Sunday 8 May 2022

Magazine Fort Casualties, Royal Irish Regiment

 During the attack on the Magazine Fort on the opening day of the Rising, Monday 24th April 1916,  the sentry at the gate was overpowered without shots being fired.

This looks to have been Private John Waters, no 9901, 2nd (Garrison) Battalion, Royal Irish Regiment.

His service records mentions the attack and notes his time in hospital.







He appears in a newspaper Roll of Honour from May 1916 but does not appear in the 1916 Rebellion Handbook among the list of wounded from the Royal Irish Regiment.





He appears to have joined up while in a spot of bother in Co Wexford (he had previous service in the Royal Navy so a surprise that he joined the Army)


He was discharged from the Army in June 1916 so may have had to face the above prosecution.




His number, 9901, does not appear to have been issued by the newly formed 2nd (Garrison) Battalion.

The attack happened on his birthday, 24th April. He was born 24th April 1876 in Duncannon, the son of John and Mary Waters.

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/birth_returns/births_1876/03053/2119472.pdf


Inside the Magazine Fort, one sentry was shot in the leg.





This looks to have been Private John Flynn, no 8786, 2nd (Garrison) Battalion, Royal Irish Regiment. This number does not appear to be one issued by the 2nd (Garrison) Battalion.

Flynn died in June 1916 as a result of an issue with his femoral artery.



The Edward Quinn who appears a few lines down from Flynn is my Gt Gt Grandfather. This was an unexpected find while researching Flynn.

Flynn appears to have tried to enlist in the Army in 1915 but discharged as not likely to make an efficient soldier. He had a wife and a rake of kids sadly.



In the 1916 rebellion Handbook, Flynn appears in the list of Royal Irish Regiment soldiers killed and he is noted as being from Carrick on Suir. He is buried in Kilkenny

https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/663032/john-flynn/






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