Private Christopher Fitzgibon/Fitzgibbon, Connaught Rangers

[hen190782]

Private Christopher Fitzgibon/Fitzgibbon, 9750 1st battalion Connaught Rangers, born in Kilkeel and enlisted in Dublin, died in India on 17/08/1914

I have MIC, CWGC, SDGW and but am having difficulty identifying his parents' names and was hoping that someone might be able to help.

Thanks

Nigel

[corisande]

https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/FG2D-PWR

Gives him aged 23, ie born 1891

I cannot find a birth to go with that age. !

Nothing in census either

Obviously a pre war regular

[IPT]

He would have enlisted in 1909, but I can't find anyone likely on the 1901 census either.

[archangel9]

Nigel,

I can't help with parents I'm afraid and I couldn't find any service records in my searches but this from the war diary might be of interest -

Ferozepore 17th August 1914.

Battalion entrained for KARACHI. Marching out strength 14 officers 878 other ranks. Owing to intense heat 10 men had to be left at FEROZEPORE suffering from heat stroke. Of these three died. Most of the remainder subsequently rejoined. One man died from heat stroke in train.

The three who died from heat stroke at Ferozepore were -

5332 Pte. Jeremiah Cronin. Cork.

9750 Pte. Christopher Fitzgibbon. Kilkeel, Co. Down.

9068 Pte. Michael Lapparth. Castlebar, Co. Mayo.

6652 Pte. Martin Keeley. Ballinasloe, Co. Galway, died from heat stroke in the train.

John

[corisande]

So you, in theory should find him with Connaught Rangers in 1911 census

The English Census does not appear to have anything (and that one includes soldiers overseas)

Or he is with Connaught Rangers in Galway - I cannot find him there, but sometimes the soldiers returns are just initials.

[archangel9]

He's not with 1st Bn. on the 1911 census either. My bet would be he was with 2nd Bn. for the census.

John

[corisande]

Someone asked much the same question here

http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=174041

Try PM to the OP

[archangel9]

The MO's war diary -

Ferozepore 11.45 am 17th August 1914.

Battalion left the lines at 11.45 am & reached the station about 12.30 a distance of about 3 miles.

Eleven men fell out on the march, of these one Pte. Stoddart was allowed to proceed with the battalion, the remainder were sent back to the Station Hospital Ferozepore. Three of the latter died, Pte.’s Cronin, Lappard & Fitzgibbons.

[hen190782]

Thanks guys, I am beginning to suspect that he signed up under an alias (although that does not explain absence from 1911 E&W Census).

Nigel

[shancrom]

Is he likely to be the first irish casualty

[hen190782]

Shancrom

It is almost certain that he was the first Ulsterman to die with the Connaught Rangers in WW1 ... I presume you saw Karen O'Rawe's article in the newspaper under the History Hub Ulster name.

Nigel

[archangel9]

Is he likely to be the first irish casualty

No.

http://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/899884/CAFFERY,%20JOSEPH

Name: Joseph Caffrey

Birth Place: Tuam

Residence: Tuam, Co. Galway

Death Date: 12 Aug 1914

Death Place: Home

Enlistment Place: Tuam

Rank: Private

Regiment: Connaught Rangers

Battalion: 3rd Battalion

Regimental Number: 3988

Type of Casualty: Died

Theatre of War: Home

Rank:PrivateService No:3988Date of Death:12/08/1914Regiment/Service:Connaught Rangers 3rd Bn. Grave Reference: Screen Wall. Cemetery:CORK MILITARY CEMETERY PARKAdditional Information: Son of the late P. Caffery, of Tulindaly Rd., Tuam, Co. Galway.

There may be others too.

John

[Ian C]

Hm, first Irish casualty, surely thats the two Irishmen on HMS Amphion that sank after hitting a mine on 6 August, a plaque to one of them, Joseph Pierce Murphy, will be unveiled at 6.30pm on 06.08.14 at St. Patricks Church Ringsend.

IanC

[archangel9]

Also

http://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/899501/LEES,%20A%20G%20H

LEES, A G H

Rank:CaptainDate of Death:06/08/1914Regiment/Service:Royal Dublin Fusiliers Grave Reference: Near South-West corner of Church. Cemetery:CHAPELIZOD (ST. LAWRENCE) CHURCH OF IRELAND CHURCHYARD

[archangel9]

Also

http://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/899501/LEES,%20A%20G%20H

LEES, A G H

Rank:CaptainDate of Death:06/08/1914Regiment/Service:Royal Dublin Fusiliers Grave Reference: Near South-West corner of Church. Cemetery:CHAPELIZOD (ST. LAWRENCE) CHURCH OF IRELAND CHURCHYARD

Although it would appear from the 1911 census that Lees was born in England.

