First World War Roll of Honour

Henry Duncan Ryan O’Reilly (or Reilly, as he was recorded on the 1901 Census and birth registration documents) was born around early 1895, the son of Irishman Henry Osborne O’Reilly and his wife Helen of Purley, Surrey. He was educated at Whitgift School where he went on to become Captain of the School and Vice-Captain of Tate’s. He was also Editor of the Whitgiftian Magazine and represented the School at Rugby and Athletics.

Henry was awarded an Exhibition to Downing College in 1914, but he never matriculated as a result of the outbreak of war that summer. He obtained a commission in 1st/4th Battalion, The Queen's (Royal West Surrey Regiment) in October 1914 and served in India from 1915 to 1917, during which time he was promoted to Lieutenant in 1915 and Captain in 1917. He served in Mesopotamia (now Iraq) from 1917, where troops from Britain and India were fighting the Ottoman Turks.

After the Armistice in November 1918, the Army remained in the region following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and Captain O’Reilly was wounded in action on 30 May 1919. He died the following day and his Commanding Officer wrote that he “died like a gallant officer, doing everything in his power for those under his command, and displaying the utmost bravery. During the short time had been with this Regt. (1/5 East Surreys, to which he was attached at the end), he had by his cheerfulness and kindly thought endeared himself to us all, and we feel his loss most deeply”.

Captain O’Reilly is buried in the Baghdad (North Gate) War Cemetery.

 

Image: Courtesy of Whitgift School