Over time, I have delved ever deeper into the details of my Grandfather Patrick’s experience of the Great War. Many others will have conducted similar research for their relatives. The almost casual acceptance of horrifying casualty rates stands out. The scale of the losses on the first day of the Battle of the Somme is…
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Massachusetts Thomas
I am continuing to explore the descendants of John Stanley and Winifred Kenney. (See Massachusetts Mary) This time it is the turn of Thomas. Civil registration started in Ireland in 1865. This doesn’t mean that all births after that time were recorded, but the majority of them were duly registered. Thomas was born on 21st…
Elizabeth McDermott: who was she and where did she go?
The relative dearth of information about my grandfather Patrick has forced me to examine leads that I would not normally pursue. Recently, I re-visited some of my earliest records. In November 2007, I received a report from the Roscommon Heritage and Genealogy Company. The baptismal sponsors for my Grandfather Patrick in March 1883 were Elizabeth…
The small print
In October 1902, Patrick signed Army Form B217 for a short service enlistment. It was for a total of 12 years, part on active service and the rest on reserve. Question 1 asks for the recruit’s name. (Starting with the difficult ones!) Question 2 provided the key information about Patrick’s place of birth. Question 18…