{"id":20587,"date":"2026-03-30T13:52:20","date_gmt":"2026-03-30T13:52:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.overloonwarchronicles.nl\/?page_id=20587"},"modified":"2026-03-31T15:01:18","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T15:01:18","slug":"oneill-john","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.overloonwarchronicles.nl\/en\/oneill-john\/","title":{"rendered":"O&#8217;Neill John"},"content":{"rendered":"<h3>O&#8217;Neill | John<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<h3>First names<\/h3>\n<div>\n<p>John<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<h3>Age<\/h3>\n<div>\n<p>29<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<h3>Date of birth<\/h3>\n<div>\n<p>26-12-1914<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<h3>Date of death<\/h3>\n<div>\n<p>15-10-1944<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<h3>Service number<\/h3>\n<div>\n<p>14207563<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<h3>Rank<\/h3>\n<div>\n<p>Fusilier<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<h3>Regiment<\/h3>\n<div>\n<p>Royal Northumberland Fusiliers,4th Bn.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<h3>Grave number<\/h3>\n<div>\n<p>II. D. 14.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<p>        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/John-ONeill-enhanced-original-Portrait-Web.jpg\" alt=\"John O'Neill\"><\/p>\n<h3>John O&#8217;Neill<\/h3>\n<p>John O&#8217;Neill<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Graf-John-ONeill-Web.jpg\" alt=\"Grave John O'Neill\"><\/p>\n<h3>Grave John O&#8217;Neill<\/h3>\n<p>Grave John O&#8217;Neill<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Biography<\/h2>\n<div>\n<p>John O\u2019Neill (Service No. 14207563) was killed in action on 15 October 1944. He was a Fusilier in the 4th Battalion of the Royal Northumberland Fusiliers. He was initially buried near the Maria Regina Nunnery in Stevensbeek and re-interred on 22 May 1947 in grave II. D. 14 in the Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery in Overloon. His inscription reads \u201cGrant him, O Lord, eternal rest and let perpetual light shine upon him. Amen,\u201d<\/p>\n<h4>Life Before the War<\/h4>\n<p>John Stephen O\u2019Neill was the son of Michael O\u2019Neill and Catherine Mary Kate McGrath who had married on 26 January 1909 in Ardragh East on Bere Island in County Cork, Ireland. Michael was a farmer. He had been born in July 1878 and Catherine (who was known as Mary) on 4 August 1887, both on Bere Island. The O\u2019Neills had lived on Bere Island for several generations. <\/p>\n<p>Bere Island or Bear Island (Irish: Oil\u00e9an B\u00e9arra, although officially called An tOile\u00e1n M\u00f3r meaning &#8220;the big island&#8221;) is an island in Bantry Bay off the Beara Peninsula in County Cork, Ireland. This is in the far south west of Ireland.<\/p>\n<p>The island was heavily fortified after the failed French invasion through Bantry Bay in 1796 with the construction of Martello Towers and support buildings. Over the next 100 years this continued, leading to the installation of 6 inch and 9 inch guns in 1899 as part of seven coastal batteries to protect the naval anchorage of Berehaven. There was a garrison of British military personnel on the island until 1938. Ardragh East, where John was born, was in the so-called &#8220;Red Zone&#8221; that was occupied by the British. This cut the island in two with the British area at the eastern end. To be inside the red line meant that the British army could order civilian evacuation to take place within around 48 hours in the event of military action. Thus, it was a strange place in which to grow up.<\/p>\n<p>The British presence on Bere Island provided construction jobs that attracted people onto the island, however, it was regarded as an occupation and this presence was not welcomed by locals. During the Irish War of Independence, Bere island was used as an internment camp holding IRA members. Three Soldiers from the garrison were killed just after coming off the island in 1921 and five houses on the mainland were burnt down as a reprisal.<\/p>\n<p>The Anglo Irish Treaty of 1921 ended the war of independence and resulted in the creation a year later of the Irish Free State as a self governing dominion within the British Empire. It also allowed Northern Ireland to opt out of the Irish Free State and remain part of the United Kingdom. The British withdrew from most of Ireland, but the garrison at Berehaven was one of three deep water ports which were retained as British Sovereign bases. In 1938 Fort Berehaven was handed back to Ireland. <\/p>\n<p>The British Garrison on Bere Island will have been a prominent feature of the O\u2019Neill family\u2019s life. <\/p>\n<p>Michael and Mary O\u2019Neill had children at Ardragh East as follows: Jeremiah (known as Jerry) b 9 February 1910, Margaret b 1911, Cornelius (known as Con) b 4 February 1912, John Stephen 26 December 1914, Michael b 1916, Donal b 1918, Mary b 1920, Brigid b 25 February 1924 and Vincent 1932. <\/p>\n<p>Michael, Mary and Jerry were living at Ardragh East in the 1911 Census. <\/p>\n<p>The earliest image of John was taken about 1918 with his younger brother Michael outside the family home. He is likely to have attended the National School at Lawrence Cove. Here the boys were taught downstairs and the girls upstairs. Children of all ages were in the same class. The children of the British families at the Barracks had their own military school so the local children did not routinely mix with them.<\/p>\n<p>Some families were involved with the Military Barracks, with some employed there and others selling them produce such as eggs. <\/p>\n<p>Life in the 1930s on the island was something of a struggle for survival for the Islanders. The biggest issues for the largely agricultural community was ensuring that the potato and hay crops succeeded to ensure that the people and their animals got through the winter. Men, women and children all had their roles to play in these tasks. \u00a0<\/p>\n<p>A steamboat and a launch made two trips to Castletownbere on the mainland every day. There were no police on the island and little crime. <\/p>\n<p>In the houses the sleeping quarters were upstairs with the kitchen and another room underneath. The kitchen was the heart of the household where cooking and eating was done. It was also used by the women to make quilts and knit. It was the room where, on long winter\u2019s nights, visitors might come and everyone sat by the fire and told stories and sang songs. The other room was used for various purposes such as a dining room when the priest came or a sick room. <\/p>\n<p>In 1931 John carved out his name on a flagstone near the family house with the date inscribed. It remains there as a lasting visible memory.<\/p>\n<p>John seems to have been one for playing pranks. One story goes as follows. The family kept some hens to provide eggs which his father would go to collect each day. He was puzzled when some of the eggs were nothing more than hollow, weightless shells with nothing inside. This went on for some days and his father decided to stay up one night to see if anything was happening. His patience was rewarded when in the early hours he spotted John creeping out of the house to the coop. There was John taking an egg, putting a tiny pinhole in each end of the egg, sucking out the contents and carefully replacing the now empty egg. It isn\u2019t known whether his father saw the funny side of this prank!<\/p>\n<p>A family story demonstrates the tension between the Barracks on Bere Island and the local population. At some point before 1938 a British soldier, who happened to be a boxing champion, came into one of the two Rerrin pubs on Bere Island where John and his friends were drinking. He shouted out offering (rudely with profanities) to fight any Irishmen who was willing. John stepped forward and the fight began outside. According to John\u2019s brother Jerry, John \u201c\u2026kicked him all the way back to his barracks.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Two photos of John taken in 1934 when he would be around 19 show him in the uniform of the Irish Volunteer Force. They were taken at the Curragh.<\/p>\n<p>An Irish general election in 1932 resulted in the Fianna F\u00e1il Government of Eamon de Valera coming to power, with the support of the Labour Party, pledging to dismantle the limits placed upon Irish independence by the Anglo Irish Treaty. Drawing on the revered heritage of the largely Republican Irish Volunteers, they created the Volunteer Force on 6 April 1934. This part-time militia was intended to appeal to the party\u2019s republican supporters, and to offer them an alternative to membership of the IRA. Twenty-one former republicans had been drafted into the Irish Army as officers to oversee the recruiting of the Volunteer Force. It was hoped it would have 24,000 volunteers. At a local level the Force was run with the assistance of a civilian committee known as a \u2018Sluagh\u2019. These became known as \u2018Aiken\u2019s Slugs\u2019 after the minister for defence who appointed them. The minister for industry and commerce saw the Volunteer Force primarily as a tool against illegal paramilitary organisations such as the IRA and the Blueshirts. It would give young men an opportunity for military training where they might otherwise turn to these illegal organisations. <\/p>\n<p>It quickly became clear, however, that the Volunteer Force was not as successful as first hoped. It was dogged by a series of problems and recruiting began to tail off. Between March 1934 and March 1939, 16,146 men joined the Force, but when it was reorganised on 1 March 1939 only 3,731 Volunteers re-enlisted. Once WW2 began, the Force was quickly subsumed into the regular army, playing a key role in providing men for the Coast Watching Service, and was finally replaced by An Forsa Cosanta \u00c1ituil (FCA) in 1946. <\/p>\n<p>Ireland remained neutral during WW2 although there were ways in which the country helped the Allies including <br \/>extensive co-operation between Allied and Irish intelligence and provision of detailed weather reports for the Atlantic Ocean. However, an estimated 70,000 Irish nationals served in the British military during WW2 of which 3,617 died on active service.<\/p>\n<p>It isn\u2019t known how long John remained in the Volunteer Force.<\/p>\n<p>Three of Michael and Mary\u2019s children went to live in England in the mid 1930s. This was a time of hardship in Ireland. The Government elected in 1932 refused to pay \u201cland annuities\u201d owed to Britain under the 1921 Treaty. The British Government retaliated by imposing punitive tariffs of 20% on Irish agricultural imports and limits on the number of cattle imported. By 1936 the average tariff on Irish imports was 45%. This coincided with the Great Depression of 1929-39. These are the factors which resulted in many deciding to leave Ireland for a life elsewhere.<\/p>\n<p>Jerry initially went to Surrey to work as a navvy on the Chessington railway line. He later moved to London where he married Mary Harnedy in 1941. Sadly, she died in 1943 during the birth of their child, Mary. It seems that his wife\u2019s death combined with having a baby to look after may have caused him to have mental health problems which were worsened by later events. Their daughter was brought up in his brother Con\u2019s household. It is thought Jerry was never called up as he was working at Fords in Dagenham which made a wide range of vehicles for the war effort including universal carriers like the one in which John was to serve. They also made Merlin engines for the RAF.<\/p>\n<p>By September 1939 Con was working as a general labourer and living at 37 Durham Avenue, Hounslow, Middlesex. He also served in WW2, possibly in the North Staffordshire Regiment. It is thought that he was evacuated from Dunkirk and was seriously wounded there, though another version of this family story is that he was wounded after D-Day in Normandy. He married Agnes Winifred Warrington in mid 1942 in the Stoke on Trent District. His grandson believes they may have met when his grandmother was looking after him after he was wounded. In September 1939 Agnes had been living at 118 Hassell Street, Newcastle-Under-Lyme in the household of Elizabeth Warrington (b 12 March 1880) a widowed school cleaner. Agnes (b 8 December 1910) was a Greengrocer\u2019s Shop Assistant. Also present was Wilfred Warrington (b 5 November 1904) who was a Colliery Hewer Below Ground. <\/p>\n<p>John is thought to have initially settled in Surrey but this is not certain. It is thought that there was a young woman on the island who had strong feelings for John who was apparently in tears when he left. <\/p>\n<p>By September 1939, John was living at 30 Swindon Road, Wroughton near Swindon in Wiltshire. He was working as a Steel Erector. The head of the household was Daniel Behan (b 17 January 1896) with his wife, Mary Behan (b 10 April 1910). Also present were two other men: Thomas B Fahey (b14 July 1914) and Thomas C Nabbutt (b 25 July 1920). Thomas Fahey was another steel erector and Thomas Nabbutt was a brick layer\u2019s labourer. An unnamed child was also present. The surnames suggest that most of those in this household were Irish.<\/p>\n<p>By 4 February 1941 John was living at Granways, Gran Lane, Hucclecotes, Gloucester. On that day he wrote the following to his sister Brigid at Ardragh East, Bere Island, Co Cork.