Lives of the First World War

Andrew was born in the South Dublin Workhouse, Dublin. He was the 4th and only surviving child of Mary Jane Whittaker, a single woman of no fixed address, who had spent the majority of her life in refuges or in the workhouse. Andrew was born Andrew Whittaker, but workhouse records reveal his father was named Andrew Masterson who married Mary Jane Whittaker on 22 June 1884. Andrew Masterson, senior, had spent the majority of his life either in jail or in the workhouse. Andrew lived in the workhouse until March 1893, except for a few brief occasions, leaving with his parents to a variety of South Dublin tenements (usually once a year for a couple of days). On 31 March 1893, Andrew was transferred to the Cork Street Hospital, for an unknown illness. By this time his mother had died (23 March 1890), and his father continued to drift in and out of the workhouse. At the time of Andrew's enlistment, he gave his next of kin as Helen Brady of Charlemont Street, Dublin. No blood connection to Helen Brady has been found, and it is possible that she took him in, or fostered him, after leaving the workhouse. A likely glimpse of his whereabouts in 1901 can be on the 1901 census in Londonderry, where his regiment was stationed. It is known that Andrew went to India with his regiment in July 1902, and can be seen on the 1911 census with his regiment in Burma. Andrew recorded he was Roman Catholic on the 1901 census but he married his wife, Sarah Elwood, who was Protestant, in the Church of Ireland. Apart from the scant surviving documentation, little is known of his character. All that is known was that his wife Sarah did not want him to go to war, fearing she will never see him again. When war started they had been married only 9 months and Sarah was 7 months pregnant with their daughter. Her fears were realised when he was listed as missing in The Belfast Newsletter in December 1914, and she received official notification of Andrew's death in early 1915. Andrew was remembered on the birth of his nephew, Andrew Masterson Thompson in 1923 (the son of Joseph Thompson and Lucinda Elwood) and by his only child, Selina's eldest son, Andrew Weir born January 1934). His picture is retained by his granddaughter, Mrs Joan Patricia Sheppard (nee Murphy), and poppies are worn in commemoration of his sacrifice every year by myself and my mother. Gone but not forgotten.

Created by: , Simon40238