Captain Richard James Herbert Shaw

[jdoyle]

appointed 2nd Lt in Nov 1914

http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/28983/supplements/9671/page.pdf

Captain Shaw appears to have served with the 5th Connaught Rangers in Gallipoli and is briefly mentioned in Major Bryan Coopers book re The Tenth (Irish) Division in Gallipoli

"Captain R. J. H. Shaw, 5th Connaught Rangers, took up the post of Staff Captain."

http://www.ebooksread.com/authors-eng/bryan-ricco-cooper/the-tenth-irish-division-in-gallipoli-hci/page-11-the-tenth-irish-division-in-gallipoli-hci.shtml

Captain Shaw then appears to have taken up a post in Dublin as Assistant Press Censor to Lt Col Lord Decies and I believe he is one of the 3 "of military rank" alluded to in a debate in Parliament :

http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1918/jun/04/press-censor-ireland

The other 2 are still to be identified.

Transferred to General List in 1915 http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/29304/pages/9325

He appears to have been in poor health in 1916 http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/29570/supplements/4524/page.pdf

and then back to General List http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/30056/supplements/4425

In 1917 he attended the Irish Convention as secretary of the Irish Unionist Alliance.

His medal card shows 1915 Star, BWM and VM.

He later took up a writing role at the London Times after WW1 and applied for a "grant of arms" in 1922

http://sources.nli.ie/Record/MS_UR_059349

He appears to have been involved in writing "The 23rd London Regiment, 1798-1919" published in 1936.

Would like to find out more about this officer, his service in WW1 and post WW1.

[archangel9]

I'm away from home at the moment but will have a look for any information I can find on his service with the Connaught Rangers over the weekend.

John

[jdoyle]

thanks John.

[archangel9]

Shaw, Richard James Herbert, C.B.E. (5th Bn.): Second Lieut. 20th November 1914; Lieut. 9th February 1915; Captain 10th June 1915. Served in Gallipoli and Macedonia with the 5th Bn. and when apptd. Staff Captain August 1915 to January 1916. Afterwards with Head-quarters Staff, Ireland. Awarded C.B.E., 1914-15 Star, British and victory Medals.

The Connaught Rangers. Jourdain & Fraser. Vol. III

He is mentioned at the end of 1915 as the 5th Bn. were bivouacked at Rendina Bay.

....on December 31st.........Captain Shaw, who had left the battalion in August to assume the duties of Staff-Captain of the brigade, was admitted to hospital and left for England in January.

I am assuming he was hospitalised in Salonika.

John

[jdoyle]

thanks very much for taking the time to do that lookup John.

the 5th Connaughts seemed to have a bad time at the end of 1915.

Capt Shaw gets a mention in an Australian paper as an attendee at an Empire Press Conference in 1925 and appears to have made the transition to a newspaper man

http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/2115302

[westkent78]

He would appear to have been a general editor/compiler of the history of the 23rd London.

It was published by The Times Publishing Company. Shaw agreed to edit the History and R.S.M.Grindel gathered reminiscences and wrote a quantity of the book. Other authors included G.A.Brett, R.A.Tolerton, W.G.Newton, E.M.Payne and H.S.J.Streatfeild (all 23rd London) although they are only credited in the foreword. It appears Shaw did quite a bit of gap filling where he needed to, drawing from the 47th Division's history by Maude in particular, and he also provided the early history of the regiment by drawing from Larking's history of the 4th Volunteer Bn East Surrey Regt.

Best regards,

Matthew

[rflory]

From the University of Dublin War List, 1922:

Captain Richard James Herbert Shaw

Educated at the University of Dublin (BA 1908)

Lieut., 5th Connaught Rangers, Feb 1915

Captain, Connaught Rangers, 1915

Captain, New Armies, 1916 (specially employed).