Private William Deery Service Number 7044

[Crossar]

I am researching an Irish soldier who was with 2nd Battalion Royal Irish Fusiliers.  His service number was 7044. His records state he died on or since 1st September 1914 or that he is missing since 1st September 1914. In a newspaper article The Northern Whig dated 31st May 1915...his father a Michael Deery states he received information that his son William Deery who is missing since battle of Mons is believed to be a prisoner of war. Can anyone assist with finding out if this is true? What records ate there for POWs. The commonwealth War graves has his date of death as 1st September and he is aged 33. Appreciate any assistance.  Thanks

[PRC]

6 minutes ago, Crossar said:

I am researching an Irish soldier who was with 2nd Battalion Royal Irish Fusiliers.  His service number was 7044.

Commonwealth War Graves Commission shows 2nd Battalion Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers - all 5 of the known graves at Verberie Communal Cemetery are men of that Battalion killed in the fighting there. There could well be more - check out the Grave Registration report on his CWGC webpage as others were reclassified as unknown British soldiers. There is a possibility they were buried there by the Germans. https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/287295/william-deery/

The reports received from the German authorities via the International Committee of the Red Cross, (ICRC), tend to be very, very basic in the first year of the war in my experience, and littered with mistakes that probably made it difficult to tie up with the army records at the UK end. The filing system on the ICRC website is also not for the faint-hearted, batching up names into sounds like \ looks like.

A couple of years back FindMyPast had a go at indexing the records from the ICRC which can help if the obvious searches don't work. I no longer subscribe but I can check the indexes and can see under 7044 Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers there is an ICRC record for a " W. Deeay". What that actually leads to is a record card for a missing persons enquiry received from his father via the Foreign Office. Unfortunately it's undated and there is no note of what reply, if any, he received. https://grandeguerre.icrc.org/en/File/Details/1405563/3/2/

I don't know exactly what information the parents received in May 1915 but I suspect at best even if it came through any sort of official channel it was hearsay. Parents and families advertised for news of missing loved ones, while reports also began to filter back from men held in Germany.  Meanwhile the ICRC and ambassadors from neutral countires like the US and Denmark were interviewing PoWs trying to glean as much information as possible as to the fate of their comrades amongst other things. There were also prisoner exchanges and those returning to the UK would be interviewed -again part of that would touch on the fate of comrades at the time of capture. Some of those interview reports are held at the National Archive. So lots of ways the information could have reached them formally or informally, with the sources having varying levels of credibility. Factor in the desperate desire for good news by the family and a journalistic desire to report a definate rather than a possible, then it's likely the statement in the newspaper should be taken with a large pinch of salt!

Cheers,
Peter

 

[Matlock1418]

Dependant's pension index cards at WFA/Fold3 under William DEARY, 7044, Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers

M

[Crossar]

Thanks so much Peter for your detailed response.  I did think that perhaps the family were ever hopeful that their son was still alive and hanging onto the notion that he was a POW.

 Much appreciated for all your advice.  I will have a look on FMP.

All the best 

Ann

Thanks Matlock for your reply too...I do have the Dependant card. 

All the best 

Ann

[Matlock1418]

10 minutes ago, Crossar said:

I did think that perhaps the family were ever hopeful that their son was still alive and hanging onto the notion that he was a POW.

Sadly my family experienced the same false hope based on such a suggestion that being a PoW was a possibility - an abstract of a letter received from a regimental officer was printed in a local newspaper.  Sadly not to be.

May they both RIP 

M

[PRC]

I'm sure you've probably checked it out already, but if not the Battalion War Diary can currently be downloaded for free from the UK National Archive. You do need to sign if with your account, but if you don't have one, even that can be set up as part of placing your first order. Just click on "sign in" and follow the instructions - no financial details are requested.

The part covering August to December 1914 can be found in the online catalogue here https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C7352170

While it's unlikely to mention him by name, it will hopefully give some idea of where they were and what they were up to. Note the CWGC entry for William records him with 'A' Company which may help if the war diary entry is that detailed.

The War Diary can also be accessed in the military records section of Ancestry but you do have to scroll through page by page.

Cheers,
Peter

 

[Crossar]

Hi Peter,

Thanks, I have gone into the war diary for his battalion....it notes on 1st September 1914....4am...acting as rear guard at dawn were attacked by Germans they did not press the attack...managed to bring a MG onto party of 6 cyclists entering village..all killed. The enemy appeared to withdraw and move off round on left flank. Notes casualties: men: 1 killed, 24 wounded, 25 missing. I guess my Pte Deery would have been in the missing men group. This was at Verberie, France.....which is where CWG have a gravestone for him and 3 others at Verberie Communal cemetery...noting "buried near this spot". 

Thanks both for your assistance.  RIP all those brave young men. 

Ann