Information is wanted of Thomas McNamara, of Glandree,

[Jimbo]

Hi Sheila,

Thank you very much for this new information on Thomas McNamara #9 and for all your help last year. I'm very pleased with our progress so far in the search for the missing Thomas McNamara of Glandree and it is great to start the New Year with this discovery. Utilizing your marriage and baptism transcriptions for Quin Clooney Parish, I can add a few more details:

Edmund McNamara married Margaret Hanifeen of Hazelwood in Quin Clooney Parish on 6 October 1834; witnesses John Mealy, Denis O'Dwyer, Thomas Corbett.

Edmond McNamara and Margaret Hannafen of Hazelwood in Quin Clooney Parish had a daughter Ellen McNamara in May 1835; sponsors Dennis O'Dwyer, Mary McNamara. The family appears to have moved to Newgrove, Tulla Parish by the time of the baptism of Thomas in 1838.

Coincidentally, Hazelwood House (of the Studdert family) is only a few miles from Corbally House (Stacpoole-Mahon family) in Corbally, Quin where Myles McNamara also lived following his service with the Royal Horse Artillery. Both houses are mentioned in "The Great Houses of Clare in WWI" by Ger Browne on the Clare Library website which includes drawings of the two houses as well as references to the book "Houses of Clare" by Hugh W L Weir.
http://www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/coclar ... war_11.pdf

About the Thomas McNamara who in 1869 married Bridget Halloran of Liscolane and there being no baptisms recorded in the Tulla Parish records. At first I thought this situation would be similar to Miles McNamara, a soldier retired from the British Army who then marries. But the occupation for Thomas McNamara at his marriage record is "Soldier" so I believe he was still serving with a regiment in 1869. From some quick research on the internet, it appears that a minority of soldiers (don't recall %, but definitely less than 10%) were allowed to marry. Those granted permission to marry by the regiment were typically those soldiers who had many years of service. Assuming Thomas McNamara enlisted at the age of 18, he would have 10 plus years of service by 1869. So there is a very good chance that Bridget Halloran McNamara joined her husband in living in his regimental military barracks. Apparently having a few wives living in the barracks who were responsible for the laundry, cooking and cleaning was considered a win win situation. The education of any children was also provided for. I had a quick look to see if I could find Thomas McNamara living in a military barracks in the 1871 England Census. There is a 35 year old Thomas McNamara born in Ireland living at the military barrack in Alverstoke, Hampshire County, but not with a wife. The 33 page census for the Alverstoke Barracks is still informative. The first 22 pages were soldiers (assume single, although status not reported) of which less than 10% were Irish. While the last 11 pages were soldiers with their families of which well over 50% of the soldiers and their wives were Irish born. A typical occupation for the women was "laundress" or "cook". Not sure where Thomas McNamara #9 and Bridget Halloran ended up living as they could be in India or anywhere else in the British Empire.

As far as the Mary Madigan of Liscullane who died at the age of 83 in 1884, I doubt very much she is the mother of James Madigan who with wife Mary McNamara moved to Yorkshire. From the census reports in Barnsley Yorkshire, James Madigan was born about 1840. This is a very good match for the James Mangan born in 1841 to James Mangan and Margaret Costelloe of Affog (this couple married in Tulla Parish in 1833). In 1861 James Madigan Jr and Mary McNamara of Liscullane named their first born son James.

The "Tralee Pension District Advice List" of 1883 provides a list of British military pensioners living in County Clare and Limerick including their pension amount, where payable, and their military unit. The list I viewed on findmypast.com was for the "Permanent Chelsea Pensioners" (there are several other types of lists). "Miles McNamara" of the "R.H.A." (Royal Horse Artillery) received his pension of 4 pounds, 11 shillings, 2 pence in Ennis. Since we know Miles McNamara was credited for a service of 20 years, we can use this as a benchmark for the other pensioners listed. For example, Michael McNamara of the 106th Regiment, pension payable at Sixmile Bridge, received the same exact pension so he most likely had an equally long service record. There were two pensioners named McNamara who received their pension payable in Tulla:

1) Thomas McNamara, of the 64th Regiment, 4 pounds, 18 shillings, 11 pence. Sheila, this might be the Army Pensioner you discovered who died in Tulla Workhouse in 1900 at the age of 76 who was living at Kilgory, O’Callaghan’s Mills. I could not locate a pension file for a Thomas McNamara of the 64th Regiment. Thomas McNamara is a very common name for an Irish soldier enlisted in a British military unit.

2) John McNamara, of the 82nd Regiment, 4 pounds, 3 shillings, 8 pence. There are quite a few John McNamara's living in Tulla, and not just in Glandree. I couldn't find his pension record, but didn't try all variations of McNamara in my search. From his pension amount, it looks like he may have served for about 20 years. So this John McNamara might appear in the Tulla marriage and baptism records or Irish Census as a man who married not at the age of 20 but closer to 40 years old. I had a look based upon this theory, and there is a John McNamara, age 70, Army Pensioner, living in Corleabeg, Cahermurphy, County Clare in the 1901 Census. His wife Catherine is age 46, and their children range from age 10 to 22.

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/p ... g/1084966/

In the Caher Feakle marriage register, John McNamara married Kate Maunsell of Corleabeg on 8 February 1875, witnesses Tobias O'Meara, Mary Fitzpatrick. Four children are recorded in the Caher Feakle baptism register through 1881: Honora (1875), John (1877), James (1878), William (1880); plus four younger siblings in the 1901 census, birth years are approximate: Thomas (1885), Kate (1887), Peter (1889), Pat (1891). Other children could have possibly been born in the early 1880's and left home by 1901. Their eldest son is named John. The priest wrote a comment on the baptism register for James baptized in 1878, "James McNamara married Mary Theresa Fallon at St. Bedes, Rotherham, May 30th 1908." Rotherham is in Yorkshire, about 20 kilometers south of Barnsley where James Madigan and Mary McNamara were living.

Could John McNamara a veteran of the 82nd Regiment of Foot and born around 1830 be the son of John McNamara and Mary Kelly of Glandree? See 8.2 on family tree on page 13. And possibly be the brother of Thomas McNamara, the missing Civil War soldier of Glandree?

The 82nd Regiment of Foot has an interesting history - see below excerpt from wikipedia. John McNamara would have joined in the early 1850's when the regiment was "home" before it embarked to the Ionian Islands in 1855. John McNamara would have received both the Crimea Medal and the Indian Mutiny Medal. He would return to Britain with his regiment in 1870. I'll have another look for his pension record which will state when he was discharged prior to his marriage in Caher Feakle in February 1875. Here is some information and photo of the Crimea Medal: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crimea_Medal

The Victorian Era
The regiment embarked for Mauritius in January 1819 and returned home in March 1832. It then sailed for Gibraltar in January 1837, on to the West Indies in December 1839 and on to Canada in April 1843 before returning home in May 1848. It then embarked for the Ionian Islands in January 1855; it also saw action at the Siege of Sevastopol in summer 1855 during the Crimean War.

The regiment returned to India in February 1857 to help suppress the Indian Rebellion. It took part in the recapture of Cawnpore in July 1857 and then took part in the reinforcement of Lucknow defending the residency until it was relieved in November 1857. It transferred to Aden in 1869 and returned home in 1870.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/82nd_Regi ... olunteers)

[Sduddy]

Hi Jim

Thank you for that very interesting piece on life in the British Army - all new information for me. John McNamara in Corleabeg could, of course, be a brother of Thomas the Civil War Veteran, but I doubt we will ever find any real evidence of that. Indeed, having turned so many stones over the past year, and finding nothing, I now that doubt we will ever find the family of Thomas. But there’s always the next stone. And anyway, I don’t consider our stone-turning a waste of time. I, for one, am learning a lot.

