Research A Soldier

johnny_doyle

trying to tie as many records to the family as possible in the hope of tripping over a bit of data (but not having much success re James) :

1901 census
http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Kildare/Ballyshannon/Ballyshannon/1434479/

1911 census
http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Kildare/Ballyshannon/Thomastown/537163/


Possibly Jeremiah's emigration to the US :
Name: Jeremiah Keating
Arrival Date: 1 Dec 1924
Birth Year: abt 1892
Birth Location: Ireland
Birth Location Other: mooretown, co kildero
Age: 32
Gender: Male
Ethnicity/Race­/Nationality: Irish
Port of Departure: Cobh, Ireland
Port of Arrival: New York, New York
Ship Name: Baltic

Ellis Island gives address as Curragh Camp with wife Kathleen.

Tabnabs

That's great JD. I have just got off the phone and can confirm that's him. "Jer and Kate".

Tabnabs

enfield wrote: »

Post a link to his memorial and see if it can lead us somewhere.
Tom.

I can't as it was confirmed by a relative who visited the site. TBH, I think they just found his name in the Canadian section and were happy with the result.

Tabnabs

right, just got off the phone again and can confirm that James Keating is the wrong name, it was Pat(rick) Keating that went to Canada in the early 1900's and died in Belgium. Old peoples memories (and assumptions) are a funny thing

Looking back at the 1901 census, suspect Pat must be the eldest son and was this was his middle name used to differentiate him from the father?

arnhem44

Is this the Patrick your looking for

http://www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=2954718

http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/databases/cef/001042-119.02-e.php?image_url=http://data2.archives.ca/cef/gpc008/429315a.gif&id_nbr=490059

http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/databases/cef/001042-119.02-e.php?image_url=http://data2.archives.ca/cef/gpc008/429315b.gif&id_nbr=490059

Tabnabs

It must be, the details all match up (Moorestown, Kildare etc.)

I'll pass it along the line and see it if rings true.

Thanks so much for the links!

Tabnabs

Confirmed it's him and you've made two great nieces extremely happy!

The story goes that when the news came through about his death his brother Martin (the eldest son) dropped dead on the spot.

Pat also had a fiancée in Canada who packed up all his personal belongings and shipped them home to Kildare. Another story goes that every soldier in Canada was given a piece of land and as Pat had died this was sold off and the money sent home to his next of kin. About a year after he died his farther Martin began to hold gatherings/parties in the house on a Sunday night and all the locals would come along to enjoy themselves on the food and drink. It was seen as wasteful by some, but for an elderly widower, it must have put a smile on his face!

arnhem44

Excellent stuff,there would be more of his service record available from the Canadian Archives if your interested.As far as I know you have to contact them and from memory there may be a fee involved,the pages that are posted here are the one's free to search.The records were culled to a certain extent of what was deemed unnecessary papers within each record,still it might give an invaluable insight into his time in the army including maybe how he died.

Tabnabs

Do you have a website for where I could request this additional information?

I see that he joined the 120th City of Hamilton CEF, but seemingly died as part of the 87th Canadian Infantry Battalion. Would it be normal to change units like that?

Tabnabs

I found the battle diary for the 87th Battalion online and the date Pat Keating is supposed to have died is recorded in the diary here (April 9th)
http://data2.collectionscanada.ca/e/e045/e001122338.jpg

cont' here
http://data2.collectionscanada.ca/e/e045/e001122339.jpg

and the finally here
http://data2.collectionscanada.ca/e/e045/e001122340.jpg

I expect Pat is amongst the 110 other (i.e. non officer) casualties.

arnhem44

OK then towards the bottom of the page on the link gives the info required for obtaining a service record.

http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/databases/cef/001042-130-e.html?PHPSESSID=ui5ducptn8av3r165f9rirvih1#g

nkay1985

A couple of questions for you fine folk.

My grandmother died last week and I saw an RAF headstone at the grave. The name was William McCarthy, service number 285603. I've found his record on the CWGC site here. Tracing it back, I reckon this is my great grandfather (my grandad's father).

The thing is my nanny's father also died in the first world war but nobody knows a whole lot about him. Up until yesterday evening I didn't even know his first name but, having gotten a look at my grandparents' marriage cert, I now know that he was John Hearne. And that's the sum total I know about him! My nanny was born in 1913 and her father died while she was a child.

I've looked on the CWGC site for John Hearnes that died. There are three that were in the Royal Irish Regiment: Here, here and here.

Would I be on the right track to be looking at these people? Is there any way of narrowing it down when I have such a small amount of information? Or am I pretty much looking at checking out the records in Kew?

The same goes for William McCarthy. Is there any other way of getting more information?

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

arnhem44

Two of these Hearne's have birth locations as Trinity Without, Waterford and St. John's, Waterford.Would that help narrow it down?.Some basic details if you have any may help

Ponster

Have you ever found him in the 1911 census ?

nkay1985

arnhem44 wrote: »

Two of these Hearne's have birth locations as Trinity Without, Waterford and St. John's, Waterford.Would that help narrow it down?.Some basic details if you have any may help

Wow, how did you get that? It'd be one of those two alright as he almost certainly would have been born in Waterford.

Ponster wrote: »

Have you ever found him in the 1911 census ?

