Jeremiah Joseph O’Brien was born in Paignton, Devon, in 1888. The fifth of seven children, his parents were James and Susan O’Brien. James was a general labourer, and his son followed suit when he completed his schooling.

The is little more information available about Jeremiah’s early life, and it is only in the papers for his military service that we pick him up again. These confirm that he was working as a labourer when he volunteered for the Devonshire Regiment on 20th January 1915.

The documents confirm that Jeremiah was living at 4 Well Street, Paignton, when he joined up, and that he was just over 5ft 5ins (1.65m) tall. Assigned to the 3rd (Reserve) Battalion, he remained on home soil, his unit being used to defend Plymouth, Devon.

Private O’Brien’s time in the army was not to be a lengthy one. He came down with haemoptysis, a condition he had initially suffered from in childhood. He was declared unfit for military service, and was discharged from the army on 4th March 1916.

Jeremiah appears to have returned home at this point and succumbed to the lung condition on 6th May 1916. He was 29 years of age.

Jeremiah Joseph O’Brien was laid to rest in Paignton Cemetery, overlooking his home town and the sea.

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