Connaught Rangers Mutiny

[archangel9]

Tom,

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documen...p;resultcount=1

This is Williams MIC.

Medal card of Conan, Willie

Corps Regiment No Rank

Connaught Rangers 7614 Private

Connaught Rangers 35092 Private

Check your email.

John

[museumtom]

Hello John. many thanks for the MIC, I actually did have it, like yourself I got if using his number. He changed it to his correct name later. He used his real name in ww2.

Regards.

Tom.

[mhifle]

Hi Mark. Any information in the book about how these men died, and how long after leaving prison that they died?

Regards John

Hi John,

Sorry I do not have the book anymore I got via the Intra Library Loan service

Mark

[karen777]

Hi John

Joseph Woods was my grandfather, I only found out about this a couple of years ago. I got the Battalion Orders and other paperwork sent to me from the National Archives. I can type the list of those tried if that's any help?

[shirleyannmarch]

Tom,

Did William Coman have WW1 service? Can't find a MIC or any records for him.

This raises another point for me, which someone might be able to answer, about the men who had WW1 service and continued to serve with the Rangers post war, (e.g. Sergeant Joseph Woods, 15240, L/Cpl Patrick Dyer, 11056) and who were involved in the mutiny. Would the MoD hold their service records?

John

[shirleyannmarch]

Hi

I am the granddaughter of LANCE CORPORAL PATRICK DYER 7143531 (11056 ) who was in the connaught rangers in 1920 ,he was inprison for his part in the muting , but i know very little about anything else,so if anyone can help that would be great

[archangel9]

I think Patrick Dyer was from Ballymote. I'm away from home at the moment but I'll have a search later.

John

[jdoyle]

11056 was awarded a Silver Medal (by the Russians as far as I can tell) in Feb 1917

http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/29945/supplements/1613

He is mentioned in a 1930 Dail Eireann debate with others

http://historical-debates.oireachtas.ie/D/0036/D.0036.193012100072.html

[archangel9]

L/Cpl. Patrick Dyer. 5th Bn. Connaught Rangers. Theatre of War 2( b ) Balkans, 22/9/1915. He continued in the service post Great War up to the mutiny when he was "discharged with ignominy" forfeiting all medals. I believe, but cannot be certain, that his service record is still with the MoD.

http://www.mod.uk/De...cePersonnel.htm

He was sentenced to 3 years imprisonment for his part in the mutiny and was released on 29/03/1922, there were seven other men released around the same time, each had been sentenced to either 3 years or 5 years with 2 remitted. The rest, sentences ranging from 5 years to death commuted to life, were pardoned and released in January 1923 after negotiations between the British and Irish governments.

John

[shirleyannmarch]

Hi John

thank you for that , my grandfather was from ballmote

shirley

I think Patrick Dyer was from Ballymote. I'm away from home at the moment but I'll have a search later.

John

[shirleyannmarch]

HI

I HAVE GOT A RECORD OF HIS MEDALS NOW SO I WILL WRITE TO THE MOD FOR MORE INFOR

THANKS ONCE AGAIN

L/Cpl. Patrick Dyer. 5th Bn. Connaught Rangers. Theatre of War 2( b ) Balkans, 22/9/1915. He continued in the service post Great War up to the mutiny when he was "discharged with ignominy" forfeiting all medals. I believe, but cannot be certain, that his service record is still with the MoD.

http://www.mod.uk/De...cePersonnel.htm

He was sentenced to 3 years imprisonment for his part in the mutiny and was released on 29/03/1922, there were seven other men released around the same time, each had been sentenced to either 3 years or 5 years with 2 remitted. The rest, sentences ranging from 5 years to death commuted to life, were pardoned and released in January 1923 after negotiations between the British and Irish governments.

John

[archangel9]

Shirley,

Hopefully his record is with the MoD. Please let me know if it is.

Good luck.

John

[Guest tnawracaj]

L/Cpl. Patrick Dyer. Hi! My grandmother is the daughter of Patrick Dyer I've started doing research about this recently Im not sure who Shirley is actually. I pulled some records and Im not finding consistent information pertaining this part of his life. After Patrick was released from prison and discharged he came to the US to Providence RI. Pauline my grandmother doesnt remember much of what happened earlier in his life or much about the war. From what he used to tell her he came from Mayo not Ballymote. Found this too from Dail Eireann- Volume 36- 10 December, 1930 Private Deputies Business. Case of Connaught Rangers. "Patrick Dyer, Ballymote, two years' imprisonment, wife and three children in bad circumstances, suffered severely from malaria." He lied on his enlistment paperwork and was born 1898 I know that much from what im looking at here. Im working on Ancestry.com soon on our family tree hope this helps.