Here is a small crumb for anyone interested in the use of “Sheedy” as pre-fix to McNamara – it shows the usage of Sheedy McNamara as late as 1908:
17.06.1908: Michael Hoey, Miltown, Farmer, son of Michae Hoey, married Helena Sheedy McNamara, Newgrove, daughter of Denis Sheedy McNamara, Farmer, in Tulla church; witnesses: Pat Cudmore, Lizzie Floyd. This Denis Sheedy McNamara is the Denis McNamara, from the townland of Fomerla (Tulla parish), whose marriage is in the Quin-Clooney marriages 1855-1881:
17.02.1863: Denis McNamara, from Fomerla, married Emily Hennessy, Toonagh; witnesses: James Kennedy, Anne Molylan. The baptisms of some of their children are recorded in the Tulla baptisms 1862-1881. More children were born after 1880. In 1901, Helena (Lena) was living at home in Fomerla, aged 18.
Another daughter, Teresa, married Michael O’Halloran, Cahirlohan, son of John O’Halloran (alive) on 26. 11.1913. On this occasion Denis is just Denis McNamara.
Denis died in 1916 aged 77.

Sheila

[Jimbo]

The 1901 census for Claretown (Clarecastle Village), (Clareabbey DED), shows James Reddan, aged 58, and Bridget aged 43, and 8 children. The 1911 census shows that James had died. What can life have been like for a widow with so many young children, in those pre-widows pension years.

And you are right when you say that the grandchildren of Myles, shown living in Corbally in 1901, may belong to Myle’s wife, Bridget Connell – at least Delia Reddan, aged 16, does. Here is the civil record of the marriage, in 1880, of James Reddan and Bridget Connell: James Reddan, Clare Castle, son of James Reddan, married Bridget Connel, Clare Castle, Servant, daughter of Daniel Connell, dead, in Ennis chapel; witnesses: James Morrissey, Kate Molony.

Sheila, you asked above what life could be like for a widow with many young children back in the day and it got me wondering if an Irish widow's situation would be any better if her husband had been on a British military pension. I had a suspicion that James Reddan who married Bridget O'Connell in 1880 at the age of 38 might have 20 years serving in a British military unit and be eligible for a pension. I didn't find any evidence of this, but could have looked in the wrong place. ** But even if James Reddan had been on either a service pension or a disability pension, it would have made no difference to the widow Bridget O'Connell Reddan upon his death. Other than for officers, there were no provisions for the widow of a British military pensioner during this time period. This explains why none of the discharge / pension documents had any questions about a spouse or children. This is very different from the American Civil War pensions which are often known as "Widow's Pensions" and there is loads of documentation proving the marriage of the widow (if no marriage document, often pages and pages of witness testimony).

** Of interest to someone might be the James Reddan born in Tulla who in December 1823 at the age of 17 enlisted with the 88th Regiment of Foot and was discharged on a disability pension in August 1839. Of his 14 years 8 months, he had spent 11 years on the Ionian Islands. This James Reddan could possibly be the father of James Reddan (born around 1842) who married Bridget O'Connell.

Although Bridget O'Connell Reddan appears not to have remarried, I reckon most widows with young children would remarry. This was the case for her sister Margaret O'Connell Taylor and many other McNamara widows already mentioned in the search for the missing Thomas McNamara of Glandree. Although I would say Margaret O'Connell is a bit unusual to immigrate to Australia where she married and had one child, then return to Ireland and have a second child, and finally migrate to America where she married again and had 5 more children. Seven children over three continents. I find the topic of how Irish immigrants decided whether to immigrate to America versus Australia (or elsewhere) an interesting one. And was a bit curious about what would lead Margaret O'Connell to take such a circuitous route to America.

Daniel O'Connell and Bridget Digaden (later married to Miles McNamara) had four children reported in the Quin-Clooney baptism register: Bridget (1857), Patrick (1859), Margaret (1861), and John (1865). At the age of 19, a Margaret O'Connell left Plymouth and arrived in Sydney on the Samuel Plimsoll on 1 July 1880. The journey was a difficult one with 11 passengers dying from the measles. Upon arrival in Sydney the Samuel Plimsoll was put in special quarantine in Watson's Bay for a period of three weeks. Typically North Head Quarantine Station was used to quarantine ships, but the risk of contagion was such that it was put on its own in Watson's Bay. The local residents in Watson's Bay didn't show much sympathy for Margaret and the other new immigrants. From newspaper accounts (trove.com), they were angry about the rubbish from the Samuel Plimsoll littering their beach.

Margaret O'Connell and Richard Taylor had a son Richard Charles Taylor in Newtown in Sydney on 26 October 1885. The next appearance of "Richard Charles Taylor" is an 1888 newspaper advertisement that provides a few clues why Margaret O'Connell Taylor may have returned to County Clare:

TAYLOR - RICHARD CHARLES TAYLOR
Last heard of on Herberton River, Queensland, communicate with RILEY's Missing Friends Office, 42, Royal Arcade, Sydney. Very Important.

1888 'Advertising', Australian Town and Country Journal (Sydney, NSW : 1870 - 1907), 25 August, p. 1. , viewed 09 Jan 2019, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article71101333

Herberton is a very small town in Far North Queensland; the Herberton River runs south of the town. Not the typical place for a Sydney resident to look for work, but there was a small mining boom there in the 1880's. R.M.Riley, "late of the Detective Force", has an advertisement below the request for information on Richard Charles Taylor, that states "Absconders and wife deserters traced, and all kind of confidential inquiries instituted". I reckon the "Very Important" was a message from his wife Margaret that she was returning to Ireland.

Margaret's son Daniel was born on 6 January 1890 in County Clare according to his U.S. Naturalization and WWII Draft Registration. That leaves a very short window for Margaret Taylor who married George Smollett in Lowell, Massachusetts on 19 October 1892 to arrive in America. A "Margaret Taylor", Irish born, age 27, arrived in Boston on the SS Scythia on 30 August 1891. "Taylor" is a common surname and the age is 3 years off, but the timing is perfect. Margaret Taylor is unlikely to have arrived in Boston with no other relatives living in Massachusetts. A "Patrick O'Connell" born in 1860 was living in Lowell per the 1900 Census who had arrived in America in 1880. Did Margaret Taylor meet her brother Patrick O'Connell in Boston and then go to Lowell? Could Patrick have even arranged a marriage for his sister with George Smollett prior to her journey to America? Bridget Fogarty Smollett died in 1890 leaving George Smollett a widower with three very young children in desperate need of a mother.

Charles Taylor (born 1885) and Daniel (born 1890) would be raised in County Clare by Miles McNamara and their grandmother Bridget Digaden O'Connell McNamara. Charles left for America when he was 18 years old according to the 1910 census report where he is living in Quincy, Massachusetts and reported as a "stepson" with George and Margaret Smollett. Daniel Taylor arrived in Boston on 17 July 1906 on the SS Cymric; contact his step father George Smollett.

Growing up Charles and Daniel would have been told many stories by Miles McNamara of his adventures in India with the British Royal Horse Artillery. In 1916 Daniel Taylor volunteered for the Massachusetts Militia; this is prior to the WWI military draft of 1917. I reckon Daniel enlisted in a military unit that was off to the Mexico border to chase down an elusive Pancho Villa because it sounded like a grand adventure similar to those told by his grandfather.

SIX QUINCY MEN ENLIST
Quincy Boys Enlist for Mexican Service and Now at Camp Whitney

Six Quincy young me enlisted at Camp Whitney for various branches of service in the Massachusetts militia. Four of them slept in their tents over night and the other two would be O.K.'d today at ten o'clock. The boys who took the oath and are now with the medical corps of the 5th Regt are Richard Ash, Benjamin Hodgkinson, Daniel Taylor, and Benjamin Sturgis. Thomas Curry and Daniel Taylor are both street railway men. They became interested in the service after listening to an explanation of what their duties would be by Maj. Fred E. Jones, M.D., Thursday night.
Patriot Ledger, 24 June 1916, Quincy, Massachusetts

Turned out that Pancho Villa was difficult to catch in Mexico and the Massachusetts Militia returned after only four months to prepare for a much bigger enemy in Europe.

