ANZAC soldiers from Clare in World War 1: NAA site

[Paddy Casey]

Chris Goopy just flagged to me a superb National Archives of Australia website called Mapping Our Anzacs. They have put the facsimiles of the military records of ANZAC soldiers online (!!!!!) and if you go to http://mappingouranzacs.naa.gov.au/list ... %20Ireland you get a complete list of the Clare soldiers, all with facsimiles of their military records giving places of birth, next of kin, address and so forth. The records of my great-uncle even show the colour of his eyes and the state of his teeth ("Needs extensive dental work").

Go thither and boggle. One of your relatives might be there.

And a whopping big thanks to the National Archives of Australia for putting this online free of charge.

Paddy

[crissouli]

I'm so pleased that you have had success, Paddy.. I found the details before I sent you the email about my grandfather, but wanted you to get the thrill of the discovery, that's why I didn't send it on then. I'm so pleased for you.. you'd think it was my relation! As for the teeth, the army would have most likely fixed them if they had the time.

Just a word though... you may not find all the Clare men there, but you will find them by following the links to the Australian National Archives and/or War Memorial Honours list which you can do. If the records haven't been 'opened', there is a fee... then the records can be copied and sent to you, which means they will be released digitally as well. I have only ever paid for the fee for digital records, then I print it out myself.

Always check the listings first, as many have been released over the years for one reason and another, so that means they will be free. Best of luck.

[pwaldron]

Wow! Thank you both - there near the top of the list is my second cousin twice removed Patrick Blake. I have his photograph somewhere in a uniform which I always assumed was Dublin Metropolitan Police. I knew he left the DMP after a very short service and I knew he ended up in Australia, but I didn't know that he went early enough to have come back to fight in WWI. I'll have to find the photo and examine the uniform more closely. The file even confirms the details of his marriage, which I knew from an undated letter to have been on an Easter Sunday - the celebrant in Killard parish was none other than Laurence Brown P.P. whom we have discussed at http://www.ourlibrary.ca/phpbb2/viewtop ... f=1&t=1697 and the date of 19 Apr 1908 was indeed Easter Sunday. It must have been one of the last marriages performed by Fr. Browne before he retired and/or died.

[crissouli]

Fantastic news, Paddy W. it's great to be able to help friends... I hope many more have success with this.

[pwaldron]

Further down the Clare list is my second cousin three times removed, Margaret Mary Macinerney, whose sister later married another of Paddy Casey's greatuncles! But we both studied her WWI record some time ago, so she was not as surprising a find as Patrick Blake.

Interestingly, there is a George Smith on the Clare list who is not the same person as the George Robinson Smith on the much longer Limerick list at http://mappingouranzacs.naa.gov.au/list ... 2c+Ireland ; the latter is also my second cousin three times removed.

\pw

[crissouli]

I can tell you are a frustrated Aussie, Paddy W. Come on over, we'll find a family link somewhere... at this rate, we'll all be related. Any connections to Dillon, Mungovan, Keane, McGuane in Clare? There are a lot more, but they are my main connections... I am in touch with some of my Dillons...

[pwaldron]

Clare is so full of Keanes that I doubt you could find a Clare person who is not related to someone named Keane! Of course the same goes for the other common Clare names like McNamara, McMahon, Kelly, etc.

\pw

[crissouli]

I know you'll find this hard to believe, but I also have McMahon, Kelly, Burke and a whole lot of other 'often' names, and I do have McNamara cousins.

[katrina]

So having identified the Clare men in the 'Mapping our ANZACs' site, then go to the 'AIF Project' at http://www.aif.adfa.edu.au/index.html and search for the individuals there. It will give you details of their embarkation & return (or otherwise) to Australia.
Another hint for Australians researching Irish connections (learnt the hard way!): Go to the National Library of Australia website & apply for a library card. Then you can access www.irishnewsarchives.com through the NLA website whenever you want without having to subscribe.

[crissouli]

Thanks, Katrina... the first site is new to me... I was fascinated with the names/aliases... now there are some stories that would be worth the telling I'm sure...

I use the National Library site constantly, having the card does allow you access to all manner of things. I also use the State Library card which is very beneficial also. To have the latter, you must live in the particular state.

[pwaldron]

The Clare list is far from complete! Four men from Kilkee apparently gave their birthplace as "Kilkee, Ireland" and can be found at
http://mappingouranzacs.naa.gov.au/list ... %20Ireland

The mapping software is not yet sophisticated enough to recognise that Kilkee is in Clare.

I have just heard from a cousin in Australia that Richard O'Donnell from Kilkee attempted to enlist in the army in the First World War but was knocked back for being too young. He again attempted and was successful using the last name 'McDonnell', so that is how one must now locate his service record.

Trying other towns gives 18 people from Kilrush at
http://mappingouranzacs.naa.gov.au/list ... %20Ireland
and 23 from Ennis at
http://mappingouranzacs.naa.gov.au/list ... %20Ireland
and so on.

I'm not sure whether there is anyone who appears on both a town list and the county list; Patrick Barry (1872) on the Clare list and Patrick Barry (5339) on the Ennis list are obviously two different men.

There are 90 people (including three Caseys) at
http://mappingouranzacs.naa.gov.au/list ... th=Ireland
whose birthplace is recorded simply as `Ireland'.

[pwaldron]

Nearly five months later, I finally got around to finding and scanning the photograph of Patrick Blake mentioned above. The label on the back makes it clear that it long predates his time in ANZAC.

971.jpg (691.57 KiB) Viewed 28088 times

971back.jpg (909.69 KiB) Viewed 28088 times

[crissouli]

What a magnificent photo, Paddy. I'm no expert, but the uniform looks as if it could be from the Boer War..

[pwaldron]

I suspect it's a Dublin Metropolitan Police uniform; he was born in 1883, so possibly a bit young for the Boer War. I've sent our police history expert Jim Herlihy a copy for his thoughts.

[crissouli]

Yes, when I looked at it again, it is similar to the shape of the helmets, but of course, the badge and the top part (whatever the spike is called) seems more like a police uniform.
http://www.warwicks.com.au/sales/r_kitc ... chener.htm

Jim would be the one most likely to know.