Captain Patrick J MacCormack

[mhifle]

The Connaught Telegraph 4 Dec 1920

Prt II

[mhifle]

From the Connaught Telegraph 25 Dec 1909

[mhifle]

From the Connaught Telgraph 25 June 1921

[mhifle]

From the Connaught Telegraph 3 April 1920

[corisande]

Mark

Some nice articles there on MacCormack.

I suppose the only area I am unclear of with his death, is who did the IRA squad go to kill at the Gresham. Neither MacCormack nor Wilde were intelligence men, or even serving soldiers.

Collins apologized (sorry Mrs MacCormack we murdered him by mistake!), and indicated that he, Collins, had not put MacCormack on the list.

As far as I can tell with Bloody Sunday murders, Collins must have approved the venue (ie Gresham Hotel) as there was someone there who merited a place on Collins list) Very few of the men in the IRA squad are known. Ironically the leader was Paddy Moran, sentenced for another murder, that of Ames at Mount St. And the only other man I am sure of is Paddy Kennedy, whose woidow told Ernie O;Malley that she did not want her husband's participation to appear in O'Malley's notes.

You have't found a descendant of Paddy MacCormack have you, there was one child by his marriage.

[mhifle]

Hi,

Sorry don,t have a descendant.

These articles were found, copied and sent to me by the Mayo County Library in Castlebar, so maybe you could try them for some information a living descendant.

Regards Mark

[mhifle]

Hi,

Some notes on Veterinary Service and Remounts in Egypt 1917/18

Regards Mark

Egypt

‘July, 1917-Oct., 1918, over 63,000 horses, mules or donkeys, and 31,000 camels were received into veterinary hospitals, while the number of less serious casualties attended to in the field greatly exceeded these figures.

The percentage of animals returned from hospitals to the Remount Department as fit for re-issue to the service was eighty per cent in the case of horses, and seventy per cent in the case of camels.

Veterinary hospitals were established at centres where rail connection and the possibility of obtaining green fodder combined to make transit easy and the forage supply suitable for sick animals. In these line of communication establishments Egyptians were employed as much as possible in order to economise British personnel. Field veterinary units with divisions were brought to a uniform establishment and equipped

The continuous work demanded from all animals of the army during the summer and autumn of 1918 was such as to keep veterinary hospitals full; and although they were organized and prepared to deal with a further increase had it been necessary as a result of the operations, viz. the advance from Haifa to Aleppo. Though considerable casualties were sustained during this advance they were the unavoidable outcome of war, out of all proportion small, when compared with the results achieved, and the general health of animals remains good

The movement of supplies, reinforcements, and remounts was seriously interrupted both by rail and road, as owing to the heavy floods during November and December, the railway track was repeatedly breached in the low-lying coastal plain, and this made the movement of all forms of transport impossible for days together.’

Egyptian Expeditionary Force.

Remounts.

No. 1 Remount Depot (40th and 47th Squadrons).

No. 2 Remount Depot (44th Squadron).

No. 3 Remount Depot (46th Squadron).

No. 4 Remount Depot (Australian Remount Unit).

Nos. 1 and 2, Camel Remount Depots.

Nos. 1 and 2, Field Remount Sections.

No. 1 Camel Field Remount Section.

No. 1 Syce Remount Corps.

Royal Army Veterinary Corps.

Veterinary Hospitals Nos. 20, 21 and 26.

Convalescent Horse Depot.

Advanced Base Depot of Veterinary Stores.

No. 1 Camel Hospital.

Indian Veterinary Hospital.

[mhifle]

Hi,

I think 'Newbridge' might refer to the permanent barracks for the Cavalry, called Newbridge Barracks, County Kildare.

Regards Mark

[corisande]

Newbridge Barracks

[mhifle]

Hi,

From the units based in Ireland 1913. I do not know what happened to these units once the war started.

Army Veterinary Corps

No.7 Section. A.V.C. Curragh

No.8 Section, A.V.C. Curragh

When he was promoted to Temp Captain this rank could have placed him as second-in-charge of a veterinary hospital, if not actually in charge as some Captains were.

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalog...mp;SearchInit=4

Order Of Battle of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force, April 1917

Veterinary -

Nos. 16, 20, 21 and 26 Veterinary Hospitals.

Convalescent Horse Depot.

No. 3 Base Depot Veterinary Stores.

Abbassia and Qantara Advanced Base Depots Veterinary Stores.

No. 26 Veterinary Hospital (acts as Base Depot).

Nos. 1, 2 and 3 Camel Hospitals.

Nos. 54 and 55 Mobile Veterinary Sections.

Regards Mark

[mhifle]

Hi,

From The Times 22 May 1919

Mark

[corisande]

Probably the only major bit of info on him that is missing now is when he actually resigned and left the army.