<\/p>\n<p><em>\u201cDear Brigid,<\/em><br \/><em>It is about time I wrote you a few lines to let you know I am OK and to thank you for your nice letter and card at Xmas also Vincent and Mary. I also owe a letter to mother I hope she has not been worrying. Well I do hope ye are all well and had a good Xmas I had a very quiet one here, I only wish I had been home and had turkey etc. well maybe another time Brigid. Did ye have a concert at the Drill Shed this time, plenty of movies and dances I expect, I have not been to a picture for months. I live a bit out of the town so after work it is late to go as the last show starts earlier than normal times on account of the black out etc. Did ye hear from the boys lately I hope Jerry wrote, I dropped him a few lines some time before Xmas but he did not reply. Is Con in the same address still, I did not write to him as I had a notion of leaving here for some time but not so far. Murphy that was with me left here at Xmas I missed him as we were together for over a year, so I am on my own now. How is father and the boys, are they still at the Scallops. I hope they had a good share of snow lately not as bad as last year though. The job is not so good as we lose time in bad weather I wish I was back at the Steel work again it is far better. Do you still go to the convent school Brigid, you should be a great scholar now Vincent should get good tuition from you. How is Margaret and all the friends please remember me to all tell mother and Mary I will write to them soon. How is Jerry Murphy and the mission getting on. Well for the present Brigid, Good Bye and God Bless you all. Write soon again. Did any of you hear from Mrs McKenzie lately. <\/em><br \/><em>From Brother John\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<h4>Military Service<\/h4>\n<p>As far as is known, he had no plans to enlist. However, due to unfortunate alcohol related incidents which led to a court appearance, he was given a choice of enlisting vs receiving a different form of punishment. He therefore chose to enlist on 26 February 1942. <\/p>\n<p>By the time he enlisted, he was living at 54 Cartway, Bridgnorth, Shropshire and was described as a Steel Erector. He stated that he was a British Subject but qualified it by saying he was Irish \u2013 FS which stands for Irish Free State. He gave his date of birth as 26 December 1914 and that he was born on Bere Island, Co. Cork. He rather oddly stated that his parents were British subjects when they were, in fact, Irish. This may be because they lived in the British occupied area of Bere Island \u2013 or because Ireland was in the United Kingdom when they were born. It could even have been an attempt to ensure they benefited from any payments from the British Government should he die or be wounded. He gave his mother, Mrs Mary O\u2019Neill of Ardragh Road, Bere Island, Co Cork as his next of kin. <\/p>\n<p>He was described as being 5ft 11in tall and weighted 180lbs. He had brown eyes and dark brown hair. It was stated that he was in A1 medical condition. He was a Roman Catholic. <\/p>\n<p>On enlistment, the start of his service was deferred until 1 October 1942 when he was posted as a Private to 25 Primary Training Centre (PTC) of the General Services Corps. It may have been deferred because he was doing useful work as a civilian. The General Service Corps had been formed in February 1942. It was formed as a corps to provide specialists but from 2 July 1942 army recruits were enlisted in the corps for their first six weeks so that their subsequent posting could take account of their skills and the Army&#8217;s needs. No 25 PTC had been based at the No 5 Training Battalion Royal Army Ordnance Corps at Racecourse Camp, Chepstow but on 16 October it moved to K Camp Donnington, Shropshire. <\/p>\n<p>On 4 December 1942 he was transferred to the Royal Northumberland Fusiliers. He was initially in the 24 Machine Gun Training Centre. This was based at the Depot of the Cheshire Regiment. <\/p>\n<p>On 15 March 1943 he was posted to the 4th Battalion. On 21 June 1943 he was assigned to \u20182\u2019 Company. He held the rank of Fusilier.<\/p>\n<p>The 4th Battalion of the Northumberland Fusiliers had served as a motor cycle battalion in France and Belgium from January to June 1940. After the evacuation from Dunkirk, it served at home until April 1941 when it was transferred to the Reconnaissance Corps and redesignated as 50th Battalion, Reconnaissance Corps in the 50th Division. It spent time in the Mediterranean and Middle East from June 1941 until June 1942 when it returned home and was assigned to the 22nd Armoured Brigade. On 6 June 1942 it became 50th Regiment, Reconnaissance Corps and in March 1943 reverted to the Royal Northumberland Fusiliers as the 4th Battalion. This is the point at which John was posted to the 4thBattalion. <\/p>\n<p>On 25 April 1944, the battalion was suspended. Its personnel formed three independent machine gun companies for the British armoured divisions of the 21st Army Group. The 2nd Independent Machine Gun Company to which John belonged was assigned to the 11th Armoured Division. In June 1942 the 11th Armoured Division had been re-organised so that it was composed of the 29th Armoured Brigade and the 159th Infantry Brigade. The 2nd Independent Machine Gun Company would act as the 159th Brigade fire support group. <\/p>\n<p>By D-Day, the 29th Armoured Brigade consisted of the 23rd Hussars, 2nd Fife and Forfar Yeomanry, 3rd Royal Tank Regiment and the 8th Battalion, Rifle Brigade (Prince Consort&#8217;s Own). The 159th Infantry Brigade consisted of the 4th Battalion, King&#8217;s Shropshire Light Infantry, 3rd Battalion, Monmouthshire Regiment and the 1st Battalion, Herefordshire Regiment.<\/p>\n<h4>Normandy<\/h4>\n<p>John\u2019s Service Record shows that he served at home until 12 June 1944. He, along with most of the 11th Armoured Division landed on Juno Beach on 13 June 1944, seven days after D-Day. <\/p>\n<p>It must have been fairly soon after landing in France that he wrote the following letter to his brother, Jerry:<\/p>\n<p><em>\u201cDear Jerry<\/em><br \/><em>Just a note hoping it finds you in the best of health etc. as it leaves me at present. I hope you enjoyed your holiday. Did you go to Newcastle how did you find everything. I tried to get to see you but we were confined to Barracks since last I seen you. By the way, I am writing this from France. Can\u2019t tell you when I came over however \u2013 I am OK and feeling good. I daresay you read all about it in the daily papers you should know more about the fighting than we do here. How is Con doing is he still at the same place. There is nothing for me to write about for now Jerry so I will close this note with my best regards say a prayer for me sometime. Please excuse pencil I expect you will understand. <\/em><br \/><em>Good Luck <\/em><br \/><em>From John\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p>The 11th Armoured Division, as part of the VIII Corps, was committed to action on 26 June 1944 as part of Operation Epsom. It entered the Scottish &#8216;corridor&#8217;, opened beforehand by the 15th (Scottish) Infantry Division. Despite mistakes in navigation, which slowed down the 159th Infantry Brigade in Mouen, the 11th managed to seize the bridges at Grainville and Colleville. It then progressed southward to Hill 112 (a dominant feature in the Normandy landscape near the village of Baron) and succeeded in capturing and holding this high ground against increasingly intense German counter-attacks. However, a renewed attack by fresh SS-Panzerdivisions transformed what was intended as a breakthrough into a battle for position. Before the German reinforcements could attack, General Bernard Montgomery ordered a withdrawal from the hilltop.<br \/>\u00a0<br \/>John wrote another letter to Jerry, probably while still in Normandy. He wrote as follows:<\/p>\n<p><em>\u201cDear Jerry,<\/em><br \/><em>Thanks a lot for your welcome letter received today glad to hear you are OK don&#8217;t let the doodlebug get you I was surprised to hear Con was gone overseas I do hope he is OK. There was plenty of his mob here when we landed. I have been with the front don&#8217;t worry it&#8217;s not so bad just keep dodging shells etc. I&#8217;ve had a letter from mother a week back I write her pretty often lately. I also made an allowance \u2026\u00a0 a week before I came over here she told me she got it OK. You should drop her a line now and then Jerry otherwise it causes her a lot of worry. Glad you went to see Agnes and kids. I don&#8217;t suppose you had too much peace with young Mary still such is the way of kids. There is nothing much to write about from here so I&#8217;ll have to cut this short write soon again Jerry give my regards to Jack &amp; Mrs O\u2019Leary, for now Good Luck and God Bless. Sincerely yours John\u201d<\/em><br \/>\u00a0<br \/>Probably about the same time in early July he wrote again to his sister Brigid as follows:<\/p>\n<p><em>\u201cDear Sister,<\/em><br \/><em>Just a short note to let you know I am OK and in the best of health hoping all home are the same. I have not had any letter from home since mother\u2019s dated 15th. I have just come from the front line for a rest we are glad of it too just to get away from all the noise good clean up at this rest place. I had a smashing beard on I thought it a pity to shave it off, we are also expecting some form of amusement films or something. Well Mary I am sorry I can\u2019t write much as there is nothing really to say from here in any case I expect you get all the news in the papers such as it is. How is everything going on in the old country these days. I have seen nothing to compare with it yet what I would give to set foot on it right now. Give my best regards to all home friends also all the boys don\u2019t bother with the girls. Good Luck and God Bless you all write soon if you have any snaps of Vince or any of the family send them along if allowed. Your loving brother John.\u201d<\/em><br \/><em>\u00a0<\/em><br \/>The 11th Armoured was then moved to the east of Caen to spearhead Operation Goodwood. Planning and execution errors, coupled with strong German defences, led to a tactical British defeat. Goodwood was cancelled on 20 July, with the 11th Armoured being withdrawn from the front line to rest and refit. In only two days of fighting, it had lost 126 tanks.<\/p>\n<p>The 11th Armoured was directed again to the west, to take part in Operation Bluecoat. Beginning on 30 July 1944 it seized Saint-Martin-des-Besaces. The division spotted an intact bridge on the Souleuvre river, which enabled it to drive the Germans back. The division liberated Le B\u00e9ny-Bocage on 1 August and quickly progressed southward. Although severely weakened at that time, the German army remained ever-present and dangerous. From 5 August, the 11th Armoured worked with the Guards Armoured Division and 15th (Scottish) Infantry Division to push back a counter-attack of the 9th SS Panzer Division.<\/p>\n<p>A photo taken around the time of Operation Bluecoat of a carrier which seems to have got into difficulty while in a convoy with others including a flail tank is thought to include John sitting on the carrier. <\/p>\n<p>After being replaced in VIII Corps by the 3rd Infantry Division, the 11th Armoured was attached to XXX Corps. It progressed eastward hard on the heels of the Germans, who were retreating after the failure of the Mortain counter offensive. The 11th Armoured seized Flers on 17 August. <\/p>\n<p>He again wrote to his sister Brigid on 19 August as follows:<\/p>\n<p><em>\u201cDear Sister<\/em><br \/><em>A few lines to let you know I am OK and well thank God hoping it finds all home the same. I received mother\u2019s letter two days back also one from Aunt Julia, mother said she was not so well with her leg, I do hope it is not too bad. She certainly has had some bother with it in the past to my knowledge. Things are going well out here Brigid will be good when its all over we have been in the thick of it mother says you read all about it in the press. How is Vince enjoying his holidays they tell me he is quite a man well I hope he is always all right sorry I have no news to tell you so don\u2019t tell me off Write soon again for now all the best to you all friends and neighbours and God Bless you Your loving brother John.\u201d<\/em><br \/><em>\u00a0<\/em><br \/>John also wrote another letter to Jerry on 21 August as follows:<\/p>\n<p><em>\u201cDear Jerry,<\/em><br \/><em>Just a few lines hoping it finds you fit and well as it leaves me at the moment. I wrote you a bit back and I have been wondering if you had received it OK as I should like a line from you just to know you are well. Also mother always asks for you, why not drop her a line. Do you get much bother from the buzz bombs now, they must be a nuisance. How is Jack and Mrs O&#8217;Leary also Othe hier? Well Jerry the war should not last very long more don&#8217;t you think we have been going some lately, we should turn it in soon, we get in the front line a lot. I hear from home a lot they are all well but mother\u2019s leg is not so well lately. I have not much news to tell you Jerry so excuse this note. I will be anxious to hear from you also hoping to see you soon so for now Good Luck and God Bless Your loving brother John\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p>John was clearly concerned about Jerry who was struggling following the loss of his wife. <\/p>\n<p>Once the battle for the Falaise gap was over, the 11th Armoured liberated L&#8217;Aigle on 23 August and crossed the Seine on 30 August.