RETURNS HOME
Five Quincy young men who were on the border with the 5th Regt. M.N.G. [Massachusetts National Guard] returned with the regiment Saturday and when they reached Quincy in the evening were warmly welcomed by many friends. All are in fine physical condition. The men are privates Daniel Taylor, Joseph Curtis, Ernest Parrot, Benjamin Sturgis, and Benjamin Hodgkinson. They enlisted in the national guard when the regiment was placed on a war footing.
Patriot Ledger, 24 October 1916, Quincy, Massachusetts

The Massachusetts Militia was redesignated the 101st Infantry Regiment, and was assigned to the 51st Infantry Brigade of the 26th Infantry Division, also known as the "Yankee Division". In September 1917 Daniel Taylor with the 101st Infantry would arrive in France and be the first to see action with the American Expeditionary Force in WWI. Private Daniel Taylor would not come back until it was over, over there.

Shiela, I'm not sure if in Ireland you would have heard of the song "Over There" by George M. Cohan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbggEGUaE28

Quincy, Feb. 10 - Daniel J. Taylor reported wounded, lives at 170 Common Street, and is in the Sanitary [should be Medical] Corps of the Army. Private Taylor was a street railway conductor. He enlisted in 1916 for service on the Mexican border in the 5th Regiment, and was highly commended by Major Frederick Jones, his immediate commander. Returned commissioned officers from France have spoken highly of young Taylor. It is understood that his wound is slight.
Boston Globe, 11 February 1919, Boston, Massachusetts

Daniel J. Taylor returned with the Medical Corps of the 101st Infantry on the U.S.S. America, leaving Brest on 28 March 1919 and arriving in Boston on 5 April 1919. His emergency contact was his mother, Mrs. Margaret Smollett, of 170 Common Street, Quincy, Massachusetts. On April 25th the Yankee Division would parade through the streets of Boston which were crowded with upwards of one million people. Mrs. Margaret O'Connell Taylor Smollett would have taken the very short journey from Quincy to proudly watch her only Irish born son march through Boston; there is no evidence of this, but of course she did.

In 1920, Daniel Taylor would run for Quincy City Council for the Fourth Ward, and a newspaper article provided details on his WWI experience:

WEST CITY CANDIDATE
One of the six candidates for City Council for Ward Four is Daniel Taylor from Common Street. Mr. Taylor has a unique army record, dating back to the fracas on the Mexican border, where he served with the 5th Massachusetts.

During the World War Taylor was a private in the famous Yankee Division, where he was in all the important battles, foremost of which was Belleau Wood, Argonne, St. Mihiel, and Chateau Thierry.

Taylor once was cited by Gen. Pershing, and twice by Gen. Clarence Edwards. He was recommended several times to be awarded a D.S.C. but never fortunate enough to receive it. Mr. Taylor is a member of M.C.O.F. Division 44, A.O.H, YD Club, and the Quincy Post of the American Legion.

Like the other candidates, he is making a quiet hunt, and is confident of being returned a winner on Dec. 7.
Patriot Ledger, 16 November 1920, Quincy, Massachusetts

The election results were disappointing for Daniel Taylor as he ended up in fourth place in a final field of eight candidates. The Irish vote was split between two or three candidates. An Italian American by the name of Angelo Bizzozero was the winner. 1920 was the first year that women could vote in America.

Daniel Taylor born in County Clare died in Massachusetts in 1984 at the age of 94. He and his wife Clare Tanguy had no children, but many nephews and nieces. Three sons of his brother Charles Taylor would fight in WWII. For Daniel Taylor and other veterans, the Second World War would bring up memories of their own WWI experiences in "going across" and being "over there":

Bicknell Square Doings
Two unusual incidents marked the weekend scene for the police in Bicknell Square, North Weymouth, with Patrolman Ernest Davidson in one and his relief, Patrolman James O'Connor in the other.

"Do you feel like going across again?" was the query of Motorman Daniel Taylor of the Eastern Massachusetts Street railway, as he shook hands with Davidson.

"No, I'm going to let the younger fellows go over." was the quick answer of Davidson. They were members of the same army unit in France in World War I.

Despite the closeness of their jobs - Taylor is attached to the Quincy division - they seldom have a chance to meet.
The other incident...
Patriot Ledger, 8 September 1941, Quincy, Massachusetts

[Sduddy]

Hi Jim

You have done a great job of work there. Your research has produced enough material for a book!

Sheila

[Jimbo]

Could John McNamara a veteran of the 82nd Regiment of Foot and born around 1830 be the son of John McNamara and Mary Kelly of Glandree? See 8.2 on family tree on page 13. And possibly be the brother of Thomas McNamara, the missing Civil War soldier of Glandree?

Upon further consideration, this is looking extremely unlikely. There were 16 boys named "Thomas McNamara" baptized in Tulla Parish between 1819 and 1846, and twice as many named "John McNamara". The veterans listed as receiving their British military pension in Tulla (either at a military barracks or police station) could be from neighboring parishes including Feakle and Caher Feakle. The Feakle baptism records don't start until 1860, and the Caher Feakle records start in 1842, so it's hard to say exactly how many John McNamara's there could be. But the population of John McNamara's born in the vicinity of Tulla parish who could have enlisted with the British military is most certainly very large.

My doubts that the John McNamara of the 82nd Foot had any connection to the missing Thomas McNamara of Glandree were further raised by discovering that five John McNamara's from Tulla and Feakle enlisted with the East India Company and the British military. It was also a giant leap to link the John McNamara veteran of the 82 Regiment of Foot receiving a pension in Tulla in 1883, to the army pensioner living in Feakle in the 1901 census who was born in 1830. They are two separate pensioners as noted below:

Source: British military discharge papers "W.O. Form 83", a four page document, available at findmypast.com:

1) John McNamara, Gunner, 23rd Brigade, had enlisted at the age of 20 on 11 November 1852 at Castle Connell in County Limerick with the M? (possibly Madras) Artillery. He was born in the parish of Feakle, near the town of Tulla, County Clare. He was discharged on 4 June 1872 (discharge #595). His 21 years of credited service included 19 years in India (including a 2 year bonus for the Indian Mutiny). At discharge, this John McNamara was about 5 foot 10 inches, fresh complexion, hazel eyes, sandy hair. His intention was not to return to Ireland, but live in Rangoon, Burma. The British military would pay the return passage for a discharged soldier to their home town or else to any British colony of their choosing. John McNamara was discharged at St. Thomas Mount, Chennai, India. Here is some interesting history on St. Thomas Mount where the saint who the missing Thomas McNamara of Glandree was named after was believed to be martyred:

http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/ent ... omas_Mount

2) John McNamara, Gunner, 21st Royal Artillery, had enlisted at the age of 23 on 17 May 1849 in Limerick with the E.I.C. [East India Company] Artillery. He was born in the parish of Feicle [Feakle], near the town of Feicle, County Clare. He was discharged on 23 March 1869 (discharge #1324) at Fort Brockhurst, Gosport, England. His 21 years of credited service included 2 years in China and 19 years in India (including a 2 year bonus for the Indian Mutiny). At discharge, this John McNamara was 5 foot 10 inches, fresh complexion, grey eyes, grey hair. His intention was to return to "Feicle", County Clare. Several notes are written outside the standard form: "Died 1873" and "I. 76324 Assistance to widow A53 to India Office (with letter + enclose) 16/9/93".

