Research A Soldier

johnny_doyle

fm230549 wrote: »

Michael Whelan (Reg no 8917) was my Grandfathers brother. He died at the battle of La Bassee in France on 19th October 1914. His name is recorded on the Le Touret memorial (panels 11-12) Pas de Calais, France.

His military census record for 1911 just records his name, rank, regiment etc. but does not say where he was stationed at the time.

I would be interested in any evidence you may have of him being in India at the time. The family were never aware of any such posting.

is this the 1911 census record you have? Enumeration district India. The index of Ancestry says Painestown but the writing looks like Piercetown. No details of the station.

fm230549

johnny_doyle wrote: »

is this the 1911 census record you have? Enumeration district India. The index of Ancestry says Painestown but the writing looks like Piercetown. No details of the station.

Hi.

Yes this is the page I have. And his place of birth is Piercetown Co Wexford, about 3 miles south of Wexford Town.

I notice on the "1911 census:person search results" it lists him as 'Overseas Military' but does not state where he was serving, or am I missing something?

Many thanks for your info as it was a piece of Michael's history of which we were unaware.

johnny_doyle

fm230549 wrote: »

Hi.

I notice on the "1911 census:person search results" it lists him as 'Overseas Military' but does not state where he was serving, or am I missing something?

the text to go with the record. Sadly no barrack/town is mentioned.

Name: Michael Whelan
Age in 1911: 27
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1884
Relation to Head: Private
Birth Place: Painestown, Wexford, Ireland
County/Island: Military
Country: England
Marital Status: Single
Registration District Number: 641
ED, institution, or vessel: India
Piece: 34990

johnny_doyle

the will of Michael Whelan gives the name of his mother and her address

http://soldierswills.nationalarchives.ie/reels/sw/WhelanM_E147863.pdf


The will of 7389 Michael Whelan is also online and gives his sisters name and address

http://soldierswills.nationalarchives.ie/reels/sw/WhelanM_E159789.pdf

tdi150

Hi new to forum maybe somebody here could help me out looking for some info about my great grandfathers ww1 service record .John donoghue born cork 1872 my grandmother told me he fought in the boer war not sure .r.f.a regtl number 30187 .enlisted 2/11/1914 .theatre of war france 21/12/1914 transfered to athlone 24 feb 1919 this is all the info i have anymore would be greatly appreciated.

enfield

If he was a shoemaker on enlistment into the Munster Fusiliers in 1890 and born 1872 in Millstreet, then there are 4 pages of his records on Find My Past.
Cheers.
Tom.

Ponster

tdi150 wrote: »

Hi new to forum maybe somebody here could help me out looking for some info about my great grandfathers ww1 service record .John donoghue born cork 1872 my grandmother told me he fought in the boer war not sure .r.f.a regtl number 30187 .enlisted 2/11/1914 .theatre of war france 21/12/1914 transfered to athlone 24 feb 1919 this is all the info i have anymore would be greatly appreciated.

Sent you a PM.

Found some records an Ancestry and for the first time ever a death cert in a soldiers file. His 7 year-old daughter...

johnny_doyle

that's a very interesting service record with an entry for Field Punishment No 1, a query re cessation of separation allowance, death cert of daughter, a query amongst army bureaucrats re a compulsory transfer to the RGA but a posting to RFA at Larkhill.

Going thru his record :

RFA (SR) 5th Division - SR = Special Reserve
He notes on his attestation paper previous service RFA (TX) - TX = Time Expired (ie completion of service)
27th Reserve Battery RFA attested and posted , Gunner, 2/11/1914. There is a stamp signed on behalf of the Adjutant 5th A Reserve Brigade RFA.

The 27th battery was one of the 5th A Reserve Brigade units and was located at Athlone with 25th and 26th batteries. It was from here that artillery went to Dublin during the Easter Rising.

Think he is next in 99th Battery as Shoeing Smith from 26/11/1914. It is here he gets his Field Punishment from 4th to 18th June 1915.

Posted 6th Nov 1915 to a Base Depot. Can't make out the words either side. possibly Le Havre on his way to England.

Posted to 5C Reserve Brigade RFA on 9/11/1915. 5C consisted of 49th, 50th and 51st batteries and was at Charlton Park (Greenwich, London). There is a note about him being sick in Sheffield 9/11/1915.

