Patrick Joseph DEVINE

Patrick Devine became a Constable in the Queensland Police on 11 February 1914. He had been a Constable in the Royal Irish Constabulary for five years before this and, although he stated on his documentation that he was single, he had a wife in Ireland. Private Devine embarked from Brisbane on 24 September 1914 aboard HMAT Omrah A5 as part of the 25^th Infantry Battalion. Whist training at Fraser's Paddock at Enoggera, Devine had applied for a commission and he was appointed 2nd Lieutenant in October 1915. He and his group of reinforcements arrived in Egypt in late November. 2nd Lieutenant Devine was appointed to the 9th Infantry Battalion which saw action on the Western Front after landing at Marseilles on 3 March 1916. During the Battle of Pozieres and Mouquet Farm in 1916, Devine was injured by a shell on the second day of action and was unconscious for an hour. It is reported he tried to carry on but collapsed the following day. Devine was evacuated to England with shell shock. He returned to his Battalion in August 1917 as they were preparing for the 3rd Battle of Ypres. Lt Devine was shot and killed on 3 November 1917, during an attack on Passchendaele Ridge in Belgium. He was buried where he fell, aged 31 years.