Family In The Great War

arnhem44

Thought I'd post this one up for people who had any family members who served during the Great War and wished to share any information regarding where they served or fell,letters photos and so on,I'm still trying to determine if my Great grandfather served,I'm pretty certain he did but family details are very scarce on that side of the family.

Fratton Fred

On my father's side, one of my great grandfather's was a Petty Office Stoker on Submarine C31. It was lost off Zeebrugge in 1915 and was believed to have hit a mine. There were no survivors.


My other Great Grandfather on that side was a Sargeant Major in the Enniskillen Regiment. I am trying to find his war record, but all we know at the moment is that he was badly injured during the war and had to be cared for until his death. Frederick was married to Margaret from Macroom in Cork and although he was in an Irish Regiment and married to an Irish girl, we don't think he ever set foot in Ireland as he met Margaret in Portsmouth. Hopefully I will be visiting the regimental museum in Enniskillen castle soon to see what I can find out.

arnhem44

Hi Fratton Fred,thanks for sharing that.Some families really did suffer,I've been looking into local casualties to where I live at the moment and I've found around five sets of brothers to have died so far,one set of brothers to have died on the same day and another who is a probable.Nowhere was left unaffected,thanks again.

jonsnow

My great grandfather fought in the war in the Munster Fusiliers at Gallipoli and was very lucky to survive.I did my LC project on his experiences.Out of the thirty men on his landing craft only three survived the campaign.Most were killed when the craft was machine gunned on the first day.His best friend and him were in a trench one night and when he woke up rats were eating his dead friends face.He was unscathed (physically) for the whole campaign.

After the war he returned to cork.He had only joined up for the money because he was poor and when the war of Independence started up he wanted nothing to do with it as he,d had enough of war.However when the tans burnt Cork he was outraged and never claimed a penny that he was owed in a military service pension from the British Government for the rest of his life.

johnny_doyle

on my Dad's side, my Gt Grandfather Sapper Joseph Niland served with 179th Tunnelling Company, Royal Engineers. KIA March 1917. Before enlisting he was a Cooper at Guinness and lived in Summerhill, Dublin. Left a wife and 4 young kids behind. The other Gt Grandfather, Daniel Doyle from Solsborough, Enniscorthy, only fought his way to the bar before, during and after WW1.

On my mother's side, Gt Grandfather Private Joseph Clarke, 15th Bttn Cheshire Regt, killed October 1918; Gt Grandfather Sapper John Shepley, Royal Engineers, survived WW1 but died in 1943 from wounds received in November 1918. His brother James Shepley killed in 1915 serving with the Grenadier Guards.

My uncles uncle, Michael Sweeney was "out" in 1916; killed at the corner of Grafton St in 1922 escaping from a Free State truck. His brother George Sweeney was killed in 1917 aged 19 with the Royal Munster Fusiliers.

The wife's grandfather and great uncle (John Joe O'Brien and Ned O'Brien)were both active with the Galbally Company, Galtee Battn.

Tony EH

My Grand dad and his two brothers served. My grandad was in the Dublin Fusiliers and served in Galipoli. He then later went to Palistine. Not sure of his war record though as he died before I was born, but survived the war...obviously

His two brothers also served. They were both killed.

Charles died in 1915...

http://www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_det ... lty=261769

and John died in 1916

http://www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_det ... lty=788974


John's regiment, the "Kings Liverpool Reg." was involved in the battle of the Somme and he died there in 1916.

Charles fought with the 1st battalion of the "Connaught Rangers" and probably died at La Bassée in what would have been a relatively quiet period.

mirror mirror

can do a look up on ancestry web site for medal cards ,service+pension records too for anyone looking for info on relatives. i started looking for relations records and now its a near obsession:eek:

dubtom

I've been searching for one Great Grand Father,James Kavanagh,for a fair few years with little success. I've too little info,no knowledge of what regiment he served in even. I know he died in France or Belguim but little else. The Kavanagh name was popular amonst Irish soldiers in WW1. I was surprised to find out when researching my ancestry that my Grand Father served in the war too.Only discovered this when I got access to his work details in Guinness. Infact it was probably the only reason he got the job in Guinness,ex soldiers who served for the British were looked on favorably apparently.They had little info on his service,just that he was a driver.

