Easter Rising Arm Band

OConnorAJ

I was looking through the medals of my husband's grandfather from the Easter Rising. I was curious about the arm band that was stored with the medals. All of the pictures I've seen (online) of the arm band shows embroidered symbol and "1916". The band in my possession does not have any embroidery. The arm band looks like it was not well taken care of -- it has spots that look like they were created by bleach. I'm wondering if perhaps the embroidering was removed, leaving only the faded "template". Can someone comment as to why this arm band looks so different from the photos I see online? Could it be that it simply wasn't cared for and is in bad shape? The arm band was stuffed along with the medals in a small display box and wasn't even folded neatly.

HerrScheisse

:eek:

What a collection!

OConnorAJ

HerrScheisse wrote: »

:eek:

What a collection!

Thank you. I've only begun to research the significance of this collection as I'm trying to put together a historical account for my son, who the collection will eventually be passed on to. I would like him to have a true appreciation for it, unlike his father and grandfather before him.

I've attached additional photos. One shows the box in which the items were stored for decades. The medals were all attached to a blue leather strip, I presume to keep them together. I have never removed them from the strip, but not for the lack of trying. The pins were tight and I was afraid to apply too much pressure in fear of possibly breaking it. There is also a scan of a sketch done of my husband's grandfather while imprisoned in Frongoch. Texts read, "No. 1378 (or #1348) James O'Connor 1348 (1378?) Frongoch Camp, Bala, Wales. (sketched by) M. Kelly, Frongoch Oct 8th, 1916. "

Jagdtiger

OConnorAJ wrote: »

The medals were all attached to a blue leather strip, I presume to keep them together. I have never removed them from the strip, but not for the lack of trying. The pins were tight and I was afraid to apply too much pressure in fear of possibly breaking it.

Looks like the leather strip is a home made medal bar and as such would have been the way that the Great-grandfather would have worn his medals, no doubt proudly.

Very nice piece of family history! Have you looked to see if his name appears on the G.P.O. Roll of honour?

HerrScheisse

Did he follow a military career afterwards to be awarded the Emergency medal 1939-1946? If so, you could contact the military archives to see if they have a service record.
The veterans archive in Galway might also be able to help you with information from the War of independance era.

Jagdtiger

HerrScheisse wrote: »

Did he follow a military career afterwards to be awarded the Emergency medal 1939-1946? If so, you could contact the military archives to see if they have a service record.
The veterans archive in Galway might also be able to help you with information from the War of independance era.

Should there not be a witness statement from the rising too?

OConnorAJ

Jagdtiger wrote: »

Have you looked to see if his name appears on the G.P.O. Roll of honour?

I'm still new to this research and don't know what the G.P.O. Roll of honour is yet.

HerrScheisse wrote: »

Did he follow a military career afterwards to be awarded the Emergency medal 1939-1946? If so, you could contact the military archives to see if they have a service record.
The veterans archive in Galway might also be able to help you with information from the War of independance era.

My husband knows nothing of his grandfather. There was a "falling out" between his father and grandfather and the subject was rarely discussed. Grandfather passed away just before my husband's 5th birthday. I presume this is why this box of treasure was merely abused and cast aside for all this time. The inscription on the back of both the 1916 and War of Independence medals read, " "B" COY. 1st BATT" and "G.P.O." on a second line. We reside in the United States. Father-in-law emigrated to the United States via South Africa in 1953. It appears that I've got a lot of research to do. Any pointers in the right direction (that I can follow from here) will be greatly appreciated.

Jagdtiger wrote: »

Should there not be a witness statement from the rising too?

Another lead that I will follow once I discover what a "witness statement" is.

Jagdtiger

OConnorAJ wrote: »

Another lead that I will follow once I discover what a "witness statement" is.

In order for anyone to make a claim from the 1934 military service pensions act, a sworn statement had to be made before a referee about said persons military involvement in the 1916 Rising, war of independence, or civil war.

My Great-Grand Uncles statement proved to be a wealth of information on his service in the G.P.O. and his later activities as commandant of the Irish Citizen Army.

