Last update : 27th April 2024
Video Presentation
A very good presentation re Irish soldiers by Chris Baker (@191418research on Twitter) can be found here :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtLaR8_6V8Q
Thanks to Shane Wilson (@Shanew147 on Twitter) for the heads up re this.
Soldiers who died or were killed
A soldier who died during the period 1914-1921 should have an entry in the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) database, an entry in Soldiers Died in the Great War (SDGW), Ireland's Memorial Records (IMR) if an Irish soldier (or in an Irish Regiment or of Irish parents), or De Ruvigny's database/book (mainly early in the war).
Some soldiers have been omitted from the CWGC list and there is a project to bring these soldiers In From the Cold.
A soldier should also have a Medal Index Card (MIC) if he served in a theatre of war. A Medal Index Card outlines the medals a soldier was awarded. The UK National Archives website has a good explaination of the Medal Index Cards and the WW1 Campaign Medals and awards.
A soldier should have a service record but most of these were destroyed in the bombing of London in World War 2. You may hear of some of the surviving records referred to as "the burnt records" - many pages show fire and water damage. A service record will not generally record the battles a soldier may have taken part in- if you find a service record you may need to cross reference with a unit war diary (if available).
A good online resource is the wills of approximately 9000 Irish soldiers. These are free to view but the chances of finding a soldier is slim given the limited number available.. The UK Government has a similar site for WW1 soldiers wills but charges for access should you find a match for the soldier you are seeking.
Some Irish soldiers may have signed the Ulster Covenant and you may find a copy of their signature on the Ulster Covenant database. Slim if your soldier was Roman Catholic but a few RCs did sign the Covenant.
You may find an entry on Irish War Memorials website or www.Findagrave.com.
A soldier who didn't serve in a theatre of war but was killed during the Easter Rising, for example, or died from disease or as a result of an accident in England/Scotland/Wales/Ireland won't have a medal index card (MIC) but should have an entry on CWGC.
In general, there is often more data available about a soldier who died than there is about a soldier who survived.
Members of the Irish Association of Volunteer Training Corps
Members of the Irish Association of Volunteer Training Corps (IAVTC) who were killed during the Easter Rising do appear in Ireland Memorial Records (IMR) but because they were not members of the armed forces, they do not appear in SDGW nor do they have an entry on the CWGC database or a CWGC grave. They do not have a medal index card. The IAVTC men killed were not British Army reservists nor were they members of the Ulster Volunteer Force affiliated Loyal Dublin Volunteers.
Soldiers wounded and discharged
A soldier wounded and discharged should have a medal index card (MIC), may have a service record, possibly a Silver War Badge (SWB) entry and possibly a pension record.
The US based site fold3.com is a subscription service that has digitized some of the British Army post WW1 pension cards. It often has free access offers that are useful for giving the service a try before deciding to buy. From my own family tree, this was very useful for finding the American Civil War pension of my Gt Gt Grandfather Hugh Niland).
Soldiers who served in a War Theatre and Survived
A soldier who served in a theatre of war and survived should have a Medal Index Card (MIC) and may have a service record.
Soldiers who didn't serve in a War Theatre and Survived
A soldier who didn't serve overseas and survived may have a service record but won't have a Medal Index Card (MIC).
Irish Guards
The service records of soldiers who served in the Irish Guards are still held by the regiment and can be obtained by writing to them at :
Records Officer
RHQ Irish Guards
Wellington Barracks
Birdcage Walk
London
SW1E 6HQ
Other Guards regiments (Scots. Welsh, Grenadier, Coldstream) also have their records stored and available at the above address - just change the regiment name after RHQ.
Other Family Members in the Armed Forces
In some instances, if the soldier had a brother who served, you may find the brother has a service or pension record that mentions the soldier you're looking for.
War Diaries
Each battalion was required to keep a war diary but ordinary soldiers rarely get a mention by name. As mentioned above,they could be read in conjunction with a soldiers service record to find out where he might have served/fought.
London Gazette
Soldiers awarded medals for bravery (Distinguished Conduct Medal, Military Medal etc) can be found in the London Gazette database. This can be a challenge to use at times.
Other Sources
Other sources can be a bit hit and miss. Local newspapers carry some info about enlistment, being sent to the front, being wounded, on home leave or killed/missing/taken prisoner.
Rolls of Honour
Some employers, schools and colleges have produced lists of people who served as well as those who died e.g Guinness, Trinity College, Bank of Ireland. In some cases, researchers such as Tom Burnell have produced books (Wexford War Dead, Waterford War Dead, Carlow War Dead etc) which have gathered together CWGC, SDGW, IMR and newspaper data. The Dublin City archive at Pearse Street has a roll of honour for those from Dublin who died. There is a also an officers Roll of Honour at Pearse Street and records from the Royal Dublin Fusiliers Association.
