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Michael De Courcey was killed in action on 25th February 1943, age 22. He was serving in Tunsia with the 1st Battalion, Royal Irish Fusiliers. He is buried at the Medjez-al-Bab War Cemetery in Tunisia. He is commemorated on the Irish Brigade Roll of Honour.
Michael was born in Galway, Ireland in 1920. In 1939 he was living in Leamington where he married Frances Diamond, who had also been born in Clifden, Galway in 1921. The 1939 Register shows them living at 2 Alveston Place and Michael was working as a bricklayer. They had three children, Mary born in 1939, Noel born in 1940 and Pauline born in 1943.
Michael served with the 1st Battalion of the Royal Irish Fusiliers which formed part of the Irish Brigade fighting in Tunisia in 1942/3. Early in 1943 they were involved in supporting French and American troops in the Battle of Bou Arada, aiming to gain control of strategically important areas. Allied troops suffered heavy losses and Corporal Michael De Courcey was killed in action in February 1943.
Back in Leamington, Fraces was involved in an unusual road accident on the Parade in September 1943. Newspaper reports describe how the pram she was pushing became entangled with bumper of a car. Frances was dragged some distance holding on to the pram which was at a dangerous angle, with the baby hanging out. Frances received some minor injuries but fortunately the baby appears to have been unhurt. The driver of the car was later fined for failing to report the accident.
In 1947 Frances married Frank Desmond Clarkson who was born in Leamington in 1921, and whose mother was Irish. Frank had served in the Royal Artillery. They went on the have four children: Patrick, born in 1948, Stephen, born in 1949, Eileen, born in 1951 and Peter, born in 1953.
Frank and Frances continued to live in Leamington. Frank died in 1994 and Frances in 2007.
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Additional sources of information
Irish Brigade website https://www.irishbrigade.co.uk
Register of Births for Ireland
