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Remembered Today:

Arthur McCormack 5th Battalion Connaught Rangers ( BORN Athlone co. Westmeath Ireland)


cyril

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Just now, Matlock1418 said:

Have just tweaked my post above to offer a bit more of a 'clue' as to place Kilcormac, King's County [County Offaly?]

If it works then easy to get back

:-) M

No it's means nothing as yet, 

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Kilcormac is between Tullamore and Birr in Offaly. I did see a S.W.B. for a Christopher in the Leinsters and that would be right bang in their area. Folder 3 might help.

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On 14/06/2021 at 07:07, museumtom said:

Kilcormac is between Tullamore and Birr in Offaly. I did see a S.W.B. for a Christopher in the Leinsters and that would be right bang in their area.

 

Tom,

Interesting - but not a Leinster that caught my eye.

I'd have put [a small amount of] money on the possibility of him joining the Connaught Rangers, like his brothers.

 

Thus, as the OP, @cyril, doesn't know any different at the moment I offer for consideration this soldier - Christopher McCormack from Kilcormac - who was in the Connaught Rangers [amongst quite a few other Regiments/Corps] - this is his BWM & VM Medal Roll, with dates, from the Royal Defence Corps.

Christopher McCORMACK

1481525192_McCORMACKC83747.png.45ab63f9a0af55990ccaa6254bef38ee.png

 

Image courtesy of Ancestry/Fold3

Thus:

Connaught Rangers 4/6362

8/Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers 8/43158

1/Labour Bn, Royal Irish Regiment 522

182 Labour Coy, Labour Corps 108915

Royal Defence Corps 83747

 

The last RDC/83747 leads to a pension card at WFA/Fold3 and yet another unit comes to light:

Royal Fusiliers 129140 - from whom he was transferred to the Army Z Reserve.

 

I guess that is the likely chronology.

 

Using that final Royal Fusiliers 129140 leads to another card at WFA/Fold3 and a Military Service (Civil Liabilities) Grant - £50 Towards purchase of pony, cart and harness, 1 March 1921 - and the Kilcormac address to boot. [Actually the MS(CL) Grant caught my eye and it worked out nicely back from there] and the Kilcormac address seemed worth a tentative enquiry of the OP.  But he doesn't seem to know. = ???

 

And yet the trouble is I can't seem to fit it in with the earlier newspaper article from @museumtomand coming from Canada and rejoining etc. :-/

Westmeath Independent, March, 1917.

 6682

From Canada.

 Christopher McCormack, a native of Glasson Lane, Athlone, came from Canada to rejoin. He spent some ten months in France when he was invalided out of the Army. He came home and got married in Clara, afterwards working in the Athlone Woolen Mills. He left Athlone on Jan, 26th, to work in His Majestys Factory at Gretna, and he is now stated to be in France.

 

Cyril, I can't say if this is your relative - but the collective of GWF may yet establish if he is, or is not.

 

= Now folks - what do you make of those units/numbers as possible leads?

Do they in any way help link to the OP's enquiries??

:-) M

 

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2 hours ago, museumtom said:

Kilcormac is between Tullamore and Birr in Offaly. I did see a S.W.B. for a Christopher in the Leinsters and that would be right bang in their area.

Would be very churlish not to also look at this soldier.

Discharge card for SWB [at Ancestry/Fold3 and the National Archives http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D3776337] shows:

Christopher McCormack, 9333, 3rd Bn Leinster Regiment

Enlist 24/7/08

Discharge 21/7/15

Para 392 xvi KR Sickness

No Overseas Service is recorded

Corresponding 1916 SWB Roll shows SWB No. 56681

 

A Pension card is available for the above soldier at WFA/Fold3 [on a card from a batch printed 11/16] - Pension Region 13 [Ireland] and date annotations 1922-24 [but none earlier]

- Rather looks like the claim went/was recorded as DEAD 14.3.24 [but not necessarily the man dying]

 

As they say ... Discuss!

:-) M

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Hello Matt.

 I would have guessed he was also in the Connaughts but can find not Christopher McCormack in them.

I did find this though. I am not is is him just the same.

 

 

image.png.4077951275ea21cdf7e081de0c8624c2.png

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Thanks, 

 

I do reckon it’s same Christopher that came back from Canada, as he’s the only Christopher reg. in Glasses Lane (glasson lane) in census. Also my Grandfathers 2 sisters (nieces of Christopher) moved to Scotland (maybe connection there) but not sure of their ages or reasons why. I have a lot of researching ahead but this forum has really helped. Thank you so much.

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You might find this interesting with regard to the Gretna Munitions Factory mentioned

https://www.devilsporridge.org.uk/

 

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5 hours ago, cyril said:

I do reckon it’s same Christopher that came back from Canada, as he’s the only Christopher reg. in Glasses Lane (glasson lane) in census.

Cyril,

 

1) Have you a soldier in mind?

 

2) Thanks to @museumtom and the "From Canada" newspaper offering [on Christopher] and his earlier-posted one [on Thomas] do rather appear/seem to perhaps link Christopher and Thomas via Glasses Lane.  Or do they?

