Biography

Family background

Robert Cecil Darragh was born on the 27th September 1903 in Dungannon, Co. Tyrone, Northern Ireland, the son of William Henry Darragh, a flax spinner, and his wife, Beda Darragh. In 1911, the family were living at number 60, Drumcoo, Dungannon and were being looked after by two servants. In 1917, Robert moved for his education to Harrow School, where he remained until 1920. He seems to have specialised in electrical engineering, and in 1920 he was under training at the City and Guilds in London while living, at the 1921 census, at the Majestic Hotel at 160 Cromwell Road in Kensington.

By 1925 Robert had moved to Yorkshire and was living at 14 Fearnville Avenue in Roundhay, Leeds and a year later, in 1925, at 23 Clarendon Place, Mount Preston Street, Leeds. A later record states that he had worked for many years with the Yorkshire Electric Power Company.

On the 16th April 1929, Robert Cecil Darragh married Ethel Porter M'Watters in Dungannon, but the couple remained living at Fearnville Avenue, and it was there, in 1932, that their first son was born. By 1936 the family had moved out of Leeds and started a many-year association with Collingham, living at Tyrone in Linton Lane and it was from there, in 1939, that Robert's military career started.

Service record

The 1939 National Registration shows Robert and family at Tyrone, Linton Lane, and indicates that Robert was already helping the war effort as a member of the ARP precautions. However on the 7th August 1940, Robert enlisted in Harrogate into the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers.

Robert was placed in the Army Reserve for about a month and then on the 12th September 1940 he was posted to the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers in Omagh, Co. Tyrone where he would have undergone his basic training.

On the 9th January 1941 he was transferred to number 161 Officer Cadet Training Unit (OCTU) for Officer training which he started, on the 11th September at Sandhurst. Officer training complete, on the 16th May 1941, Robert was commissioned in the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers and was posted to the Infantry Training Centre (ITC) in Omagh, to be a 2nd Lieutenant.

On the 28th December 1941, Robert was chosen to transfer to the Indian Army - Royal Indian Army Service Corps (RIASC). On the 13th February 1941 he embarked in Liverpool for the long journey to India, and on the 18th April 1941 he joined the 5th War Course at Kakul.

On the 8th August he completed this course and was posted to the Peshawar district Royal Indian Army Service Corps, where he was promoted to full Lieutenant on the 11th November.

After some time, Robert ended at the GHQ Reinforcement Camp at Deolali, incidently where the phrase 'going dolally' originates. By the 1st February 1943 Robert was back in Peshawar and the 1st Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, at the Base Supply Depot and he seems to have made his Army career in the supply and records centre. Robert had some periods of leave including some back in the UK, but at the end of the war he was based in Peshawar at the Supply and Records Centre where in June 1945 he became 2nd in command of the centre.

On the 27th August 1945 he embarked finally for the UK from Bombay and he was finally released from military service on the 27th September 1945.

After the war

After the war Robert returned from India and lived again in Collingham, still at Tyrone on Linton Lane. We find him and his wife and family in Collingham electoral rolls from 1946 all the way until 1961.

Robert Cecil Darragh died on the 10th October 1991 while living at 61 Westgate, Wetherby.

Biography last updated 01 September 2025 14:46:12.