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The Great War (1914-1918) Forum

Remembered Today:

In From The Cold - 06.11.07


Terry Denham

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CWGC added the following 'new' WW1 casualty to its Debt of Honour database today – Tuesday 6th November.

Major Gerard Thomas Joseph BARRY

South Wales Borderers

Died 08.04.21 Age 38

Commemoration: Brookwood (United Kingdom 1914-1918) Memorial, Surrey, UK

NOT FORGOTTEN

This case was not put forward through GWF and so I do not know the background.

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The above was not a GWF case but we have had 49 acceptances since we started with 28 more in the pipeline.

This is only the total since September 2006. There were many other cases accepted through the same process before GWF officially became the 'sponsor'. Including those, the total is 128 accepted.

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You may add a further 24 to this figure Terry and I'm working on a further 20 or so men (13 looking very good). I am happy to let the forum take credit for these cases because I often used the forum to put together the cases. I am also quite active on the forum with regard to this type of work...

Nice to see this officer given this tribute. What is the highest ranking man the forum has submitted? From my own list I have a C/Sergeant (A.J Baker DCM) all others were Privates/Ord Seaman.

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From the Times of 13 Apr 1921

shot accidentally at Cork

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Neil

I have a number of cases in process which relate to Field Marshals and Admirals of the Fleet.

You can't get any higher than that!

One Field Marshal was accepted yesterday but the place of commemoration is still being sorted.

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Terry,

Re Field Marshals.

A while ago we were debating whether the Tzar was entitled to a CWGC Headstone.

I think we agreed he was entitled but the debate was whether one should be offered.

Any update?

George

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  • 8 months later...
Neil

I have a number of cases in process which relate to Field Marshals and Admirals of the Fleet.

You can't get any higher than that!

One Field Marshal was accepted yesterday but the place of commemoration is still being sorted.

How about a Rear Admiral

Chris

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Chris,

My understanding of the old ranks system is that only Field Marshal's, Admirals of the Fleet and Marshal of the RAF are entitled to this honour. Your chap is Lt General rank so is too low. Field Marshals (and RN/RAF counterparts) never actually left the armed forces and were all entitled to wear the uniform and use the title until they died.

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Neil

this is actually a serving Rear Admiral

Chris

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The highest ranks (Field Marshal, Admiral of the Fleet and Marshal of the RAF) did not remain in service until they died - at least at the time of WWI.

This circumstance only was introduced in 1940 and so these ranks ceased to hold rank as a 'serving' officer when they retired until that date. CWGC discovered this when I submitted reasearch of the highest ranks missing from the CWGC database. As a result, four such high rankers from WW2 were accepted by MoD/CWGC for commemoration but not those from WW1.

A Rear Admiral will qualify if he was still in service just like an Able Seaman.

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Oh, In that case, what are you waiting for? GO FOR IT!

Already submitted :rolleyes:

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  • 3 years later...

I have been doing some work on Major Barry and note that his actual grave has not been found.

My notes on Major Barry are on this link

For anyone involved in tracing graves, it would appear that he was buried in Cork. He was in fact born in Cork as well as being killed there. His father was a retired Lt Col in RAMC and was living in 1911 census at Ringmeen, Rushbrooke Road Lower, Queenstown. And the family was Roman Catholic

There may be enough clues there for someone to take it further

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I had already got Cork down as a possible burial place, but I have never got any co-operation from the authorities there so will have to keep plugging away. Thanks for the heads up anyway

Cheers

Chris

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Major Barry lived in Cobh and there is another news report at the time of his death that gives his parents living at Inver, Rushbrook, Cobh. I would assume they buries him in their local Catholic church

account1.jpg

Catholic Churches in Cobh with email contact. I would assume it was one of those, and if they cannot help you, then they may be able to say if there are other catholic churches in the area where he could have been buried

St. Colman's Cathedral (R.C.) has its own baptism records on computer and also burials in the graveyard at Ballymore.

Telephone (021) 4813222

And if you Google Inver Rushbrook Cobh, there is the phone no of bloke living in house today.

There were a lot of Barry's in Cork, but one does wonder if he was related to Tom Barry, the local IRA commander (he of Kilmichael)

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Thanks for that which I will follow up on

Cheers

Chris

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Looks like we have found him at Cobh; got to phone up for some more details tommorrow

Thanks for that pointer

Chris

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Good work there, seems that we are almost there with him :)

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Got him

1007 in Section C, Row 16. Old Church Cemetery, Cobh, Co. Cork.

Chris

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Great perseverance in tracking him down, well done

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