gerrytell Posted 8 March , 2010 Share Posted 8 March , 2010 I am looking for information and photographs of 2 men that died near Ieper Christopher Owen O'Brien and Richard Rennicks they were both killed in action on the same date today 8th march 1915 and 1917, Thats todays date spooky or what. I am going to Belgium next week and intend to plant some shamrock on their graves. Christopher was a distant cousin and Richard is from near where I live and his grand nephew is my brother in law. Nobody in my family knows anything about either men. It's like they went to war and were erased from memory. I would love to know how they died and get a photo of them, I know there were many men from my area who died in WW1 but I would like to research these first. If anyone can help it would be great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
River97 Posted 8 March , 2010 Share Posted 8 March , 2010 Gerry, These from SDGW, Name: Christopher O'Brien Birth Place: Screebogue, CO. Meath Residence: Birmingham Death Date: 8 Mar 1915 Enlistment Location: Sereebogue, CO. Meath Rank: Rifleman Regiment: Rifle Brigade (The Prince Consort's Own) Battalion: 4th Battalion. Number: Z/1975 Type of Casualty: Killed in action Theatre of War: Belgium Name: Richard Rennicks Birth Place: Ardbraccan, CO. Meath Residence: Navan, CO. Meath Death Date: 8 Mar 1917 Rank: Private Regiment: Prince of Wales's Leinster Regiment (Royal Canadians) Battalion: 7th Battalion. Number: 5394 Type of Casualty: Died of wounds Theatre of War: Belgium Comments: Formerly 28008, Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers. And some more info from CWGC Debt of Honour. Name: O'BRIEN, CHRISTOPHER OWEN Initials: C O Nationality: United Kingdom Rank: Rifleman Regiment/Service: Rifle Brigade Unit Text: 4th Bn. Age: 22 Date of Death: 08/03/1915 Service No: Z/1975 Additional information: Son of Michael and Bridget O'Brien, of Seriebogue, Moynalty, Co. Meath. Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead Grave/Memorial Reference: II. D. 20. Cemetery: VOORMEZEELE ENCLOSURES No.1 and No.2 Name: RENNICKS Initials: R Nationality: United Kingdom Rank: Private Regiment/Service: Leinster Regiment Unit Text: 7th Bn. Date of Death: 08/03/1917 Service No: 5394 Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead Grave/Memorial Reference: I. C. 24. Cemetery: LOKER CHURCHYARD Cheers Andy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnny_doyle Posted 8 March , 2010 Share Posted 8 March , 2010 Christopher O'Brien's service record is on Ancestry. He enlisted in Birmingham on 1/8/1914 aged 19 years 6 months. Sent to France 18/2/1915. KIA less than a month later. Next of Kin Matthew O'Brien. 5ft 6ins tall, brown hair. Other details hard to read. Father Michael; mother Bridget. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corisande Posted 8 March , 2010 Share Posted 8 March , 2010 Picture of Christopher O'Brien's grave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Broznitsky Posted 8 March , 2010 Share Posted 8 March , 2010 Name: Richard Rennicks Birth Place: Ardbraccan, CO. Meath Residence: Navan, CO. Meath Death Date: 8 Mar 1917 Rank: Private Regiment: Prince of Wales's Leinster Regiment (Royal Canadians) Battalion: 7th Battalion. Number: 5394 Type of Casualty: Died of wounds Theatre of War: Belgium Comments: Formerly 28008, Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers. Pardon my ignorance. Who are the Leinsters and what is the connection to the Royal Canadians? Puzzled in British Columbia. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corisande Posted 8 March , 2010 Share Posted 8 March , 2010 Pardon my ignorance. Who are the Leinsters and what is the connection to the Royal Canadians?] Certainly, as you are Canadian :-) 100th Regiment of Foot (Prince of Wales Royal Canadians) a British infantry regiment raised in 1857 by officers of the Canadian Volunteers to serve in India in dealing with the Indian Mutiny. The regiment was embodied on the British Army establishment and numbered 100 in the infantry of the line. The full title was the 100th Regiment of Foot (Prince of Wales's Royal Canadians). The regiment was recruited in Canada in early 1858 and shipped to Shornecliffe Camp in England later that year. The battalion remained in England until 1863 when it proceeded on a tour of duty in Gibraltar and Malta until 1869, when it returned t o England. In 1877 it proceeded to Bengal. In the 1881 Cardwell reforms of the British Army, the 100th was retitled 1st Battalion the Prince of Wales's Leinster Regiment (Royal Canadians). The Regiment remained in India until 1895 when it returned home to Ireland. In 1898 the 1st Bn was despatched to Halifax, Nova Scotia and from there to South Africa in 1900. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Broznitsky Posted 8 March , 2010 Share Posted 8 March , 2010 Thanks corisande. I take it in 1917 there would have been no Canadians serving in it. Would the ethnic composition have been mostly southern Irish? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corisande Posted 8 March , 2010 Share Posted 8 March , 2010 That's correct, in 1914 they would have been 90% Irish, but by end of war probably down to 35%. Any Canadians would have been "accidental", in other words I doubt that (m)any would have joined because of the name Actually it is rare to hear the Leinstes referred to as anything other than the Leinsters in Ireland. