
John Cull, 1, son, born: NY, USA
Catherine McNamara, 58, widow, Housekeeper, resident in Belfast, Ireland
Passage paid by self. Note which says: ???seemly was 2 sons and sister and single???
height: 5ft. 3ins, complexion: dark, hair: brown, eyes: brown, place of birth: Portaferry, Ireland
Ovillers is a village about 5 kilometres north-east of the town of Albert off the D929 road to Bapaume. The Military Cemetery is approximately 500 metres west of the village on the D20 road to Aveluy. The Cemetery is signposted in the village.
Historical Information: On the 1st July, 1916, the 8th Division attacked Ovillers and the 34th Division La Boisselle; the villages were not captured, but ground was won between them and to the South of La Boisselle. On the 4th July, the 19th (Western) Division cleared La Boisselle. On the 7th July the 12th (Eastern) and 25th Divisions gained part of Ovillers, and the village was cleared by the 48th (South Midland) Division on the 17th July. The two villages were lost in March, 1918, but they were retaken on the following 24th August by the 38th (Welsh) Division. They were later "adopted" by the City of Gloucester. The cemetery was begun before the capture of Ovillers, as a battle cemetery behind a Dressing Station, and it was used until March, 1917. It then contained 143 graves, about half the present Plot I. It was increased after the Armistice by the concentration of British and French graves, mainly from the battlefields of Pozieres, Ovillers, La Boisselle and Contalmaison; the great majority of these British graves were those of men who fell in July, 1916, and the French graves were of 1914-15. The unidentified French graves were removed by the French authorities later. The 22nd Royal Fusiliers erected a wooden memorial in the cemetery to 78 officers and men of the Battalion who fell in action in February, 1917. There are now 3,437 Commonwealth burials of the 1914-18 war commemorated here. Of these, 2,477 are unidentified and special memorials are erected to 23 soldiers from the United Kingdom and one from Australia, believed to be buried among them. Other special memorials record the names of 35 soldiers from the United Kingdom, buried in Mash Valley Cemetery, whose graves were destroyed in later fighting. The cemetery covers an area of 9,475 square metres and is enclosed by a red brick wall. Two smaller burial grounds were concentrated into Ovillers Military Cemetery:- MASH VALLEY CEMETERY, OVILLERS-LA BOISSELLE, was about 182 metres North of Ovillers Military Cemetery. It was named from one of two valleys (Mash and Sausage) which run from South-West to North-East on either side of La Boisselle. It contained the graves of 76 soldiers from the United Kingdom who fell in July-September, 1916. RED DRAGON CEMETERY, OVILLERS-LA BOISSELLE, was midway between Ovillers and La Boisselle. It was made by the 16th and 17th Royal Welch Fusiliers, and named from their badge. It contained the graves of 25 soldiers who fell in August, 1918, all of whom belonged to the 38th (Welsh) Division, and all but three to the Royal Welch Fusiliers.
Sam was in the 6th Battalion, Seaforth Highlanders (1/6th (Morayshire) Battalion Territorial Force), formed in August 1914 : in Elgin. Having been initially part of the Seaforth & Cameron Brigade, Highland Division, on 12 May 1915 it became part of the 152nd Brigade, 51st (Highland) Division. This division took part in the Battle of the Somme (see below).
The Battles of the Somme - 1st July - 18th November 1916The Battle of Albert - 1st - 13th July 1916
Fourth Army
The Attacks on High Wood - 20th - 25th July 1916
Fourth Army
III Corps : 19th Division
XV Corps : 5th Division, 7th Division, 33rd Division, 51st Division
Notes: High Wood was first entered by the 91st Brigade of 7th Division on 14th July. It was finally captured by the 47th Division on 15th September.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Battle of the Ancre - 13th - 18th November 1916Fourth Army
II Corps : 48th Division
Fifth Army
II Corps : 18th Division, 19th Division, 39th Division, 4th Canadian Division
V Corps : 2nd Division, 3rd Division, 32nd Division, 37th Division, 51st Division, 63rd Division
XIII Corps : 31st Division, 40th Division (120th Brigade)
This action included the Tactical Incident:
The Capture of Beaumont-Hamel, by the 51st Division.
Note that Sam Cull died on 8th December 1916.
From the web site at:
http://www.1914-1918.net/51div.htm