Royal Irish Rifles - help request

[eyman]

A friend's grandfather is believed to have served with the Royal Irish Rifles: 3/5017 Pte Bertie FARREN, entitled to 1914-15 Star trio.

He arrived in France on 1 July 1915. Does this reveal which Battalion he served with? (I haven't checked if the medal rolls give this level of detail)

Can anything be deduced from his service number about when he enlisted and which Battalion he may have joined? 3/ in other regiments often indicates Special Reserve but I'd be grateful for confirmation.

Thanks in advance for any assistance.

Ian

[Patrick ODwyer]

Must have been in either 1st or 2nd Battalion; the actual medal roll may reveal which.

I think the 3/ suggests he was a draft from the 3rd (Reserve) Battalion, which did not go overseas and was in Dublin in 1915

[eyman]

Patrick

Many thanks for your reply. I'll look at the medal roll next month to see if I can find more.

If my friend's grandfather was this soldier, he was born and brought up in darkest Essex!

Ian

[johnny_doyle]

there's only 1 Bertie Farren listed in the 1891 and 1901 census records. Son of Samuel and Agnes in Colchester. Older brother Thomas listed in the 1891 census but not with the family in 1901 census. Load of sisters.

A marriage record in 1904 in Colchester. Another marriage record in Colchester 1945. Death record Colchester 1960.

Birth record for Bertie Charles Farren in Colchester 1893 and for a Bertie William Farren in 1904 (son?)

The brother Thomas appears to have served as 4843, Pte, Yorks & Lancs; enlisted 1897 after a period with militia in Essex. In India from 1898 to 1905. Father Samuel, mother Agnes, brother Bertie and rake of sisters listed.

[eyman]

Johnny

Many thanks for the info - yes, this relates to my friend's grandfather who remarried in later life and became rather estranged from his family as a result. He was born in 1883 and it seems that the Bertie born in 1904 was his son.

Many thanks for the lead on his brother's service which I shall follow up.

I guess the only slight doubt in my mind is why he ended up with RIR. There is always the possibility that a Bertie Farren (it seems to be an Irish surname originally) was in Ireland and therefore wouldn't be picked up by free bmd, 1891 census etc

Ian

[sotonmate]

Ian

It looks as though he was in a reinforcement batch for either 1 or 2 Battalion.

The original Medal Roll at Kew is under WO329/1671 page 825 and his Bn will be entered there.

Sotonmate

[Nigel Marshall]

Colchester has been a garrison town for hundreds of years, so there is probably a military tradition in the family.

Cheers,

Nigel

[David_Underdown]

The (All-)Irish 1911 census is freely available online http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/, so you could check that to see if there were lots of other Bertie Farrens around over there of an age to have served (no conscription in Ireland of course).

[1690philip]

My guess would be that he is either 1st or 2nd Battalion bearing in mind that the spring battles of 1915 had took place prior to his arrival. That would tie in with the theory that he was a reinforcement.

Phil