<\/p>\n<p>After a night move, and an unprecedented advance of 60 miles in one day, the division liberated Amiens on 1 September. Advancing to Lens, then Tournai, the division was then committed to the fight for Antwerp, which it liberated on 4 September. <\/p>\n<h4>Belgium<\/h4>\n<p>John wrote again to his brother Jerry on 7 September 1944 as follows:<\/p>\n<p><em>\u201cDear Jerry,<\/em><br \/><em>I received your welcome letter 2 days back and I&#8217;m very glad to know you are OK and well which goes for me also at the moment. Agnes told me you had been to her place for a week I daresay you enjoyed the change to a quieter quarter. Mother always inquires about you Jerry you should drop her a line as she only worries. I have not struck up with Con yet but I should imagine he is some distance from me. We have been on the move some for the past few weeks am now in Antwerp we were the first to enter the city and what a welcome we got they simply mobbed us, it was a smashing place quite a lot of English speaking people in it would not mind staying here they&#8217;re crazy for English cigs. Well Jerry for now I will say Cheerio and Good Luck Write soon again and God Bless.<\/em><br \/><em>Sincerely your Brother John\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p>This was the last letter which Jerry was to receive from John.<\/p>\n<p>A photo taken in late September 1944 shows John in Antwerp. He is seated wearing his beret at the back on the right of a universal carrier. The Number 64 on the vehicle confirms it belonged to the Royal Northumberland Fusiliers. This is the last known image of John. He is wearing what looks like rosary beads around his neck. The carrier had a heavy Vickers Machine Gun at the front. This was used for support fire. <\/p>\n<p>Two days after it liberated Antwerp, the 11th Division tried to establish a bridgehead over the Albert Canal, but the attempt, due to intense enemy fire, was not successful. After this failure, 11th Armoured had to cross much further to the east, at Beringen. <\/p>\n<h4>Holland<\/h4>\n<p>The division was not directly committed to Operation Market Garden. Instead, it was tasked with securing the right flank of the operation. Attached to VIII Corps, it began moving on 18 September. Advancing in two columns, it managed to reach the US 101st Airborne Division at Nuenen, while on the 22nd, its engineers established a bridge over the Zuid-Willemsvaart canal. The division could then make an encircling move around Helmond, forcing the Germans to withdraw on 25 September. <\/p>\n<p>John found time to write a letter to a friend, Markie O\u2019Sullivan, on 19 September, although the last page appears to be missing. It reads as follows:<\/p>\n<p><em>\u201cDear Markie,<\/em><br \/><em>I received your most welcome letter yesterday and boy I read and reread that letter it was as good as somebody coming and telling me the ficking war was over \u2013 that\u2019s no kidding \u2013 and I want to thank you sincerely yes Pal it brought me back to Bere Island for a little while again and cheered me up no end.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>You don\u2019t realise what a letter means especially from one you think a lot of to us fellows, I must admit I have neglected a lot of my best friends although since coming out here I have caught up with a lot of overdue correspondence. I am very pleased &amp; glad to know all you folk are in the very best Markie but then you were always hale and hearty tell your father I certainly will stand him a pint with pleasure but I don\u2019t imagine one would do him a lot of good so let\u2019s hope its more.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>So you tell me all the boys are married or heading that way, which kind of leaves me on my own, I am surprised to hear you were getting spliced just can\u2019t imagine you a family man, so your trips to the Cross have not been in vain, and you have made a good choice as Mary was a nice kid when I knew her. Ask her if she remembers when you and I tried to fiddle her for a pack of smokes with a dud coin. You also must have signed a truce with Jerry by now, yes Markie them were the days. By the way while I have a chance and am on the subject I want to wish you both the very best of luck and everything that goes with it the best I can do at the moment and also would you please ask Bernie Harrington to wish the same to Lizzie when they write her again yes I thought a lot of her and often wondered how she was doing.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p>The Cross refers to the cross roads in Ardragh where Markie\u2019s future wife lived. There was a dancing platform outside their small shop. Her father had been on the opposite side of the political divide to Markie\u2019s family hence the reference to a truce. The Lizzie Harrington referred to later emigrated to the USA. Was it possible that she was the young lady who had strong feelings for John when he left Ireland.<\/p>\n<p>By the night of 26 September, the Division was in the St Anthonis area with 159 Brigade Battalions stationed both there and around Oploo. They remained in this vicinity until 29 September. <\/p>\n<p>By this time, Operation Market Garden had failed to capture the bridge at Arnhem. The Allies were left in a narrow corridor through the Netherlands. It was decided that it was necessary to widen this corridor by attempting to push the enemy back to the east of the River Maas. It was initially the 7th US Armoured Division which was tasked with working from the north to clear the enemy from Overloon, Venray and Venlo.<\/p>\n<p>On 29 September 159 Brigade of the 11th Armoured Division was therefore ordered to hand over to the Americans and move back to Gemert. They remained there until 7 October. By that time, the American attempt to capture Overloon had failed and they handed over to the British.<\/p>\n<p>By the night of 7 October, 159 Brigade HQ was back in St Anthonis. It was grouped with the 4 KSLI, 1 Herefords, 2 Fife and Forfar Yeomanry and one battery of 75 Anti Tank Regiment. The 1 Herefords were in woods north of Overloon and just south east of Stevensbeek. The 4 KSLI were in Mullem, west of Vortum and the 2 Fife and Forfarshire Yeomanry were in Sambeeksche Heide. These last two areas are to the north east of Overloon, along a railway line running north south to the east of and parallel to the River Maas. <\/p>\n<p>The 2nd Independent Machine Gun Company of the Royal Northumberland Fusiliers (RNF 2 IMGC) to which John belonged were with them. Their headquarters was just north of St Anthonis. The 1st and 3rd Platoons were under the command of the Company itself, with the 3rd Platoon based just east of St Anthonis and the 1st Platoon based in the woods south east of Stevensbeek. The 2nd Platoon was under the command of the 1st Herefords and located with them. The 4th Platoon was under the command of the 4 KSLI and located with them at Mullem.<\/p>\n<p>Here the Brigade remained until 15 October supported by the 2 IMGC. The Brigade carried out aggressive patrolling, often taking prisoners from whom intelligence could be gleaned. They also faced shelling and mortaring. <\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, on 12 October, the 3rd Division began the attack on Overloon. This started with medium bombers bombing areas behind enemy lines and continued with an Artillery barrage followed by the main attack. Although 159 Brigade was not involved, it seems that RNF 2 IMGC may have played a part in supporting this attack, though this may have been limited to the initial movement as all the platoons remained in their initial locations. By nightfall the main east \/ west road from Overloon had been reached with some troops in Overloon and in the woods to the west and slightly south. The following day, the 3rd Division continued their advance and by the end of the day had two Brigades in the wood south of Overloon. Their attack continued on 14 October but by 15 October there was a pause while they considered how they were to cross the Molenbeek \u2013 a stream proving an obstacle between Overloon and Venray which was flooded and where bridges had been destroyed. <\/p>\n<p>The 4 KSLI and 1 Herefords had continued with their aggressive patrolling while this attack was in progress. They experienced less shelling and mortaring as the 3rd Division succeeded. <\/p>\n<p>On 15 October, 159 Brigade was given the task of clearing an area to the east of the 3rd Division in the area south of Schafferden with artillery and air support in order to give them elbow room for the attack on Venray. Schafferden lies just north east of Overloon on the road to Vierlingsbeek.<\/p>\n<p>At 0900 the Tactical Brigade HQ moved to an area on the road between Stevensbeek and Overloon which was the location of the HQ of the 1 Herefords. <\/p>\n<p>The first phase of the operation was an attack in the morning by 4 KSLI from Schaartven which was a mile to the east of Overloon directed down a road towards the village of Smakt which lay further to the east of Overloon and adjacent to the railway line running north\/south and parallel to the River Maas. First, at 0630 hrs, the 4 KSLI had to move from their base at Mullem to the start point. The War Diary states that the route for the 4 KSLI was not an easy one as they had to pass through Overloon where heavy traffic had turned the roads and tracks into a very bad state. However, a later source suggests that they were never closer than a mile from Overloon and did not pass through it. <\/p>\n<p>One troop of the Fife and Forfar Yeomanry and one section of Machine Gunners from the Royal Northumberland Fusiliers were in support of each of A and C companies which were the two forward companies. The role of the RNF 2 IMGC Gunners was to provide sustained suppressive fire using Vickers machine guns and 4.2-inch mortars to support the infantry&#8217;s advance. The company was fully mechanised, utilizing Universal Carriers and 15-cwt trucks to move their heavy equipment. <\/p>\n<p>The operation began at 1030 with a rolling Artillery Barrage which moved at the rate of 100 yards in 2 minutes as well as the option to call for concentrations of artillery. The barrage was to dwell on the opening line for 10 minutes. Unfortunately, some guns fired short, dropping in the area of the starting line and causing some casualties. The barrage eventually moved on but the momentum of the attack was halted until the offending guns ceased. The attack proceeded and the barrage was called off with concentrations being fired instead.<\/p>\n<p>The ground over which the Battalion moved was a large sandy waste, scarred with dunes and impassable for all vehicles except tanks and carriers (with difficulty). The Commanding Officer\u2019s Scout Car was towed by the Fife and Forfar Regimental Commander\u2019s tank all the way in order to maintain communications with the rear radio link. C Coy on the left met with some opposition but dealt with it speedily. It was well supported by tanks and machine guns. They then pushed on to the limit of exploitation which was the railway near Smakt without further incident. A Coy on the right met opposition further on and dealt with some of it. B Company were then moved to the right of A Coy to deal with this. The Battalion consolidated with C and A Companies forward, B Company on the right and D Company on the left rear. Bn HQ was sited in D Coy area. D Coy had experienced some difficulty from mines on the main road which ran down their left boundary. As soon as the enemy appreciated the changed situation he commenced to shell and mortar the area. A and B Companies which were on the right were subjected to heavy \u2018stonking\u2019 from 105 mms, 88 mms, mortars and Nebelwerfer. There was quite an amount of airburst fired. The action cost the 4th Battalion KSLI 6 men killed, 29 wounded and resulted in a number of prisoners of war being taken.<\/p>\n<p>The War Diary of the RNF 2 IMGC seems to manage to record this operation very briefly but wrongly records it as happening on 13th rather than 15th October, just as it wrongly recorded the initial attack on Overloon as 11th rather than 12th October. It states that 4 Platoon advanced with the 4 KSLI clearing woods east of Overloon. They were engaged in close fighting at 70-80 yds with the leading infantry coy. They ended the day just north west of Schaartven with the 4 KSLI further to the east.<\/p>\n<p>It was on this day that John O\u2019Neill was killed. The family believe that Con met up during the war with someone involved in Operation Aintree who said that John may have been killed by friendly fire. It may well be that he was killed when the Artillery Barrage which started the operation that day fell short, though this has not been proved conclusively.<\/p>\n<p>He was initially buried in Stevensbeek which lies north of Overloon and south of St Anthonis. This was a few miles north west of where John was probably killed. There was a temporary cemetery opposite a Regimental Aid Post situated in a primary school. Although John\u2019s record says he was killed in action, it may be that he was initially wounded and transported back to the RAP but did not survive the journey. The first burials had taken place in the temporary cemetery on the previous day. The RAP was next door to a Monastery and on 15 October, a Catholic army chaplain held a Holy Mass for the men buried the day before in the chapel of the Monastery. Nuns at the nearby Maria Regina Nunnery tended the graves. A total of 17 men were eventually buried in the cemetery. They had died between 13 October 1944 and 26 November 1944. Thirteen were with 185 Brigade, two with the Royal Artillery, one from the Middlesex Regiment and just John from the 4 RNF. All were re-interred at Overloon.