Posted to 35th DAC (Divisional Ammunition Column) 25/1/1916.
Promoted to Shoeing Smith Corporal 31/1/1916

Posted to Ripon. Can't make out the date. 26/??/?? (suspect 26/8/1917 based on below)

There is some info about a problem with his ankle in July 1917. A Faint note about a hospital 4/8/17 and a note about Portsmouth Hospital 25/8/1917. It looks like he did something with his ankle/leg that got him shipped back to England and then to the depot at Ripon.

Compulsory transfer to RGA Reserve Brigade 21/3/1918 but resply by Officer Commanding 3C Reserve Brigade at Larkhill indicates he was posted to Larkhill from Northern Command Depot (Ripon, Yorkshire) 21/3/1918

24/2/1919 demob to Class Z reserve
Address 36 Spring Lane, Blackpool, Cork



The summary of his service shows :

Home 2/11/1914 to 20/12/14
France 21/12/1914 to 8/11/15 (Medal Index Card confirms France 21/12/14) looks like this was his time with 99th Battery
Home 9/11/15 to 1/2/16
France 2/2/16 to 7/8/17 Looks like this was his time with 35th DAC
Home 8/8/17 to 31/3/20 (presume date of release from Class Z reserve)

99th Battery was part of XX Brigade. 27th Division for most of WW1

35th DAC, as the name implies, was part of the 35th Division



He married in Oct 1899; first child Nov 1900; second child Sept 1902. Would suggest that he wasn't in the Boer War. Do you have any medals or paper from this conflict?

mickmackey1

Sorry, this is a bit of a stab in the dark but here goes :

Name : Patrick Walsh
B'date : 1885/86
Native of County Limerick
Profession : Medical Doctor

Regiment etc. : don't have a clue. This is all I know (apart from the fact he actually survived), think the family hushed it up a bit...

Thanks.

enfield

He is not listed in the Limerick papers of the time.
Cheers.
Tom.

johnny_doyle

a Patrick Walsh is listed in the medical registers with an address as Mortalstown, Kilfinane, Co Limerick. Qualified Edinburgh 1912 as LRCP and LRCS and Glasgow 1912 as LRFPS.

There is a medal card for a Lt, later Major, Patrick Walsh, Royal Army Medical Corps which carries the same address.

mickmackey1

johnny_doyle wrote: »

a Patrick Walsh is listed in the medical registers with an address as Mortalstown, Kilfinane, Co Limerick.

That's my man:) Any suggestions where I might get further info?

Much appreciated.

johnny_doyle

London Gazette has a few bits about his promotions (look under the Royal Army Medical Corps sections)

http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/28843/pages/4895

http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/31116/supplements/499

http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/32246/supplements/1780

This isn't an exhaustive search; will do some more this evening.

The British Medical Journal may have some info too.

If I remember correctly, officers service files are at the National Archives in Kew, London.

mickmackey1

Many thanks... I couldn't find any further relevant entries in the gazette, but when I searched 'capt. patrick walsh' exactly I only got :





whereas I should also have got :





so the silly search engine may also miss out on other entries...:(

mickmackey1

johnny_doyle wrote: »

There is a medal card for a Lt, later Major, Patrick Walsh, Royal Army Medical Corps which carries the same address.

Would there be a link for that? I'm looking at a medal card with that name now, but there's no address...

johnny_doyle

mickmackey1 wrote: »

Would there be a link for that? I'm looking at a medal card with that name now, but there's no address...

MIC Attached.

The London Gazette search engine is "challenging"

mickmackey1

Excellent - I now know that he got the set of campaign medals 'Pip, Squeak and Wilfred' and also learned something about a sword of his which had been lying in a dusty corner for ages. To complete the picture I just need some details of the battles he took part in!

johnny_doyle

don't be too disappointed if he took part in no battles.

A little bit about the RAMC at the outbreak of WW1 onwards can be found here

http://www.ramcjournal.com/2006/jun06/atenstaedt.pdf

Info re the development of Field Ambulance and some abbreviations you might come across can be found in this article

http://www.academia.edu/2037351/The_Royal_Army_Medical_Corps_and_the_Role_of_the_Field_Ambulance_on_the_Western_Front_1914_-_1918

mickmackey1

I should have mentioned that on his '1914 Star' medal, there's a clasp on the ribbon. According to this page : A narrow horizontal bronze clasp sewn onto the ribbon, bearing the dates '5th AUG. - 22nd NOV. 1914' shows that the recipient had actually served under fire of the enemy during that period.

johnny_doyle

sounds like you will need to get to Kew and see if his service records is available to fill in the details. Do you want me to post a query on the Great War Forum and see if any of the RAMC experts might have something on him?

