Jump to content
Free downloads from TNA ×
The Great War (1914-1918) Forum

Remembered Today:

Major Andrew William Palethorpe Todd MC, RAMC


johnny_doyle

Recommended Posts

with the passing today of Dublin born actor Richard Todd, thought it might be worthwhile mentioning his father Andrew Todd who served with the RAMC during WW1, reaching the rank of Major and awarded an MC

http://www.bmj.com/cgi/issue_pdf/admin_pdf/1/4244.pdf

In the 1911 census he is living in Dublin with his mother and is recorded as a Student of Medicine :

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/reels/nai000113162/

Just before WW1, Andrew Todd played rugby for Ireland

http://www.scrum.com/ireland/rugby/player/2394.html

He died in 1942 and is on the CWGC database :

http://www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_detail...asualty=2929214

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I learn something every day!

Somehow, as an Irishman, I never thought of Richard Todd as a fellow Irishman. I see from his biography that he did not spend much of his life in Ireland, but his father seems to have been Irish through and through.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I learn something every day!

Somehow, as an Irishman, I never thought of Richard Todd as a fellow Irishman. I see from his biography that he did not spend much of his life in Ireland, but his father seems to have been Irish through and through.

His mother (Marvill/Marvilla Rose Agar-Daly) has some link with Ballymalis Castle in Co Kerry.

The father's Medal Card gives Albrecht Lodge, Toome Bridge, Co Antrim as an address.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Brilliant - did you see my post in the original Richard Todd thread ...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I hope this is not a hijack or wild goosechase, but almost 20 years ago there was a Lt Col Palethorpe RAMC at the Cambridge Military Hospital in Aldershot.

Perhaps the Palethorpe medical link was still extant then?

Cheers,

Nigel

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Brilliant - did you see my post in the original Richard Todd thread ...

sorry, I've not seen the thread. Just did a search but couldn't find it. Do you have a link?

Todd appears to have been in the Army when he played for Ireland in 1913/14 :

http://www.aru.org.uk/aru-history-caps.htm

I know he entered Trinity in 1910 but didn't qualify as a Dr until July 1915 (according to the Medical Council records).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Richard Todd was a frequent visitor to Brecart Lodge near Toomebridge .. his mother and her parents are buried in the nearby Church Of Ireland Cemetery at Duneane.

It seems he was raised with his mother's family, the Hunters of Brecart Lodge until the age of nine and the death of his mother (she may have committed suicide). He moved to Devon with his father but spent most summers at Brecart until outbreak of war when he enlisted.

In 1970 while making a TV documentary about his life, he told the Ballymena Times: "I have always regarded Toomebridge as my home because it was there that I spent the happiest days of my life."

His paternal grandfather was a native of Castlederg, Co. Tyrone and practised at the Irish bar before becoming a countu court judge and later recorders of Londonderry. As stated previously, his father 'Drew', won the MC with RAMC in WW1. After the war he took his family to India briefly but came home to be a GP in the village of Moneymore.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Richard Todd was a frequent visitor to Brecart Lodge near Toomebridge .. his mother and her parents are buried in the nearby Church Of Ireland Cemetery at Duneane.

It seems he was raised with his mother's family, the Hunters of Brecart Lodge until the age of nine and the death of his mother (she may have committed suicide). He moved to Devon with his father but spent most summers at Brecart until outbreak of war when he enlisted.

In 1970 while making a TV documentary about his life, he told the Ballymena Times: "I have always regarded Toomebridge as my home because it was there that I spent the happiest days of my life."

His paternal grandfather was a native of Castlederg, Co. Tyrone and practised at the Irish bar before becoming a countu court judge and later recorders of Londonderry. As stated previously, his father 'Drew', won the MC with RAMC in WW1. After the war he took his family to India briefly but came home to be a GP in the village of Moneymore.

thanks for this info. The Hunters were his mother's step family - her mother (Amy Fane) was originally married to Richard Agar Daly; she re-married to Samuel Hunter (born Co Monaghan; died Co Cork). The family were living in Clifton, Co Antrim when the 1911 census was taken (Marvilla is down as Daly)

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/reels/nai001431954/

One of the Hunter's sons (Albert Victor Hunter) served with the Australian 12th Light Horse from 1916 to 1919 and was involved in the charge at Beersheba :

http://www.aif.adfa.edu.au:8080/showPerson?pid=147336

http://alh-research.tripod.com/Light_Horse...sheba-12th-lhr/

http://www.awm.gov.au/blog/2007/10/30/the-...e-at-beersheba/

He was discharged in London and gave Toomebridge as his address. He returned to Australia aprox 1923 and died there in 1954.

I had a look on Ancestry's Medical Council records and found Andrew at the following addresses :

1919 Belvedere, Ailesbury Road, Dublin

1923 Springvale, Moneymore, Co Derry

1927 The Elms, Holdsworthy, Devon

1931 19 New North Road, Exeter

1939 Fyfin, Church Road, Broadstone, Dorset

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I hope this is not a hijack or wild goosechase, but almost 20 years ago there was a Lt Col Palethorpe RAMC at the Cambridge Military Hospital in Aldershot.

Perhaps the Palethorpe medical link was still extant then?

Cheers,

Nigel

I think the Palethorpe connection is from England but have yet to find out details. It is an unusual name. There doesn't appear (yet) to be anyone else in Todd's tree who was in the medical profession so it may well be something from the Palethorpe side of things. Purely speculation at this stage though.

There is a Palethorpe family which seems to have come from England living in Ballymena in 1911.

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/reels/nai001355303/

The father appears to have been a Captain in the ASC and one of the sons served in WW1 :

http://www.freewebs.com/snake43/recruitspremay1915.htm

http://www.freewebs.com/snake43/weeklywar1916.htm

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 6 years later...

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...