<\/p>\n<h4>Aftermath<\/h4>\n<p>At the time of his death, John had served 2 years and 233 days (including the 216 days when his service had been deferred). Of this, 121 days had been in North West Europe. He was awarded the 1939\/45 Star, France &amp; Germany Star and War Medal 1939\/45.<br \/>\u00a0<br \/>The Staffordshire Sentinel of 1 November 1944 announced John\u2019s death as follows: <br \/><em>\u00a0\u201cMany Newcastle friends will learn with regret of the death in action overseas of Fusilier John O\u2019Neill, son of Mr and Mrs M O\u2019Neill of County Cork, Eire. His brother Private Cornelius O\u2019Neill is serving overseas and his sister-in-law, Mrs C O\u2019Neill, lives at 118 Hassell Street Newcastle\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p>When his father was told of his son&#8217;s death, he was so upset he spent four days alone in the fields below the family home for hours on end. <\/p>\n<p>On 23 March 1945 John\u2019s personal effects were sent to his mother at Ardragh East, Bere Island. These consisted of a wallet, a note wallet, a leather purse, a nail file in a case, a chrome wrist watch, wrist strap metal, 3 religious medallions, a Rosary with cross and medallion, another cross, his identity disc, a personal letter, 3 coins and 2 guilders. <\/p>\n<p>Michael O\u2019Neill died on 6 February 1959 and his wife Mary just a couple of weeks later on 24 February 1959. <\/p>\n<p>Con\u2019s wounding followed by John\u2019s death added to Jerry\u2019s stress. After the war, he married Mary Donoghue from Coornishal, near Leap, County Cork in Becontree (Dagenham, Essex). He and Mary had four children. Under an Irish naming convention, normally the first boy would be named after his paternal grandfather, but Jerry chose to name him John after his brother. Jerry died on 22 May 1983. <\/p>\n<p>Con and Agnes O\u2019Neill had two children as well as bringing up Jerry\u2019s daughter. Con died in 1980 in Newcastle under Lyme. Agnes Winifred O\u2019Neill died in 1998 in the Stoke on Trent district. Their son and grandson later served in the Royal Navy. Margaret settled in Ballinakilla and married Patrick Kelly, son of Timothy Kelly and Johanna Lynch, Ballydonegan (Allihies Parish). Donal worked in the care and maintenance of the Military Barracks and lived in Ardragh. Mary married Michael McCarthy of Cloughland, son of Michael McCarthy and Nora Hurley, Bantry and had six children. Michael and Vince lived at home. Vince died in 2021. Brigid married Thomas McNamara and lived in Ballincollig and had eight children.<\/p>\n<p>Jerry O\u2019Neill\u2019s son, named John O\u2019Neill, visited the cemetery at Overloon in August 1994 with his family to mark the 50th anniversary of John&#8217;s passing later that year. Brigid\u2019s son, Michael McNamara, had also visited John\u2019s grave some years earlier. <\/p>\n<p>John\u2019s namesake has expressed his appreciation of the kindness and dedication which the Dutch people display to the servicemen who gave their lives for the liberation of their country, especially in the light of the suffering which they endured during the war.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h3>Photo&#8217;s with family and comrades<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<p>        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/John-and-Michael-outside-the-old-house-Web.jpg\" alt=\"John and Michael outside the old house on Bere Island\"><\/p>\n<h3>John and Michael outside the old house on Bere Island<\/h3>\n<p>John and Michael outside the old house on Bere Island<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Bere-Island-ONeill-Family-in-1930-Web-.jpg\" alt=\"Bere Island Family O'Neill in 1930\"><\/p>\n<h3>Bere Island Family O&#8217;Neill in 1930<\/h3>\n<p>Bere Island Family O&#8217;Neill in 1930<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/John-Grandma-Dad-and-Mary-Web.jpg\" alt=\"John Grandmother, Mary and one of John's brothers\"><\/p>\n<h3>John Grandmother, Mary and one of John&#8217;s brothers<\/h3>\n<p>John Grandmother, Mary and one of John&#8217;s brothers<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/ONeill-home-at-Ardra-East-Web.jpg\" alt=\"The  house of O'Neill family on Ardra East\"><\/p>\n<h3>The  house of O&#8217;Neill family on Ardra East<\/h3>\n<p>The  house of O&#8217;Neill family on Ardra East<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/John-ONeill-on-Right-in-Irish-Volunteer-Force-Web.jpg\" alt=\"John O'Neill on the right in Irish Volunteer Force costume\"><\/p>\n<h3>John O&#8217;Neill on the right in Irish Volunteer Force costume<\/h3>\n<p>John O&#8217;Neill on the right in Irish Volunteer Force costume<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/John-Unknown-Web.jpg\" alt=\"John  and unknown person\"><\/p>\n<h3>John  and unknown person<\/h3>\n<p>John  and unknown person<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Uncle-John-Irish-Army-1934-Web.jpg\" alt=\"John in Irish Army in 1934\"><\/p>\n<h3>John in Irish Army in 1934<\/h3>\n<p>John in Irish Army in 1934<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/John-in-Operation-Bluecoat-in-Anthony-Beevor-Book-Web.jpg\" alt=\"John in Operation Bluecoat in Anthony Beevor Book\"><\/p>\n<h3>John in Operation Bluecoat in Anthony Beevor Book<\/h3>\n<p>John in Operation Bluecoat in Anthony Beevor Book<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/John-with-tank-Web.jpg\" alt=\"John with baret at the back in jeep in Antwerpen in 1944\"><\/p>\n<h3>John with baret at the back in jeep in Antwerpen in 1944<\/h3>\n<p>John with baret at the back in jeep in Antwerpen in 1944<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Photo&#8217;s of his letters<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<p>        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/John-letters-1-1944-poss-June-Web.jpg\" alt=\"Letter to Jerry July 1944\"><\/p>\n<h3>Letter to Jerry July 1944<\/h3>\n<p>Letter to Jerry July 1944<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/John-letters-2-1944-poss-July-Web.jpg\" alt=\"Letter to Brigid July 1944 page 1\"><\/p>\n<h3>Letter to Brigid July 1944 page 1<\/h3>\n<p>Letter to Brigid July 1944 page 1<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/John-Letters-3-1944-08-21-Web.jpg\" alt=\"Letter to Brigid July 1944 page 2\"><\/p>\n<h3>Letter to Brigid July 1944 page 2<\/h3>\n<p>Letter to Brigid July 1944 page 2<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/John-Letters-4-1944-07-09Web.jpg\" alt=\"Letter to Brigid July 1944 page 3\"><\/p>\n<h3>Letter to Brigid July 1944 page 3<\/h3>\n<p>Letter to Brigid July 1944 page 3<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Markie-letter-2-Web.jpg\" alt=\"Letter to his friend Markie\"><\/p>\n<h3>Letter to his friend Markie<\/h3>\n<p>Letter to his friend Markie<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Markie-Letter-3-Web.jpg\" alt=\"Letter to his friend Markie\"><\/p>\n<h3>Letter to his friend Markie<\/h3>\n<p>Letter to his friend Markie<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/To-Brigid-1941-02-04-p1-letter-Web.jpg\" alt=\"Letter to Brigid 1941 page 1\"><\/p>\n<h3>Letter to Brigid 1941 page 1<\/h3>\n<p>Letter to Brigid 1941 page 1<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/To-Brigid-1941-02-04-p2-Letter-Web.jpg\" alt=\"Letter to Brigid 1941 page 2\"><\/p>\n<h3>Letter to Brigid 1941 page 2<\/h3>\n<p>Letter to Brigid 1941 page 2<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/To-Brigid-1941-02-04-p3-Letter-Web.jpg\" alt=\"Letter to Brigid 1941 page 3\"><\/p>\n<h3>Letter to Brigid 1941 page 3<\/h3>\n<p>Letter to Brigid 1941 page 3<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/To-Brigid-1941-02-04-p4-Letter-Web.jpg\" alt=\"Letter to Brigid 1941 page 4\"><\/p>\n<h3>Letter to Brigid 1941 page 4<\/h3>\n<p>Letter to Brigid 1941 page 4<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Photo&#8217;s after his death<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<p>        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Mass-Card-John-ONeill-Web.jpg\" alt=\"Mass card John O'Neill\"><\/p>\n<h3>Mass card John O&#8217;Neill<\/h3>\n<p>Mass card John O&#8217;Neill<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Stevensbeek-temporary-graves-and-school-Web.jpg\" alt=\"Location temporary burial place in Stevensbeek\"><\/p>\n<h3>Location temporary burial place in Stevensbeek<\/h3>\n<p>Location temporary burial place in Stevensbeek<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Stevensbeek-Temporary-Graves-Web.jpg\" alt=\"Ladies from the village visiting the grave\"><\/p>\n<h3>Ladies from the village visiting the grave<\/h3>\n<p>Ladies from the village visiting the grave<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Stevensbeek-Monastery-Web.jpg\" alt=\"Stevensbeek Monastry\"><\/p>\n<h3>Stevensbeek Monastry<\/h3>\n<p>Stevensbeek Monastry<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Maria-Regina-Nunnery-Old-Photo-Web.jpg\" alt=\"Maria Regina Nunnery in Stevensbeek\"><\/p>\n<h3>Maria Regina Nunnery in Stevensbeek<\/h3>\n<p>Maria Regina Nunnery in Stevensbeek<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Maria-Regina-Nunnery-Today-Web.jpg\" alt=\"Maria Regina Nunnery now in Stevensbeek\"><\/p>\n<h3>Maria Regina Nunnery now in Stevensbeek<\/h3>\n<p>Maria Regina Nunnery now in Stevensbeek<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Dan-Harvey-Book-A-Bloody-Victory-Web.jpg\" alt=\"A Bloody Victory cover of the book by Dan Harvey with photo of John O'Neill in Jeep\"><\/p>\n<h3>A Bloody Victory cover of the book by Dan Harvey with photo of John O&#8217;Neill in Jeep<\/h3>\n<p>A Bloody Victory cover of the book by Dan Harvey with photo of John O&#8217;Neill in Jeep<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Family-visiting-Overloon.jpg\" alt=\"Relatives of John visiting his grave in Overloon\"><\/p>\n<h3>Relatives of John visiting his grave in Overloon<\/h3>\n<p>Relatives of John visiting his grave in Overloon<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Sources and credits<\/h2>\n<div>\n<p>FindMyPast and Ancestry for Military records, census data, English birth, marriage and death records<br \/>Commonwealth War Graves Commission records<br \/>Information on the family from the Annals of Beara by Riobard O\u2019Dwyer from Malc Sutton<br \/>Heritage Cork Website \u2013 Bere Island \u2013 articles on Life in the 1930s by Jim \u201cSonny\u201d Murphy and Inside the Red Line by Joe Cahill<br \/>History Ireland Website for information on the Volunteer Force <br \/>The Irish Story Website for information on the Economic war 1932-38 by John Dorney<br \/>Wikipedia for information on Bere Island, Anglo Irish Treaty, Irish neutrality in WW2, General Service Corps, 4th Bn Royal Northumberland Fusiliers, 11th Armoured Division, 185th Infantry Division, <br \/>Gloucester Citizen 12 August 1941<br \/>Service Record for John O\u2019Neill from the National Archives via his nephew, John O\u2019Neill<br \/>Researching the Lives and Records of WW2 Soldiers \u2013 website \u2013 information on No 25 PTC<br \/>Vickers MG Collection and Research Association website for information on No 24 MGTC<br \/>Traces of War Website for War Diaries of 159 Brigade, 185 Brigade, 15\/19 The King\u2019s Royal Hussars, 3 Monmouth Regiment, 2 Fife and Forfar Yeomanry, 4 KSLI, 2 KSLI<br \/>Normandy \u00a0War Guide Website for War Diaries of 3 Royal Tank Regt,75th Anti Tank Regiment, <br \/>Staffordshire Sentinel of 1 Nov 1944<br \/>Piet Peters and Hugo Levels for access to the RNF 2 Independent Machine Gun Company War Diary<br \/>Photographs of John O\u2019Neill and Family, Letters of John O\u2019Neill to his brother Jerry and family research thanks to his nephew, John O\u2019Neill<br \/>Letters written by John to his sister Brigid from her daughter, Sarah Bermingham<br \/>Letter from John to Markie O\u2019Sullivan courtesy of his son, Christopher O\u2019Sullivan<br \/>Assistance from Andy O\u2019Neill, Con O\u2019Neill\u2019s grandson<br \/>After Antwerp, the long haul to victory : the part played by 4th Bn King&#8217;s Shropshire Light Infantry in the overthrow of the Third Reich September 1944 to May 1945 by Ned Thorburn<br \/>Antony Beevor&#8217;s D-Day: The Battle for Normandy \u2013 possible photo of John<br \/>Photo of John on cover of Dan Harvey\u2019s \u201cA Bloody Victory, The Irish at War\u2019s End: Europe 1945\u201d<br \/>Photographs of the temporary graves at Stevensbeek and information on the RAP and temporary cemetery from Henk Pouwels.<br \/>Assistance from members of the Bere Island Facebook Group \u2013 and assistance from Annemarie Healy in finding this group<\/p>\n<p>Research Elaine Gathercole<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><!--more--><br \/>\n<!