[Ian C]

J. P. & his fellow countryman from Cork, did of course die from enemy action.

IanC

[archangel9]

And Fitzgibbon, Cronin and Lapparth all died from heatstroke.

John

[hen190782]

Ian C - actually there were 14 Irishmen that died on Amphion, four of them from Ulster.

Ian and Archangel - If you look at my post following the one by shancrom, you will see that it is being posited that Private Fitzgibon was the first Ulsterman to die with the Connaught Rangers in WW1 ... not the first Irishman to die.

[hen190782]

Ian C - "a plaque to one of them, Joseph Pierce Murphy, will be unveiled at 6.30pm on 06.08.14 at St. Patricks Church Ringsend." Unfortunately, the plaque records murphy as the first Irishman to die - I wonder how the organisers determined that Murphy died before the other 13 Irishmen on Amphion.

CWGC does not distinguish between fatalities from enemy action and fatalities from sickness ... Fitzgibbon, Cronin and Lapparth were the first Connaught Rangers to die in the war.

[archangel9]

Nigel,

Joseph Caffrey was the first Connaught Rangers to die -

Name: Joseph Caffrey

Birth Place: Tuam

Residence: Tuam, Co. Galway

Death Date: 12 Aug 1914

Death Place: Home

Enlistment Place: Tuam

Rank: Private

Regiment: Connaught Rangers

Battalion: 3rd Battalion

Regimental Number: 3988

Type of Casualty: Died

Theatre of War: Home

John

[hen190782]

John - accepted, but Fitzgibon was the first Ulsterman to die with Connaught Rangers.

[hen190782]

Maybe I should explain, History Hub Ulster is researching a series of "First Ulsterman to die ..." in the Great War.

For example, Francis Annesley was (probably) the first belted Earl to die in the Great war, O'Neill was the first Member of Parliament to die in the Great War, but we are also trying to identify the first Ulsterman to die with each Irish regiment, Royal Navy, Merchant Navy, Royal Marine Light Infantry, Royal Marine Artillery.

[archangel9]

John - accepted, but Fitzgibon was the first Ulsterman to die with Connaught Rangers.

Absolutely agreed.

[Ian C]

Hi,

I was looking at this from trying to find the first casualty from Dublin, the report I saw about the Amphion said that there was definitely one other Irishman on board and that there may well have been others, but gave the impression that there were no details. Based on the premise that I thought that there were two Irishmen on the Amphion, I too had wondered how they could claim that one died before the other!!

I do understand that the CWGC makes no distinction as to cause of death, but thought it worth pointing out.

IanC

[hen190782]

Ian

I have just downloaded all the 6th August 1914 Royal Naval from the CWGC website, filtered on HMS Amphion and even a cursory examination of the "Additional Information" identifies five Irishmen.

surname forename additionalinformation

HOURIHANE TIMOTHY SON OF JAMES AND MARY HOURIHANE, OF CAHERAGH, DRIMOLEAGUE, CO. CORK.

JORDAN MAURICE PAUL SON OF MAURICE AND HELENA JORDAN, OF 38, BARRYMORE AVENUE, QUEENSTOWN, CO. CORK.

LYNCH JOSEPH SON OF THE LATE JOHN PATRICK AND HANNAH LYNCH, OF RINGASKIDDY, CO. CORK.

MURPHY JOSEPH PIERCE SON OF JOHN AND MARY MURPHY, OF 2, THORNCASTLE PLACE, RINGSEND, DUBLIN.

McCONACHY CHARLES GEORGE SON OF DAVID AND MARGARET MCCONACHY, OF STRATH HOUSE, DUNGIVEN, LONDONDERRY. NATIVE OF BELFAST.

PARSLOW SAMUEL SON OF ELIZABETH PARSLOW, OF GRANGE, FETHARD, CO. WEXFORD.

Karen O'Rawe took the 150 Amphion names and cross-checked with the National Archives records to identify any men born in Ireland and was able to definitively identify another ten.

To be honest, I think the organisers wanted a "quick result" and did not bother doing detailed research - in my opinion, call be cynic, they selected Murphy because they have traced the family and have the Oldest and Youngest descendants taking part in the ceremony.

Nigel