1914/15 Star

Authorised in 1918, the 1914/15 Star was awarded to personnel who saw service in France and Flanders from 23 November 1914 to 31 December 1915, and to personnel who saw service in any other operational theatre from 5 August 1914 to 31 December 1915.

British War Medal

The British War Medal 1914-1920, authorised in 1919, was awarded to eligible service personnel and civilians. Qualifications for the award varied slightly according to service. The basic requirement for army personnel and civilians was that they either entered a theatre of war, or rendered approved service overseas between 5 August 1914 and 11 November 1918. Service in Russia in 1919 and 1920 also qualified for the award.

Victory Medal

The Victory Medal 1914-1919 was also authorised in 1919 and was awarded to all eligible personnel who served on the establishment of a unit in an operational theatre.

[Guest tnawracaj]

THE WESTERN FRONT FRANCE & FLANDERS 1914-1915.

All four battalions of the Connaught Rangers served in France and Flanders during the course of the War. On August 14, 1914 the 2nd battalion arrived at the port of Boulogne in France, to cheering French crowds, as part of the original British Expeditionary Force (BEF). During the opening phase of the War they took part in the:

• The retreat from Mons. August 1914.
  
• Battle of Coup De Soupir Farm. September 1914.
  
• Battle of the Aisne. September 1914.
  
• First Battle of Ypres. October – November 1914.
  

On December 2nd 1914, due to mounting casualties, the 2nd battalion was disbanded and amalgamated with 1st battalion Connaught Rangers at Le Touret in France. On September 26, 1914 the 1st battalion of the Connaught Rangers arrived at the Port of Marseilles having left the port of Karachi on the Indian subcontinent a month before.

Throughout 1914 & 1915 they took part in:

• The First Battle of Messines. October 1914.
  
• The Battle of Festubert. November 1914.
  
• Battle of Neuve Chapelle. March 1915.
  
• Second Battle of Ypres. April 1915.
  
• Battle of Loos. September 1915.
  

On December 11, 1915 the 1st Battalion returned to Marseilles and left for Mesopotamia (Iraq).

THE WESTERN FRONT FRANCE & FLANDERS 1916-1918.

On December 18, 1915 the 6th (Service) battalion Connaught Rangers arrived at the Port of Le Harve in France. This battalion served in France & Flanders all through 1916, 1917 and into early 1918. They took part in:

• The Battles of Guillemont and Ginchy on the Somme. September 1916.
  
• Battle of Messines. June 1917.
  
• Third battle of Ypres (Passchendaele) August 1917.
  

On March 21st 1918 the 6th battalion Connaught Rangers was caught in the middle of the great German offensive and suffered such heavy casualties that the battalion could no longer be sustained and was disbanded in April 1918. On June 1, 1918 the 5th (Service) battalion Connaught Rangers arrived at the Port of Marseilles from Egypt. After a period of segregation to prevent the spread of malaria they took part in the final Allied offensive in which the tide of the War was turned in the favour of the Allies with the participation of the army of the United States.

The 5th Battalion Connaught Rangers took part in two major actions France in October 1918.

• Serain
  
• Le Cateau.
  

At the Armistice on November 11th 1918 they were the only battalion of the Connaught Rangers on the Western Front.

GALLIPOLI – THE ATTEMPT TO INVADE TURKEY.

On April 25, 1915, Allied troops – Anzac (Australian and New Zealand), British and French landed on the Gallipoli Peninsula in an attempt to Take Istanbul and put Turkey, a strong ally of Germany, out of the War. Turkish resistance to the invasion proved formidable and Allied troops failed to take the high ground. The Gallipoli campaign turned into a disaster and in August 1915 a second offensive began in an attempt to break the stalemate and get the Allied troops of the beaches and move inland. Fresh, mainly newly recruited soldiers were drafted from Britain including the 5th battalion Connaught Rangers. The 5th Connaught Rangers landed at Anzac Cove on the Peninsula in the early hours of August 6, 1915. For the next seven weeks the Ranges fought desperately in the heat and misery of the Gallipoli Peninsula and took part in actions at

• Lone Pine.
  