-- {\"type\":\"layout\",\"children\":[{\"type\":\"section\",\"props\":{\"image_position\":\"center-center\",\"style\":\"default\",\"title_breakpoint\":\"xl\",\"title_position\":\"top-left\",\"title_rotation\":\"left\",\"vertical_align\":\"middle\",\"width\":\"small\"},\"children\":[{\"type\":\"row\",\"props\":{\"layout\":\"1-2,1-2\"},\"children\":[{\"type\":\"column\",\"props\":{\"image_position\":\"center-center\",\"position_sticky_breakpoint\":\"m\",\"width_medium\":\"1-2\"},\"children\":[{\"type\":\"headline\",\"props\":{\"content\":\"O'Neill | John\",\"title_element\":\"h3\"}},{\"type\":\"description_list\",\"props\":{\"column_breakpoint\":\"m\",\"layout\":\"grid-2\",\"list_element\":\"ul\",\"list_size\":\"collapse\",\"list_style\":\"divider\",\"meta_align\":\"below-content\",\"meta_style\":\"text-meta\",\"show_content\":true,\"show_link\":true,\"show_meta\":true,\"show_title\":true,\"title_element\":\"div\",\"title_grid_column_gap\":\"small\",\"title_grid_row_gap\":\"small\",\"title_grid_width\":\"small\"},\"children\":[{\"type\":\"description_list_item\",\"props\":{\"content\":\"\n\n<p>John<\\\/p>\",\"title\":\"First names\"}},{\"type\":\"description_list_item\",\"props\":{\"content\":\"\n\n<p>29<\\\/p>\",\"title\":\"Age\"}},{\"type\":\"description_list_item\",\"props\":{\"content\":\"\n\n<p>26-12-1914<\\\/p>\",\"meta\":\"\",\"title\":\"Date of birth\"}},{\"type\":\"description_list_item\",\"props\":{\"content\":\"\n\n<p>15-10-1944<\\\/p>\",\"meta\":\"\",\"title\":\"Date of death\"}},{\"type\":\"description_list_item\",\"props\":{\"content\":\"\n\n<p>14207563<\\\/p>\",\"meta\":\"\",\"title\":\"Service number\"}},{\"type\":\"description_list_item\",\"props\":{\"content\":\"\n\n<p>Fusilier<\\\/p>\",\"meta\":\"\",\"title\":\"Rank\"}},{\"type\":\"description_list_item\",\"props\":{\"content\":\"\n\n<p>Royal Northumberland Fusiliers,4th Bn.<\\\/p>\",\"meta\":\"\",\"title\":\"Regiment\"}},{\"type\":\"description_list_item\",\"props\":{\"content\":\"\n\n<p>II. D. 14.<\\\/p>\",\"meta\":\"\",\"title\":\"Grave number\"}}]}]},{\"type\":\"column\",\"props\":{\"image_position\":\"center-center\",\"position_sticky_breakpoint\":\"m\",\"width_medium\":\"1-2\"},\"children\":[{\"type\":\"gallery\",\"props\":{\"filter_align\":\"left\",\"filter_all\":true,\"filter_grid_breakpoint\":\"m\",\"filter_grid_width\":\"auto\",\"filter_position\":\"top\",\"filter_style\":\"tab\",\"grid_default\":\"1\",\"grid_medium\":\"2\",\"image_height\":\"350\",\"image_width\":\"200\",\"item_animation\":true,\"link_style\":\"default\",\"link_text\":\"Read more\",\"margin\":\"default\",\"meta_align\":\"below-title\",\"meta_element\":\"div\",\"meta_style\":\"text-meta\",\"overlay_hover\":true,\"overlay_mode\":\"cover\",\"overlay_position\":\"center\",\"overlay_style\":\"overlay-primary\",\"overlay_transition\":\"fade\",\"parallax_easing\":\"1\",\"show_content\":true,\"show_hover_image\":false,\"show_link\":false,\"show_meta\":true,\"show_title\":false,\"text_align\":\"center\",\"text_color\":\"light\",\"title_element\":\"h3\",\"title_hover_style\":\"reset\"},\"children\":[{\"type\":\"gallery_item\",\"props\":{\"image\":\"wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/John-ONeill-enhanced-original-Portrait-Web.jpg\",\"image_alt\":\"John O'Neill\",\"meta\":\"John O'Neill\",\"title\":\"John O'Neill\"}},{\"type\":\"gallery_item\",\"props\":{\"image\":\"wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/Graf-John-ONeill-Web.jpg\",\"image_alt\":\"Grave John O'Neill\",\"meta\":\"Grave John O'Neill\",\"title\":\"Grave John O'Neill\"}}]}]}]}],\"name\":\"personalia\"},{\"type\":\"section\",\"props\":{\"image_position\":\"center-center\",\"padding\":\"xsmall\",\"padding_remove_top\":true,\"style\":\"default\",\"title_breakpoint\":\"xl\",\"title_position\":\"top-left\",\"title_rotation\":\"left\",\"vertical_align\":\"middle\",\"width\":\"small\"},\"children\":[{\"type\":\"row\",\"children\":[{\"type\":\"column\",\"props\":{\"image_position\":\"center-center\",\"position_sticky_breakpoint\":\"m\"}}]}],\"name\":\"auteur\"},{\"type\":\"section\",\"props\":{\"image_position\":\"center-center\",\"padding_remove_top\":true,\"style\":\"default\",\"title_breakpoint\":\"xl\",\"title_position\":\"top-left\",\"title_rotation\":\"left\",\"vertical_align\":\"middle\",\"width\":\"small\"},\"children\":[{\"type\":\"row\",\"children\":[{\"type\":\"column\",\"props\":{\"image_position\":\"center-center\",\"position_sticky_breakpoint\":\"m\"},\"children\":[{\"type\":\"headline\",\"props\":{\"content\":\"Biography\",\"title_element\":\"h2\"}},{\"type\":\"text\",\"props\":{\"column_breakpoint\":\"m\",\"content\":\"\n\n<p>John O\\u2019Neill (Service No. 14207563) was killed in action on 15 October 1944. He was a Fusilier in the 4th Battalion of the Royal Northumberland Fusiliers. He was initially buried near the Maria Regina Nunnery in Stevensbeek and re-interred on 22 May 1947 in grave II. D. 14 in the Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery in Overloon. His inscription reads \\u201cGrant him, O Lord, eternal rest and let perpetual light shine upon him. Amen,\\u201d<\\\/p>\\n\n\n<h4>Life Before the War<\\\/h4>\\n\n\n<p>John Stephen O\\u2019Neill was the son of Michael O\\u2019Neill and Catherine Mary Kate McGrath who had married on 26 January 1909 in Ardragh East on Bere Island in County Cork, Ireland. Michael was a farmer. He had been born in July 1878 and Catherine (who was known as Mary) on 4 August 1887, both on Bere Island. The O\\u2019Neills had lived on Bere Island for several generations. <\\\/p>\\n\n\n<p>Bere Island or Bear Island (Irish: Oil\\u00e9an B\\u00e9arra, although officially called An tOile\\u00e1n M\\u00f3r meaning \\\"the big island\\\") is an island in Bantry Bay off the Beara Peninsula in County Cork, Ireland. This is in the far south west of Ireland.<\\\/p>\\n\n\n<p>The island was heavily fortified after the failed French invasion through Bantry Bay in 1796 with the construction of Martello Towers and support buildings. Over the next 100 years this continued, leading to the installation of 6 inch and 9 inch guns in 1899 as part of seven coastal batteries to protect the naval anchorage of Berehaven. There was a garrison of British military personnel on the island until 1938. Ardragh East, where John was born, was in the so-called \\\"Red Zone\\\" that was occupied by the British. This cut the island in two with the British area at the eastern end. To be inside the red line meant that the British army could order civilian evacuation to take place within around 48 hours in the event of military action. Thus, it was a strange place in which to grow up.<\\\/p>\\n\n\n<p>The British presence on Bere Island provided construction jobs that attracted people onto the island, however, it was regarded as an occupation and this presence was not welcomed by locals. During the Irish War of Independence, Bere island was used as an internment camp holding IRA members. Three Soldiers from the garrison were killed just after coming off the island in 1921 and five houses on the mainland were burnt down as a reprisal.<\\\/p>\\n\n\n<p>The Anglo Irish Treaty of 1921 ended the war of independence and resulted in the creation a year later of the Irish Free State as a self governing dominion within the British Empire. It also allowed Northern Ireland to opt out of the Irish Free State and remain part of the United Kingdom. The British withdrew from most of Ireland, but the garrison at Berehaven was one of three deep water ports which were retained as British Sovereign bases. In 1938 Fort Berehaven was handed back to Ireland. <\\\/p>\\n\n\n<p>The British Garrison on Bere Island will have been a prominent feature of the O\\u2019Neill family\\u2019s life. <\\\/p>\\n\n\n<p>Michael and Mary O\\u2019Neill had children at Ardragh East as follows: Jeremiah (known as Jerry) b 9 February 1910, Margaret b 1911, Cornelius (known as Con) b 4 February 1912, John Stephen 26 December 1914, Michael b 1916, Donal b 1918, Mary b 1920, Brigid b 25 February 1924 and Vincent 1932. <\\\/p>\\n\n\n<p>Michael, Mary and Jerry were living at Ardragh East in the 1911 Census. <\\\/p>\\n\n\n<p>The earliest image of John was taken about 1918 with his younger brother Michael outside the family home. He is likely to have attended the National School at Lawrence Cove. Here the boys were taught downstairs and the girls upstairs. Children of all ages were in the same class. The children of the British families at the Barracks had their own military school so the local children did not routinely mix with them.<\\\/p>\\n\n\n<p>Some families were involved with the Military Barracks, with some employed there and others selling them produce such as eggs. <\\\/p>\\n\n\n<p>Life in the 1930s on the island was something of a struggle for survival for the Islanders. The biggest issues for the largely agricultural community was ensuring that the potato and hay crops succeeded to ensure that the people and their animals got through the winter. Men, women and children all had their roles to play in these tasks. \\u00a0<\\\/p>\\n\n\n<p>A steamboat and a launch made two trips to Castletownbere on the mainland every day. There were no police on the island and little crime. <\\\/p>\\n\n\n<p>In the houses the sleeping quarters were upstairs with the kitchen and another room underneath. The kitchen was the heart of the household where cooking and eating was done. It was also used by the women to make quilts and knit. It was the room where, on long winter\\u2019s nights, visitors might come and everyone sat by the fire and told stories and sang songs. The other room was used for various purposes such as a dining room when the priest came or a sick room. <\\\/p>\\n\n\n<p>In 1931 John carved out his name on a flagstone near the family house with the date inscribed. It remains there as a lasting visible memory.<\\\/p>\\n\n\n<p>John seems to have been one for playing pranks. One story goes as follows. The family kept some hens to provide eggs which his father would go to collect each day. He was puzzled when some of the eggs were nothing more than hollow, weightless shells with nothing inside. This went on for some days and his father decided to stay up one night to see if anything was happening. His patience was rewarded when in the early hours he spotted John creeping out of the house to the coop. There was John taking an egg, putting a tiny pinhole in each end of the egg, sucking out the contents and carefully replacing the now empty egg. It isn\\u2019t known whether his father saw the funny side of this prank!<\\\/p>\\n\n\n<p>A family story demonstrates the tension between the Barracks on Bere Island and the local population. At some point before 1938 a British soldier, who happened to be a boxing champion, came into one of the two Rerrin pubs on Bere Island where John and his friends were drinking. He shouted out offering (rudely with profanities) to fight any Irishmen who was willing. John stepped forward and the fight began outside. According to John\\u2019s brother Jerry, John \\u201c\\u2026kicked him all the way back to his barracks.\\u201d<\\\/p>\\n\n\n<p>Two photos of John taken in 1934 when he would be around 19 show him in the uniform of the Irish Volunteer Force. They were taken at the Curragh.<\\\/p>\\n\n\n<p>An Irish general election in 1932 resulted in the Fianna F\\u00e1il Government of Eamon de Valera coming to power, with the support of the Labour Party, pledging to dismantle the limits placed upon Irish independence by the Anglo Irish Treaty. Drawing on the revered heritage of the largely Republican Irish Volunteers, they created the Volunteer Force on 6 April 1934. This part-time militia was intended to appeal to the party\\u2019s republican supporters, and to offer them an alternative to membership of the IRA. Twenty-one former republicans had been drafted into the Irish Army as officers to oversee the recruiting of the Volunteer Force. It was hoped it would have 24,000 volunteers. At a local level the Force was run with the assistance of a civilian committee known as a \\u2018Sluagh\\u2019. These became known as \\u2018Aiken\\u2019s Slugs\\u2019 after the minister for defence who appointed them. The minister for industry and commerce saw the Volunteer Force primarily as a tool against illegal paramilitary organisations such as the IRA and the Blueshirts. It would give young men an opportunity for military training where they might otherwise turn to these illegal organisations. <\\\/p>\\n\n\n<p>It quickly became clear, however, that the Volunteer Force was not as successful as first hoped. It was dogged by a series of problems and recruiting began to tail off. Between March 1934 and March 1939, 16,146 men joined the Force, but when it was reorganised on 1 March 1939 only 3,731 Volunteers re-enlisted. Once WW2 began, the Force was quickly subsumed into the regular army, playing a key role in providing men for the Coast Watching Service, and was finally replaced by An Forsa Cosanta \\u00c1ituil (FCA) in 1946. <\\\/p>\\n\n\n<p>Ireland remained neutral during WW2 although there were ways in which the country helped the Allies including <br \\\/>extensive co-operation between Allied and Irish intelligence and provision of detailed weather reports for the Atlantic Ocean. However, an estimated 70,000 Irish nationals served in the British military during WW2 of which 3,617 died on active service.<\\\/p>\\n\n\n<p>It isn\\u2019t known how long John remained in the Volunteer Force.<\\\/p>\\n\n\n<p>Three of Michael and Mary\\u2019s children went to live in England in the mid 1930s. This was a time of hardship in Ireland. The Government elected in 1932 refused to pay \\u201cland annuities\\u201d owed to Britain under the 1921 Treaty. The British Government retaliated by imposing punitive tariffs of 20% on Irish agricultural imports and limits on the number of cattle imported. By 1936 the average tariff on Irish imports was 45%. This coincided with the Great Depression of 1929-39. These are the factors which resulted in many deciding to leave Ireland for a life elsewhere.