Name

Nicolas Orr.

Description

Newspaper Photograph of Rifleman Nicolas Orr.

Life Story

Name: Nicholas Orr.

Service Number: 741.

Rank: Rifleman.

Battalion: 15th Battalion.

Regiment: Royal Irish Rifles.

Born: 8th May 1898, Millisle, County Down.

Died: 24th March 1918.

Address: 278 Crimea Street, Belfast

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Nicholas Orr, son of Nicholas and Eliza Jane Orr, lived at 278 Crimea Street, Shankill Road, Belfast

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Nicholas joined the Royal Irish Rifles.

He was posted as part of the British Expeditionary Force to France.

Nicholas was a Rifleman in 15th Battalion Royal Irish Rifles when he was Killed In Action on the 24th March 1918 aged 19 years

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A local newspaper states

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SECOND SON KILLED.

19741 Rifleman Nicholas Orr, 15th Battalion Royal Irish Rifles, who was posted as missing on March 24 1918, is now officially presumed killed on that dat5e. Deceased was the youngest of three brothers serving King and country. Rifleman Frank Orr, 5th R.I.R, who had seven years service to his credit, made the supreme sacrifice on May 5 1916, and Company Sergeant Major Robert Orr, Royal Scots, is demobilised. They are sons of Mr Nicholas and Mrs Elizabeth Orr, 278 Crimea Street, Belfast

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The Orr family are wrote about in greater depth within the Barry Niblock Great War Memorial Book, The War Dead of North Down and Ards

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This family lost five members, with Nicholas losing his brother Francis and half brother Hugh, while also losing his two nephews Andrew and John Orr

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Nicholas Orr - K.I.A.

Francis Orr - Brother K.I.A.

Hugh Orr - Half Brother K.I.A.

Andrew Orr - Nephew K.I.A.

John Orr -Nephew K.I.A

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Others within the Orr Family that Served included

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Robert Orr D.C.M Served Royal Scots Brother.

James Orr Served Scottish Regiment Brother.

Hugh Orr Served Royal Navy Nephew.

Nicholas Served 86th Machine Gun Battalion Nephew.

Francis Orr Served Canadian Expeditionary Force Nephew.

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Nicholas Soldiers Effects were left to his father.

Dependant Pension Application Forms show his mother as claimant

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See brother also: 8298 Rifleman Frank Orr 1st Battalion Royal Irish Rifles.

See brother also: 15223 Company Sergeant Major Robert Orr 13th Battalion The Royal Scots.

See half brother also: 9285 Private Hugh Orr 2nd Battalion Highland Light Infantry

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See nephew also: 55918 Andrew Orr Rifleman 15th Battalion Canadian Infantry.

See nephew also: 774 Rifleman John Orr 12th Battalion Royal Irish Rifles.

See nephew also: 174360 Private Nicholas Orr 86th Machine Gun Battalion C.E.F.

See nephew also: S.S 107946 Stoker 1 Hugh Orr Royal Navy.

See nephew also: 757998 Private Francis Orr 19th Battalion Canadian Expeditionary Force.

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Nicholas received the British War Medal and Victory Medal

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He is Remembered at Pozieres Memorial, France.

To Remember Is To Honour

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Footnote.

Although five of the Orr family were not born or grew up on the Shankill Road, and the connection is simply that their grandparents lived within it, S.A.S.H believe that it is only right to keep this family and their sacrifice together, and do so to show the depth of Loyalty, Devotion and Commitment that this family, and many many more, had to their King and Country at this time

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The saying All Gave Some, Some Gave All, relates to many families within Ireland at that time, and therefore it is appropriate for this family to be highlighted and kept as one.