Julian20

Quite Interesting to see Irish people having some relations fighting in World War I. Well half of my familiy back then was killed by Germans and Russians, as I am Polish during the World War I and World War II I have lost members of my family. I guess for Irish War was completly different than for Polish.

spurious

dubtom wrote: »

I've been searching for one Great Grand Father,James Kavanagh,for a fair few years with little success. I've too little info,no knowledge of what regiment he served in even. I know he died in France or Belguim but little else. The Kavanagh name was popular amonst Irish soldiers in WW1. I was surprised to find out when researching my ancestry that my Grand Father served in the war too.Only discovered this when I got access to his work details in Guinness. Infact it was probably the only reason he got the job in Guinness,ex soldiers who served for the British were looked on favorably apparently.They had little info on his service,just that he was a driver.

Can you find him in the 1911 census?
That might allow you to narrow down the large numbers of Kavanaghs by age.

dubtom

spurious wrote: »

Can you find him in the 1911 census?
That might allow you to narrow down the large numbers of Kavanaghs by age.

Yea did that.Problem is finding info that matches.I've found hundreds of Kavanagh's in ancestry.com,with medal records,burial plots ect,trouble is can't find any info that matches the little details I have.

Tony EH

dubtom wrote: »

I've been searching for one Great Grand Father,James Kavanagh,for a fair few years with little success. I've too little info,no knowledge of what regiment he served in even. I know he died in France or Belguim but little else. The Kavanagh name was popular amonst Irish soldiers in WW1. I was surprised to find out when researching my ancestry that my Grand Father served in the war too.Only discovered this when I got access to his work details in Guinness. Infact it was probably the only reason he got the job in Guinness,ex soldiers who served for the British were looked on favorably apparently.They had little info on his service,just that he was a driver.

Tom, here is a link to the "J.Kavanagh's" that were killed in WWI on the Commonwealth Wargraves Commision website. There's 46 entries. Have a look through it and see what you can find.


Tony

arnhem44

the link seems to be missing Tony.

arnhem44

dubtom wrote: »

Yea did that.Problem is finding info that matches.I've found hundreds of Kavanagh's in ancestry.com,with medal records,burial plots ect,trouble is can't find any info that matches the little details I have.

Tom do you want to post what details you have about your Great Grand Father in the research a soldier thread and take it from there,someone might be able to throw some light on something.

Tony EH

arnhem44 wrote: »

the link seems to be missing Tony.

Oops....

Here it is, sorry folks.

http://www.cwgc.org/search/SearchResults.aspx?surname=Kavanagh&initials=J&war=1&yearfrom=1900&yearto=2000&force=&nationality=&send.x=44&send.y=12

dubtom

Hey thanks lads. I've already searched those 46 Tony,but with the little info I have it's difficult to be positive about any of them. I Will gather together what I have as arhnem44 suggests and post it in the other thread,you never know,more expierenced fellows as yourselves might spot something.

El Siglo

I had a Great Grand Uncle, who was in The Leinster Regiment, he fought in the Battle of the Somme, severely wounded afterwards.

arnhem44

Hi El Siglo,cheers for that.Do you have any of your Great Grand Uncle's details?

leincar

Hopefully my Maternal Grandfathers war medal card has attached.

As to my Paternal Grandfather all we can get is that he was with a Yorkshire Regiment. However we can get no further information at present as he came to Ireland in 1920. British military authorities are still quite sensitive about this period and will not release such information for another 11 years as far as we can make out.

As he came to Ireland in 1920 the rest of my family think this is our families dark secret.

On the medal card my Grandfather is bottom right. Number 8853.

drumaneen

Nice one Arnhem ... here's my Grandad who was in the Royal Engineers

A married Dublinman with children, a trade Electrician in his 30's at the outbreak of war in 1914! (Having a trade saved many a man from the PBI (Poor Bloody Infantry)

Was attached to Royal Horse Artillery most of the war (telephone/telegraph support to forward observers)

Survived war - returned with some disability, pension due to deafness




So proud of him and all Irishmen like him.

Support the Poppy Appeal and the Royal British Legion in Ireland - they supported us

http://republic-of-ireland.britishlegion.org.uk/index.cfm?asset_id=1433

Sundew

My Grand Uncle Private John Clohessy served in the first battalion of the Royal Munster Fusiliers. He was killed on 21st Aug 1915 in Gallipoli.
I have his service medals and the Widow's Penny has just "surfaced" in the family. Still chasing a photo if there is one!
Another 1st cousin of my maternal Grandfather served in France with a Leinster Regiment. he survived the war. sadly his only surviving granddaughter died young a few years ago and she had an amzing collection of service medals and -potraits of him taken during WW1. Must see if I can get my hands on some copies!

A question: Would it be ususual for somebody who signed up not to get a photo taken of themselves in uniform?