3) John McNamara, Private, 21st Regiment Fusiliers, had enlisted just two months shy of his 18th birthday on 12 July 1853 in Dublin with the 21st Fusiliers. He was born in the parish of Tulla, near the town of Tulla, County Clare. He was discharged on 15 April 1861 (discharge #3108) as had contracted bronchitis in Malta and was unfit for further service. His 7 years & 210 days of credited service included 1 year & 9 months in Crimea/Turkey and 4 years in Malta. At discharge, this John McNamara was 5 foot 10 inches, fresh complexion, blue eyes, brown hair. He was discharged at Birr Barracks (also known as Crinkill Barracks) in County Offaly. His "Intended Place of Residence" was left blank. British military records appear to be very accurate on ages, so this John McNamara is likely the son of Matthew McNamara and Anne McMahon of Lisofin, Tulla Parish, baptized on 24 May 1835.

4) John McNamara, Sergeant, 109th Regiment of Foot, had enlisted at the age of 20 on 11 May 1853 in Castle Connell, County Limerick with the 3rd Bombay European Regiment. He was born in the parish of Feakle, near the town of Scariff, County Clare. He was discharged on 17 June 1873 (discharge #545) at the Buttevant Barracks in County Cork . His 22 years & 13 days of credited service included 19 years & 7 months in the East Indies (including a 2 year bonus for the Indian Mutiny). At discharge, this John McNamara was 5 foot 6 inches, fresh complexion, blue eyes, grey hair. His "Intended Place of Residence" was Feakle, County Clare. The timing of this John McNamara's discharge in June 1873 makes him a prime candidate to be the John McNamara in the Caher Feakle marriage register who married Kate Maunsell of Corleabeg on 8 February 1875 mentioned in my prior posting. The John McNamara, Army Pensioner, living in Corleabeg, Cahermurphy in the 1901 Census who is reported as age 70 (born about 1831) would be close in age to Sergeant McNamara born about 1833. Not sure why this John McNamara is not included in the "Tralee Pension District Advice List" of Chelsea out-pensioners being paid in 1882/1883, as I believe he was eligible for his service pension upon discharge.

https://buttevantheritage.ie/heritage_r ... -barracks/

5) John McNamara, Private, 82nd Regiment Foot, received his pension at Tulla as reported on "Army Form O" in 1882 & 1883 for "Chelsea Out Pensions" under "Tralee Pension District Advice List". Based upon pension amount, he likely served for a period of 20 years (the same as Myles McNamara). However, I cannot locate his four page W.O. Form 83 that provides details on his age, where born, where attested, and other details on his service.

Although none of the above soldiers were likely to have been a brother of the missing Thomas McNamara of Glandree, the large number of enlistments does highlight how common it was join the British military during the 19th century. Thomas McNamara may have even considered the option of joining the British military instead of immigrating to America where he later joined Union forces in the American Civil War.

The UK National Archives research guide especially "4.1 The royal hospitals for British Army pensioners" provides further details on British military pensions:

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/help ... to-pension
 

[Sduddy]

Hi Jim

Thank you for all that work showing that enlisting in the British Army and fighting in some foreign clime was not uncommon in the 19th century. I think it’s an aspect of Irish social history that has remained hidden, somewhat. I would be interested in learning more.
I was interested in your finding that some soldiers were allowed to take their wives with them. There seems to be plenty of evidence of soldiers returning to Ireland and qualifying for army pensions, and I wondered if there was any evidence of their children also coming to live in Ireland. I looked at the 1901 census for people whose country of origin was India (just as an example) and there are 3300 in the whole of Ireland, but only 33 in County Clare.
I then looked to see if there were any McNamaras who were born in India, but found only two, one in Dublin and one in Limerick. But I think it’s very possible that children born to Irish couples in India did not return to Ireland. There would have been very little reason for them to do that.

Sheila

[Jimbo]

Hi Sheila,

Thanks for having a look at the Irish Census and providing the numbers born in India. I think you are correct that most individuals born to Irish parents living at a military barracks in an overseas British colony would be unlikely to settle in Ireland. Children born into this environment are more likely to also join the military and perhaps end up living in England. Two examples to confirm this theory are Thomas McNamara born in India and Thomas McNamara born in the Ionian Islands. Both men were born overseas about 1860 and joined the British military.

1) Thomas McNamara, Corporal, Army Ordnance Corps, born about 1861 in Cawnpore, India. He was discharged on 23 October 1902 (discharge #1779) at the age of 41. His 21 years of credited service included 3 years & 11 months in Egypt, and 3 years & 1 month in South Africa. At discharge, this Thomas McNamara was 5 foot 8 inches, fresh complexion, grey eyes, brown hair. His intention was to live at 43 Mulgrove Place in Woolwich. Thomas (age 19, born India) had also been living at the Woolwich Dockyard in the 1881 England Census. In 1891, Thomas McNamara (age 30, born East Indies) was living with his wife Mary Jane (age 30) and son John Thomas (age 5 months) in Lydd, Kent, England. He might be the 84 year old Thomas McNamara who died in Kent in March 1945.

2) Thomas McNamara, Corporal, Royal Engineers, born about 1860 in Corfu, Ionian Islands. In the 1871 England Census, Thomas is a child living in Brompton, Kent (near Chatham, home base for the Royal Engineers) in the household of Elizabeth McNamara, a widow, born in Ireland about 1834, with following children: Mary Ann (13, Corfu); Thomas (11, Corfu); William (6, Woolwich); Elizabeth (4, Bermuda); John (2, Bermuda); Margaret (6 months, Brompton). Thomas McNamara enlisted at Chatham with the Royal Engineers on 10 October 1873, only 1 month after turning 14 years old. Upon discharge in 1894, his 21 years of credited service included 2 years & 246 days in Bermuda, 136 days in Egypt, 26 days in Malta, and 225 days in Sierra Leone. In the 1891 Census, Thomas McNamara (age 31, born Corfu) is living at the Woolwich Arsenal with his wife and two children. In 1901 Census, he is a widower (age 42) living with his 3 children in Chelsea but states that he was born in Ireland. In 1911, Thomas McNamara (age 51, born Corfu) is still in Chelsea with a new wife and his first born son Thomas Walton McNamara. In 1911, Thomas, Sr.'s occupation is "Army Pensioner" and "Attendant" at the National Portrait Gallery in London.

With both Thomas McNamara of India and Thomas McNamara of Corfu naming their first born son Thomas or John Thomas, I wonder if their father could be a Thomas McNamara? Possibly even born in Tulla, County Clare?? There are still quite a few Thomas McNamara's from my list of 16 born in Tulla between 1819-1846 who have gone missing.

Sheila, regarding your comment about the Irish involvement in the British military and Victorian era battles being somewhat hidden from Irish social history, this makes perfect sense. The Indian Mutiny of 1857 was in particular very brutal. Why would the Irish want to highlight their involvement in suppressing the Indian struggle for independence from the British.

REV. DR. CAHILL on
English Pluck in India
Injustice of the Indian Government towards Catholic Soldiers in India

(from the Dublin Telegraph), Thursday, December 10 [1857]

Within the last six weeks numerous speeches have been delivered by English members of Parliament, at several public meetings, in reference to the courage and endurance of the English army in India during the Sepoy mutiny. Almost in every instance the various speakers acted like so many recruiting sergeants, encouraging their auditors to join the ranks of their friends along the banks of the Ganges and Jumna, and to avenge the cruelties which have been inflected upon their innocent countrywomen. In the object of these official speeches, and in the sentiments expressed by the speakers, I believe, there is only one universal feeling of hearty concurrence from every enlightened man in the empire. But there was one particular phrase, or rather one idea, put forward by almost all the orators, to which I beg the impartial attention of all persons who might read this letter. This expression might pass unnoticed if it proceeded solely from the lips of Sir Robert Peel, the Earl of Shaftesbury, and some others of little note, who did utter it; but when we hear it uttered by the Prime Minister, Lord Palmerston, it acquires particular importance, and must be contradicted, as much from the ungenerous, ungrateful feeling which it contains, as from the gross, insulting wrong which it inflects on the Irish Catholic soldiers of India.

