Michael Creevy photo (Connaughts & Labour Corps)

[Trav]

I believe this to be my Great Granduncle. From my research I understand he was in the Connaught Rangers and then the Labour Corps.

 

His photo turned up on Ancestry today and I was just wondering if anyone could speak to the uniform or badges. I know it's been retouched, and it's not the best but I assume this was taken post 1914 and that he was a bugler of some sort? Any guesses at that cap badge?

Thanks!

[FROGSMILE]

He’s a drummer (note the brass drum badge on his right upper arm).  Rifles and light infantry regiments had buglers, but other ‘line regiments’, such as the Connaught’s, had drummers.  Unlike buglers, drummers had to be able to ‘beat drum’, a much older instrument than the bugle, and also sound a fife (military style flute), as well as the bugle.  Many (but not all) entered as Boy soldiers and were so small in stature that they generally started with the fife and then worked up as they grew.  

Turning to the cap badge, unfortunately it’s exceedingly blurred, but on balance the rough outline shape looks more like the harp and crown of the Connaught Rangers than the initial coat of arms and later piled pick, shovel and rifle of the Labour Corps, although it’s not impossible given his apparent age that it is the latter pattern badge, and thus Labour Corps.  Clearly a lot depends on when the photograph was taken.

Edited 13 December , 2021 by FROGSMILE

[Trav]

Thank you for that information Frogsmile. That's all news to me, and appreciated too.

[museumtom]

For what it is worth.

More about the Dardanelles.

 Mullingar Soldier’s Terrible Experiences.

The Turks Hemmed In.

 Fighting Under Difficulties.

    Writing to his father, Mr John Creevy, of Patrick Street, Mullingar, Private Michael Creevy, who has been wounded at the Dardanelles, and is at present in England, in the course of an interesting letter, says;-- I got wounded on the 27th August in a bayonet charge. I got shot in the neck and also in the back. The bullet went right through my neck. I am going on well, and am in the best of health. The doctor and the priest told me I had had a very narrow escape. This is a terrible place. The Turks have the advantage, as they occupy the best positions. If we had the same advantages as the Turks in the way of positions we could conquer the world. There is only a small level of 30 yards between each hill. Some of the hills are some hundred feet high and resemble Knockion, Crookedwood. When we make a charge, the Turks being over us have the advantage all the time. However, we are always able to capture the hill, for when we get within fifty yards of the Turks they run away from the bayonet; but we manage to get at them, and we give them the bayonet in right good style. The fighting here as cost us a great deal in men. We lost nearly all our own officers in killed and wounded. However, we captured a great many Turks and German officers. We have them hemmed in, and they can’t get away or get up any ammunition, so that it will not be long until they must give in. There seems to be millions of them in it. When we make a charge one sees thousands of them lying dead and wounded along with out own on the field. One is in danger of tripping over the dead bodies, and one doesn’t know when his turn may come. But we get used to all that, and I can say, without praising myself, that I was as cool as ever I was at home. I passed no remarks on fellows falling each side and in front of me. I knew I might be the next to go under. I was with the priest the morning before we made the charge. France and Belgium was never at any time like the Dardanelles, and there was not as many men lost on those countries as were lost here for the past couple of months. Some fellows who were with us, and who had fought in France, say the fighting there was only a picnic compared to this. You have only to look at the papers to understand this. The papers, however, do not give you half the news of what is happening in the Dardanelles. I know all about it, and any man who comes out of it wounded is very lucky. I don’t know how long we will be in this hospital, but, when we leave it, we will leave it for a convalescent home, and afterwards get a few days leave for home, after which we will be sent out again. All the hospitals were full up, Cairo, Alexandria, the base, and Gibraltar. Only for this we could never see England. Five boat loads came with us to England. There were about four thousand wounded, making nine thousand incide of a fortnight. That will give you an idea as to the fighting that has been going on, and the numbers left dead on the field. Often when we captured the Turkish trenches we would be standing on heaps of dead bodies, the smell of which was awful. The maggots actually crept up our legs. We had to stick it until we were relieved. We might have been there for two or three days before we could be relieved. It took us three weeks to get from the Dardanelles to England, and it only takes a few hours to get from France to England. We were lucky not to have been torpedoed.

   The writer concludes his letter by expressing the hope that all at home are well, and asks that he be sent some tobacco, as he wouldn’t smoke cigarettes.

An Heroic Act.

Mullingar Soldier as Leader.

 Capture of Turkish Trenches.