• Sari Bair.
  
• Hill 60 & Kabak Kuyu.
  

Two all out attacks on the Turkish strong points on Hill 60 on August 21 and 28, resulted in very heavy casualties for the battalion. On September 29, 1915 the 5th Connaught Rangers were withdrawn to the Island of Lemnos in Greece. During the Gallipoli campaign the 5th Connaught Rangers suffered over 70% casualties with 22% fatalities. 686 officers and men were killed, wounded or taken prisoner. 220 officers and men were listed as killed or missing in action. The Gallipoli campaign had ended in utter failure and the Peninsula was evacuated in late December 1915.

THE SALONIKA FRONT- THE BALKAN CAMPAIGN.

In early October 1915 an Expeditionary Force of Allied troops French and British was sent to Northern Greece in an attempt to assist the country of Serbia. On October 6th 1915 a combined German and Austrian army had launched a full-scale invasion of Serbia from the North. On October 8, 1915 a Bulgarian army assisted the invasion by attacking Serbia from the East. King Ferdinand of Bulgaria had opted to join the War on the side of the Central powers. The Serbian Army were no match for the combined invasion force and were soon in full retreat. Greece still officially a neutral country allowed the Allies to use Salonika as a base from which to prepare their operations to cross into Serbia. The 5th battalion Connaught Rangers reinforced after their disastrous Gallipoli campaign arrived at Salonika from the island of Mudros on October 10, 1915. After a month’s training in atrocious weather conditions the Rangers crossed the Greek frontier into the snow covered mountainous region of Southern Serbia. On December 7, 1915 a huge army of Bulgarian troops overran the frozen trenches occupied by the 10th Irish Division near the village of Kosturino. The main thrust of the attack fell upon the part of the line being held by the 5th Connaught Rangers. In the fierce battle, which followed, the Rangers sustained massive losses and were forced to retreat into Greece. 138 Officers and men of the Connaught Rangers were killed in action at Kosturino. A further 130 were taken prisoner.

The 5th battalion Connaught Rangers remained at the Salonika Front for a further 2 years with little progress made by either side. The Allied presence in northern Greece prevented the Bulgarian army invading Greece but the inhospitable mountainous terrain and adverse weather, unbearable heat and malaria in summer and ice and snow in winter, made an offensive almost impossible. It also meant huge numbers of Allied troops being tied up in a ‘sideshow’. On September 10, 1917 the 5th Connaught Rangers were transferred to the Palestine/Egyptian Front and later to France.

THE PALESTINE CAMPAIGN – THE CAPTURE OF THE HOLY LAND.

As hostilities with Turkey continued the Allies remained concerned over the possible threat to the vital Suez Canal. In 1916 British forces opened an offensive against the Turkish controlled Middle East. Arab tribes long hostile against Turkish rule were encouraged to commence guerrilla warfare against the Turkish occupation forces while the British army under General Allenby opened a new front from Egypt across the Sinai desert against the Turks in Palestine. The 5th battalion Connaught Rangers disembarked at Alexandria in Egypt on September 16th 1917 having spent two years on the Salonika Front. Within a month they took part in the third attempt by the Allies to take the fortified towns of Gaza and Beersheba, which protected the entrance to Palestine from Sinai. Gaza fell on October 31st leaving the way open for an advance on Jerusalem, which fell on December 6th 1917. As the combined Turkish and German army retreated north the offensive came to halt through bad weather and the 5th Connaught Rangers spent two months on the Front line north west of Jerusalem. In March 1918 they went into action again talking the enemy held village of Neby Saleh. Offensive operations on the Palestine Front came to an end in April, in consequence of the German break through on the Western Front in France. The Egyptian Expeditionary Force in Palestine were ordered to send as many troops as possible to France. The 5th Battalion Connaught Rangers embarked at Port Said and left Egypt for the Western Front on May 25 1918.