The words alluded to are "English pluck : English courage : English bravery : English endurance in India" all of which have been used several times in the late speeches of Lord Palmerston in different places in England. There is no intention in this letter of ridiculing or undervaluing the true bravery of Englishmen; far from it. The history of Europe; the records of the past centuries bear testimony to the unrivaled, the invincible courage of the English nation; but it is unfair, it is ungenerous; it is unjust; it is base ingratitude; to substitute a public, a bigoted lie, for the known fact that four-fifths of the armies of India at the time of the mutiny in last May were Irish Catholics; and therefore that Irish Catholic soldiers were the invincible, noble fellows who by Irish Catholic pluck helped in a major part to have defeated the Sepoy, and to have won victory and fame for England. Let English Parliamentary majorities restrict our national liberties; let English bigots calumniate our creed; let the excited times that are past, and the partial histories that are gone, revile our name and malign our fathers that are dead; but in the name of common truth, in the feeling of common justice, and for the honor of English fair-play let no foul lie be cast on the gleaming swords, and on the intrepid hearts of the Irish soldier, who have fought, bled, and conquered, and died in the service of England. As the proof of this case must be made out of authentic testimony, I proceed to make such undeniable references as will place my assertion and Lord Palmerston's honour beyond all future cavil; and to demonstrate that the words "English pluck", &c., &c., &c., in the cases referred to, is a base suppression of truth, and an inglorious utterance of an ignominious falsehood:

[evidence is provided on number of Irish Catholics in the European Army of India from three sources, all Catholic hierarchy of Calcutta and Madras ]

Here we have unimpeachable testimony from several quarters, asserting that at least two thirds of the Indian army in the years 1856 and 1857 were Irish Catholics. When we take into consideration the Catholics that were sent from Persia to India added to the Catholics that were sent to China previously to the Sepoy mutiny, it will be readily admitted that at least twenty-four thousand Irish Catholics were to be found in the present year in the army of the Honorable East Indian Company: that is to say, the four-fifths of an army of thirty thousand men were Irish Catholics !

Now I appeal to every man of just, impartial, honorable feeling in Great Britain, whether members of Parliament, whether Lord Palmerston can, in the candor felt by the commonest man in the navy and army describe our victories in India as the result of "ENGLISH pluck !" I leave the public to judge whether this expression, so often repeated in the last few weeks, is the language suited to the honor and the position of the Prime Minister of England; or whether it deserves to be transmitted to posterity with a universal mark of indignation, as the just criterion to measure the unmitigated neglect of our race, the ungenerous slight of our fidelity, even when distinguished before the admiration of all mankind for the most brilliant feats of victorious warfare in the service of England. I am now come to another most painful branch of the subject - namely, the insult, or neglect, or the persecution, or the penalties amerced, imposed, and inflected at every step, and in every department in India, on these noble Catholic soldiers and their children in the service of the East India Company. In my future remarks on this section of my letter I shall refer to the pamphlet written on this subject during the present year by the Vicar General of Madras.

[long list of complaints of poor treatment of Irish Catholic soldiers and their families in India]

D.W.C.

Irish American Weekly, New York, 2 January 1858, page 1

Edit: correction, original Cahill letter written in 1857, not 1858

[Sduddy]

Hi Jim

Thanks for those examples of soldiers, born in Ireland, who had children born while on army service abroad - all finally settling in England. Thanks also for the letter from Rev. Dr. Cahill on English Pluck in India. I can see why we did not get any of this at school!

Sheila

[Jimbo]

Hi Sheila,

As suspected, the father of Thomas McNamara born in Corfu was indeed a Thomas McNamara born in Ireland. Thomas of Corfu's mother Eliza McNamara was admitted to a Chatham poorhouse in April 1901 and her occupation was "Widow of Thos Pensioner RE"; "RE" standing for "Royal Engineers". Eliza McNamara (born in Dublin per 1871 Census) is likely the widow of "Thomas D. McNamara" who in the 1851 England Census was age 19, single, occupation sapper, at the Royal Engineer barracks at Chatham. His birthplace is listed on the census as "Tomgreany, Cork, Ireland". I cannot find a Tomgreany in Cork, so perhaps this should be Tomgreany, County Clare? The Thomas McNamara family's movement from London to Corfu, back to London, then to Bermuda, and then finally to London is evident from the birthplaces of their children reported in the 1871 census. The final years of Thomas McNamara's military service are documented in the UK military court martial registers and suggest that the "persecution, or the penalties amerced, imposed, and inflected at every step" was not limited to the Irish Catholic soldiers in India. At Bermuda, Thomas McNamara of the R.E. was sentenced in August 1868 to 168 days of hard labor for using threatening language. At Chatham, Thomas McNamara of the R.E. was sentenced in January 1869 to 56 days for being asleep on duty. From the England death registration index, a Thomas Joseph McNamara died in Woolwich, London; registered in the first quarter of 1871. The timing of his death is consistent with Elizabeth McNamara being a widow in the 1871 England Census living in Brompton, Kent with a 6 month old daughter. The location of Woolwich is about 25 miles to the west of Brompton/Chatham, but Thomas McNamara may have died at the Royal Herbert Hospital in Woolwich, a military hospital.

The conclusion by the Rev. Dr. Cahill in his letter "English Pluck in India" that "four-fifths of an army of thirty thousand men were Irish Catholic" in 1857, I reckon might be an exaggeration. His primary sources were the Catholic clergy of Madras whose testimony that 2/3 of the European soldiers of the East Indian Company's army were Irish Catholics might not be the most independent. And to get from 2/3 to 4/5 he adds the Catholic soldiers sent from Persia and China. But were these soldiers 100% Irish Catholic, or did he ignore the Protestant soldiers from his calculation. However, even if his 80% is an exaggeration and say only 40% or 50% is more accurate, it would still be a lot of Irish Catholic soldiers in India.

The Rev. Dr. Daniel William Cahill wrote many articles for the press and was an editor for the Dublin Telegraph (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_William_Cahill). He was a great defender of Irish Catholicity not just in India but throughout the British Empire. His many articles published originally in the Dublin Telegraph were copied in the Irish American Weekly newspaper of New York. The Rev. Dr. Cahill died in Boston in 1864 but his body was exhumed in 1885 to be buried in Dublin; his cemetery monument includes a life sized statue of the Doctor which is rather unique:
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/823 ... -w_-cahill

The Rev. Dr. Cahill follows up on his previous "English Pluck in India" letter with the below letter and appears confident of improved conditions for Irish Catholic soldiers and their families in India. He provides a detailed lists of demands/complaints. Many relate to the benefits of Catholic priests in India which I've only summarized. I fully transcribed the comments regarding the education of Irish Catholic children as well as orphanages as it provides evidence that many Irish soldiers were married and had children born in India:

REV. DR. CAHILL on
Catholic Chaplains and Catholic Soldiers in India

(from the Dublin Telegraph) Thursday, December 17 [1857]

Being favored with a correspondence in which I placed explicit confidence, and resting on an authority which I cannot doubt, it is stated that an advice from the highest quarter has been sent to India, to remove all causes of complaint against the Indian government on the part of the Catholic bishops and the Catholic soldiers. And I am further informed that this decision is not to be delayed by any official forms of routine; but that the desired provisions of this necessary reform are to be sincerely and promptly carried into immediate practical effect. I gladly communicate this important news to the Irish people, and to the friends of Catholicity throughout the British empire. If the entire code of British rule of India must be revised and improved in all civil and military departments of that country, there can be no doubt that a similar searching inquiry and improved toleration are essentially demanded in all the Catholic relations with the government of the Eastern empire, both in India and Australasia. And when this desired alteration shall have honestly taken place, the Catholics of this country and India will forget all past difficulties they may have encountered, will be grateful for the new favors about to be conferred, and shall by redoubled allegiance, and unflinching fidelity, pay back the boon extended to the ministers of the Catholic Church, and to the Catholic soldiers and the Catholic children belonging to the service of the East India Company. I shall, therefore, briefly place before my correspondent, in a condensed form, the principal grievances complained of by the Catholic Church in India...

