Lieutenant Roderic Stratford O'Connor
4th Battalion - Attached 2nd Battalion,
South Staffordshire Regiment
28/04/1917
Eldest son of Dr E M H and Mrs O'Connor of The Priory,
La Chasse, Jersey.
Roderic was born in Market Deeping, Lincolnshire
on the 3rd October, 1892 to Doctor Edward Morris Hutton
O'Connor and his first wife Jessie Mary Charlotte (née
Murphy) O'Connor. Sadly, Mrs O'Connor would die in Market
Deeping just over a year later on the 26th November,
1893.
His half-brothers, Bryan Victor and Donald Neil, also
served and are listed in the Roll of Service. Another
half-brother, Edward Dillon (known in the family as
Bill), was too young to serve.
He initially enlisted in Canada 1915 and
served as an Other Rank with their Expeditionary Force.
He was subsequently recommended for a commission and
was gazetted in December 1916.
Killed in action at Oppy, aged 24 years.
NEWS ITEM in Jersey Evening Post
of Tuesday 8 May 1917
Lieutenant R S O'Connor Missing. We regret
to learn that 2nd Lieutenant Roderic Stratford O'Connor
4th attached 2nd South Staffords has been missing since
28 April. We hope that Dr E M H O'Connor, whose eldest
son the missing Lieutenant is, will shortly receive
news of his safety. We might add that young O'Connor
enlisted in the Canadians in 1915.
NEWS ITEM in Jersey Evening Post
of Saturday 23 June 1917
Roll of Honour. The sympathy of the whole
of the community will, we feel sure, be extended to
Dr & Mrs O'Connor and family who have received information
that their son, 2nd Lieutenant Roderic Stratford O'Connor
of 4th attached 2nd Battalion South Staffordshire Regiment
who was previously reported missing, has been killed
in action. The gallant officer, who was only 24 at the
time of his death, was educated at Victoria College
from 1905-11 and shortly afterwards left for Canada.
At the call of the Motherland he joined the Canadian
Expeditionary Force and for a long time served on the
Western Front as a Corporal. He was recommended for
a commission and later gazetted to the 4th Battalion
South Staffordshire Regiment. He returned to the Front
and on 28 April was Officer in Charge of a party which
had to bomb one of the front line trenches whilst the
remainder of the Regiment advanced. The Staffords gained
their objective but unfortunately had to retire and
nothing further was seen of the officer after he had
entered the German trench. Messages received from the
Front stated that Lieutenant O'Connor was of a fearless
disposition and a most efficient officer and it was
hoped that he had been taken prisoner, but unfortunately
this belief has now been dispelled by the later news.
We tender the Doctor and Mrs O'Connor, who have another
son serving as an officer at the Front, our sincere
sympathy in their bereavement.
