Irish soldiers in WW1

jos28 · 04-06-2007 1:35pm #1

Just wondering if anyone would know where my Grandfather might have been sent to during WW1. He died before I was born and there is no-one left in the family that knew a lot about him. He joined up with his brother in June 1915. I searched on the National Archives website and found that he joined the Royal Engineers. The details listed state his rank was 'sapper'. He had 2 medals. looks like 'victory RE/101B and Star RE/22B. Theatre of war served in (1). I contacted National Archives but according to them, there is only a 40% chance of finding his full record.
Apparently, like many others, he never spoke about this time in his life. I would love to have some idea where he went and what he did during WW1.

Dub13 · 04-06-2007 2:16pm

For service records upto the end of the First World War you need to contact The National Archives (TNA) at Kew,

National Archives
Ruskin Avenue
Kew
Richmond
Surrey
TW9 4DU

Tel: 0208 876 3444
www.nationalarchives.gov.uk

OS119 · 04-06-2007 5:29pm

theres a big hole in the WW1 service records because the building containing them was bombed in WW2. kind of ironic...

the people at Kew are very helpful, if the records still exist they'll do their best. once you find out about units and dates etc.. then the National Army Museum and the Imperial War Museum will probably be able to help put some detail on to the bare facts of his service history.

good luck.

SpitfireIV · 04-06-2007 8:35pm

jos28, I left a reply to this query in the history forum

Parsnips84 · 20-08-2015 6:12pm

Hi my great grandad fought in ww1 richard parsons he was blinded in the war and given army housing in churchtown dublin I know this housing was part of a fund set up to take care of the exsoldiers but I have yet to find a service number or regiment id be greatful for any help he lived in number 3 churchtown little if that makes any difference thanks

ohnonotgmail · 21-08-2015 3:31pm

have you tried contacting the national archives using the details above? you would probably need to know his middle name and his date of birth to have a chance of success.

Parsnips84 · 21-08-2015 5:12pm

Hi yeah was onto them today with the information they sent me some links to try but said I'd probably have to go to the archives in kew in order to have any chance of finding stuff but that 98% of the service records were destroyed in the forties so it doesn't look too good his middle name was john and was born 19 July 1878 which made him kinda old to be going off to fight would have been in his mid to late thirties depending on if he went in at the start of the war or later was hoping online forums might shed some clues

ohnonotgmail · 21-08-2015 5:19pm

could they tell you what regiment he was in? regimental records would be then be your next step.

Parsnips84 · 21-08-2015 5:47pm

No they said the search they did didn't turn up anything but that wasn't to say it was there just that it might require a more speculative search in the actual reading room but I think your right my next step should be the regiments I think I will get onto the royal Dublin fusiliers and Irish guards along with other archives and see if they know something :-)

Jawgap · 22-08-2015 8:06am

Did you try searching the Medal Card Index - chances are he was definitely awarded one or other of the Victory Medals / Stars. The index will have his service number and, if he had one, regimental number.

Hopefully, you can then use that to locate his service record.

Jawgap · 22-08-2015 8:18am

I see there was a 'Richard Parsons' who served with the Leinsters

http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D4535888

......you also need to be sure he served with an Irish regiment.

A quick check shows the 1st Bn were gassed at 2nd Ypres and the 7th Bn were gassed at Hulluch near Loos.

Parsnips84 · 22-08-2015 8:53pm

Hi yeah I'll give the medal card index a go also will try that link you mentioned cheers you maybe right about been sure he was in a Irish regiment I was just assuming that's what he would of done because he was from and living in Dublin before the war but will be worth checking English regiments too thanks :-)

Busted Flat. · 22-08-2015 9:13pm

Anyone ever try and compile a register of all the WW1 soldiers who fought in Europe and came back and fought for our independence. There are quiet a few.

Jawgap · 22-08-2015 10:43pm

Parsnips84 wrote: »

Hi yeah I'll give the medal card index a go also will try that link you mentioned cheers you maybe right about been sure he was in a Irish regiment I was just assuming that's what he would of done because he was from and living in Dublin before the war but will be worth checking English regiments too thanks :-)

Worth checking up on it. My great-grandfather was born and reared in Dublin (around Smithfield) - he enlisted for the first time in 1899 and somehow as a Dub he ended up in Galway in the Connaught Rangers! According to family lore that trip to their depot was his first time outside Dublin.

johnny_doyle · 24-08-2015 7:56pm

Parsnips84 wrote: »

No they said the search they did didn't turn up anything but that wasn't to say it was there just that it might require a more speculative search in the actual reading room but I think your right my next step should be the regiments I think I will get onto the royal Dublin fusiliers and Irish guards along with other archives and see if they know something :-)

your best bet would be the pension records held offline by the Western Front Association

http://www.westernfrontassociation.com/all-about-the-wfa/wfa-news-events/pension-records/pension-record-lookup-request-fee.html#sthash.kLDgUSf4.dpbs

There appear to be 56 Richard Parsons with Army medal index cards on Ancestry. 24 have another middle initial. 4 have a J as a middle initial but none seem to indicate being discharged through wounds. Of these 4, 1 has an address in South Wales.