Moving between battalions and regiments
It's not uncommon to find soldiers moving between battalions within a regiment or from one regiment to another. In some instances this would involve moving from a training battalion to a front line battalion within the same regiment or to another regiment if it had suffered large casualties.
Later in the war, some battalions who suffered casualties were disbanded and their remaining men were sent to other battalions/regiments. In some instances men were compulsorily transferred to meet the needs of the army e.g. cavalrymen weren't needed and could be transferred en masse or it might be that a man had a civilian skill that might be better used elsewhere e.g. a driver to the Army Service Corps, a miner to a Tunnelling Company etc. Without the service record for your man it would be hard to say why he has moved between regiments.
A soldier's number was issued by his regiment (or battalion). If he moved to another regiment he would be issued a new number.
Disbanded Irish Regiments 1922
Some soldiers who served in WW1 stayed on after the war in the Irish regiments that were to find themselves disbanded in 1922. The National Army Museum has a searchable database of the names and numbers of soldiers serving at the point of the disbandment of these regiments e.g. members of the Connaught Rangers involved in the Mutiny in India
James Daly
John Miranda
Joseph Woods
https://www.nam.ac.uk/soldiers-records/persons
Bureau of Military History Witness Statements
A number of soldiers completed Witness Statements (WS) for the Irish Bureau of Military History (BMH) or are mentioned by members of the old IRA. Always worth a search but it would be a long shot e.g.
Thanks to Shane Wilson (@Shanew147 on Twitter) for the heads up re this.
Soldiers who died or were killed
A soldier who died during the period 1914-1921 should have an entry in the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) database, an entry in Soldiers Died in the Great War (SDGW), Ireland's Memorial Records (IMR) if an Irish soldier (or in an Irish Regiment or of Irish parents), or De Ruvigny's database/book (mainly early in the war).
Some soldiers have been omitted from the CWGC list and there is a project to bring these soldiers In From the Cold.
A soldier should also have a Medal Index Card (MIC) if he served in a theatre of war. A Medal Index Card outlines the medals a soldier was awarded. The UK National Archives website has a good explaination of the Medal Index Cards and the WW1 Campaign Medals and awards.
A soldier should have a service record but most of these were destroyed in the bombing of London in World War 2. You may hear of some of the surviving records referred to as "the burnt records" - many pages show fire and water damage. A service record will not generally record the battles a soldier may have taken part in- if you find a service record you may need to cross reference with a unit war diary (if available).
A good online resource is the wills of approximately 9000 Irish soldiers. These are free to view but the chances of finding a soldier is slim given the limited number available.. The UK Government has a similar site for WW1 soldiers wills but charges for access should you find a match for the soldier you are seeking.
Some Irish soldiers may have signed the Ulster Covenant and you may find a copy of their signature on the Ulster Covenant database. Slim if your soldier was Roman Catholic but a few RCs did sign the Covenant.
You may find an entry on Irish War Memorials website or www.Findagrave.com.
A soldier who didn't serve in a theatre of war but was killed during the Easter Rising, for example, or died from disease or as a result of an accident in England/Scotland/Wales/Ireland won't have a medal index card (MIC) but should have an entry on CWGC.
In general, there is often more data available about a soldier who died than there is about a soldier who survived.
Members of the Irish Association of Volunteer Training Corps
Members of the Irish Association of Volunteer Training Corps (IAVTC) who were killed during the Easter Rising do appear in Ireland Memorial Records (IMR) but because they were not members of the armed forces, they do not appear in SDGW nor do they have an entry on the CWGC database or a CWGC grave. They do not have a medal index card. The IAVTC men killed were not British Army reservists nor were they members of the Ulster Volunteer Force affiliated Loyal Dublin Volunteers.
Soldiers wounded and discharged
A soldier wounded and discharged should have a medal index card (MIC), may have a service record, possibly a Silver War Badge (SWB) entry and possibly a pension record.
The US based site fold3.com is a subscription service that has digitized some of the British Army post WW1 pension cards. It often has free access offers that are useful for giving the service a try before deciding to buy. From my own family tree, this was very useful for finding the American Civil War pension of my Gt Gt Grandfather Hugh Niland).
Soldiers who served in a War Theatre and Survived
A soldier who served in a theatre of war and survived should have a Medal Index Card (MIC) and may have a service record.