THE FINAL PHASE OF THE PALESTINE CAMPAIGN

The 1st battalion Connaught Rangers disembarked at Suez, Egypt on April 14th 1918. From May until September they did tours of duty on the Front Line that stretched across Central Palestine between Jerusalem and Nablus. On September 19th 1918 General Allenby resumed his northward offensive to take the rest of Palestine. Caught by surprise and unprepared the Turkish/ German army fell into a disorganised retreat and within 2 days the Turkish HQ garrison at Nazareth was captured. The 1st battalion Connaught Rangers took an active part in this offensive involved in heavy fighting at the taking of ‘Fir Hill’ on the advancing Front north of Jaffa. At the town of El Funduk the Rangers captured a Turkish artillery column intact. It was the 1st Battalion’s final action in the Great War. In late September they were garrisoned at Jenin and later moved in to garrison the Biblical town of Nazareth. The Rangers remained in Nazareth as the battalion was badly affected by a malignant type of malaria later known as the ‘Great Influenza Epidemic’, which took the lives of many men. The retreating Turkish army was followed into Jordan and Syria where they were defeated by Arab armies now in open revolt. Turkey capitulated on October 30th 1918 and brought an end to centuries of the rule of the Ottoman Empire in the Middle East. On November 11th 1918 the day the Armistice came into effect the 1st battalion Connaught Rangers were still garrisoned in the town of Nazareth. Throughout December 1918 and the early months of 1919 the Connaught Rangers were demobilised and sent home. Their duty done.

Mutiny in India, 1920

On 28 June 1920, five men from C Company of the 1st Battalion at Wellington Barracks, Jalandhar, Punjab decided to protest against the effects of Martial law in Ireland by refusing to soldier. They were soon joined in their protest by other Rangers (the protesters were not all Irishmen and included at least one Englishman)^[11] declaring that they would not return to duty until British forces left Ireland. Led by Private James Daly (whose brother William took part in the protest at Jalandhar), the protest spread to the Connaught Ranger company at Solon however the Connaught Ranger company at Jutogh hill-station remained loyal. A party of men led by Daly made an attempt to recover their arms, storming the armoury. The loyal guard successfully defended it, and two of Daly's party, Privates Patrick Smythe and Peter Sears, were killed in the firefight.

Within days, both garrisons were occupied by loyal troops; Daly and his followers surrendered and were taken prisoner. Eighty-eight mutineers were court martialed: nineteen men were sentenced to death (eighteen later had their sentences commuted to life imprisonment), 59 were sentenced to 15 years imprisonment, and ten were acquitted. The 21-year-old Daly was shot by a firing squad in Dagshai Prison on 2 November 1920. He was the last member of the British Armed Forces to be executed for mutiny

[shirleyannmarch]

On 10/9/2012 at 02:13, tnawracaj said:

L/Cpl. Patrick Dyer. Hi! My grandmother is the daughter of Patrick Dyer I've started doing research about this recently Im not sure who Shirley is actually. I pulled some records and Im not finding consistent information pertaining this part of his life. After Patrick was released from prison and discharged he came to the US to Providence RI. Pauline my grandmother doesnt remember much of what happened earlier in his life or much about the war. From what he used to tell her he came from Mayo not Ballymote. Found this too from Dail Eireann- Volume 36- 10 December, 1930 Private Deputies Business. Case of Connaught Rangers. "Patrick Dyer, Ballymote, two years' imprisonment, wife and three children in bad circumstances, suffered severely from malaria." He lied on his enlistment paperwork and was born 1898 I know that much from what im looking at here. Im working on Ancestry.com soon on our family tree hope this helps.

1914/15 Star

Authorised in 1918, the 1914/15 Star was awarded to personnel who saw service in France and Flanders from 23 November 1914 to 31 December 1915, and to personnel who saw service in any other operational theatre from 5 August 1914 to 31 December 1915.

British War Medal

The British War Medal 1914-1920, authorised in 1919, was awarded to eligible service personnel and civilians. Qualifications for the award varied slightly according to service. The basic requirement for army personnel and civilians was that they either entered a theatre of war, or rendered approved service overseas between 5 August 1914 and 11 November 1918. Service in Russia in 1919 and 1920 also qualified for the award.

Victory Medal

The Victory Medal 1914-1919 was also authorised in 1919 and was awarded to all eligible personnel who served on the establishment of a unit in an operational theatre.