[many paragraphs associated with Catholic clergy not receiving the same benefits as Protestant clergy under the following topics:]

"Passage to India" [Catholic priest passage be paid for by British government etc]; "Clerical Education", "Payment of Chaplains", "Payment of Bishops", "On the March" [Catholic transportation within India be paid same as Protestant clergy]; Furlough [right of Catholic priests to "amuse themselves on the Himalayan Mountains and the Indian Lakes in summer" same as Protestant clergy]; "Sick Leave"; "Medical Attendance"; "Building Churches"...

Military Schools:
These schools are made so Protestant and so proselytizing, that no Catholic can enter them with safety to his faith, as the Vicar General of Madras has already stated "the books, the teachers, the instructions are all Protestant".

Convent Schools - Catholic Schools:
At Madras, where the children, male and female, of the Catholic Fusiliers and Artillery Corps were sent to the Catholic schools in order to avoid the souperism of the military schools, the commandant of the station, as a punishment on these soldiers, withdrew the allowance of five shillings a months from each of the Catholic children who refused to attend the souper schools.--This fact happened last March; ninety-three children were punished; and the sum of £276 a year was thus withdrawn from the pay of Catholic soldiers!!

Government Schools:
These schools resemble the National Schools of Ireland; but so Protestant, so proselytizing are they in their particular working, that the Vicar General asserts "that they are most dangerous, being only a shade better than military schools".

Orphanages for the Children of Catholic Soldiers:
The Indian Government refuse to grant aid to these asylums for these poor orphans unless they be placed under the inspection of a Government officer, who makes their condition so unendurable (unless they become Protestant) that the Catholic population prefer bearing the burthen of these orphans sooner than leave them exposed to the persecution and proselytism of this souper official.

...[specific complaints & long paragraphs directly related to Catholic soldiers: "Promotion in the Army"; "Parchment Laws"]...

I have in this letter ...[illegible]... leading points of persecution and injustice, and military souperism which are unceasingly pursued in India; but I could not in the space of a letter describe the thousands of minor annoyances which, at every turn, an intolerant colonel or captain can conflict on the poor Catholic soldier. At the mess, in the barrack room, on parade, on the march, a souper commander can actually break the heart of a Catholic soldier; and by cruelty of discipline, by slights on his religion, by partiality in promotion, such an officer, if the soldier offer one complaint, can make a very hell of the Indian service to the Catholic.

Even read the various journals during the Crimean campaign, as well as the late mutiny of the Sepoys; and you will find letters of various officers, all praising the English courage, the Scotch bayonet; but one word never escaped them, even by accident, of the brave Irish Catholic: he fights and bleeds, and dies without thanks, without praise, without promotion, without notice. The whole case in reference to the feelings of these faithful creatures may be summed up in one sentence, which I may read in a letter of a son to his mother, after the storming of Delhi: the language is truly Irish, and the sentiment is the history of Ireland during the last seven hundred years.--

"Dear Mother-- I invoked the protection of the Blessed Mother of God, and she turned away all the bullets from me; the round shot she lifted over my head; and on my account she even saved the fellows behind me, because I spoke to her and asked her to do it. But when we all entered the city, and when I listened to everyone shouting and cheering for our victory, my heart sunk within me, because I had no country to cheer for, and because I conquered the Sepoys, not for friends in Ireland, but for my deadly enemies at home and abroad."

What a pity I cannot let Ireland know the name of this poor soldier; I can only say that he belongs to the true-hearted North; and I have introduced the extract of his letter to his mother as an additional evidence of my noble correspondent, to prove the feelings of the Indian soldiery towards the Government in whose grinding and ungrateful service they spill their brave, their faithful blood.

D.W.C.

Irish American Weekly, New York, 16 January 1858

Sheila, when we were contemplating whether or not the Irish who went to India would return to Ireland or perhaps go to England, we did not consider that many would remain in India and become known as Anglo Indians of European ancestry. And sadly, the inclusion of Catholic orphanages in the letter by the Rev. Dr. Daniel W. Cahill highlights that many Irish did not survive the Indian Mutiny of 1857. Many women and children were killed, and these atrocities were met by an equally brutal and revengeful response by the British and Irish soldiers of the East India Company upon Indian civilians. Mary Theresa Robinson was born in 1856 to an Irish Catholic family and lost both parents in the Indian Mutiny of 1857. She would grow up in an Indian orphanage and in 1872 married Michael John Yackjee, an Armenian Catholic. Their youngest daughter, Gertrude Mary Frances Yackjee, was born in 1888 in Darjeeling, India. Gertrude would marry Ernest Richard Hartley (born in Scotland in 1882) in 1912 in London. The couple would return to India where their only daughter Vivian Mary Hartley was born in Darjeeling on 5 November 1913. The Academy Award winning English actress is better known by her stage name "Vivien Leigh" and for her iconic portrayal of Scarlett O'Hara in the film Gone with the Wind.

GWTW movie trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0dTsfsr6-X8

[Sduddy]

Hi Jim

Once again, thank you for all the work that went into that interesting piece. Poor Thomas - no medals for him!
Yes, Tomgraney must be Tomgraney in Clare. And yes, I'd say Fr. Cahill exaggerated the number of Irish in the British army. But even if there was only a quarter of that number, it is still very high. I'd always imagined that most Irishmen, in the British army, were from garrison towns, and I wonder if many of the rural men who enlisted (in the 19th century) had first emigrated to England and then enlisted.
I could do with reading an article, or book, on this subject. I know there's quite a bit written on the Irish who fought in WWI and WWII, but I am more interested in the 19th century.

Sheila

[Jimbo]

Hi Sheila,

As far as reading material, it is probably not what you are after, but I highly recommend "Kim" by Rudyard Kipling. I suspect that Kipling was not part of your Irish school curriculum as he does romanticize British imperialism a fair bit. But I think you would enjoy reading about the poor orphan Kimball O'Hara, an equally compelling character as Scarlett O'Hara in "Gone With the Wind". And "Kim" is less than half as many pages. I see from the Clare Library catalogue that the Kilkee branch has a copy but it has been requested and is sitting on the hold shelf. To spark your interest, here is the part when Kim is caught by the Reverend Arthur Bennett (Church of England) and taken to Father Victor, the Roman Catholic Chaplain:

'I want your advice, Father Victor,' said Bennett. 'I found this boy in the dark outside the Mess-tent. Ordinarily, I should have chastised him and let him go, because I believe him to be a thief. But it seems he talks English, and he attaches some sort of value to a charm round his neck. I thought perhaps you might help me.'

Between himself and the Roman Catholic Chaplain of the Irish contingent lay, as Bennett believed, an unbridgeable gulf, but it was noticeable that whenever the Church of England dealt with a human problem she was very likely to call in the Church of Rome. Bennett's official abhorrence of the Scarlet Woman and all her ways was only equalled by his private respect for Father Victor.

...[the two men discuss and finally decide to open Kim's charm to discover his baptism certificate, and his father Kimball O'Hara's military discharge, containing a note "Please look after the boy"]...