Soldiers who didn't serve in a War Theatre and Survived
A soldier who didn't serve overseas and survived may have a service record but won't have a Medal Index Card (MIC).
Irish Guards
The service records of soldiers who served in the Irish Guards are still held by the regiment and can be obtained by writing to them at :
Records Officer
RHQ Irish Guards
Wellington Barracks
Birdcage Walk
London
SW1E 6HQ
Other Guards regiments (Scots. Welsh, Grenadier, Coldstream) also have their records stored and available at the above address - just change the regiment name after RHQ.
Other Family Members in the Armed Forces
In some instances, if the soldier had a brother who served, you may find the brother has a service or pension record that mentions the soldier you're looking for.
War Diaries
Each battalion was required to keep a war diary but ordinary soldiers rarely get a mention by name. As mentioned above,they could be read in conjunction with a soldiers service record to find out where he might have served/fought.
London Gazette
Soldiers awarded medals for bravery (Distinguished Conduct Medal, Military Medal etc) can be found in the London Gazette database. This can be a challenge to use at times.
Other Sources
Other sources can be a bit hit and miss. Local newspapers carry some info about enlistment, being sent to the front, being wounded, on home leave or killed/missing/taken prisoner.
Rolls of Honour
Some employers, schools and colleges have produced lists of people who served as well as those who died e.g Guinness, Trinity College, Bank of Ireland. In some cases, researchers such as Tom Burnell have produced books (Wexford War Dead, Waterford War Dead, Carlow War Dead etc) which have gathered together CWGC, SDGW, IMR and newspaper data. The Dublin City archive at Pearse Street has a roll of honour for those from Dublin who died. There is a also an officers Roll of Honour at Pearse Street and records from the Royal Dublin Fusiliers Association.
Moving between battalions and regiments
It's not uncommon to find soldiers moving between battalions within a regiment or from one regiment to another. In some instances this would involve moving from a training battalion to a front line battalion within the same regiment or to another regiment if it had suffered large casualties.
Later in the war, some battalions who suffered casualties were disbanded and their remaining men were sent to other battalions/regiments. In some instances men were compulsorily transferred to meet the needs of the army e.g. cavalrymen weren't needed and could be transferred en masse or it might be that a man had a civilian skill that might be better used elsewhere e.g. a driver to the Army Service Corps, a miner to a Tunnelling Company etc. Without the service record for your man it would be hard to say why he has moved between regiments.
A soldier's number was issued by his regiment (or battalion). If he moved to another regiment he would be issued a new number.
Disbanded Irish Regiments 1922
Some soldiers who served in WW1 stayed on after the war in the Irish regiments that were to find themselves disbanded in 1922. The National Army Museum has a searchable database of the names and numbers of soldiers serving at the point of the disbandment of these regiments e.g. members of the Connaught Rangers involved in the Mutiny in India
James Daly
John Miranda
Joseph Woods
https://www.nam.ac.uk/soldiers-records/persons
Bureau of Military History Witness Statements
A number of soldiers completed Witness Statements (WS) for the Irish Bureau of Military History (BMH) or are mentioned by members of the old IRA. Always worth a search but it would be a long shot e.g.
Robert Barton, Royal Dublin Fusiliers
Sources of Advice
Great War Forum
Boards.ie WW1 sub forum
Dublin Western Front Association
Long, Long Trail
FourteenEighteen
My Soldiers and Sailors
Sapper John Henry Elvin Shepley from Wheelock, Royal Engineers (died 1943 of wounds received November 1918)
Private James Shepley from Wheelock, Grenadier Guards (DoW 1915)
Private Joseph Clarke from Macclesfield, 15th Battalion Cheshire Regiment (Bantams) (KIA October 1918)
Private James Wildblood, 6th Battalion Royal Fusiliers (Died 1917)
Lance Corporal Roy Cooke from Sandbach, Grenadier Guards (KIA Italy 1944).
Chief Gunner John David Sumner, HMTB 96, died 1st November 1915. From Portaferry, Co Down.
Sapper Joseph Niland from Dublin, 179th Tunnelling Company, Royal Engineers (KIA March 1917).
Private George Sweeney from Dublin, Royal Munster Fusiliers (KIA 1917).
Michael (Mickey) Sweeney from Dublin, 4th ASU Dublin Brigade, fought in the Easter Rising and Irish War of Independence; killed April 1922.