FiSe

My Great-grandfather Robert Pekarek and his brother served in the Austro-Hungarian Army on the Eastern front.
My GGF was seriousluy vounded and survived by miracle, when a nurse who knew him from his village recognized him in between the 'dying row' and pulled him in the 'officer's row'. He got his three ribs removed and survived, with a piece of travelling shrapnel in his body. Returning home through Finland and Norway.
His brother gave himself up and joined Czechoslovakian Legions fighting the Bolsheviks on Siberia and returning to his homeland with his Legion in mid 1922 travelling through Asia and Middle east as they couldn't go throug Soviet Russia.

Unfortunately can't find any more on any of them.

Sundew

My GGF was seriousluy vounded and survived by miracle, when a nurse who knew him from his village recognized him in between the 'dying row' and pulled him in the 'officer's row'.

Very interesting Fise. he was a lucky man.

One story that exists in my family is that my Grand-Aunt a younger sister of Private J.Clohessy was coming home from school. she was 13 . As she skipped up the road home she saw a man in uniform heading toward the family home. She believed it was her older brother home from the war and ran as fast as she could home to catch up with him. When she went in the door she asked where John was as she had seen him walking up the road!
My Great-GrandMother was crying after recieving the news that John had been killed. My Grand-Aunt always had psychic powers and had a range of cures . she died in 1983.

R.Dub.Fusilier

my grandfather was in the British army and later , sometime between 1922-1927 ,was in the Irish army.my mother never realy knew much about his BA service but he had a pension from them and she mentioned he was in WW1 but we dont know. from asking family members i was able to piece some things together and we think he may have been a POW as i was told he died , in the 1940s , as a result of what happened him in prison , which may or may not be a POW camp.
my father-in-laws uncle served in WW1 and was at Ypres. havent found out his regiment yet but it is believed to be an Irish one.

Uncle Fester

My Grandfather and his two brothers seen service in the First World War.

http://curragh.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=tradition&action=display&thread=242

Turn on sound for this one: http://www.curragh.info/images/madden/johnmadden.pps

Fester

My great great grandfather died on the HMS Good Hope in 1914 when it was torpedoed. He never saw my great grandmother as she was born while he was away serving. His brother also died in WW1 but i think he was gassed.

arnhem44

Uncle Fester wrote: »

My Grandfather and his two brothers seen service in the First World War.

http://curragh.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=tradition&action=display&thread=242

Turn on sound for this one: http://www.curragh.info/images/madden/johnmadden.pps

Fester

Great reading there Uncle Fester,thats a nice amount of research done there.

arnhem44

You often read about families losing fathers,sons and brothers at the front through out the war but not many come as bad as this loss I think,came across this family earlier who were from Dublin.


McDONNELL, Private, JOHN, 8982. 2nd Bn. Royal Dublin Fusiliers. 24th May 1915. Age 22. Son of Edward and Anne McDonnell, of 46, Bride St., Dublin.

McDONNELL, Private, PETER, 9443. 2nd Bn. Royal Dublin Fusiliers. 26th April 1915. Age 42. Son of Edward and Anne McDonnell, of 46, Bride St., Dublin.

McDONNELL, Private, PATRICK, 8848. 2nd Bn. Royal Dublin Fusiliers. 24th May 1915. Age 32. Son of Edward and Ann McDonnell, of 46, Bride St., Dublin; husband of Elizabeth McDonnell, of 44, Bride St., Dublin.





___________________

R.Dub.Fusilier

arnhem44 wrote: »

You often read about families losing fathers,sons and brothers at the front through out the war but not many come as bad as this loss I think,came across this family earlier who were from Dublin.

i read in a book called "Forgotten Heroes" about Galway and WW1 and if i remember rightly there was a woman called Fury who had ten sons fighting in WW1 and the writers research said that at least six were killed in action and possably a seventh.

jos28

My Grandad and his brother ran away from home in Tralee and joined the Royal Engineers. I don't know if they joined voluntarily or were conscripted as soon as they landed in England. They enlisted on 31/10/1913 and my Grandad was deployed to the Western front as a sapper on 12/6/1915. He fought in the trenches in France and Flanders. He was discharged on 7/8/1917 and declared no longer fit for military service. He was discharged through illness and not inflicted wounds.He was a chronic asthmatic, it eventually killed him at the age of 48 . He was awarded the 1915 Star Medal, the British War Medal and the Victory medal. He was also awarded the Silver War Badge which was given to men sent home without visible injury to distinguish him as a veteran(AFAIK). My Grandad went back to Tralee and his brother eventually settled in Dagenham. I don't have a photo of Grandad or his brother in uniform but I've attached one of his brother William Glover wearing his Royal Engineers Badge. It's one of life's great regrets that I never got to meet my Grandad, he was dead long before I was born. Would love to have met the man although like many others he apparently never spoke about that period of his life.

diverdriver

Both my grandfathers apparently served in the Great war. But as on died in the late forties and the other vanished mysteriously before or during WW2. I know nothing of where when or even if it's true. The families know little because of course the men who came back spoke little of it.