I was hoping that there might have been something on the Uni of Edinburgh website giving some info re his war service but nothing found so far.

mickmackey1

johnny_doyle wrote: »

Do you want me to post a query on the Great War Forum and see if any of the RAMC experts might have something on him?

Yes, if you wouldn't mind - sorry for all this trouble.

I read the London govt. is putting 100 million into the centenary next year - maybe some of it should go to freeing up the service records aswell as the medal card archives...

galwaycyclist

I came across an item recently that looks like trench art but I am not sure.

It is made of four french coins that have been connected with metal loops. There are three 50 centime pieces and a 1898-1920 1 franc piece.

The coins have been polished and engraved as follows.

1 Franc: CSM Kelly 1/RDF 29 Division Ireland for Ever
50 centime: Gallipoli April 1915
50 centime: Vive la France
50 centime: this is engraved with a harp

Two of the 50 centimes are 1912 - I cant make out the date on the remaining one but it might be 1918 - which would mean its not trench art. (edit: Or at least not from Gallipoli)

Thoughts on CSM Kelly?

johnny_doyle

mickmackey1 wrote: »

Yes, if you wouldn't mind - sorry for all this trouble.

I read the London govt. is putting 100 million into the centenary next year - maybe some of it should go to freeing up the service records aswell as the medal card archives...

thought I'd replied but looks like I didn't. Apologies for that. The post on the GWF didn't reveal much I'm afraid

http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=191797&hl=

mickmackey1

johnny_doyle wrote: »

thought I'd replied but looks like I didn't. Apologies for that. The post on the GWF didn't reveal much I'm afraid

http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=191797&hl=

No worries, I hadn't been expecting anything new tbh.

kabakuyu

galwaycyclist wrote: »

I came across an item recently that looks like trench art but I am not sure.

It is made of four french coins that have been connected with metal loops. There are three 50 centime pieces and a 1898-1920 1 franc piece.

The coins have been polished and engraved as follows.

1 Franc: CSM Kelly 1/RDF 29 Division Ireland for Ever
50 centime: Gallipoli April 1915
50 centime: Vive la France
50 centime: this is engraved with a harp

Two of the 50 centimes are 1912 - I cant make out the date on the remaining one but it might be 1918 - which would mean its not trench art. (edit: Or at least not from Gallipoli)

Thoughts on CSM Kelly?

can you post a pic of it?

galwaycyclist

kabakuyu wrote: »

can you post a pic of it?

Here it is



I dont have a pic to hand of the reverse side

The small coin at the left may have been part of it. That coin appears to be British (the reverse has victoria regina but I can't see a date) I can't make out what that engraving is.

johnny_doyle

that's a very nice item you have there.

CWGC has 30 Company Serjeant Majors from the RDF as casualties. CSM Kelly isn't one of them. 3 CSM's from 1/RDF killed at Gallipoli (Bedding, O'Keeffe and Shannon) plus 1 QMS (Thurlow) and 1 RSM (O'Mahoney)

1/RDF war diary at Gallipoli has :

Acting CSM Christopher McCann, Y Company (no 9809, awarded DCM,later a Lt)

Acting CSM Patrick Byrne, Z Company (no 5702) KiA October 1915.

Nothing coming up anywhere along the line re CSM Kelly so far.

Morpheus

hi guys

Dont know if you can help me, but Im looking for information about a patrick dowling

Killed in the battle of the coronel

Crew member on HMS Monmouth

details I have so far:
DOWLING
Patrick
346003
Shipwright 2nd Class
Monmouth

thats all we have to go on, may be that its all that we can get.

Also looking for information about any
Dowlings
or
McCombs from Balbriggan, Ireland
Wouldve Served in France (possibly Flanders) in WW1,

one may have been killed but one definitely survived, injured I believed and returned home, serving possibly in the medical corps, again very little to go on im afraid.