No I haven't managed to track him down. I've just gotten my nanny's birth cert which shows John and Mary Hearne (nee Ryan) as living in Grady lane, Waterford in November 1913. Because I don't even have a rough age or anything it's hard to pin them down. I think I have the reference for their marriage record though so will send off to the GRO for that. By the way, it looks a little bit scandalised. The marriage was registered between April and June 1913 and my nanny was born in November! :eek: :D

arnhem44

That came from the Soldiers Died in the Great War database which gives slightly different details from the CWGC.Now then from a quick search I have found a record for John Hearne from Trinity Without army number 6464 who enlisted on the 12th of August 1914 aged 20 which has survived which does list family and addresses,it's not too easy to read but I'll give it a go.His mother was Margaret Hearne,father Maurice and brothers Patrick and James living at an address at number 8 Slieve Keale Waterford.It's an interesting record as there is a lot on info in there with some correspondence from his mother to the army office.Sadly there doesn't appear to be a record surviving for the other John Hearne that I mentioned.Maybe a bit of family detective work might turn up some family names to help to narrow down the search.

nkay1985

Wow that's a lot of information. Thanks very much.

Nobody knows anything about that part of the family really because he died when my nanny was so young and her mother then re-married. I'll send for his marriage cert and see if any of those details tally with what you've provided.

Is there any similar information for William McCarthy by any chance? Thanks very much for your help.

arnhem44

William McCarthy's record should survive if I'm not wrong and would be at the National Archives in Kew in London however these would need a researcher to look for them unless you would go and look for yourself,sadly these are not online.Researchers vary in price from one to another but there's plenty out there and might be worth contacting to confirm if his record has survived.Judging by Williams age when he died would suggest that he may have served with the Royal Flying Corps before 1918,1918 was the year the Royal Flying Corps and Royal Naval Air Service were amalgamated to become the RAF.Possibly some relation may have your relatives medals,death plaques and memorial scrolls.These would of been issued to the servicemen's next of kin,might be worth asking around,these will have there details on them and who knows may be just left inside some drawer in someones house.

nkay1985

arnhem44 wrote: »

William McCarthy's record should survive if I'm not wrong and would be at the National Archives in Kew in London however these would need a researcher to look for them unless you would go and look for yourself,sadly these are not online.Researchers vary in price from one to another but there's plenty out there and might be worth contacting to confirm if his record has survived.Judging by Williams age when he died would suggest that he may have served with the Royal Flying Corps before 1918,1918 was the year the Royal Flying Corps and Royal Naval Air Service were amalgamated to become the RAF.Possibly some relation may have your relatives medals,death plaques and memorial scrolls.These would of been issued to the servicemen's next of kin,might be worth asking around,these will have there details on them and who knows may be just left inside some drawer in someones house.

Yeah apparently some of the my mother's cousins on the McCarthy side are pretty good for the family history so I'll have to see if any of them have his military stuff. I don't think William would have been in the military for very long but he may well have been early in the war. He was a stone mason by trade so I reckon he just went into service for the money.

My brother is living in Surrey at the moment so he may be able to do a quick check for us. My parents are planning on visiting him soon too so they may also be a possibility.

Looking forward to receiving the marriage cert so we can see which of the John Hearnes is my great grandfather. Hopefully it's the one with all the information haha!

nkay1985

Actually Arnhem, you said that John Hearne from Slievekeale was the one whose army number was 6464 but which of the three was the other John Hearne from Waterford? It seems that the marriage certain will confirm that it's one or the other so I'm just wondering who the other possibility is.

Thanks again.

arnhem44

The other casualty numbered 7549 from St.John's is this one http://www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=546659

nkay1985

arnhem44 wrote: »

The other casualty numbered 7549 from St.John's is this one http://www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=546659

I have a feeling it's going to be this one. My nanny always said he was buried in France too so maybe that piece of information was correct.

enfield

...

nkay1985

Tom, thanks very much for all that information.

It's almost certainly either 7549 or 6464. That's some letter you put up. I'm hoping that his marriage cert will confirm which one it is. The only other piece of information I have that I can't put in place is Grady's Lane. I don't know where that was. You hardly know of such a place?

enfield

Grady's Lane was in Barrack Street according to another chap called Walsh who resided in No 2 and was Killed in action in 1918.
Cheers.
Tom

enfield

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enfield

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nkay1985

enfield wrote: »

Grady's Lane was in Barrack Street according to another chap called Walsh who resided in No 2 and was Killed in action in 1918.
Cheers.
Tom

Yeah I saw a mention about it being off Barrack Street alright but, after I posted, my father-in-law found it in a book called Waterford Streets - past and present. It was at the south eastern corner of Barrack Street, near to Mount Sion I think.

John Hearne was living in Grady Place in November of 1913 seemingly but it still remains to be seen which John Hearne that is.

R.Dub.Fusilier

arnhem44 wrote: »

Hi RDF,as far as records are concerned as far as I'm aware no British records are available after 1920 unless your a living relative or the actual veteran so I would imagine a soldier serving after this date may be a little harder to research than normal but I could be wrong.

as you say i cant get his service records but i was able to get this

AUDIE MURPHY

Im looking for any information on 292280 PTE A.H.BARNES R.W.FUS . i have a British War Medal from him from ww1. thanks for the help.