10 Richard Parsons appear on the Silver War Badge Rolls indicating early discharge (wounds or illness)

Richard Parsons in the Leinster Regiment, number 7/3274, enlisted 15th June 1915 and was discharged due to wounds 12th March 1917. Entitled to the Victory Medal and the British War Medal. Awarded a Silver War Badge.

If anyone in the family had his medals his rank, number and unit would be recorded.

http://johnny-doyle.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/irish-soldiers-ww1.html

Parsnips84 · 24-08-2015 9:09pm

Hi wow thankyou for gathering up that information for me the last one in the leinster regiment maybe worth a gamble to look into as if there is a record of the wounds he sustained then I maybe able to find out if indeed he is my guy I think I can rule out the four living in south wales as I have a electoral register listing my great grandad as living in McGee court Charlotte street Dublin 1914 also the others containing initals other than the letter j I can cancel out as I know his middle name was john but other than been on his birth cert I don't think it was ever used as I have his marriage cert and death cert and neither list it I have asked my aunt to ask round some of her cousins to see if anyone has medals so hopefully someone will fill in a few gaps in the mystery of him and his military service :-) will check out the links you have mentioned :-)

johnny_doyle · 25-08-2015 2:42pm

Of the 10 with Silver War Badge roll entries I would discount the following 7

1. 025312 L/Cpl Army Ordnance Corps. Born 1867
2. SR/9310 Acting Cpl RE/RGA. Old soldier from Leeds recalled to the colours.
3. WR505424 RE Pioneer. From Devon
4. 14797 Sgt Devonshire Regt. Aged 57 discharged 1918, Lumbago
5. G/61720 17th Bn Royal Fusiliers from Eastbourne, Sussex
6. 441133 Private RAMC aged 37 years 10months on discharge in 1919
7. 10679 Army Veterinary Corps. Aged 46 on discharge in Feb 1919

Leaving 3 possibles of which I'd say no 9 is an unlikely
8. 22771 Private Wiltshire Regt. Enlisted 27/11/1915; discharged 2/6/1919 wounds. No theatre shown on MIC
9. 14956 Cpl Worcestershire Regt enlisted 30/8/1914; discharged 7/6/1916 sickness. MIC shows entered Balkans (ie Gallipoli) theatre 2/10/1915.
10. = Leinster Regt soldier already mentioned

Parsnips84 · 30-08-2015 10:52am

Hi that's a big help you narrowed it down even more for me thankyou :-) your right I can dismiss most of them as the information doesn't fit what I know of him but that last one number 10 of the leinster regiment still stands out it be brilliant if it were him fingers crossed I'll find out if my great grandads medals are with family cause I definetly think he would of received them after been blinded in the war if you find anymore information I'd be over the moon to read it :-)

johnny_doyle · 30-08-2015 8:37pm

Good luck with your hunt!

If you do find the medals or any other bit of documentation (photo in uniform) somewhere in the family it would be easier that taking guesses through various archives.

Let us know how you get on.

Parsnips84 · 30-08-2015 8:46pm

Your right scouring online records are only gonna get me so far its all a guessing game of who's who without something more concrete to go on but will definetly let you know if I turn up any pics or medals or any kind of service record in the family thankyou again :-)

Snickers Man · 10-11-2015 4:42pm

jos28 wrote: »

Just wondering if anyone would know where my Grandfather might have been sent to during WW1. He died before I was born and there is no-one left in the family that knew a lot about him. He joined up with his brother in June 1915. I searched on the National Archives website and found that he joined the Royal Engineers. The details listed state his rank was 'sapper'. He had 2 medals. looks like 'victory RE/101B and Star RE/22B. Theatre of war served in (1). I contacted National Archives but according to them, there is only a 40% chance of finding his full record.
Apparently, like many others, he never spoke about this time in his life. I would love to have some idea where he went and what he did during WW1.

Do you know what unit of the engineers he served with? This website is pretty good for giving summaries of what units served where. If you know what branch of the engineers he was with (Field Company, Fortress Engineers, Tunnelling Companies) and what unit he was with eg no of Field Company, you can find out what Division he was attached to and then through the summary of that Division's postings build up a picture of where he might have been.

Can be a bit tricky for the Royal Engineers but play around a bit and you could be lucky.

Parsnips84 · 25-09-2016 2:42pm

johnny_doyle wrote: »

Good luck with your hunt!

If you do find the medals or any other bit of documentation (photo in uniform) somewhere in the family it would be easier that taking guesses through various archives.

Let us know how you get on.

Hi i found him it was him in the leinster regiment discharged because of wounds in 1917 i found a article in the newspaper with a picture of him in uniform thanks for all your help kind regards

Irish soldiers in WW1

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