bombadier thomas callaghan kia 3 sept 1916 served with RFA 5 div ammo

[smokinjoe]

i am looking for information on bombadier thomas callaghan killed in france 3 sept 1916 he served with RFA 5th div.ammunition.co he was from sligo ireland we never had any information when he signed up r where he served during the war as my granfather was to young to remember anything about him any pics r medals the family had got lost in a fire in the 60s there was a british barracks in sligo ...would love to know anything about him r his company.....thanks

[rflory]

The War Diary of 5th Divisional Ammunition Column, RFA from August 1914 to November 1917 is available for download at The National Archives for £3.30.

[alantwo]

Smokingjoe

Welcome to the forum.

Your casualty is commemorated at the Albert Communal Cemetery Extension, his Regimental Number is 5283, link to Commonwealth War Graves Commission website:

http://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/551703/CALLAGHAN,%20THOMAS

His Medal Index Card (MIC) is available through the National Archives or on Ancestry though there is a second card 5682 which you will also find interesting.

Regards

Alan

[smokinjoe]

thanks alan i cannot find the mic card 5682 i found 5283 i know thats him from grave records his mother was down as next of kin and the cenus 1901 ............

[alantwo]

Smokingjoe

Remove the first name and type in 5682 within the Regimental Number box. It looks as though he had two cards, there may even have been some confusion as to whether there were two brothers, one with the initial 'S'. If you look at the top of 5683 it refers to the second card which has more information regarding medals.

Regards

Alan

[spof]

If you got the medal card from TNA, they come in sheets of 6. 99% of hte time the only connection between the 6 is their surname so don't worry about the others. There is some guidance here on how to interpret the medal card http://www.1914-1918.net/soldiers/interpretmic.html

[alantwo]

HI Smokingjoe

My earlier reference to '5682' which I reiterated whilst in an airport should have read 5282 apologises for the confusion. The 5282 card also has a reference to 5283 and appeared to be the same man you were looking for: Callaghan T 5th DAC RFA. This card has correspondence on the rear which refers to next of kin entitlement to a clasp, which suggests that he died. I will wait to be corrected by others but I take the reference to RFRA to suggest he was a special reserve which would also help to explain the early qualifying date of 19 August 1914 for his medals.

The link to the second card on Ancestry, if you have a subscription, is:

http://interactive.ancestry.com/1262/30850_A000274-02228/3640143?backurl=http%3a%2f%2fsearch.ancestry.com%2fcgi-bin%2fsse.dll%3findiv%3dtry%26db%3dMedalRolls%26h%3d3640143&ssrc=&backlabel=ReturnRecord

Regards

Alan

[battiscombe]

Yes this number would be appropriate for RFRA i.e. Special Reserve. Most members of DACs were reservists and special reservists [as the DACs were newly formed at the start of war].. [a 1900 enlistment would also be possible but the RFRA notation confirms he was SR] .. probably enlisted 1908 or 1909

[alantwo]

Thanks Battiscombe. Although the service record of this Callaghan does not seem to have survived I did find the records of another Callaghan, James, Regimental Number 8255. He too is from Sligo and a special reservist enlisting in 1908, spot on.

Regards

Alan

[alantwo]

Smokingjoe

I just came across this in another part of the forum which may be of interest.

http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=215497

Regards

Alan

[Colin W Taylor]

Joe

According to the war diary the following occurred on 3 September 1916:

'Battle casualties: 1 OR killed, 1 OR severely wounded. Camp shelled by 13cm gun for about an hour. Horses were got away without casualties.'

Kind regards

[smokinjoe]

thanks very much colin and alan for your help it took us along time to find out anything about him,all of his nephews and neices have since passed on and none of them ever new a thing about him just that he died in the war .....thanks very much lads yer help was fantastic