I'd love to even check if they actually served.

But there were two brother's who must be relatives that show on the CWGC's website serving in the Munster Fusiliers who died within months of each other in 1914.

kja1888

My paternal Grandfather was in the RAMC before WW1 - 1909-1913 - and then again from 1914. I dont think conscription was in force then, so either he was a reserve due to just finishing his time or he volunteered. He was from Cheltenham, so I dont know when he met my Grandmother, who was from Roscommon (possibly something to do with the Connaught Rangers?). He must have been in the British Expiditionary Force as he wrote letters from a PoW camp in Germany in 1915. I dont know how he got out of the PoW camp, as they were married in Dublin in 1917. I only have 1 photo of him, and several documents from his service before the war. He died in Dublin in 1937, and he is buried in the British Army cemetary in Blackhorse Avenue.

surly joe

Hi all.My grandfather, James O'Mara from Straffan,was in the Royal Dublin fusiliers and was wounded and lost an arm in the Somme.I recently had a photo restored and will post it up as soon I can along with anything else I can find.I wish I had more info. He lived a long life though,farming and playing the fiddle with a specially made arm! He died in 1984 aged 96. I was 10 when he died so I remember him well.

arnhem44

Thanks surly joe,look forward to seeing the photo

surly joe

pte. James O'Mara. R.D.F.
Discharge,1919.
Postcard,Christmas 1916.

junder

My Great Grandfather was in the 2nd Batt Royal Irish Rifles and died at Mons

arnhem44

Hi junder,do you have any of his details?

smlballjunkie

My Great Uncle enlisted in the Inniskilling Fusiliers while still underage, saw action in France,was returned home after my Grandmother wrote to Lloyd George about him, trained with the IRB and IRA,fought in the War of Independence and Civil War,KIA Tyrellspass Co Meath 8th July 1922,was then the youngest Vice-Commandant in the Free State Army.
Large Headstone dedicated to him in Grey Abbey Cemetary Kildare Town.
Often think about what he endured and saw in those years between 1914 and 1922 when he was killed.

drumaneen

smlballjunkie wrote: »

My Great Uncle enlisted in the Inniskilling Fusiliers while still underage, saw action in France,was returned home after my Grandmother wrote to Lloyd George about him, trained with the IRB and IRA,fought in the War of Independence and Civil War,KIA Tyrellspass Co Meath 8th July 1922,was then the youngest Vice-Commandant in the Free State Army.
Large Headstone dedicated to him in Grey Abbey Cemetary Kildare Town.
Often think about what he endured and saw in those years between 1914 and 1922 when he was killed.

What a bloomin tragedy.

drumaneen

surly joe wrote: »

pte. James O'Mara. R.D.F.
Discharge,1919.
Postcard,Christmas 1916.

Great pics Joe - such trivia and yet so special - well done for keeping them.

drumaneen

jos28 wrote: »

My Grandad and his brother ran away from home in Tralee and joined the Royal Engineers. I don't know if they joined voluntarily or were conscripted as soon as they landed in England. They enlisted on 31/10/1913 and my Grandad was deployed to the Western front as a sapper on 12/6/1915. He fought in the trenches in France and Flanders. He was discharged on 7/8/1917 and declared no longer fit for military service. He was discharged through illness and not inflicted wounds.He was a chronic asthmatic, it eventually killed him at the age of 48 . He was awarded the 1915 Star Medal, the British War Medal and the Victory medal. He was also awarded the Silver War Badge which was given to men sent home without visible injury to distinguish him as a veteran(AFAIK). My Grandad went back to Tralee and his brother eventually settled in Dagenham. I don't have a photo of Grandad or his brother in uniform but I've attached one of his brother William Glover wearing his Royal Engineers Badge. It's one of life's great regrets that I never got to meet my Grandad, he was dead long before I was born. Would love to have met the man although like many others he apparently never spoke about that period of his life.

From one Sappers grandson to another -
Restored but not overly so .. hope u like

We will remember them

Snickers Man

One great grandfather who was a retired regular soldier at the time war broke out, rejoined in his fifties but was not sent to the front. A cavalry man, he spent most of his time looking after horses, only some of it in France.