William Patrick O'Brien, Queenstown Company, Irish Volunteers, died November 1916 after release from Frongoch (Sigerson Cup winner with UCC 1911)
KIA = Killed in Action
DoW = Died of Wounds
I have a basic document created re Joseph Niland and his service online at :
Sapper Joseph Niland
Also fought/served :
Fred Shepley, Wheelock, Royal Flying Corps
Harold Shepley, Wheelock, Cheshire Regiment
Grace Shepley, Sandbach, Voluntary Aid Detachment, Egypt
John Newton, Wheelock, Cheshire Regiment
James Alexander McCullen, Portaferry, Merchant Marine
Charles Skilbeck Smith, Salop, RNAS
Richard Skilbeck Smith MC, Salop, Middlesex Regiment and Indian Army
Abram Jones, St Asaph, Welsh Guards
Thomas Williams, St Asaph, Royal Engineers
Irish War of Independence
John Joe O'Brien, Irish Volunteers, Galbally Company, IRB, IRA, Free State Army
Ned O'Brien, Irish Volunteers, Galbally Company, IRB, IRA
WW2
Josef Ciupak, Free Polish Army
Cyril Humphrey, Crewe, Royal Air Force
Ida Humphrey/Shepley, ENSA
My Soldiers and Sailors
Sapper John Henry Elvin Shepley from Wheelock, Royal Engineers (died 1943 of wounds received November 1918)
Private James Shepley from Wheelock, Grenadier Guards (DoW 1915)
Private Joseph Clarke from Macclesfield, 15th Battalion Cheshire Regiment (Bantams) (KIA October 1918)
Private James Wildblood, 6th Battalion Royal Fusiliers (Died 1917)
Lance Corporal Roy Cooke from Sandbach, Grenadier Guards (KIA Italy 1944).
Chief Gunner John David Sumner, HMTB 96, died 1st November 1915. From Portaferry, Co Down.
Sapper Joseph Niland from Dublin, 179th Tunnelling Company, Royal Engineers (KIA March 1917).
Private George Sweeney from Dublin, Royal Munster Fusiliers (KIA 1917).
Michael (Mickey) Sweeney from Dublin, 4th ASU Dublin Brigade, fought in the Easter Rising and Irish War of Independence; killed April 1922.
William Patrick O'Brien, Queenstown Company, Irish Volunteers, died November 1916 after release from Frongoch (Sigerson Cup winner with UCC 1911)
KIA = Killed in Action
DoW = Died of Wounds
I have a basic document created re Joseph Niland and his service online at :
Sapper Joseph Niland
Also fought/served :
Fred Shepley, Wheelock, Royal Flying Corps
Harold Shepley, Wheelock, Cheshire Regiment
Grace Shepley, Sandbach, Voluntary Aid Detachment, Egypt
John Newton, Wheelock, Cheshire Regiment
James Alexander McCullen, Portaferry, Merchant Marine
Charles Skilbeck Smith, Salop, RNAS
Richard Skilbeck Smith MC, Salop, Middlesex Regiment and Indian Army
Abram Jones, St Asaph, Welsh Guards
Thomas Williams, St Asaph, Royal Engineers
Irish War of Independence
John Joe O'Brien, Irish Volunteers, Galbally Company, IRB, IRA, Free State Army
Ned O'Brien, Irish Volunteers, Galbally Company, IRB, IRA
WW2
Josef Ciupak, Free Polish Army
Cyril Humphrey, Crewe, Royal Air Force
Ida Humphrey/Shepley, ENSA
Len Clarke, Loyal North Lancashire Regiment
Others
John Doyle, Enniscorthy. Free State Army, 1930s
Daniel Doyle, Dublin, Royal Air Force 1950-1979
Others
John Doyle, Enniscorthy. Free State Army, 1930s
Daniel Doyle, Dublin, Royal Air Force 1950-1979
Jean Doyle, Macclesfield, WRAF 1958-1962
Ben Oliver, Macclesfield, Royal Marines
Feedback
Noticed any errors or broken links? Know of another useful resource? Found this page useful or confusing?
Either :
a. leave a comment or
b. drop an email to doylejsd@gmail.com or
c. drop by Twitter : https://twitter.com/JohnnyD87968172
Ben Oliver, Macclesfield, Royal Marines
Feedback
Noticed any errors or broken links? Know of another useful resource? Found this page useful or confusing?
Either :
a. leave a comment or
b. drop an email to doylejsd@gmail.com or
c. drop by Twitter : https://twitter.com/JohnnyD87968172
As part of the Hollingsworth family, we are so happy our uncle Danny's official grave has been recognised after many years of my father and grandmothers search to no avail ,we feel overwhelmed that trouble has been taken after all these years to put these sad pieces of history together.many many thanks to all the people who brought this true story to light
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