Born in Ararat, Patrick Henry O'Reilly was by trade a draper. At the age of 20, he enlisted in Ballarat on the 8th of July 1915. His unit embarked from Melbourne, Victoria, on board HMAT A64 Demosthenes on the 29th of December 1915. On April the 11th 1917 Patrick was reported missing in action, and it was later confirmed that he was a prisoner of war in Germany. He arrived back in England on the 9th of December 1918, and returned to Australia on the 31st of March 1919. Patrick was discharged as medically unfit on the 15th of May 1919.
Tree No. 879
His brother Edward also served in the AIF and is honoured with a tree in the Avenue.