<\\\/p>\\n\n\n<p>Jerry initially went to Surrey to work as a navvy on the Chessington railway line. He later moved to London where he married Mary Harnedy in 1941. Sadly, she died in 1943 during the birth of their child, Mary. It seems that his wife\\u2019s death combined with having a baby to look after may have caused him to have mental health problems which were worsened by later events. Their daughter was brought up in his brother Con\\u2019s household. It is thought Jerry was never called up as he was working at Fords in Dagenham which made a wide range of vehicles for the war effort including universal carriers like the one in which John was to serve. They also made Merlin engines for the RAF.<\\\/p>\\n\n\n<p>By September 1939 Con was working as a general labourer and living at 37 Durham Avenue, Hounslow, Middlesex. He also served in WW2, possibly in the North Staffordshire Regiment. It is thought that he was evacuated from Dunkirk and was seriously wounded there, though another version of this family story is that he was wounded after D-Day in Normandy. He married Agnes Winifred Warrington in mid 1942 in the Stoke on Trent District. His grandson believes they may have met when his grandmother was looking after him after he was wounded. In September 1939 Agnes had been living at 118 Hassell Street, Newcastle-Under-Lyme in the household of Elizabeth Warrington (b 12 March 1880) a widowed school cleaner. Agnes (b 8 December 1910) was a Greengrocer\\u2019s Shop Assistant. Also present was Wilfred Warrington (b 5 November 1904) who was a Colliery Hewer Below Ground. <\\\/p>\\n\n\n<p>John is thought to have initially settled in Surrey but this is not certain. It is thought that there was a young woman on the island who had strong feelings for John who was apparently in tears when he left. <\\\/p>\\n\n\n<p>By September 1939, John was living at 30 Swindon Road, Wroughton near Swindon in Wiltshire. He was working as a Steel Erector. The head of the household was Daniel Behan (b 17 January 1896) with his wife, Mary Behan (b 10 April 1910). Also present were two other men: Thomas B Fahey (b14 July 1914) and Thomas C Nabbutt (b 25 July 1920). Thomas Fahey was another steel erector and Thomas Nabbutt was a brick layer\\u2019s labourer. An unnamed child was also present. The surnames suggest that most of those in this household were Irish.<\\\/p>\\n\n\n<p>By 4 February 1941 John was living at Granways, Gran Lane, Hucclecotes, Gloucester. On that day he wrote the following to his sister Brigid at Ardragh East, Bere Island, Co Cork.<\\\/p>\\n\n\n<p><em>\\u201cDear Brigid,<\\\/em><br \\\/><em>It is about time I wrote you a few lines to let you know I am OK and to thank you for your nice letter and card at Xmas also Vincent and Mary. I also owe a letter to mother I hope she has not been worrying. Well I do hope ye are all well and had a good Xmas I had a very quiet one here, I only wish I had been home and had turkey etc. well maybe another time Brigid. Did ye have a concert at the Drill Shed this time, plenty of movies and dances I expect, I have not been to a picture for months. I live a bit out of the town so after work it is late to go as the last show starts earlier than normal times on account of the black out etc. Did ye hear from the boys lately I hope Jerry wrote, I dropped him a few lines some time before Xmas but he did not reply. Is Con in the same address still, I did not write to him as I had a notion of leaving here for some time but not so far. Murphy that was with me left here at Xmas I missed him as we were together for over a year, so I am on my own now. How is father and the boys, are they still at the Scallops. I hope they had a good share of snow lately not as bad as last year though. The job is not so good as we lose time in bad weather I wish I was back at the Steel work again it is far better. Do you still go to the convent school Brigid, you should be a great scholar now Vincent should get good tuition from you. How is Margaret and all the friends please remember me to all tell mother and Mary I will write to them soon. How is Jerry Murphy and the mission getting on. Well for the present Brigid, Good Bye and God Bless you all. Write soon again. Did any of you hear from Mrs McKenzie lately. <\\\/em><br \\\/><em>From Brother John\\u201d<\\\/em><\\\/p>\\n\n\n<h4>Military Service<\\\/h4>\\n\n\n<p>As far as is known, he had no plans to enlist. However, due to unfortunate alcohol related incidents which led to a court appearance, he was given a choice of enlisting vs receiving a different form of punishment. He therefore chose to enlist on 26 February 1942. <\\\/p>\\n\n\n<p>By the time he enlisted, he was living at 54 Cartway, Bridgnorth, Shropshire and was described as a Steel Erector. He stated that he was a British Subject but qualified it by saying he was Irish \\u2013 FS which stands for Irish Free State. He gave his date of birth as 26 December 1914 and that he was born on Bere Island, Co. Cork. He rather oddly stated that his parents were British subjects when they were, in fact, Irish. This may be because they lived in the British occupied area of Bere Island \\u2013 or because Ireland was in the United Kingdom when they were born. It could even have been an attempt to ensure they benefited from any payments from the British Government should he die or be wounded. He gave his mother, Mrs Mary O\\u2019Neill of Ardragh Road, Bere Island, Co Cork as his next of kin. <\\\/p>\\n\n\n<p>He was described as being 5ft 11in tall and weighted 180lbs. He had brown eyes and dark brown hair. It was stated that he was in A1 medical condition. He was a Roman Catholic. <\\\/p>\\n\n\n<p>On enlistment, the start of his service was deferred until 1 October 1942 when he was posted as a Private to 25 Primary Training Centre (PTC) of the General Services Corps. It may have been deferred because he was doing useful work as a civilian. The General Service Corps had been formed in February 1942. It was formed as a corps to provide specialists but from 2 July 1942 army recruits were enlisted in the corps for their first six weeks so that their subsequent posting could take account of their skills and the Army's needs. No 25 PTC had been based at the No 5 Training Battalion Royal Army Ordnance Corps at Racecourse Camp, Chepstow but on 16 October it moved to K Camp Donnington, Shropshire. <\\\/p>\\n\n\n<p>On 4 December 1942 he was transferred to the Royal Northumberland Fusiliers. He was initially in the 24 Machine Gun Training Centre. This was based at the Depot of the Cheshire Regiment. <\\\/p>\\n\n\n<p>On 15 March 1943 he was posted to the 4th Battalion. On 21 June 1943 he was assigned to \\u20182\\u2019 Company. He held the rank of Fusilier.<\\\/p>\\n\n\n<p>The 4th Battalion of the Northumberland Fusiliers had served as a motor cycle battalion in France and Belgium from January to June 1940. After the evacuation from Dunkirk, it served at home until April 1941 when it was transferred to the Reconnaissance Corps and redesignated as 50th Battalion, Reconnaissance Corps in the 50th Division. It spent time in the Mediterranean and Middle East from June 1941 until June 1942 when it returned home and was assigned to the 22nd Armoured Brigade. On 6 June 1942 it became 50th Regiment, Reconnaissance Corps and in March 1943 reverted to the Royal Northumberland Fusiliers as the 4th Battalion. This is the point at which John was posted to the 4thBattalion. <\\\/p>\\n\n\n<p>On 25 April 1944, the battalion was suspended. Its personnel formed three independent machine gun companies for the British armoured divisions of the 21st Army Group. The 2nd Independent Machine Gun Company to which John belonged was assigned to the 11th Armoured Division. In June 1942 the 11th Armoured Division had been re-organised so that it was composed of the 29th Armoured Brigade and the 159th Infantry Brigade. The 2nd Independent Machine Gun Company would act as the 159th Brigade fire support group. <\\\/p>\\n\n\n<p>By D-Day, the 29th Armoured Brigade consisted of the 23rd Hussars, 2nd Fife and Forfar Yeomanry, 3rd Royal Tank Regiment and the 8th Battalion, Rifle Brigade (Prince Consort's Own). The 159th Infantry Brigade consisted of the 4th Battalion, King's Shropshire Light Infantry, 3rd Battalion, Monmouthshire Regiment and the 1st Battalion, Herefordshire Regiment.<\\\/p>\\n\n\n<h4>Normandy<\\\/h4>\\n\n\n<p>John\\u2019s Service Record shows that he served at home until 12 June 1944. He, along with most of the 11th Armoured Division landed on Juno Beach on 13 June 1944, seven days after D-Day. <\\\/p>\\n\n\n<p>It must have been fairly soon after landing in France that he wrote the following letter to his brother, Jerry:<\\\/p>\\n\n\n<p><em>\\u201cDear Jerry<\\\/em><br \\\/><em>Just a note hoping it finds you in the best of health etc. as it leaves me at present. I hope you enjoyed your holiday. Did you go to Newcastle how did you find everything. I tried to get to see you but we were confined to Barracks since last I seen you. By the way, I am writing this from France. Can\\u2019t tell you when I came over however \\u2013 I am OK and feeling good. I daresay you read all about it in the daily papers you should know more about the fighting than we do here. How is Con doing is he still at the same place. There is nothing for me to write about for now Jerry so I will close this note with my best regards say a prayer for me sometime. Please excuse pencil I expect you will understand. <\\\/em><br \\\/><em>Good Luck <\\\/em><br \\\/><em>From John\\u201d<\\\/em><\\\/p>\\n\n\n<p>The 11th Armoured Division, as part of the VIII Corps, was committed to action on 26 June 1944 as part of Operation Epsom. It entered the Scottish 'corridor', opened beforehand by the 15th (Scottish) Infantry Division. Despite mistakes in navigation, which slowed down the 159th Infantry Brigade in Mouen, the 11th managed to seize the bridges at Grainville and Colleville. It then progressed southward to Hill 112 (a dominant feature in the Normandy landscape near the village of Baron) and succeeded in capturing and holding this high ground against increasingly intense German counter-attacks. However, a renewed attack by fresh SS-Panzerdivisions transformed what was intended as a breakthrough into a battle for position. Before the German reinforcements could attack, General Bernard Montgomery ordered a withdrawal from the hilltop.<br \\\/>\\u00a0<br \\\/>John wrote another letter to Jerry, probably while still in Normandy. He wrote as follows:<\\\/p>\\n\n\n<p><em>\\u201cDear Jerry,<\\\/em><br \\\/><em>Thanks a lot for your welcome letter received today glad to hear you are OK don't let the doodlebug get you I was surprised to hear Con was gone overseas I do hope he is OK. There was plenty of his mob here when we landed. I have been with the front don't worry it's not so bad just keep dodging shells etc. I've had a letter from mother a week back I write her pretty often lately. I also made an allowance \\u2026\\u00a0 a week before I came over here she told me she got it OK. You should drop her a line now and then Jerry otherwise it causes her a lot of worry. Glad you went to see Agnes and kids. I don't suppose you had too much peace with young Mary still such is the way of kids. There is nothing much to write about from here so I'll have to cut this short write soon again Jerry give my regards to Jack &amp; Mrs O\\u2019Leary, for now Good Luck and God Bless. Sincerely yours John\\u201d<\\\/em><br \\\/>\\u00a0<br \\\/>Probably about the same time in early July he wrote again to his sister Brigid as follows:<\\\/p>\\n\n\n<p><em>\\u201cDear Sister,<\\\/em><br \\\/><em>Just a short note to let you know I am OK and in the best of health hoping all home are the same. I have not had any letter from home since mother\\u2019s dated 15th. I have just come from the front line for a rest we are glad of it too just to get away from all the noise good clean up at this rest place. I had a smashing beard on I thought it a pity to shave it off, we are also expecting some form of amusement films or something. Well Mary I am sorry I can\\u2019t write much as there is nothing really to say from here in any case I expect you get all the news in the papers such as it is. How is everything going on in the old country these days. I have seen nothing to compare with it yet what I would give to set foot on it right now. Give my best regards to all home friends also all the boys don\\u2019t bother with the girls. Good Luck and God Bless you all write soon if you have any snaps of Vince or any of the family send them along if allowed. Your loving brother John.\\u201d<\\\/em><br \\\/><em>\\u00a0<\\\/em><br \\\/>The 11th Armoured was then moved to the east of Caen to spearhead Operation Goodwood. Planning and execution errors, coupled with strong German defences, led to a tactical British defeat. Goodwood was cancelled on 20 July, with the 11th Armoured being withdrawn from the front line to rest and refit. In only two days of fighting, it had lost 126 tanks.<\\\/p>\\n\n\n<p>The 11th Armoured was directed again to the west, to take part in Operation Bluecoat. Beginning on 30 July 1944 it seized Saint-Martin-des-Besaces. The division spotted an intact bridge on the Souleuvre river, which enabled it to drive the Germans back. The division liberated Le B\\u00e9ny-Bocage on 1 August and quickly progressed southward. Although severely weakened at that time, the German army remained ever-present and dangerous. From 5 August, the 11th Armoured worked with the Guards Armoured Division and 15th (Scottish) Infantry Division to push back a counter-attack of the 9th SS Panzer Division.