I never found it in LG

[mhifle]

Hi,

It looks like his widow died the following year.

Mark

[corisande]

Mark

I don't think it is, your man is "Patrick" not "Francis" and he is from Castlebar nor Tuam

[mhifle]

Yes I think you could be correct, it looks like 'Francis' rather than 'Patrick'

Regards Mark

[corisande]

I have just got "Executed for Ireland - the Patrick Moran Story" written by a niece and just published. (got it via Amazon)

Moran was executed for one of the other murders on Bloody Sunday, but in fact led the squad who carried out the executions in the Gresham Hotel - MacCormack and Wilde.

An initial flick through seems to indicate that the book says he carried out the Gresham murders, but does not add to that - I was hoping for an inside track on what went on there.

[corisande]

"Executed for Ireland - the Patrick Moran Story"

Having read the book in full now, it does offer

1. A List of the 13 IRA men led by Moran who made up the group carrying out the shootings at he Gresham Hotel.

2. The full correspondence from Collins papers between Collins, Mulcachy and MacCromack's mother in which Collins admits not only that MacCormack was not on the original list (MacCormack and others Collins say, had been added by the Dublin Brigade IRA to his original list of targets)

3. Nothing appears to survive of Moran's record of events that day

4. Disappointingly I got nothing more on the 3rd target they had at the Gresham that day, who had left to attend mass before Moran and his men arrived. He remains nameless. I am convinced that neither MacCormack nor Wilde (the two men murdered) were intelligence agents, so it must have been the third man who was the only intelligence man, and that MacCormack and Wilde had both been "added" by Dublin Brigade to HQs original list)

For those readers here that are not aware Moran was executed by the British for another Bloody Sunday murder (which he did not commit). Moran had a court martial detailed in the book, in which he was identified as having taken part in another killing that morning (our old friend Major Carew was a witness)

[corisande]

For students of trivia, I pass on this newspaper cutting from 1944 without trying to make any aspersions against Hugh Callaghan, other than that the tips must have been good over the years

Hugh Callaghan was the porter on duty at the Gresham on Bloody Sunday morning

Hansard reports. Gresham Hotel, Sackville Street. Two murders. Here a party of fifteen to twenty men entered the open door of the hotel, held up the boots and the head-porter with revolvers and forced the latter, Hugh Callaghan, to lead them to rooms occupied by Ex-Captain Patrick MacCormack, formerly a captain in the Army Veterinary Corps, and Lieutenant L. E. Wilde.

[mhifle]

Hi,

This is from the Irish Times 22 Nov 1920.

It looks like Captain MacCormack had also served in France.

Regards Mark

[mhifle]

Hi,

This looks like him arriving back in Ireland 31 Aug 1920.

Regards Mark

[corisande]

Mark

Thanks. I had not come across those "arrivals at Dublin" lists before. What paper carried them - Irish Times?.

It looks as if they could be a good source for me, but I assume the undercover men did not give their names to the reporter on the gangplank.

[mhifle]

Hi,

Yes they are from the Irish Times under the Column 'Fashionable Intelligence' which seems to appear daily, usually on page 6 or 7.

I would not be surprised if they used their real names, I have just looked in Aug 1920 so far.

Regards Mark

[Guest paulaoc5]

Hello - Four years later and I've come across your dialogue and research on Patrick Joseph MacCormack who was killed on 20 Nov 1920. He was my great-grandmother's cousin.

His father, Patrick Francis MacCormack died in 1879, when Patrick was only 2. His mother Kate Feeney MacCormack ran the drapery shop in Castlebar where Patrick worked until he completed his veterinary studies. He had one brother and one sister. His brother, Francis, died as a baby and his sister, Gertrude went on to marry Richard Burke from Thurles, Tipperary.

Patrick Joseph was the nephew of Rev Dr MacCormack, Bishop of Galway.

By the way, he had numerous MacCormack cousins from the Castlebar area and all had very similar names. For instance the obit you have above was for the wife of one of Patrick Joseph's cousins. He also had the 3 boys of one of his cousins also join the veterinary corps.

Thanks for all your research to date. I've enjoyed reading the specific history.

best regards

Paula

[Guest springfield]

Hi Paula

What became of his wife and child.They are not buried in Glasnevin.The story 

has become a topic recently in Castlebar where very few have heard of him?

 

[Loader]

Has anyone checked for a MIC to see if he lived long enough to apply fir his medals for his service? It will give some info if he did as to where he served & if he entered France before going to Egypt. He'd have at least the BWM & Victy Medals & maybe a Star if served early enough to qualify for either one, 1914 or 1914-15. The reverse of the card will also show if it was he who applied for his medals of maybe if he was already dead his widow filed for them.