Walter Rogan
- Family History
- Military History
- Extra Information
- Photographs
William Rogan had been born in Belfast, Ireland and came to England where he met and married Mary Ann Hurlihy, who had been born in Cork, Ireland. Their marriage was conducted in Colchester, Essex in 1872. William was a boot maker by trade and made several moves there, Canterbury, Woolwich before moving north to Hull and finally, Doncaster. They had six children on the way, Edward, Thomas, and William born in the south, Walter born in 1881 in Hull with Sarah Ann and John P being born on Doncaster. In 1900 William senior died at the age of 56, leaving his wife, Mary Ann as a widow earning a wage as a potato sorter in 1901 living in Milner’s Yard, Doncater. The older children had left home by now and Walter had married Sarah Jane Hartley (a Retford girl) in Worksop, Notts in 1902. The couple settled down in Retford living at 39 Beardsall Row where Walter secured a job as labourer in the local iron foundry. They had three children who were all born in Retford before Walter went to war, William born in 1905, Mabel in 1907 and Albert in 1909.
Walter enlisted in the 10th Battalion of the Sherwood Foresters and went to the Western Front on 29 December 1915 where he was killed in action buried in the Spoilbank Cemetery, Belgium. Lance Sergt Walter Rogan Retford Times 21 April 1916 Mrs Rogan, 89 Beardsall Row, Retford, has received a letter of sympathy from the Rev J Thwaites Mumford, Vicar of East Retford and now Chaplain at Alexandria in reference to the death of her husband, Lance Sergt Walter Rogan of the Sherwood Foresters who was killed last February in France, where he had only been five weeks as previously reported. Mrs Rogan is left with five young children and her husband had not seen the baby. In the course of his letter, Mr Mumford wrote:- “This will cause a great blank in you life but you will feel proud of being the wife of one who gave his life for his country.”
Research by Colin Dannatt
