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This story was gathered and submitted to the WW2 peoples war by Oliver Murphy

Matthew Donal Murrough Bergin
Captain, Royal Army Medical Corps
Died 15 September 1944

Donal Bergin came to Belvedere College, Dublin, on 11 September 1922, having attended the Sacred Heart Convent School in Leeson Street. At school, he was (according to his obituary) ‘a very gentle and quiet boy.’ He was an excellent student and sportsman. In 1930 he was on the Senior Rugby XV, which went all the way to the final, beating Pres Bray (21-12), Drogheda Grammar School (walk over) and Clongowes (6-0) to get there. Unfortunately, they were beaten 11-7 in the final by Blackrock. Donal was a second row forward. The 1930 Belvederian describes him as ‘useful in the scrum, useful in the loose, and particularly so in the line-out, where his height proved of advantage.’

Donal matriculated in 1932 and studied medicine. He qualified in 1938 and volunteered for work in England. When war broke out, he joined the Royal Army Medical Corps in which he reached the rank of Captain.

In September 1944, Allied forces had taken the lower half of Italy. The Axis forces drew themselves up along the ‘Gothic Line’, which ran from coast to coast, just north of Florence. In order to breach this defence, Allied troops attacked the line along the Adriatic Coast. They moved northwards from Ancona to Pesaro. They met with fierce resistance. It was during this fighting, on Friday 15 September 1944, that Donal Bergin was killed. In the week that followed the Gothic Line was broken, and then Rimini was captured on 21 September 1944.

Captain Donal Bergin (#188636) is buried at Gradara War Cemetery between Ancona and Rimini in Italy. His grave number is MB II F4. There are 1191 World War II casualties buried there.

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