1st Royal Dublin Fusiliers and 7th Royal Irish Regiment

[Guest kinglaura]

I'm tracing my Grandad, Robert Percival Manning. He enlisted in the 1st RDF on 13/4/16 aged 15 and his number was 26758. He was demobbed from 7th Royal Irish Regiment (no 26200) on 29/1/19 and he was a Sergeant by then.

I've started looking at the war diaries for those battalions, but at the moment I don't know enough to tie down where he was.

We know he suffered a serious head wound at some point - he had a metal plate in his head - so he must have been out of action for some time in hospital

The National Archives doesn't have his service record. That's all I have. Any ideas about whether I would be able to find him through some medical records anywhere - to find where he was injured? And why would he have changed regiments - and when? I found a reference to about 500 RDF men moving to the 7th RIR on 28/6/18 - so should I assume he was one of those? Or did soldiers regularly change regiments?

Also, he joined up just days before the Easter Rising and I know some of the RDF were involved in that - but presumably he would have been sent off for some training in his first weeks?

Any ideas gratefully received as now I've started looking into this, I really want to find out more

Laura

[sotonmate]

Laura

It will give you a few more facts if you click on The Long Long Trail at the top left of the Forum page.

Then click on infantry regiments in second column and select both your regiments for a bit more about the Brigades and Divisions they were part of. You will also get what battles your Grandad may have been involved in. It may focus you on what war diaries you may need to look at in addition to what you have already seen.

As he survived the War you might have good fortune to find some records in WO364 at the National Archives as your Grandad may have had some disability pension claims as a result of his head wound. I see that microfilm WO364/2321 covers the Manning entries. As I understand it these files were not damaged by the Luftwaffe in 1940 as were the WO363 series.

Best wishes

Sotonmate

[Armoured Farmer]

Laura,

I think you are correct in assuming that he was one of 500 Royal Dublin Fusiliers transferred into 7th Bn, Royal Irish Regt. I am prettyu sure that these 500 along with the 250 Royal Muster Fusiliers transferred at the same time were allocated numbers in the Royal Irish Regiment between 26000 and 26999. I do not know exactly how these numbers were allocated, but looking at the R Ir Regt medal rolls most men numbered in that range came from either the Munsters or Dublins.

I know that most of the men numbered 25001 to 25950 were South Irish Horsemen transferred in to form 7th Bn, R Ir Regt from scratch. This battalion was destroyed in March/April 1918 and reduced to a training cadre of about 50 officers and men. The 750 Dublins and Munsters along with 85 men from the R Ir Regt were transferred into the bn in June to bring it up to strength.

See here: -

http://southirishhorse.com/documents/7sih_...r_diaries_2.htm

Best Regards

Farmer

[Guest kinglaura]

Thanks Farmer and Sotonmate for your speedy replies

I've tried WO364 at the National Archives, but no luck there.

[Ann Sinnott]

Laura

You might look at the Royal Dublin fusiliers Association website, it's informative and gives some details of transfers and amalgamations:

http://www.greatwar.ie/ire_batmb.html

Good luck

Ann