 In the course of a letter from a soldier engaged in the Dardanelles operations a high tribute paid to the work of the Irish regiment’s in the Gallipoli peninsula. The writer tells an interesting story, the hero of which is a Mullingar man, Private Michael Creevy. He states that last August the Fifth Battalion, Connaught Rangers were in a communication trench when the Turkish guns began to play on them. Major Mooney, who was in command, gave the order to charge, but owing to the terrible fire it was almost impossible to move forward. During a lull in the firing Private Creevy jumped up on the parapet, and shouting to the men to follow, ran towards the Turkish position. The Rangers captures two trenches. Not content with this important gain, Creevy again shouted to his comrades to follow with the object of capturing the third trench. They obeyed his orders, but just then Creevy received a bullet wound in the neck rendering him hors de combat. So pleased was Major Mooney with Creevy’s daring and heroic act that he took down his name and number and promised to have his name mentioned for gallant conduct. Unfortunately, the major subsequently received wounds from which he died. Those in Mullingar who know Creevy will readily understand that he is just the sort of an to do such an heroic act, and the hope is expressed that it will be recognised in due course.

[Trav]

Thanks... that was posted here before,  maybe by yourself?

The Peter above is also my Great Grand Uncle... albeit via an adopted line. Essentially Peter would have been a 'brother' to the Michael in this post. And they were both Uncles to my Grandfather... whose photo is my profile picture. John Creevy, 2 RIR (Rifles), 1911-1919.

[FROGSMILE]

13 minutes ago, museumtom said:

For what it is worth.

A very poignant image and story.  Infantrymen, such as those in the Connaught Rangers, tended to more frequently be killed-in-action well forward, close to the German front line, because as their expressed, formal purpose describes, they were intended to “close with and kill the enemy, and hold ground”.  Conversely, the Labour Corps were usually older, or medically downgraded, former wounded, who tended to be killed carrying out mostly manual Labour in the middle and rear areas, often by shellfire.  Many, very fine Irishmen were often already experienced labourers and so inevitably in a high proportion of men killed in that way.

8 minutes ago, Trav said:

Thanks... that was posted here before,  maybe by yourself?

The Peter above is also my Great Grand Uncle... albeit via an adopted line. Essentially Peter would have been a 'brother' to the Michael in this post. And they were both Uncles to my Grandfather... whose photo is my profile picture. John Creevy, 2 RIR (Rifles), 1911-1919.

The photos were posted previously you mean?  If so it’s possible that they were posted by me, yes.

Edited 13 December , 2021 by FROGSMILE

[Trav]

11 minutes ago, museumtom said:

Writing to his father, John Creevy, of Patrick Street, Mullingar, Private Michael Creevy, who has been wounded at the Dardanelles....

Thanks for all that too Museumtom. May I ask the source for the above? John Creevy of Patrick Street was my Great Great Grandfather.

[museumtom]

Westmeath Examiner Trav old son.

[Trav]

9 minutes ago, museumtom said:

Westmeath Examiner Trav old son.

I thank you for that.

[FROGSMILE]

Drummers, such as your great grand uncle, were responsible for marking out the military routine of the day by sounding various bugle calls that they had to learn by rote.  You can listen to the calls they sounded here: http://www.farmersboys.com/MAIN/Bugles_Calls.htm

Edited 13 December , 2021 by FROGSMILE

[Trav]

Excellent help everyone, thank you for the input and updates to your earlier posts. It all adds more 'meat to the bones'.

[Trav]

Could those be overseas chevrons upon his sleeve?

It looks as if someone has tried to retouch them if so.

[clk]

Hi Trav,

6 hours ago, Trav said:

Could those be overseas chevrons upon his sleeve?

Overseas chevrons were worn on the right sleeve, and good conduct chevrons on the left.

Regards
Chris

[FROGSMILE]

The good conduct badges (stripes) look like this Trav. 

[Trav]

Thanks for the photos and information chaps.

[Trav]

Having now had contact with a descendant of Michael´s family, I can happily add to this thread that one of his medals, his Victory medal, was returned to his family having been discovered in the possessions of a deceased collector who used to purchase old medals at boot fairs. The collector´s family researched Michael, managed to trace and contact his family and returned the medal. How nice for them!

 

[FROGSMILE]

On 07/04/2023 at 15:33, Trav said:

Having now had contact with a descendant of Michael´s family, I can happily add to this thread that one of his medals, his Victory medal, was returned to his family having been discovered in the possessions of a deceased collector who used to purchase old medals at boot fairs. The collector´s family researched Michael, managed to trace and contact his family and returned the medal. How nice for them!

 

It’s good to know that some medals do get returned to family members now interested in regaining them.