'Powers of Darkness! Kimball O'Hara! And his son! But then he's a native, and I saw Kimball married myself to Annie Shott [an Irish woman]. How long have you had these things, boy?'
'Ever since I was a little baby.'
Father Victor stepped forward quickly and opened the front of Kim's upper garment. 'You see, Bennett, he's not very black. What's your name?'
'Kim.'
'Or Kimball?'
'Perhaps. Will you let me go away?'
'What else?'
'They call me Kim Rishti ke. That is Kim of the Rishti.'
'What is that - "Rishti"?
'Eye-rishti -- that was the Regiment - my father's.'
'Irish - oh, I see.'

Sheila, I am curious if you will be able to find a history book or articles specific to the Irish involvement in British India and throughout the British Empire during the Victorian era. The Rev. Dr. Cahill was certainly a vocal defender of the Irish Catholic soldiers in India during the Indian Mutiny of 1857 and 1858. After the Cahill letters were republished in the Irish American Weekly, his views would be countered in a letter to the editor published a fortnight later. A letter that was certainly very unkind towards these Irish soldiers of the East India Company and highlights how complex the cultural divisions in Irish society were during this era:

Boston, Massachusetts
Jan. 17, 1858

To the Editor of the Irish-American:

DEAR SIR: The Rev. Dr. Cahill draws a sad picture, indeed, of the Irish Catholic soldier's condition in the Indian Army. If the Doctor is correctly informed, - which I make no doubt he is - , it is a state of things much to be regretted by every Catholic. Still I do not think they are worse off than they deserve. No man knows better than the Doctor the exact value of English promises. Still he says if the desired changes are made, "the Catholics of this country and India will forget all the past difficulties they may have encountered, will be grateful for the new favors about to be conferred, and shall by redoubled allegiance, and by unflinching fidelity, pay back the boon extended to the ministers of the Catholic Church, and to the Catholic soldiers and the Catholic children belonging to the service of the East India Company."

Now, Mr. Editor, that is a big shaking of hands that I hope the Rev. Doctor will have all to himself. I cannot believe the people of Ireland willing to forgive whole shiploads of wrong for an egg-cup-full of right; -- nor can I without an effort suppress a smile, when I hear words such as "Justice", "Equity", "Impartiality" used in reference to England's dealings with Irishmen. -- One not aware of the Doctor's splendid education, would suppose he never read a page of our island's history, which, for the 700 years past, since the first Norman invader set his accursed foot upon our soil, might be written in four small volumes of a word each, -- Perfidy, Perjury, Profligacy, and Poorhouses. And now that they are pursuing the same game in India, with precisely the same tactics, he asks his readers to laugh and cry and stamp with rage, because the East India Protestant Company don't build more new churches and pay larger salaries to Catholic clergymen than they can get at home, for the sole accommodation of some Catholic Irish Hessians. Now, Mr. Editor, in the name of goodness what can a priest or parson do for men so lost to all the attributes of manhood, as the Irishmen must be, that are purchased by the Saxon Shilling, to rob and murder the natives of India for no other cause than the holy one that their own fathers fought, bled and died in,--namely, love of native land and hate of foreign tyrants. Perhaps I will be told, there are many fine fellows join the British army through necessity. Sir, I do not believe there are one thousand Irishmen in the said army who could not, either before or since they joined, have found their way to these States, where in every city they can find recruiting offices for an honorable service,-- one in which they will not be asked, where they hang their hats on Sunday; a service that remunerates their soldiers better than anywhere else in the world; one in which the poorest private can save £2 4 s. per month, and have the means to buy a good farm when his term of enlistment (five years) has expired, -- or should he wish to reenlist, he ...[illegible]...extra per month, with every chance of promotion;-- where he will get good blue cloth to wear, not a color emblematical of the sins they commit in the other, the "enemy's" service.

Mr. Editor, the Doctor complains that the brave Irish Catholic soldier fights, bleeds and dies without thanks, praise, promotion or notice. If he added without benefit of clergy, his fate would be as he deserved. No man call tell the Doctor better than he himself knows, that England would not vote a grant to Maynooth, nor sustain the Car of Juggernaut, if it were not for her own base ends.-- The Sepoys when they meet these Hibernian Hessians, I hope will take the advice I heard a New York Volunteer officer give his men at Chapultepec--"Fire in the crowd!" and may the God of battles and of justice give strength and nerve to their arms, is the prayer of your humble correspondent.

MOLINO DEL REY

Irish American Weekly, New York, 30 January 1858

[Sduddy]

Hi Jim

Only a couple of years ago I set about reading Kim and just could not get past the first page for some reason, but I will try again some day soon.

Athough accounts of recruitment at the opening of WWI are not what I am interested in, I took a look through Joe Power’s Clare and the Great War (2015) and Daniel McCarthy’s Ireland’s Banner County: Clare from the fall of Parnell to the Great War, 1890 – 1918 (2002). I remembered that both of these books dealt with the subject of recruitment in Clare and I wondered if there was any allusion to recruitment in earlier times. But I did not find very much. Both have found that recruitment during the war years was successful in urban areas, mainly. Farmers’ sons, it seems, did not consider soldiering to be a suitable form of employment. But there’s nothing to say that this was the case in the previous century. Many Irish people, who emigrated, felt free (when abroad) to do work that they could not be seen to do at home.

In Daniel McCarthy’s book, on page 132, there’s a reproduction of a letter written in 1915 by one John McAuliffe, Scarriff, which mentions service given by his father in the Crimean War. But John McAuliffe is not a typical rural dweller – the 1901 census shows him living in Scarriff, aged 40; occupation: Clerk of the Petty Sessions:

Sir, In obedience to a Circular passed last December, I interested myself in raising recruits for the Army and enlisted 10.
I also during the period for Licensing dogs have out with each license Capt. Redmond’s letter. I had recruiting Bills posted over my Districts and exhibited in my Court houses.
I am very much interested in recruiting being a Soldier’s Son (whose father served through the Crimean War and hold his medals and clasps, also Turkish medal and a brother served in the Connaught Rangers and was buried in Malta).
I have made repeated applications for the post of Recruiting Officer with no effect. My applications were made to the Strand Barracks, Limerick, and by letters and my letters (I was informed) were sent to the Commanding Officer –Tralee.
There is no recruiting officer in my districts which reach on the Tulla side 15 miles and Feakle and Gort side about the same distance and on the Killaloe side about 4 miles and on the Mountshannon side about 3 miles.
A Soldier’s uniform is rarely seen in my districts and I feel if I were regularly appointed with a uniform that I could raise more recruits. I also believe that my remarks woud apply to a good many Petty Sessions Clerks. My duties take me over a large area and I could use my influence in the proper direction and I feel my energies are tied up for want of proper Authority and appointment as well as a uniform.
Your obedient servant,
John McAuliffe,
Clerk of Petty Sessions for Tulla, Feakle & Tuamgraney which latter includes the town of Scarriff where weekly Markets are held and two monthly fairs for cattle and pigs. (National Archives, RP, 1915)

[Sduddy]

Hi Jim

I’ve just found a really helpful article, The Clare Militia 1793-1909, by Kieran Kennedy, in The Other Clare, Vol. 27 (2003). It’s full of the kind of information I was looking for. The Clare Militia was formed in response to the declaration of war on Britain by France in 1793. It was extra to the standing army, but in 1881 it was affiated to that army. The important bit, for me, is that Kennedy says that, while the officers were invariably propertied local magnates (with a significant number of English non-commissioned officers), “the rank and file were mainly Irish peasants and artisans, recruited on a voluntary basis or compulsorily through the drawing of lots in each parish. The officers were usually Protestant, but overall Catholics were in a majority of almost three to one.”