 

[shirleyannmarch]

Hi

I think you have the wrong Patrick dyer , as my grandfather was from Ballymote , and served in the Connaught Rangers .

I have his army  records and also family have conformed this is right .  

Edited 21 January , 2017 by shirleyannmarch
spelling mistake

[8894Connaught]

Good morning,

Hope this can help you, 

Patrick Dyer, enlisted into the Connaught Rangers 15 Jan 1915 aged 19 years and one month at Boyle giving his trade as a farmer. He stated his place of birth as Drumnagranshy, Ballymote in County Sligo. He married Kate Muldoon on 27 Oct 1918 

His original enlistment number was 11056 later changed to 7143531. He was discharged to HM Prison Maidstone on 18 March 1921. His conduct rating was " Very Bad ".

His entitlement to a Serbian Medal was noted but " Medals Forfeit " was stated and would have been awarded the 1914/15 Star, British War & Victory Medal.

Ray

[BullerTurner]

For a relatively small town, Ballina seems to have infiltrated a lot of the corridors of the War of Independence, the Civil War and various revolutionary events and circles!  I cannot say I'm surprised, my wife is from there and she is definitely a hardliner!!

[axial1680]

My father James Connell was the nephew of Simon Connell one of the Jullundur mutineers. Simon is often listed as James as he joined the army in his brothers name under age. He was 19 at the time of the mutiny. He had served in France at the end of the War in the 5th Battalion. He later became a sergeant in the Free State army and left in 1928. He was married with no children. I am his nearest living relative. He died in November 1957 age 57 in Newcastle upon Tyne. He had always complained of ill health from beatings received in prison. I have just been doing some research on John Gleeson for his nieces and found he died in Falkirk in 1971 age 75.

I read an article by Fergal Kean saying he thought James Daley should be pardoned, surely if that happens all the other soldiers sentences should be quashed and forfeited medals re instated. 

[axial1680]

The MOD have service records of all soldiers who mutinied as they were serving after WW1. You have to prove your relationship to them and they cost £30 but the ones I got were crammed with info.

Paul

[8894Connaught]

Joseph Woods transferred to the Connaught Rangers from the Leinster Regiment on 17/9/18 and was assigned the service number 15240. His Leinster number was 10280. He attested into the Leinster on 25 Nov 1914 aged 20 years 7 months, his trade on enlistment was " General Labourer ". He originated from St Georges in Bristol. Post war he married in Dover on 18 Oct 1919. He was wounded on two occasions, W Shell shock 18 Aug 1916 and GSW L Leg & R Wrist on 7 Oct 1916. His shown as being awarded the Military Medal, 1914/15 Star, British War & Victory Medal. He was discharged on 20 Jan 1921 as a Private with conduct " BAD " and his address shown as HM Prison Portland.

Hope this can help with your query.

Ray

[archangel9]

He was discharged with ignominy and all his medals were forfeit. There was an attempt made by the Bristol branch of the British Legion to get his medals restored in May 1922, I don't know if this was successful or not. 

Military Medal - LG 09/12/1916. Page 12054. 10280 L/Cpl. J. Woods, Leinster Regiment.

 

John

[PaddyO]

My great great uncle was William Collins of Tipperary Town who served with 1st Bn. Connaught Rangers in India as 9663 enlisting late 1909. He arrived in France with the 1sts on 26/09/14.  After his war service he re-signed in May 1919 as 7143228 and was discharged in January 1922 for misconduct and his service medals were forfeited. If anyone has come across his name in relation to the mutiny I would be very interested to hear of it.

[axial1680]

I had a look on a couple of sites and hes certainly not tried for anything to do with the mutiny, also it was all sorted out by late 1920, not 1922. I wonder what he did? You should be able to get his service record from the MOD.

[PaddyO]

16 hours ago, axial1680 said:

I had a look on a couple of sites and hes certainly not tried for anything to do with the mutiny, also it was all sorted out by late 1920, not 1922. I wonder what he did? You should be able to get his service record from the MOD.

Thanks for looking that's really kind. I'll try the MOD although I'm not his closest next of kin alive - perhaps they'd need to give their permission? William was one of six brothers serving; they were all colourful characters and unusually big lads for the times around six feet tall. The eldest was discharged from the East Yorks for striking his superior officer in pre-war India which also got him 9 months in the slammer!