Pte. John Flynn

[FROGSMILE]

1 hour ago, Anthony466 said:

Fantastic information and it sits well with our date for the photo which we think is 1910. 

thanks

anthony

I’m glad to help Anthony.  Another important point about training as a Boy Drummer with the militia/SR is that they were taught to play/sound three instruments, the Drum, the Fife (a simpler, military flute) and the Bugle.  Working class families could not usually afford a piano even if they’d wanted one, but like the vast majority of families in the land they liked music and, before the days of mass music brought by the wireless and stylophone/record player, families made their own music, so to have a boy who could play meant music during family festivities.  You can perhaps imagine how that benefited community cèilidhs alongside the local fiddle players, etc.

Edited 8 November , 2021 by FROGSMILE

[Anthony466]

Just now, FROGSMILE said:

I’m glad to help Anthony.  Another important point about training as a Boy Drummer is that they were taught to play/sound three instruments, the Drum, the Fife (a simpler, military flute) and the Bugle.  Working class families could not usually afford a piano even if they’d wanted one, but like the vast majority of families in the land they liked music and before the days of mass music brought by the wireless and stylophone/record player families made their own music so to have a boy who could play meant music during family festivities.  You can perhaps imagine how that benefited community cèilidhs.

Very true about the social aspect of music. My mother lived on Ballina from 1942 to 1950 and she is the daughter of Peter Flynn, the baby in the photo. They did not have a radio in the house and would go to the house of Thomas Flynn her half-uncle, one of the seven brothers, to listen to their radio. Having a relative that could play music was quite a big deal.

anthony

[Anthony466]

21 hours ago, George Rayner said:

Try, in Fold3 Filter box at top of page

Ireland

Flynn, William

767

88th Foot (Connaught Ranger)

George

or

Fold3 Search

George

George,

Using another browser, it all seems to work now. I can get the documents that you posted. As you correctly say, this form is a re-enlistment, so it begs the question what was William's service number on initial enlistment? I presume a different number. He re-enlists in 1889, quoting 14 years previous service, so as he was born in 1855, I calculate the initial enlistment to be between 1870 (at sixteen if this was the low limit) and 1874. Would these records still exixt?

thanks 

anthony

[ss002d6252]

53 minutes ago, Anthony466 said:

George,

Using another browser, it all seems to work now. I can get the documents that you posted. As you correctly say, this form is a re-enlistment, so it begs the question what was William's service number on initial enlistment? I presume a different number. He re-enlists in 1889, quoting 14 years previous service, so as he was born in 1855, I calculate the initial enlistment to be between 1870 (at sixteen if this was the low limit) and 1874. Would these records still exixt?

thanks 

anthony

He could have enlisted from age 14.

The number depends if he enlisted after a break in serfvice or if he re-enlisted as a continuation of existing service - in the former the number would change , in the latter it would remain the same.

Craig

[Anthony466]

20 hours ago, ss002d6252 said:

He could have enlisted from age 14.

The number depends if he enlisted after a break in serfvice or if he re-enlisted as a continuation of existing service - in the former the number would change , in the latter it would remain the same.

Craig

Thank you Craig. I am learning so much thanks to the folk on this forum. Do all enlistment forms exist or did some go lost over the years, or are there gaps for historical reasons?

thanks

anthony

[ss002d6252]

50 minutes ago, Anthony466 said:

Thank you Craig. I am learning so much thanks to the folk on this forum. Do all enlistment forms exist or did some go lost over the years, or are there gaps for historical reasons?

thanks

anthony

They were often scrapped after a period of time, rather than hang on to (as they saw it) uneeded paperwork. The record office fire of ww2 also saw to the destruction of more of any then surviving records.

Craig

[Anthony466]

35 minutes ago, ss002d6252 said:

They were often scrapped after a period of time, rather than hang on to (as they saw it) uneeded paperwork. The record office fire of ww2 also saw to the destruction of more of any then surviving records.

Craig

Thanks very much for the info. It in fact surprised me that the documentation exists for some brothers but not others in the same approx period.

I guess they just considered it of little value at the time

cheers

anthony

[Anthony466]

To come back to the original post by PJ Clarke concerning John Flynn, thanks to the help of members here in accessing Fold3, I think that John had three service numbers:

Initially in 1895  3rd Connaught Ranger 1269, then a transfer to Leinster Regiment in 1898 as 5426, and successively again as a Connaught Ranger no. 294.

regards

anthony

[Anthony466]

Truly amazing what is online these days. Again thanks to those in this forum who pointed me in the right direction

anthony

[Anthony466]

Recently found a photo of William Flynn, father of the seven soldiers, as a younger man. The wonders of Ebay....

 

[Anthony466]

Photo just emerged of John Flynn, not long beofre he died (COD was GSW to mouth sustained in service at Salonika).