Four great uncles (all brothers) served in the Irish Guards and Dublin Fusilers. One killed at First Ypres in 1914. Another on the Somme in 1916. A third died shortly after the war having never fully recovered from his wounds.

The fourth survived and raised a family in England. One of his sons was captured at Dunkirk during WWII and spent five years in a POW camp. I have a transcript of a diary he kept in his first year of captivity. Very interesting

Oh and several distant American cousins (first generation yanks) who also served in WWI. I met one of them when I was a kid. All long dead now, of course.

drumaneen

Snickers Man wrote: »

The fourth survived and raised a family in England. One of his sons was captured at Dunkirk during WWII and spent five years in a POW camp. I have a transcript of a diary he kept in his first year of captivity. Very interesting.

Very interesting indeed .. I'm sure there are folk on http://ww2talk.com/
who would like to hear about this document.

arnhem44

Great posts lads,I wonder could a Mod make this thread a sticky??

arnhem44

For some time it was suspected but not positively known that my Great Grandfather had served during the war,whilst I had taken out a fourteen day free trial with Ancestry I discovered his pension record.He was 4241 Private Joseph Hart,he served with the Connaught Rangers from 1892 to 1904 having served with the 2nd Battalion in Cyprus,Egypt,India and South Africa before being discharged.It states on his record that he done a mounted infantry course at the end of 1895 till the start of 1896 and also gives details of his promotions and demotions throughout this time.In 1908 he went into the 3rd Battalion of the Leinster Reserve number 2314 and and was mobilised at the outbreak of war and was transferred into the 1st Garrison Battalion of the Royal Irish Regiment number 9254 where he went to Gallipoli in 1915 and was sent to Mudros where working parties carried out various tasks.This Battalion in 1916 went to Egypt where they stayed for the duration of the war and this is where he became ill and was invalided back to home and was awarded the silver war badge in the middle of 1918,soon afterwards within a couple of months been home he married my Great Grandmother.

neilthefunkeone

Great thread.. In 6th class when my grandad died i was rooting through his study and found loads of stuff from a great uncle of his, James Hamilton Purdy.

There was pictures of him and his brother(who was in the Navy). MIA medal(somme) and his last letter sent home from whereever he was before the somme, It just said "Our little village".

Did some digging with the help of my history teacher at the time and he was in the Royal Irish Rifles.. Cant remember which section.. and found his grave reference in France too..

Ill dig it out and update with all the info later!

arnhem44

Hi neilthefunkeone,would this be the James Hamilton Purdy in question?

http://www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=1549772

There are also ten Naval casualties listed under the name Purdy.Did his brother die also do you know?

http://www.cwgc.org/search/SearchResults.aspx?surname=purdy&initials=&war=0&yearfrom=1900&yearto=2000&force=Navy&nationality=&send.x=54&send.y=13

johnny_doyle

from Soldiers Died in the Great War (SDGW) and repeated in Ireland's Memorial Records :

Name: James Hamilton Purdy
Birth Place: Ballymacarrett, Co. Down
Death Date: 1 Jul 1916
Death Location: France & Flanders
Enlistment Location: Belfast
Rank: Rifleman
Regiment: Royal Irish Rifles
Battalion: 14th Battalion
Number: 15790
Type of Casualty: Killed in action

2 Medal Index Cards (MICs) on Ancestry :

1. James H Purdy RIR no 14/15790 British War Medal and Victory Medal
2. James Hamilton Purdy RIR 14/15790 1915 Star. Note Missing Pres Dead. Entered France 5/10/1915


There is a tree in Ancestry for a James Hamilton Purdy but born 1853 in Colones(?) NI.

Limited info in his FindAGrave record

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=Purdy&GSfn=James&GSbyrel=in&GSdyrel=in&GScntry=7&GSob=n&GRid=12560340&

jos28

drumaneen wrote: »

From one Sappers grandson to another -
Restored but not overly so .. hope u like

We will remember them

Drumaneen, just sent you a PM to say thanks for the restoration work. It's an amazing difference, thanks a million:)

John Mason

my great grand father served. unfortunately, i do not know where or what regiment but i know he went on to became a sargent in the irish army.

i am in the process of trying to find this information out. i know at one point there was a medal and his records in my grans but these have probably been sold for drugs at this stage :eek::mad::(:mad::mad::mad:

Happy Monday

My Grand Uncle served and died in WW1.
We didn't know this until yesterday.
A Galway man who served in the Muster Fusiliers.
He died on the first day of the Somme offensive.
Does anyone know where the 1st Batt served on the Somme.
Was it with the Canadians at Beaumont Hamal?

<Link deleted at poster's request>