Patrick Diamond, Gortmacrane, son of John & Alice Diamond, "was a regular soldier serving with the 1st Battalion Royal Irish Rifles and had enlisted in Belfast. The 1st Battalion was in Aden when war was declared and embarked for the U.K. on 27th September arriving at Liverpool on 22nd October 1914. He was given leave at this time and arrived home in Kilrea for a full week. He had done about sixteen years in the army and served throughout the South African Campaign. ...wounded on rhe 25th of September 1915. He was then in hospital another time before being sent home to recuperate in Kilrea. ...On the 30th of June five men were killed, Patrick being one of them and this was the result of shellfire. Probably all five were killed by the same shell and this would explain why there is no known grave. He is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme. ...It is believed that by the time of Patrick's death at the Somme his father was already dead. His mother, by then an elderly lady, died on 7th January 1920."
Since Patrick was at first listed as missing/presumed dead it may have been some time before the family were notified that he was dead and it might have then taken time for word to reach his uncle in New Zealand.
Patrick Diamond is listed on the Kilrea War Memorial but there are no other Diamonds listed.