If he applied for a pension his statement should be in the Irish Military Archive. These statements I believe are only given to direct family, so you shouldn't have a problem.

As for the G.P.O. Garrison list (which I mistakenly called Roll of honour), it is a list of names and signatures of the men and women who were present in the G.P.O. Garrison in 1916. I found my copy online, but seem to have misplaced it.

OConnorAJ

Jagdtiger wrote: »

In order for anyone to make a claim from the 1934 military service pensions act, a sworn statement had to be made before a referee about said persons military involvement in the 1916 Rising, war of independence, or civil war.

My Great-Grand Uncles statement proved to be a wealth of information on his service in the G.P.O. and his later activities as commandant of the Irish Citizen Army.

If he applied for a pension his statement should be in the Irish Military Archive. These statements I believe are only given to direct family, so you shouldn't have a problem.

As for the G.P.O. Garrison list (which I mistakenly called Roll of honour), it is a list of names and signatures of the men and women who were present in the G.P.O. Garrison in 1916. I found my copy online, but seem to have misplaced it.

Thank you for the info, Jagdtiger. This is very helpful. I'm looking forward to the discoveries that lay ahead.

danpatjoe

That is a great family grouping you have there. You will have to apply to Cathal Brugha Barracks for the pension application, as they no longer deal directly with applicants at the Pensions Board in Galway.

Officer in Charge,
Military Archives,
Cathal Brugha Barracks,
Rathmines,
Dublin 6.

Here is a link that should help you researching information:
http://www.irishmedals.org/gpage14.html

Regards - Dan

The government intends to put all the pension applications on line before the end of the year, so there might be no need to write in.
The smaller version of the 1916 medal and the tan medal weren't issused but rather purchased by veterans at a later stage.


Approximately 270,000 files relating to the period from Easter Week, 1916 through the War
of Independence and Civil War to 30th
September 1923 comprise the Military Service
Pensions Archive (MSPA) collection. The purpose of the Military Service (1916-1923)
Pensions Archive Project is to make these records available to the public and to historians in
good time for the Centenary of the Easter Rising in 2016. The work of processing the
collection, under the direction of a Steering Committee comprising representatives of the
Departments of An Taoiseach and Defence, the Defence Forces and the National Archives, is
underway.
A phased release of material into the public domain is planned. The current intention is that
the first release will take place in 2011. This release will be online in the main and will
feature the personal files of participants in the events of 1916, the membership rolls of The
Dublin Brigade, Irish Volunteers, The Irish Citizen Army and the Kimmage Garrison as well
as the activities of Irish Volunteers in Dublin City and County, Counties Meath, Wexford,
Louth and Galway over Easter Week, 1916. Membership rolls of the Battalions and Companies of the 87 Brigades of the IRA from 1919-1922 and those of Cumann na mBan and
Na Fianna will be ready for a follow on or concurrent release at that time. Thereafter,
regular releases relating to the War of Independence and Civil War will occur in the run up to
2016

OConnorAJ

danpatjoe wrote: »

You will have to apply to Cathal Brugha Barracks for the pension application, as they no longer deal directly with applicants at the Pensions Board in Galway.

Regards - Dan

Thank you, Dan.

OConnorAJ

Deleted User wrote: »

The government intends to put all the pension applications on line before the end of the year, so there might be no need to write in.

Thank you, dursey. Could you please direct me to where I should follow up on the status of the online system?

johnny_doyle

some sample 1916 witness statements can be seen online at :

http://www.nationalarchives.ie/topics/1916/gallery.html

there appears to have been a meeting of survivors from the GPO in 1938 recorded on film

http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=20788

A list of GPO combatants appears on this thread :

http://www.dublin.ie/forums/showthread.php?15249-The-1916-Rising-Photographs/page20

OConnorAJ

OConnorAJ wrote: »

Thank you, dursey. Could you please direct me to where I should follow up on the status of the online system?

I don't know where they will be published, I wrote to Galway seeking details of my Grandparents pension file, after waiting a year for a reply, they said they were in Dublin being put online, 6 months later i'm still waiting

looks like the pension applications will be published here

http://www.militaryarchives.ie/