Does the Census you have [date?] securely link Christopher and Thomas and other family at Glasses Lane?

 

3) I personally think we still seem a way off finding the right soldier for Christopher/proving it.  Or have I missed something?

Certainly to me the "From Canada" Christopher would appear to struggle a bit with the two offerings we have presented so far.

The reference to "rejoin" is tantalising though - suggestive of previous service one might perhaps assume. [?]

And yet from the newspaper article the "He left Athlone on Jan, 26th [1917], to work in His Majestys Factory at Gretna" and "he is now stated to be in France" [in March 1917] also seems so far unexplained - that's a major redeployment in a very short period!  Of course newspapers can get things wrong, but ... ?

 

5 hours ago, cyril said:

I have a lot of researching ahead

I think you do.

Hope we can help more in the future.

???

:-/ M

 

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On 14/06/2021 at 16:07, museumtom said:

I would have guessed he was also in the Connaughts but can find not Christopher McCormack in them.

Tom,

For completeness

Here's the BWM & VM MIC for the Connaught I found [see also the corresponding Medal Roll posted above]:

535308999_McCORMACKC83747(2).png.6ac7623006da74fd32fce252c3f380fa.png

 

Image courtesy of Ancestry/Fold3

 

On 14/06/2021 at 16:07, museumtom said:

I did find this though. I am not is is him just the same.

image.png.d3f419fd7a0d1a33fa7c4469de2f35d1.png

Not quite sure what you were concluding

???

Here's the MIC anyway.

1508077236_McCORMACKC_9333.png.acecc1a767b36c88934f2ef8a2c1de84.png

 

Image courtesy of Ancestry/Fold3

No medals on this one.

:-) M

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Nice one Matlock. The reason I suggested he was a brother was Thomas was also from Glasses Lane and both(?) are listed in the 1911 Census together in Wolfe Tone Terrace. I do not have any information on Christophers unit though.

 

Mr Tom McCormack.

   It was with sincere regret that his many friends learned on Sunday last of the death at the front of Private Thomas McCormack, who for many years was a popular member of the Brass and Reed Band, and also of the United Football Club. Before the war he was employed in the Athlone Woolen Mills and joined at the first mobilisation. He was one of over a dozen of the members of the Band who joined the colours. He was a native of Glasses Lane, and much sympathy is felt with his bereaved widow and child in their great loss. In St Mary’s Church on Sunday, at each of the Masses, the prayers of the congregation were asked for the repose of his soul.

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Hi, M

 

The family are listed as mccormick in the 1901 census in Glasses Lane, This is the same family as I have proved this on a trip to Athlone some years ago, Again thank ye so much.

Edited by cyril
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47 minutes ago, cyril said:

The family are listed as mccormick in the 1901 census in Glasses Lane, This is the same family as I have proved this on a trip to Athlone some years ago,

Thanks for your reply

OK we can go with that it looks like your family.  That's good and we are happy to have provided extra info on them [very well done @museumtom].

What we now have to try and do for Christopher [and are currently struggling to do since nothing substantial seems attached at present] is to find out his military service.

:-/

:-) M

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4 hours ago, museumtom said:

Nice one Matlock. The reason I suggested he was a brother was Thomas was also from Glasses Lane and both(?) are listed in the 1911 Census together in Wolfe Tone Terrace. I do not have any information on Christophers unit though.

 

Mr Tom McCormack.

   It was with sincere regret that his many friends learned on Sunday last of the death at the front of Private Thomas McCormack, who for many years was a popular member of the Brass and Reed Band, and also of the United Football Club. Before the war he was employed in the Athlone Woolen Mills and joined at the first mobilisation. He was one of over a dozen of the members of the Band who joined the colours. He was a native of Glasses Lane, and much sympathy is felt with his bereaved widow and child in their great loss. In St Mary’s Church on Sunday, at each of the Masses, the prayers of the congregation were asked for the repose of his soul.

 

3 minutes ago, Matlock1418 said:

Thanks for your reply

OK we can go with that it looks like your family.  That's good and we are happy to have provided extra info on them [very well done @museumtom].

What we now have to try and do for Christopher [and are currently struggling to do since nothing substantial seems attached at present] is to find out his military service.

:-/

:-) M

I think anotrher trip to Athlone on the cards, need to find living family now, thanks again

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No bother. That was an interesting journey all the same.

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53 minutes ago, cyril said:

I think anotrher trip to Athlone on the cards, need to find living family now,

Hope to have helped [has been interesting too!] - and that it will prove useful to you in the future / in your future travels.

If you find out more and want to contact us again your thread is up and running, so please post here again, and we at GWF would be pleased to hear from you.

All the best

:-) M

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25 minutes ago, Matlock1418 said:

Hope to have helped [has been interesting too!] - and that it will prove useful to you in the future / in your future travels.

If you find out more and want to contact us again your thread is up and running, so please post here again, and we at GWF would be pleased to hear from you.

All the best

:-) M

Thanks I’ll keep you posted 

31 minutes ago, museumtom said:

No bother. That was an interesting journey all the same.

You guys helped me with loads, and in such a short amount of time, thanks 

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