Any help or pointers are welcome

enfield

Dublin Christopher Dowling Private Leinster Regiment 1st Battalion. 9859 05/05/1915 24 Killed in action Son of Edward and Elizabeth Dowling, of 61, Francis Street, Dublin. Panel 44. Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial in Belgium.
Dublin Frederick Payne Dowling Lieutenant Royal Dublin Fusiliers 1st Battalion. 07/08/1917 19 Killed in action Son of John W. and Maria Dowling, of "Glencoe," 38, Hollybrook Road, Clontarf, Dublin. Panel 44 and 46. Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial in Belgium.
.Henry James Dowling (CWGC). Dublin James Dowling Private Leinster Regiment 1st Battalion. 4751 15/05/1915 19 Dublin Drogheda, County Louth Died of wounds Son of James and Mary Dowling, of Dorset Street Fire Station, Dublin. VIII. D. 7. Boulogne Eastern Cemetery in France.
Dublin John Joseph Dowling Stoker 2nd Class Royal Navy H.M.S. "Victory" K/53483 12/09/1918 19 Dublin Son of Jane Dowling, of 625, Agryle Street, Anderston, Glasgow, and the late John Dowling. Born at Dublin. B. 15. 6. Haslar Royal Naval Cemetery, Hampshire.
Dublin Michael John Dowling Private Irish Guards 2nd Battalion 6221 10/12/1917 31 Dublin Dublin Tullow, County Carlow Died Son of Peter and Anne Dowling, of Slaney Quarter, Tullow, Co. Carlow. Irish Independent; In Memoriam. Second Anniversary-In loving memory of Michael Dowling, formerly, R.I.C., afterwards Irish Guards, eldest son of Peter and the late Anne Dowling, Slaney Quarter, Tullow, County Carlow, who was killed in action in France on December 10, 1917. R.I.P._Inserted by his relatives in Tullow and Dublin. Irish Independent; Dowling-In loving memory of Michael Dowling, formerly R.I.C., afterwards Irish Guards, eldest son of Peter and the late Anne Dowling, Slaney Quarter, Tullow, County Carlow, who was killed in France on Decemebr 10, 1917. R.I.P.-Inserted by his relatives in Tullow and Dublin. V D 38 Duisans British Cemetery, Etrun in France. Also listed under Tullow on the Great War Memorial, Milford Street, Leighlinbridge, County Carlow.
Dublin Patrick Dowling Sergeant Cheshire Regiment 1st Battalion. 9037 05/05/1918 27 St Mary's, Dublin Dublin Died at home Son of Joseph Dowling, of 16, Portland Place North, Drumcondra, Dublin. RC. 559. Grangegorman Military Cemetery in Dublin.
Dublin Patrick Dowling Private Leinster Regiment Depot 7386 03/11/1918 Dublin Dublin Died at home Husband of E. Dowling, of 29, Hanbury Lane, Meath Street, Dublin. RC. 628. Grangegorman Military Cemetery in Dublin.
Dublin Patrick Dowling Shipwright 2nd Class Royal Navy H.M.S. "Monmouth." 346003 01/11/1914 35 Son of John and Elizabeth Dowling, of Drogheda Street, Balbriggan, County Dublin. 4 Plymouth Naval Memorial, UK
Dublin Patrick Christopher Dowling Private Royal Dublin Fusiliers 1st Battalion. 19243 04/05/1918 20 Dublin Dublin Killed in action Son of James and Elizabeth Dowling, of 5, Seafield Road, New Ferry, Cheshire. Native of Dublin. C. 9. Nieppe-Bois (Rue-Du-Bois) British Cemetery, Vieux-Berquin, Nord in France.

enfield

Dublin John Dowling Private Royal Dublin Fusiliers. 1st Battalion 11078 25/04/1915 Dublin Dublin Killed in Action in Gallipoli Special Memorial A 40 V Beach Cemetery in Turkey.
Dublin Joseph Dowling Sergeant Royal Dublin Fusiliers. 1st Battalion 10422 25/04/1915 Dublin Dublin Killed in Action in Gallipoli Special Memorial A 41 V Beach Cemetery in Turkey.
Dublin Lawrence Dowling Private Yorkshire Light Infantry 2nd Battalion 10995 18/04/1915 St Catherine's, Dublin Dublin Killed in Action Panel 47 Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial in Belgium.
Formerly he was with the Royal Dublin Fusiliers where his number was 13084. Dublin Louis W Dowling Sergeant Royal Irish Fusiliers 1st Garrison Battalion G/151 30/09/1918 Dublin Dublin Died at home St Paul's, CD. 53. 5. Glasnevin (or Prospect) Cemetery.
Dublin Owen Dowling Private Royal Dublin Fusiliers. 2nd Battalion 11069 25/04/1915 21 Dublin Naas, County Kildare Dublin Killed in Action Son of the late Mr. and Mrs. Martin Dowling. Panel 44 and 46 Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial in Belgium.
Dublin Robert Dowling Private Royal Dublin Fusiliers. 2nd Battalion 11589 03/12/1914 Dublin Dublin Died of wounds III B 53 Boulogne Eastern Cemetery in France.
Dublin William Dowling Private Leinster Regiment 1st Battalion 3782 12/05/1915 Dublin Stirling Killed in Action Panel 44 Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial in Belgium.