Interpret this card

[corisande]

This is the death of our man - click for grave entry

 

Died 10 Mar 1973, buried Tuam (within a couple of miles of Dunmore)

Wife Delia (she died 1978) and daughter Naiomi

 

Working back to his marriage to Delia, it gives James Lewin Lynch, postmand at Dunmore

 

 

 

 

[Matlock1418]

6 hours ago, corisande said:

This James Lewin Lynch, is at best tangential to the man here. Born 1916 to Frederick Lynch

Yes, as previously identified above.

But its exploration did encourage the OP to reveal that Lewin is a family name - which seems handy for us all to know.

And your JLL 1916 birth record should be useful/of interest to him.

:-) M

[Gaillimh1]

On 13/06/2021 at 19:43, owen4256 said:

 

I can shed some light on his early service. His date on entry of 19th December 1916 and his  1914-15 star roll entry show that he went overseas with the 16th Divisional Cyclist Company. 

 

The 16^th (Irish) Divisional Cyclist Company was formed at Mallow on the 16^th January 1915 The bulk of the officers and men were drawn from all thirteen infantry Battalion of the 16^th Division. On initial formation, the strength of the Company was 279 of all ranks, then the authorised establishment for a Cyclist Company. Willie Watson, later the CO: “From battalions still in embryo men were demanded to form a Cyclist Company. The wise selected carefully and the foolish sent their worst. These bunches of men were trained separately for a while, then brought together and the Company formed. Think, then, of this Company a strange and ignorant but hotly enthusiastic crowd slowly becoming disciplined, men and officers learning for themselves picking up cyclist work from an obsolete textbook and the fierce advice of the Staff, with scarce a cycle or rifle among them. They struggled hard in the face of enormous difficulties and the vilest weather, until something began to emerge. It was rough and cheerful, keen and blundering, but a Company.”

 

14719 in almost certainly his original service number on enlistment. and probably indicates  8th Battalion Royal Dublin Fusiliers as his first unit .7620 Private Thomas Belshaw was formerly 8/RDF 

 

At 2.20am on the 18^th December 1915, the 16th Divisional Cyclist Company paraded at Pirbright Camp to the march to Brookwood Station. CSM Michael Murphy was placed under close arrest for drunkenness on the parade and left behind. Captain Watson: “At midnight we banqueted off sausages and toast and tea. Then the officers, wearing all their equipment, went out on parade to their waiting men. The Gaspipe, collecting the last oddments, followed. The men stood eagerly in the darkness. Some of those who were being left behind clung enviously to the edge of the parade-ground. "Good-bye, Peter. Are we all ready now, Cicero? Right. Advance in file from the right of platoons. Headquarters leading!!" and they moved off into a steady tramp, singing a few songs. When they came to the station there was old Harry Tatton, one of the rejected, down on some excuse to see them off. Finally, they were entrained, and at last after an age, it seemed the train slid out of the station, and poor old Harry was left shouting on the platform. So the Irish Cyclists started overseas. . . . “

 

The local Gas Alarm was sounded at 4am on the 29^th April 1916 and the Cyclist Company was ordered to Stand To and man the alarm post. One officer and 30 men were ordered to the trenches to evacuate gas victims and four men of this party were themselves gassed. CSM Rose: “I myself got a good share of Phosgene Gas and was evacuated with many of the Dublin Fusiliers and others to the 33^rd Casualty Clearing Station, Bethune, but fortunately for me, I soon recovered and was able to return to my Company, now back in billets in Mazingarbe, after their somewhat rough baptism of fire.

 

 

The 16^th Divisional Cyclist Company was disbanded on the 1st June 1916 and the personnel were transferred to the Infantry battalions of the 16^th Division (GHQ no OB/1517) dated 12^th May 1916. The Company was the only  Divisional Cyclist Company to be disbanded entirely in France, the remainder were amalgamated into Corps Cyclist Battalions.

 

I known that drafts went to 8/RDF, 9/RDF. 7/RI Fusiliers  and 6/Connaughts.  Is is likely that James Lynch went to one of these Battalions before transferring the Royal Defence Corps . 14719 in not his Cyclist Corps number - that was assigned to Thomas Edward Talbot. It is possible that he returned to 8/RDF under his original service number.

 

The 16th's  CO, Major W H L Watson DSO DCM, wrote part of his "Tales of a Gaspipe Officer" about his time in command of the Company   These are available online in Blackwoods Magazine

 

https://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/webbin/serial?id=blackwoods

 

 

Love to see any photos you have of James Lynch

 

Best

 

Clive

 

 

 

Thank you for that very interesting post about the cyclist corps, it will help with my story on him. The photo I have is not of the cyclist corps, I would have loved one of them in light of his later amateur cycling career. Are there any photographs of the 16th Divisional in France do you know?

He later transferred to the Welsh Regiment and the photo I have shows him with 3 others in that uniform. I messaged the Welsh Regiment Museum but other than confirming the uniform, they had no other info regarding location, no names for the three men with him. One is in a hospital outfit apparently.

James Lewin Lynch is first on the left with cap and arms folded.

 

M.

[owen4256]

Thank you for posting the photograph. I have yet to trace a photo of the 16th Divisional Cyclists in France. Best of luck with your continuing research,

 

Best Regards

 

Clive