Cpl William P McGuinness/ Royal Fusiliers in Serbia

[jgarlo]

For the last three years I have been looking for the true details of the death of Corporal William Patrick McGuinness.The CWGC will not recognise him and he is not on any official memorial. He is on his school memorial which I am about to finish. I have a photo of him in Royal Fusilier uniform and his father had him added to the Roll of Honour in Preston, Lancashire but even he dithered over the death date and the location when the information the in the school magazine is compared. I think the family was told a pack of lies and that their son may have been lost on a dodgy secret mission. The upshot is that I am stumped. The depressing thing is also that I cannot find him in the list of Royal Fusiliers dead on their website. being a Lancashire Library my local ref lib does not have lists of London regiments. He was a teacher in London, having trained at St Mary's Hammersmith.

John Garlington[/size]

[curranl]

Hello John and Welcome to the Forum,

I might be able to help you; there are four William Mcguinness listed in Ireland's Memorial Records. Two have a connection with your query:

McGuinness, William. Reg. no. 8610. Rank, Private, Royal Dublin Fusiliers, 6th Battalion; killed in action, Balkans, October 3, 1916. Born Dublin.

and

McGuinness, William. Reg. no. 11039. Rank Private, Irish Guards, 1st Battalion, Died of Wounds, France, September 9, 1917, born Preston, Lancashire.

Both men exist on on the CWGC, but the second has his surname spelled McGuiness. Is it possible there was confusion between the two men?

If you have a picture of him in uniform, post it here and the uniform gurus may be able to tell you more. Where does the information about Serbia come from? Is it reliable?

Regards,

Liam.

[jgarlo]

Hello John and Welcome to the Forum,

I might be able to help you; there are four William Mcguinness listed in Ireland's Memorial Records. Two have a connection with your query:

McGuinness, William. Reg. no. 8610. Rank, Private, Royal Dublin Fusiliers, 6th Battalion; killed in action, Balkans, October 3, 1916. Born Dublin.

and

McGuinness, William. Reg. no. 11039. Rank Private, Irish Guards, 1st Battalion, Died of Wounds, France, September 9, 1917, born Preston, Lancashire.

Both men exist on on the CWGC, but the second has his surname spelled McGuiness. Is it possible there was confusion between the two men?

If you have a picture of him in uniform, post it here and the uniform gurus may be able to tell you more. Where does the information about Serbia come from? Is it reliable?

Regards,

Liam.

Hi Liam

Thanks for your reply. Only last weekend I was reading the Summer 1917 edtion of our school mag and I found a letter from William McGuinness written in Macedonia. Were the Royal Fusiliers fighting in the Serbs there? I have attached a photo of Cpl McGuinness.

Best Wishes

John