| Samuel John McElfatrick was the son of James and Mary McElfatrick. Samuel was born about 1881 in Tamlaght, near Kilrea.
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| The 1901 census lists Samuel as age 17, working as a farm servant at house 9 in Movenis, Bovagh, County Londonderry.
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| Samuel McElfatrick married Hessie Doherty on 20th May 1902 in the district of Coleraine.
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| They had five children. The last was born in 1914.
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| Family, Samuel John McElfatrick, Hessie McElfatrick, Samuel James McElfatrick (born 10th August 1903), Thomas McElfatrick (born 1st December 1907), Annie McElfatrick (born 7th April 1910), Robert McElfatrick (born 10th June 1911), Hessie McElfatrick (born 28th March 1914).
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| The 1911 census lists Samuel John as age 30, living with his family at house 3 in Caulhame, Bovagh. Samuel was an agricultural labourer.
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| Samuel enlisted in Garvagh.
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| He went to France in October 1915.
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| Private Samuel McElfatrick was serving with the 11th Battalion of the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers when he was killed in action on the first day of the Battle of the Somme on Saturday 1st July 1916.
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| Private Samuel McElfatrick has no known grave and is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial. The Thiepval Memorial, the Memorial to the Missing of the Somme, bears the names of more than 72,000 officers and men of the United Kingdom and South African forces who died in the Somme sector before 20 March 1918 and have no known grave. Over 90% of those commemorated died between July and November 1916.
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| His wife Hessie later wrote the following poem which was published in the local paper every year on his anniversary:-
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My noble husband lies in his blood soaked garments through
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In a nameless grave unknown lies the heart that beat so true
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He sank, faint and weary, among the famous brave
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And they laid him sad and lonely all in his lowly grave
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No dear one was near him to mark his soft replies
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No loving one was near him to close his soft dark eyes
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No stone marks the grave where my husband lies so lone
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In a nameless grave unknown with his blood soaked garments through
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No more bugle will call our darling one
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Rest, noble soldier, all in your grave unknown
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But we will know you, we will find you among the good and true
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Then you will wear a robe of white for your blood soaked garments through
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Daddy, dear daddy, good night, good night
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| Hessie McElfatrick remarried later, to Mr James Glass.
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| The CWGC record Private Samuel McElfatrick as the son of Mrs Mary McElfatrick. He is also recorded as the husband of Hessie Glass (formerly McElfatrick, nee Doherty), of Cooleyrammer, Garvagh, County Derry.
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| The book ‘Garvagh and Aghadowey Heroes 1914-18’ features Samuel on pages 29 and 30.
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