“It was the policy from the outset to station the militia regiments away from their home counties to minimise loss of effectiveness in their police role due to fraternisation with their friends and neighbours.” So, it seems, the “Clares” helped to suppress the 1798 Rising in Wexford. They were quartered in the adjacent county of Waterford and some of them were found to be not very loyal. Not realizing that the officer could understand Irish, “they amused themselves by the utterance of some disloyal and disrespectful sentiments in the Irish language”. They were tried by courtmartial and hung.

The Clare Militia was quartered, at various times, all over Ireland, and also in England (Ipswich, Woodbridge, Harwich, Horsham, Brighton, Chichester, Haslar, Gosport and Newport in Monmouthshire).

When the Clare Militia was first formed, it was based in Clarecastle, but in 1855 the people of Ennis petitioned the government to move the Clare Militia’s headquarters to Ennis (the fever hospital was leased to it for £21 per annum). By 1891, there were 135 males and 35 females resident in Ennis quarters.

“In 1902 the corps was finally designated the Clare Artillery (royal garrison artillery militia), transferring to the special reserve royal field artillery in 1908”. The militia was disbanded in 1909.

In concluding, Kennedy says, “The Clares were in existence for about 116 years. They went from infantry regiment to artillery corps. Many of the militia men through the years volunteered to transfer to regular British army regiments. Claremen mostly opted to join the Connaught Rangers and the Munster Fusiliers. Many went into other Irish regiments. Many of these would never return to Clare, being killed in battle or dying of tropical diseases in far off places like India or South Africa. The ones that survived, especially after the peninsula wars, on being discharged went to the wars in South America. Many other army veterans were assisted by the authorities to settle on the land in Canada or Australia. The conservative figure of Clare men who joined the British forces between 1793 and the First World War was about thirty thousand.”

I hope I have not over-quoted.

Sheila

[Sduddy]

Hi Jim

Here is an interesting piece from Kieran Kennedy’s article. It describes the Militia in its earlier years: “It was common practice for most wives and families of the non-commissioned officers and privates to march with the militia regiments to all their quarters in the earlier years. Distances of thirty miles a day were not uncommon. The families were billeted with the troops in the villages of the districts concerned and when in camp which could be either under canvas or in wooden huts. The militia on the move must have looked more like a travelling circus than a military convoy on the move with its rickety baggage carts, women, children and general chaos".

I’ve been using the Advanced Search option for searching the 1901 census (Co. Clare), and I find that when I enter “Pensioner Royal Artillery” I get a higher number than when I enter “Army Pensioner”.
In 1901, when I enter “Army Pensioner”, I get I get 256, but 275 when I enter “Pensioner Royal Artillery”. In 1911, when I enter “Army Pensioner”, I get 391, but 407 when I enter “Pensioner Royal Artillery”.

I haven’t drawn any conclusions from that – just noting it.

Sheila

[Jimbo]

Hi Sheila,

Thank you for researching what resources are available regarding soldiers from County Clare who enlisted with the British military. Both the two books you mentioned and especially the Clare Militia article by Kieran Kennedy in The Other Clare are great finds. The Other Clare articles are always so well researched that I'm keen to get a subscription.

The conservative estimate that 30,000 men from County Clare enlisted with the British military from 1793 to the First World War, I found particularly interesting. Over this roughly 120 year period that would equate to an average annual enlistment of 250 soldiers from County Clare. Of course the 250 soldiers enlisting per year is just an average (of an estimate) and was likely much higher during war periods such as the Crimean War and less during periods of relative peace. Back on page one of this thread, I provided rough estimates of the number of County Clare born men who enlisted in the American Civil War (1861 to 1865). Taking my more conservative estimate of 6,000 men, this would be an average annual enlistment of 1,200 men born in County Clare who enlisted in the American Civil War. The higher number of enlistments during the Civil War is reasonable since there was a military draft, plus the higher pay and signing bonuses would encourage enlistment. And they weren't being asked to fight in a distant land in the British Empire but to fight in their own adopted country. Thus, the Irish born soldiers fighting in the American Civil War would have none of the anti-British sentiment that might restrict their wanting to fight in the British military. Such feelings were strongly conveyed in the letter in the Irish American Weekly by "Molino de Rey" about the Irish who fought for the British in the Indian Mutiny of 1857.

In the same 30 January 1858 newspaper issue, the editors of the Irish American Weekly provided a response (see below) to the letter by "Molino del Rey" that was somewhat more supportive of both the Rev. Dr. Cahill and the Irish soldiers who fought in the British army. From the editors' perspective the issue was less partisan than the views expressed by "Molino del Rey". Not to take a black armed band view of history, but there is some irony in the attacks of "Molino del Rey" especially his comment about the Irish who "are purchased by the Saxon Shilling, to rob and murder the natives of India for no other cause than the holy one that their own fathers fought, bled and died in,--namely, love of native land and hate of foreign tyrants". It is pretty clear that his use of the pseudonym "Molino del Rey" and reference of fighting at Chapultepec that he was a veteran of the Mexican-American War of 1847. Were not the natives of Mexico fighting for "love of native land and hate of foreign tyrants"? During this war about 200 Irish Catholic soldiers in the US army deserted to fight with the Mexican army due to poor treatment and a greater affinity with the Mexican Catholics whose country they were invading. These "San Patricios" are heroes in Mexico, and a monument in their honor in Mexico City states the following translated into English: "In memory of the Irish soldiers of the heroic St. Patrick's Battalion, martyrs who gave their lives to the Mexican cause in the United States' unjust invasion of 1847."

https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-sty ... -1.3413278

We have often, heretofore, expressed our dissent from the opinions of Dr. Cahill respecting the loyalty or attachment of Irishmen to the crown of England; for which we cannot recognize any circumstances under which the Irish people would be called upon to entertain such a feeling. On the contrary, hatred of English rule, and burning desire for its overthrow, are the heriditaments of every true son of Erin. The English obtained possession of the country by fraud, treachery, and violence; by the same means they strengthened their position, despite the incessant but ill-directed efforts of the Irish to shake off the galling yoke; by these arts they maintain their rule today, against the will, the prosperity, and the social happiness of the Irish people, who have never consented to the denationalization thrust upon them - have never ceased to protest, in every way, against it. The present sovereign is, by the very feudal laws upon which the aristocratic system of England is based, an usurper in that country; how much more so in Ireland, to which she can claim no affinity whatever. Therefore, we say again, the people of Ireland are not "loyal" to the English crown, and never will be, if they are true to themselves and their true destiny. At the same time, we believe that Dr. Cahill is sincere in his desire to obtain an amelioration of the condition of his fellow countrymen, and that, despairing of their ability to conquer the full meed of justice , his policy is to extract even the smallest installment as opportunity presents itself. We do not place much faith in such a mode of procedure: in hoping anything from the justice of England, Dr. Cahill leans against a broken reed, which never fails to pierce the hand of him that trusts in it; but we believe him to be too ardent of a lover of his country to aught that he was not fully persuaded would tend to her good.

With regard to the Irishmen in the British army, we dissent in some things from "Molino del Rey". We know that there are men in that army who pant for the independence of Ireland as eagerly as the most devoted nationalist that ever toiled or bled in her service; and who, if there were only a fair struggle for her rights, would dare all dangers to take part with her friends in the strife. Hard, stern necessity forces thousands of them into this position, and once there they have no alternative. They have no country on which to fall back upon for support, no refuge save when a chance presents itself of escaping, from the bondage which in their hearts they curse, to these United States; and of such opportunities they are so ready to avail themselves, that the British government have of late grown cautious how they allow them in the vicinity of our borders. With the tyranny which the British army in India is employed to up hold, we can, of course, entertain no sympathy; our dearest wish is for the utter defeat and overthrow of it and all those of whom it is aided and abetted, be they ever so Irish. But let us lay the blame, where it is justly on, upon the provincialized condition of our native land, from whence this degradation springs in common with the host of other evils entailed upon her children by her subjection to England.

Irish American Weekly, New York, 30 January 1858