<\\\/p>\\n\n\n<p>A photo taken around the time of Operation Bluecoat of a carrier which seems to have got into difficulty while in a convoy with others including a flail tank is thought to include John sitting on the carrier. <\\\/p>\\n\n\n<p>After being replaced in VIII Corps by the 3rd Infantry Division, the 11th Armoured was attached to XXX Corps. It progressed eastward hard on the heels of the Germans, who were retreating after the failure of the Mortain counter offensive. The 11th Armoured seized Flers on 17 August. <\\\/p>\\n\n\n<p>He again wrote to his sister Brigid on 19 August as follows:<\\\/p>\\n\n\n<p><em>\\u201cDear Sister<\\\/em><br \\\/><em>A few lines to let you know I am OK and well thank God hoping it finds all home the same. I received mother\\u2019s letter two days back also one from Aunt Julia, mother said she was not so well with her leg, I do hope it is not too bad. She certainly has had some bother with it in the past to my knowledge. Things are going well out here Brigid will be good when its all over we have been in the thick of it mother says you read all about it in the press. How is Vince enjoying his holidays they tell me he is quite a man well I hope he is always all right sorry I have no news to tell you so don\\u2019t tell me off Write soon again for now all the best to you all friends and neighbours and God Bless you Your loving brother John.\\u201d<\\\/em><br \\\/><em>\\u00a0<\\\/em><br \\\/>John also wrote another letter to Jerry on 21 August as follows:<\\\/p>\\n\n\n<p><em>\\u201cDear Jerry,<\\\/em><br \\\/><em>Just a few lines hoping it finds you fit and well as it leaves me at the moment. I wrote you a bit back and I have been wondering if you had received it OK as I should like a line from you just to know you are well. Also mother always asks for you, why not drop her a line. Do you get much bother from the buzz bombs now, they must be a nuisance. How is Jack and Mrs O'Leary also Othe hier? Well Jerry the war should not last very long more don't you think we have been going some lately, we should turn it in soon, we get in the front line a lot. I hear from home a lot they are all well but mother\\u2019s leg is not so well lately. I have not much news to tell you Jerry so excuse this note. I will be anxious to hear from you also hoping to see you soon so for now Good Luck and God Bless Your loving brother John\\u201d<\\\/em><\\\/p>\\n\n\n<p>John was clearly concerned about Jerry who was struggling following the loss of his wife. <\\\/p>\\n\n\n<p>Once the battle for the Falaise gap was over, the 11th Armoured liberated L'Aigle on 23 August and crossed the Seine on 30 August.<\\\/p>\\n\n\n<p>After a night move, and an unprecedented advance of 60 miles in one day, the division liberated Amiens on 1 September. Advancing to Lens, then Tournai, the division was then committed to the fight for Antwerp, which it liberated on 4 September. <\\\/p>\\n\n\n<h4>Belgium<\\\/h4>\\n\n\n<p>John wrote again to his brother Jerry on 7 September 1944 as follows:<\\\/p>\\n\n\n<p><em>\\u201cDear Jerry,<\\\/em><br \\\/><em>I received your welcome letter 2 days back and I'm very glad to know you are OK and well which goes for me also at the moment. Agnes told me you had been to her place for a week I daresay you enjoyed the change to a quieter quarter. Mother always inquires about you Jerry you should drop her a line as she only worries. I have not struck up with Con yet but I should imagine he is some distance from me. We have been on the move some for the past few weeks am now in Antwerp we were the first to enter the city and what a welcome we got they simply mobbed us, it was a smashing place quite a lot of English speaking people in it would not mind staying here they're crazy for English cigs. Well Jerry for now I will say Cheerio and Good Luck Write soon again and God Bless.<\\\/em><br \\\/><em>Sincerely your Brother John\\u201d<\\\/em><\\\/p>\\n\n\n<p>This was the last letter which Jerry was to receive from John.<\\\/p>\\n\n\n<p>A photo taken in late September 1944 shows John in Antwerp. He is seated wearing his beret at the back on the right of a universal carrier. The Number 64 on the vehicle confirms it belonged to the Royal Northumberland Fusiliers. This is the last known image of John. He is wearing what looks like rosary beads around his neck. The carrier had a heavy Vickers Machine Gun at the front. This was used for support fire. <\\\/p>\\n\n\n<p>Two days after it liberated Antwerp, the 11th Division tried to establish a bridgehead over the Albert Canal, but the attempt, due to intense enemy fire, was not successful. After this failure, 11th Armoured had to cross much further to the east, at Beringen. <\\\/p>\\n\n\n<h4>Holland<\\\/h4>\\n\n\n<p>The division was not directly committed to Operation Market Garden. Instead, it was tasked with securing the right flank of the operation. Attached to VIII Corps, it began moving on 18 September. Advancing in two columns, it managed to reach the US 101st Airborne Division at Nuenen, while on the 22nd, its engineers established a bridge over the Zuid-Willemsvaart canal. The division could then make an encircling move around Helmond, forcing the Germans to withdraw on 25 September. <\\\/p>\\n\n\n<p>John found time to write a letter to a friend, Markie O\\u2019Sullivan, on 19 September, although the last page appears to be missing. It reads as follows:<\\\/p>\\n\n\n<p><em>\\u201cDear Markie,<\\\/em><br \\\/><em>I received your most welcome letter yesterday and boy I read and reread that letter it was as good as somebody coming and telling me the ficking war was over \\u2013 that\\u2019s no kidding \\u2013 and I want to thank you sincerely yes Pal it brought me back to Bere Island for a little while again and cheered me up no end.<\\\/em><\\\/p>\\n\n\n<p><em>You don\\u2019t realise what a letter means especially from one you think a lot of to us fellows, I must admit I have neglected a lot of my best friends although since coming out here I have caught up with a lot of overdue correspondence. I am very pleased &amp; glad to know all you folk are in the very best Markie but then you were always hale and hearty tell your father I certainly will stand him a pint with pleasure but I don\\u2019t imagine one would do him a lot of good so let\\u2019s hope its more.<\\\/em><\\\/p>\\n\n\n<p><em>So you tell me all the boys are married or heading that way, which kind of leaves me on my own, I am surprised to hear you were getting spliced just can\\u2019t imagine you a family man, so your trips to the Cross have not been in vain, and you have made a good choice as Mary was a nice kid when I knew her. Ask her if she remembers when you and I tried to fiddle her for a pack of smokes with a dud coin. You also must have signed a truce with Jerry by now, yes Markie them were the days. By the way while I have a chance and am on the subject I want to wish you both the very best of luck and everything that goes with it the best I can do at the moment and also would you please ask Bernie Harrington to wish the same to Lizzie when they write her again yes I thought a lot of her and often wondered how she was doing.\\u201d<\\\/em><\\\/p>\\n\n\n<p>The Cross refers to the cross roads in Ardragh where Markie\\u2019s future wife lived. There was a dancing platform outside their small shop. Her father had been on the opposite side of the political divide to Markie\\u2019s family hence the reference to a truce. The Lizzie Harrington referred to later emigrated to the USA. Was it possible that she was the young lady who had strong feelings for John when he left Ireland.<\\\/p>\\n\n\n<p>By the night of 26 September, the Division was in the St Anthonis area with 159 Brigade Battalions stationed both there and around Oploo. They remained in this vicinity until 29 September. <\\\/p>\\n\n\n<p>By this time, Operation Market Garden had failed to capture the bridge at Arnhem. The Allies were left in a narrow corridor through the Netherlands. It was decided that it was necessary to widen this corridor by attempting to push the enemy back to the east of the River Maas. It was initially the 7th US Armoured Division which was tasked with working from the north to clear the enemy from Overloon, Venray and Venlo.<\\\/p>\\n\n\n<p>On 29 September 159 Brigade of the 11th Armoured Division was therefore ordered to hand over to the Americans and move back to Gemert. They remained there until 7 October. By that time, the American attempt to capture Overloon had failed and they handed over to the British.<\\\/p>\\n\n\n<p>By the night of 7 October, 159 Brigade HQ was back in St Anthonis. It was grouped with the 4 KSLI, 1 Herefords, 2 Fife and Forfar Yeomanry and one battery of 75 Anti Tank Regiment. The 1 Herefords were in woods north of Overloon and just south east of Stevensbeek. The 4 KSLI were in Mullem, west of Vortum and the 2 Fife and Forfarshire Yeomanry were in Sambeeksche Heide. These last two areas are to the north east of Overloon, along a railway line running north south to the east of and parallel to the River Maas. <\\\/p>\\n\n\n<p>The 2nd Independent Machine Gun Company of the Royal Northumberland Fusiliers (RNF 2 IMGC) to which John belonged were with them. Their headquarters was just north of St Anthonis. The 1st and 3rd Platoons were under the command of the Company itself, with the 3rd Platoon based just east of St Anthonis and the 1st Platoon based in the woods south east of Stevensbeek. The 2nd Platoon was under the command of the 1st Herefords and located with them. The 4th Platoon was under the command of the 4 KSLI and located with them at Mullem.<\\\/p>\\n\n\n<p>Here the Brigade remained until 15 October supported by the 2 IMGC. The Brigade carried out aggressive patrolling, often taking prisoners from whom intelligence could be gleaned. They also faced shelling and mortaring. <\\\/p>\\n\n\n<p>Meanwhile, on 12 October, the 3rd Division began the attack on Overloon. This started with medium bombers bombing areas behind enemy lines and continued with an Artillery barrage followed by the main attack. Although 159 Brigade was not involved, it seems that RNF 2 IMGC may have played a part in supporting this attack, though this may have been limited to the initial movement as all the platoons remained in their initial locations. By nightfall the main east \\\/ west road from Overloon had been reached with some troops in Overloon and in the woods to the west and slightly south. The following day, the 3rd Division continued their advance and by the end of the day had two Brigades in the wood south of Overloon. Their attack continued on 14 October but by 15 October there was a pause while they considered how they were to cross the Molenbeek \\u2013 a stream proving an obstacle between Overloon and Venray which was flooded and where bridges had been destroyed. <\\\/p>\\n\n\n<p>The 4 KSLI and 1 Herefords had continued with their aggressive patrolling while this attack was in progress. They experienced less shelling and mortaring as the 3rd Division succeeded. <\\\/p>\\n\n\n<p>On 15 October, 159 Brigade was given the task of clearing an area to the east of the 3rd Division in the area south of Schafferden with artillery and air support in order to give them elbow room for the attack on Venray. Schafferden lies just north east of Overloon on the road to Vierlingsbeek.<\\\/p>\\n\n\n<p>At 0900 the Tactical Brigade HQ moved to an area on the road between Stevensbeek and Overloon which was the location of the HQ of the 1 Herefords. <\\\/p>\\n\n\n<p>The first phase of the operation was an attack in the morning by 4 KSLI from Schaartven which was a mile to the east of Overloon directed down a road towards the village of Smakt which lay further to the east of Overloon and adjacent to the railway line running north\\\/south and parallel to the River Maas. First, at 0630 hrs, the 4 KSLI had to move from their base at Mullem to the start point. The War Diary states that the route for the 4 KSLI was not an easy one as they had to pass through Overloon where heavy traffic had turned the roads and tracks into a very bad state. However, a later source suggests that they were never closer than a mile from Overloon and did not pass through it. <\\\/p>\\n\n\n<p>One troop of the Fife and Forfar Yeomanry and one section of Machine Gunners from the Royal Northumberland Fusiliers were in support of each of A and C companies which were the two forward companies. The role of the RNF 2 IMGC Gunners was to provide sustained suppressive fire using Vickers machine guns and 4.2-inch mortars to support the infantry's advance. The company was fully mechanised, utilizing Universal Carriers and 15-cwt trucks to move their heavy equipment. <\\\/p>\\n\n\n<p>The operation began at 1030 with a rolling Artillery Barrage which moved at the rate of 100 yards in 2 minutes as well as the option to call for concentrations of artillery. The barrage was to dwell on the opening line for 10 minutes. Unfortunately, some guns fired short, dropping in the area of the starting line and causing some casualties. The barrage eventually moved on but the momentum of the attack was halted until the offending guns ceased. The attack proceeded and the barrage was called off with concentrations being fired instead.