Jump to content
Free downloads from TNA ×
The Great War (1914-1918) Forum

Remembered Today:

Missing in Postwar-Ireland


PFF

Recommended Posts

Are the records for this soldier available? Pte J A W Anderson

Did he live in Law, Lanarkshire, before enlisting?

Who was his sister and where did his sister live?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

PFF - The memorial is, as I understand it, just a memorial, and does not indicate that the body was recovered.

Are the records for this soldier available? Pte J A W Anderson

Did he live in Law, Lanarkshire, before enlisting?

Who was his sister and where did his sister live?

Peter, if I could answer those questions, I might be closer to solving the puzzle - that web page is the sum total of my knowledge on Anderson - can you add anything?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Chalmers is buried at Ladywell but just in a grave that is not maintainable or in a common grave where the cemetery authority will not allow a headstone to be errected

Cheers

Chris

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Chalmers is buried at Ladywell but just in a grave that is not maintainable or in a common grave where the cemetery authority will not allow a headstone to be erected

Thank you for the clarification. Given that

Were kidnapped at the same time at Waterfall, and given that their graves appear to be known in 1926, can anyone add anything as to when the bodies were found,and where the other two are buried.

[edit] Hey Ho. They are 2 different Chalmers/Chambers, the kidnapped man is not the OP reference. The kidnapped man was Stewart Chambers, taken 15 Nov 1920 [/edit]

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Right got you wrong Chalmers at Ladywell

What have you got on the 3 officers as to their orginal grave sites?

Cheers

Chris

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What have you got on the 3 officers as to their original grave sites?

As I understand it, their unmarked graves in Ireland have never been found. It is difficult to be certain, as when bodies were discovered, exhumed and reburied in England, it was done with little or no publicity. As it did not suit either government to publicise such events

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Interestingly, this month's History Ireland magazine has a piece on the separate secret burials of 3 soldiers and one policeman, one of whom was Private George Duff Chalmers (Royal Scots).

It says his body was found in the 1950s by men cutting turf who stopped cutting when they found the remains and left them there??

Mark

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Mark

That is correct - the remains are still where they were found. I have the whole tale, but was asked not to publish it. Could you send me a scan of the article - I would like to see if it releases me from an obligation not to publish

As you know these matters are "delicate" and I do not want to prejudice further bodies being found in that area.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'll send on tomorrow.

Mark

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Are the records for this soldier available? Pte J A W Anderson

Did he live in Law, Lanarkshire, before enlisting?

Who was his sister and where did his sister live?

Pte J A W Anderson was my Gt Uncle.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Peter

As I said in my earlier post, that is all I know at the moment.

Can you give me his full name, date of birth, and any family details like his parents, which might enable me to dig a bit more. Please PM me if you don't want to post those things on the forum.

Getting anywhere with these soldiers who were executed and buried secretly is difficult. It takes patience and putting together a lot of little pieces of information.

Do you have any family "stories" about J A W Anderson and the families efforts to find him at the time either with the British Army or the Irish

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just a suggestion but you may get some leads by contacting the Chairman of Dublin & Metropolitan Branch of the RBL. I was a member of that branch way back in the 1990's and clearly remember a general discussion back then about such graves and issues.

Yours aye

Frank

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Frank

Good thinking, I have just emailed them this minute!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 5 years later...

For the record Duff Chalmers body has now been exumed and reburied at Grangegorman

 

News report

18-year-old Private George Duff Chalmers was a member of the 2nd Battalion of the British Army’s Royal Scots based in Clare during the War of Independence. He died on 10 June 1921 at Drumbaun in Co Clare after, it’s believed, he was captured and executed by members of the Irish Republican Army (IRA). Representatives of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC), working alongside the Office of Public Works (OPW) and Clare County Council, today exhumed his remains from a site near Miltown Malbay. Gardaí also attended the exhumation. A spokeswoman for the CWGC said: “Until August 2016, Private Chalmers was not listed in the Commonwealth War Graves Commission’s records, despite being eligible. A review of the case by the Ministry of Defence saw Private Chalmers officially recognised and CWGC records were amended. In 2017 the CWGC was contacted by the family of Private Chalmers who enquired about the possible relocation of his remains to an alternative location. “CWGC identified that as the current location was difficult to access and maintain, relocation of the remains would be possible,” she added. Chamlers’ remains were taken to a church in Ennistymon where a brief prayer service was held outside. He will be reburied at Grangegorman Military Cemetery in Dublin. A rededication ceremony will take place later this year. War graves from World War I located in Ireland are managed on the CWGC’s behalf by the OPW.

 

My notes on Chalmers

Edited by corisande
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...