Looking for Harry McCombie

[BrendanLee]

I am researching a memorial at Monkstown Church, County Dublin, Ireland. I am having a problem finding one of the two McCombie listed. I can find Robert H. B. McCombie listed on the CWGC but not Harry McCombie. I can find Robert H B listed as Hercules living with his family on the Irish 1901 Census, he was Rector of St. Peter's, Granity, New Zealand and serving with the New Zealand Medical Corps when he was KIA. He is not on the 1911 Census so I assume he moved to New Zealand between 1901 and 1911. There is no Harry listed on the 1901 Census living with the family. Robert is also listed in Ireland's Memorial Record but not Harry, Robert and Harry are not listed in SDGW. Harry is listed on the memorial as serving with the Cameron Highlanders when he was killed.

[Ed Woods]

Can only see a David McCombie of the Cameron Highlanders who was killed in 1915 but can't see any connection with Ireland.

[sotonmate]

BLee

4 soldiers on MICs with surname McCombie and Cameron Highlanders. No Harry. A David (S/No 3/6108),lived in Glasgow with parents, was killed on 9.5.1915. The other three survived.

A total of 18 McCombie killed from 1914-1919,14 from the UK,3 Canadian and 1 NZ. No Harry. Not enough info to get any service records up,even if his was there !

Sotonmate

[Ed Woods]

I wonder if Harry was a nickname or family name and his birth name was something else? Or the surname has been mistranscribed - going to search for Harry's of the Cameron Highlanders to see what comes up.

182 Harry's connected to the Cameron Highlanders on the medal cards nothing close to Harry McCombie

18 soldiers who died in the great war called Harry and connected to Cameron Highlanders but nothing close to the surname McCombie

[BrendanLee]

McCombie is not a common name in Ireland, there are 14 McCombies on the 1901 census and 2 on the 1911 census. Robert McCombie has two brothers listed on the 1901 census Thomas and Cecil and the father's name is Thomas.

[johnny_doyle]

Robert Hercules etc

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~sooty/nzefrohMc.html

The Harry I believe is Leopold Henry McCombie (Harry in a family tree where his parents are listed as being from Dublin)

http://www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=905213

the family tree shows Robert as his brother.

The father Thomas was involved in the Kingstown lifeboat disaster as Captain of the Tearaght.

[johnny_doyle]

here's an online tree with the 2 lads (parents married Monkstown 1873)

http://www.ozgenonline.com/~warwickmc/people/p00000ac.htm#I2568

Medal card on Ancestry shows L K D McCombie as Uganda Intel Dept

Leopold McCombie; application for the Indian Police Force Examination IOR/L/PJ/6/538, File 735 18 Apr 1900

Boer War Records

Name: L H McCombie

Casualty Type: Prisoner

Casualty Date: 23 Feb 1902

Casualty Place: Bothaville

Rank: Corporal

Force: South Africa Field Force

Regiment: South African Constabulary

Battalion: A Division

Number: 631

Remarks: Released

[Ed Woods]

Probate Calender shows he left a will - McCombie Leopold Henry of Laurel Bank Monkstown Dublin died 3 July 1915 on active service in Uganda Probate Dublin to Mary Jane McCombie widow. Effects £7 16s 5d in England. Sealed London 24 March.

Robert's full name is Robert Henry Brideoake McCombie b 16 Nov 1890 Kilkenny

I wonder if the Leopold was dropped because of the Germanic origins of the name?

[sotonmate]

Brilliant,Johnny Doyle !

[BrendanLee]

Thank you all for the information, I think Leopold Henry is the man I am looking for.

[Guest archivistcaroline]

Leonard Henry McCombie was a student at Blackrock College, Williamstown, Co Dublin.

McCOMBIE, Leopold Henry, Laurel Bank, Monkstown Ave. Killed in Africa aged 34 in June 1915 (on Blackrock College Dead List 1914-15). Born approx 1881 to Capt Thomas G Fitzgibbon McCombie. Day Student B’rock College 1898-1900. Tried to attach a scan of a newspaper cutting - part missing - about the life and death of McCombie but it was too large. His brother Cecil was also a student here 1900-1902.

[dundeesown]

Irelands Memorial Records 1914-1918

McCombie Leopold Harry

Rank Lieutenant,Uganda Volunteer Force

KIA on active service July 1 1915 Uganda.

[Guest]

Brendan, In reply to your query re. the McCombies listed on the Monkstown Memorial, I can confirm that Harry McCombie was Leopold Henry, brother of Robert. He joined the Cameron Highlanders and transferred to the South African Constabulary during the Boer War. After the war he moved to British East Africa and he became assistant Commissioner of Police. During WW1 he became an officer in the an army unit leading native troops. After a raid into German East Africa and a skirmish with the Germans, he was back at his camp in Uganda and he was shot in the neck by one of his own men. He is buried in a graveyard in Kabarole in Uganda. A friend of mine Eilis McDonald from Blessington in Ireland searched for the grave at my request and found it. She does educational missionary work. His name is wrongly given on it as Donald McCombie. I notified the CWGC about its location. Robert was serving as a stretcher bearer with the New Zealand Expeditionary Force in France. He was wounded at the battle of Le Cateau and he died two days before the war ended. Sincerely, Cormac Lowth

 

 

[museumtom]

Our Heroes.

 

 

[Guest]