<\\\/p>\\n\n\n<p>The ground over which the Battalion moved was a large sandy waste, scarred with dunes and impassable for all vehicles except tanks and carriers (with difficulty). The Commanding Officer\\u2019s Scout Car was towed by the Fife and Forfar Regimental Commander\\u2019s tank all the way in order to maintain communications with the rear radio link. C Coy on the left met with some opposition but dealt with it speedily. It was well supported by tanks and machine guns. They then pushed on to the limit of exploitation which was the railway near Smakt without further incident. A Coy on the right met opposition further on and dealt with some of it. B Company were then moved to the right of A Coy to deal with this. The Battalion consolidated with C and A Companies forward, B Company on the right and D Company on the left rear. Bn HQ was sited in D Coy area. D Coy had experienced some difficulty from mines on the main road which ran down their left boundary. As soon as the enemy appreciated the changed situation he commenced to shell and mortar the area. A and B Companies which were on the right were subjected to heavy \\u2018stonking\\u2019 from 105 mms, 88 mms, mortars and Nebelwerfer. There was quite an amount of airburst fired. The action cost the 4th Battalion KSLI 6 men killed, 29 wounded and resulted in a number of prisoners of war being taken.<\\\/p>\\n\n\n<p>The War Diary of the RNF 2 IMGC seems to manage to record this operation very briefly but wrongly records it as happening on 13th rather than 15th October, just as it wrongly recorded the initial attack on Overloon as 11th rather than 12th October. It states that 4 Platoon advanced with the 4 KSLI clearing woods east of Overloon. They were engaged in close fighting at 70-80 yds with the leading infantry coy. They ended the day just north west of Schaartven with the 4 KSLI further to the east.<\\\/p>\\n\n\n<p>It was on this day that John O\\u2019Neill was killed. The family believe that Con met up during the war with someone involved in Operation Aintree who said that John may have been killed by friendly fire. It may well be that he was killed when the Artillery Barrage which started the operation that day fell short, though this has not been proved conclusively.<\\\/p>\\n\n\n<p>He was initially buried in Stevensbeek which lies north of Overloon and south of St Anthonis. This was a few miles north west of where John was probably killed. There was a temporary cemetery opposite a Regimental Aid Post situated in a primary school. Although John\\u2019s record says he was killed in action, it may be that he was initially wounded and transported back to the RAP but did not survive the journey. The first burials had taken place in the temporary cemetery on the previous day. The RAP was next door to a Monastery and on 15 October, a Catholic army chaplain held a Holy Mass for the men buried the day before in the chapel of the Monastery. Nuns at the nearby Maria Regina Nunnery tended the graves. A total of 17 men were eventually buried in the cemetery. They had died between 13 October 1944 and 26 November 1944. Thirteen were with 185 Brigade, two with the Royal Artillery, one from the Middlesex Regiment and just John from the 4 RNF. All were re-interred at Overloon.<\\\/p>\\n\n\n<h4>Aftermath<\\\/h4>\\n\n\n<p>At the time of his death, John had served 2 years and 233 days (including the 216 days when his service had been deferred). Of this, 121 days had been in North West Europe. He was awarded the 1939\\\/45 Star, France &amp; Germany Star and War Medal 1939\\\/45.<br \\\/>\\u00a0<br \\\/>The Staffordshire Sentinel of 1 November 1944 announced John\\u2019s death as follows: <br \\\/><em>\\u00a0\\u201cMany Newcastle friends will learn with regret of the death in action overseas of Fusilier John O\\u2019Neill, son of Mr and Mrs M O\\u2019Neill of County Cork, Eire. His brother Private Cornelius O\\u2019Neill is serving overseas and his sister-in-law, Mrs C O\\u2019Neill, lives at 118 Hassell Street Newcastle\\u201d<\\\/em><\\\/p>\\n\n\n<p>When his father was told of his son's death, he was so upset he spent four days alone in the fields below the family home for hours on end. <\\\/p>\\n\n\n<p>On 23 March 1945 John\\u2019s personal effects were sent to his mother at Ardragh East, Bere Island. These consisted of a wallet, a note wallet, a leather purse, a nail file in a case, a chrome wrist watch, wrist strap metal, 3 religious medallions, a Rosary with cross and medallion, another cross, his identity disc, a personal letter, 3 coins and 2 guilders. <\\\/p>\\n\n\n<p>Michael O\\u2019Neill died on 6 February 1959 and his wife Mary just a couple of weeks later on 24 February 1959. <\\\/p>\\n\n\n<p>Con\\u2019s wounding followed by John\\u2019s death added to Jerry\\u2019s stress. After the war, he married Mary Donoghue from Coornishal, near Leap, County Cork in Becontree (Dagenham, Essex). He and Mary had four children. Under an Irish naming convention, normally the first boy would be named after his paternal grandfather, but Jerry chose to name him John after his brother. Jerry died on 22 May 1983. <\\\/p>\\n\n\n<p>Con and Agnes O\\u2019Neill had two children as well as bringing up Jerry\\u2019s daughter. Con died in 1980 in Newcastle under Lyme. Agnes Winifred O\\u2019Neill died in 1998 in the Stoke on Trent district. Their son and grandson later served in the Royal Navy. Margaret settled in Ballinakilla and married Patrick Kelly, son of Timothy Kelly and Johanna Lynch, Ballydonegan (Allihies Parish). Donal worked in the care and maintenance of the Military Barracks and lived in Ardragh. Mary married Michael McCarthy of Cloughland, son of Michael McCarthy and Nora Hurley, Bantry and had six children. Michael and Vince lived at home. Vince died in 2021. Brigid married Thomas McNamara and lived in Ballincollig and had eight children.<\\\/p>\\n\n\n<p>Jerry O\\u2019Neill\\u2019s son, named John O\\u2019Neill, visited the cemetery at Overloon in August 1994 with his family to mark the 50th anniversary of John's passing later that year. Brigid\\u2019s son, Michael McNamara, had also visited John\\u2019s grave some years earlier. <\\\/p>\\n\n\n<p>John\\u2019s namesake has expressed his appreciation of the kindness and dedication which the Dutch people display to the servicemen who gave their lives for the liberation of their country, especially in the light of the suffering which they endured during the war.<\\\/p>\",\"margin\":\"default\"}},{\"type\":\"headline\",\"props\":{\"content\":\"<br \\\/>Photo's with family and 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and Michael outside the old house on Bere Island\",\"meta\":\"John and Michael outside the old house on Bere Island\",\"title\":\"John and Michael outside the old house on Bere Island\"}},{\"type\":\"gallery_item\",\"props\":{\"image\":\"wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/Bere-Island-ONeill-Family-in-1930-Web-.jpg\",\"image_alt\":\"Bere Island Family O'Neill in 1930\",\"meta\":\"Bere Island Family O'Neill in 1930\",\"title\":\"Bere Island Family O'Neill in 1930\"}},{\"type\":\"gallery_item\",\"props\":{\"image\":\"wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/John-Grandma-Dad-and-Mary-Web.jpg\",\"image_alt\":\"John Grandmother, Mary and one of John's brothers\",\"meta\":\"John Grandmother, Mary and one of John's brothers\",\"title\":\"John Grandmother, Mary and one of John's brothers\"}},{\"type\":\"gallery_item\",\"props\":{\"image\":\"wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/ONeill-home-at-Ardra-East-Web.jpg\",\"image_alt\":\"The  house of O'Neill family on Ardra East\",\"meta\":\"The  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letters\",\"title_element\":\"h3\"}},{\"type\":\"gallery\",\"props\":{\"filter_align\":\"left\",\"filter_all\":true,\"filter_grid_breakpoint\":\"m\",\"filter_grid_width\":\"auto\",\"filter_position\":\"top\",\"filter_style\":\"tab\",\"grid_default\":\"1\",\"grid_medium\":\"3\",\"grid_parallax_justify\":true,\"item_animation\":true,\"lightbox\":true,\"link_style\":\"default\",\"link_text\":\"enlarge\",\"margin\":\"default\",\"meta_align\":\"below-title\",\"meta_element\":\"div\",\"meta_style\":\"text-meta\",\"overlay_hover\":true,\"overlay_mode\":\"cover\",\"overlay_position\":\"center\",\"overlay_style\":\"overlay-primary\",\"overlay_transition\":\"fade\",\"show_content\":true,\"show_hover_image\":true,\"show_link\":true,\"show_meta\":true,\"show_title\":false,\"text_align\":\"center\",\"text_color\":\"light\",\"title_element\":\"h3\",\"title_hover_style\":\"reset\"},\"children\":[{\"type\":\"gallery_item\",\"props\":{\"image\":\"wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/John-letters-1-1944-poss-June-Web.jpg\",\"image_alt\":\"Letter 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John O'Neill in Jeep\"}},{\"type\":\"gallery_item\",\"props\":{\"image\":\"wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/Family-visiting-Overloon.jpg\",\"image_alt\":\"Relatives of John visiting his grave in Overloon\",\"meta\":\"Relatives of John visiting his grave in Overloon\",\"title\":\"Relatives of John visiting his grave in Overloon\"}}]}]}]}],\"name\":\"biografie\"},{\"type\":\"section\",\"props\":{\"image_position\":\"center-center\",\"padding_remove_top\":true,\"style\":\"default\",\"title_breakpoint\":\"xl\",\"title_position\":\"top-left\",\"title_rotation\":\"left\",\"vertical_align\":\"middle\",\"width\":\"small\"},\"children\":[{\"type\":\"row\",\"children\":[{\"type\":\"column\",\"props\":{\"image_position\":\"center-center\",\"position_sticky_breakpoint\":\"m\"},\"children\":[{\"type\":\"headline\",\"props\":{\"content\":\"Sources and credits\",\"title_element\":\"h2\"}},{\"type\":\"text\",\"props\":{\"column_breakpoint\":\"m\",\"content\":\"\n\n<p>FindMyPast and Ancestry for Military records, census data, English birth, marriage and death records<br \\\/>Commonwealth War Graves Commission records<br \\\/>Information on the family from the Annals of Beara by Riobard O\\u2019Dwyer from Malc Sutton<br \\\/>Heritage Cork Website \\u2013 Bere Island \\u2013 articles on Life in the 1930s by Jim \\u201cSonny\\u201d Murphy and Inside the Red Line by Joe Cahill<br \\\/>History Ireland Website for information on the Volunteer Force <br \\\/>The Irish Story Website for information on the Economic war 1932-38 by John Dorney<br \\\/>Wikipedia for information on Bere Island, Anglo Irish Treaty, Irish neutrality in WW2, General Service Corps, 4th Bn Royal Northumberland Fusiliers, 11th Armoured Division, 185th Infantry Division, <br \\\/>Gloucester Citizen 12 August 1941<br \\\/>Service Record for John O\\u2019Neill from the National Archives via his nephew, John O\\u2019Neill<br \\\/>Researching the Lives and Records of WW2 Soldiers \\u2013 website \\u2013 information on No 25 PTC<br \\\/>Vickers MG Collection and Research Association website for information on No 24 MGTC<br \\\/>Traces of War Website for War Diaries of 159 Brigade, 185 Brigade, 15\\\/19 The King\\u2019s Royal Hussars, 3 Monmouth Regiment, 2 Fife and Forfar Yeomanry, 4 KSLI, 2 KSLI<br \\\/>Normandy \\u00a0War Guide Website for War Diaries of 3 Royal Tank Regt,75th Anti Tank Regiment, <br \\\/>Staffordshire Sentinel of 1 Nov 1944<br \\\/>Piet Peters and Hugo Levels for access to the RNF 2 Independent Machine Gun Company War Diary<br \\\/>Photographs of John O\\u2019Neill and Family, Letters of John O\\u2019Neill to his brother Jerry and family research thanks to his nephew, John O\\u2019Neill<br \\\/>Letters written by John to his sister Brigid from her daughter, Sarah Bermingham<br \\\/>Letter from John to Markie O\\u2019Sullivan courtesy of his son, Christopher O\\u2019Sullivan<br \\\/>Assistance from Andy O\\u2019Neill, Con O\\u2019Neill\\u2019s grandson<br \\\/>After Antwerp, the long haul to victory : the part played by 4th Bn King's Shropshire Light Infantry in the overthrow of the Third Reich September 1944 to May 1945 by Ned Thorburn<br \\\/>Antony Beevor's D-Day: The Battle for Normandy \\u2013 possible photo of John<br \\\/>Photo of John on cover of Dan Harvey\\u2019s \\u201cA Bloody Victory, The Irish at War\\u2019s End: Europe 1945\\u201d<br \\\/>Photographs of the temporary graves at Stevensbeek and information on the RAP and temporary cemetery from Henk Pouwels.<br \\\/>Assistance from members of the Bere Island Facebook Group \\u2013 and assistance from Annemarie Healy in finding this group<\\\/p>\\n\n\n<p>Research Elaine Gathercole<\\\/p>\",\"margin\":\"default\"}}]}]}],\"name\":\"bronnen en credits\"}],\"version\":\"4.3.7\"} --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>O&#8217;Neill | John First names John Age 29 Date of birth 26-12-1914 Date of death 15-10-1944 Service number 14207563 Rank Fusilier Regiment Royal Northumberland Fusiliers,4th Bn. Grave number II. D. 14. John O&#8217;Neill John O&#8217;Neill Grave John O&#8217;Neill Grave John O&#8217;Neill Biography John O\u2019Neill (Service No. 14207563) was killed in action on 15 October 1944. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20587","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","category-biography"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>O&#039;Neill John - Overloon War Chronicles<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Biography of John O&#039;Neill serving with Royal Northumberland Fusiliers,4th Bn. who was killed in action during WW2 in Overloon and is buried there.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.overloonwarchronicles.nl\/en\/oneill-john\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"O&#039;Neill John - 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