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gerrytell Posted 8 March , 2010 Author Share Posted 8 March , 2010 Thanks for all the information lads I am going over there in 2 weeks and will be planting shamrock on the 2 graves taken from their homes. I think they would have liked that. I know where there is a picture of Richard but have had no luck tracing one of Christopher Would anyone have any idea where I might find one of him. would there have being a photo taken after he signed up by the army. Gerry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corisande Posted 8 March , 2010 Share Posted 8 March , 2010 would there have being a photo taken There is a web site that accumulates and lists photos of soldiers, and then sells them to you. They obviously do not have all soldiers Afraid I cannot find the reference, perhaps some else can supply it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnny_doyle Posted 8 March , 2010 Share Posted 8 March , 2010 don't think photos were taken by the army. Usually soldiers got themselves a posed photo to send to relatives. If you're making the trip you might want to photo the memorials and take on the management of the records for Richard Rennicks at Findagrave : http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?p...d=49407651& http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?p...d=44870843& Ditto for Christopher O'Brien http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?p...d=12115835& Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corisande Posted 9 March , 2010 Share Posted 9 March , 2010 This is the site that sells photos http://www.ww1photos.com/OnlineSearch.html but they do not seem to have either Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gerrytell Posted 20 March , 2010 Author Share Posted 20 March , 2010 Thanks everyone for all the help here. The good news is I have traced down a photo of both men and will be uploading them soon. I have also been to Christophers birth place and took some photos the house is long since gone but I spoke to his nephew who remembers the house. There is still the old sheds standing where the horse and farm animals would have been kept. In one of the sheds is two old metal bed deads maybe one of them was his? Where the house stood there are daffodils and snowdrops growing now. I dug some up and will try to bring them with me next week to plant on his grave. I also have a photo of Richard but it is only a photocopy and is very dark I am still hoping to find a better one. I have had no luck in finding out where he lived but hopefully will find out soon. I will keep you all posted on how I get on. Thanks again for all the help Regards, Gerry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KevinBattle Posted 21 March , 2010 Share Posted 21 March , 2010 Gerry, didn't rivers97 provide his address in Post #2? Name: Richard Rennicks Birth Place: Ardbraccan, CO. Meath Residence: Navan, CO. Meath Granted it's not the street address, but you should be able to find something in the local Library newspaper archives or Roll of Honour Whilst there's no certainty unless someone provides an Ancestry style connection, or Census returns for 1901 or 1911, there are these chaps:- Name: RENNICKS, JOHN Initials: J Nationality: United Kingdom Rank: Private Regiment/Service: Royal Dublin Fusiliers Unit Text: 6th Bn. Age: 22 Date of Death: 21/08/1915 Service No: 11794 Additional information: Son of the late Mr. and Mrs. Henry Rennicks, of Drogheda. Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead Grave/Memorial Reference: Panel 190 to 196. Memorial: HELLES MEMORIAL and Name: RENNICKS, THOMAS Initials: T Nationality: United Kingdom Rank: Private Regiment/Service: Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers Unit Text: 2nd Bn. Date of Death: 14/12/1915 Service No: 17111 Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead Grave/Memorial Reference: Pier and Face 4 D and 5 B. Memorial: THIEPVAL MEMORIAL who might have some connection to Richard. I believe he was previously in the Inniskillings and Drogheda isn't too far from Co. Meath.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gerrytell Posted 22 March , 2010 Author Share Posted 22 March , 2010 Just added photo of Christopher to this site. http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?p...d=12115835& Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest blue2525 Posted 3 April , 2010 Share Posted 3 April , 2010 Hi i am a great nephew for Richard Rennicks i have his photo attached. What nephew of his do you know Regards David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arnhem44 Posted 3 April , 2010 Share Posted 3 April , 2010 The Irish census is showing Richard as living at house No.14 at Ardbraccan and his age was 17 in 1911 http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/page...braccan/722527/ Brendan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest blue2525 Posted 5 April , 2010 Share Posted 5 April , 2010 I am looking for information and photographs of 2 men that died near Ieper Christopher Owen O'Brien and Richard Rennicks they were both killed in action on the same date today 8th march 1915 and 1917, Thats todays date spooky or what. I am going to Belgium next week and intend to plant some shamrock on their graves. Christopher was a distant cousin and Richard is from near where I live and his grand nephew is my brother in law. Nobody in my family knows anything about either men. It's like they went to war and were erased from memory. I would love to know how they died and get a photo of them, I know there were many men from my area who died in WW1 but I would like to research these first. If anyone can help it would be great. Richard Rennicks is buried in Loker grave yard 4 miles from ieper grave yard. Regards David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gerrytell Posted 6 April , 2010 Author Share Posted 6 April , 2010 I got a copy of this photo from Colm Rennicks, I was in Belgium last week and visited his grave in Loker church. I had a pot of shamrock to plant on his grave but it was taken off me at the airport as there was soil on them. I have photos of his grave if you are interested in a copy of them. do you live in Ardbraccan or do you know where he was born or lived. Regards. Gerry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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