Discharged but then enlisted again

[Pat Twomey]

Hi,

I'm hoping someone can help me get beyond the impasse I find myself in.

I am researching Patrick Hegarty (10220) who enlisted (August 1911) in the 3rd Bt. Royal Irish (special reserve) when he was 17yrs and 9mts old. At the time his brother James was serving in the Leinster Reg in India. The following year in August (1912) he transferred to the Connaught Rangers based in Birr. He was sentenced to 28 days in January 1912 for using insubordinate language and in February the same year he was discharged from the army for misconduct under 'para 390 HKR'.

Now, my research leads me to believe that the same Patrick Hegarty re-enlisted in the Leinsters (6205) in 1915 and served also with Lab C (651788) and the RAOC S/9485. He was killed accidentally in North Russia in July 1919.

Would it be unusual for a soldier who was discharged for misconduct to be readmitted into the army again? Maybe due to the shortage of manpower in 1915 enlisting officers would turn a 'blind eye' to such applications.

Thanks for your help,

Pat

 

[TEW]

Quite common to re-enlist I think.

His MIC needs to be coupled with his other MIC to the 3587 one.

 

One set of medals to 3587 were returned as duplicates and then father applied for medals to 6205 which is complex!

 

Never seen medal re-issued on payment or previous issue lost by GPO before.

 

The 3587 card also shows an SWB issue which should give an enlistment date and cause of discharge.

 

So he's been discharged twice.

TEW

[Pat Twomey]

Thanks for that update Tew. I had seen the other MIC but dismissed it as this man was discharged as being  'permanently unfit' by the Medical Board. But now I'm beginning to think that it was the same soldier. Both MICs make reference to the other.

The SWB gives the enlistment date as 10/03/14 and discharged on 28/05/17 cause 'Wounds para 392'.  He must have then signed up for the RAOC in 1919 for the NRRF and was killed (accident) in July 1919.

 

The chronology would seem to be the following:

Enlisted 3rd Bt RIR August 1911

Discharged 'Misconduct' February 1912

Enlisted Leinster Reg March 1914

Discharged 'Permanently unfit' May 1917

Enlisted RAOC April 1919

Killed (accident) July 1919

 

Seems a very strange military career?

 

 

Edited 1 December , 2020 by Pat Twomey