Colonel Allatt

Colonel Henry Thomas Ward Allat is another person of interest. Involved in the construction of the improvised armoured lorries used during the Easter Rising and also involved with Captain Bowen Colthurst on a raid on the Sheehy Skeffington house. He died just after the Rising but there are conflicting reports re his death.

He was Mentioned in Despatches in Jan 1917 for his work during the Easter Rising.

The 1916 Rebellion Handbook has him as Killed in Action near the South Dublin Union. Forums have him as died of wounds in Belfast. Soldiers Died in the Great War has him as Died which normally means died of natural causes/disease.

Commonwealth War Graves Commission website has him attached to the Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry (his previous regiment); his medal index card has him attached to the 3rd Battalion, Royal Irish Rifles. He was a Draft Conducting Officer, tasked with bringing drafts of reinforcements of the Royal Irish Rifles to the theatre of operations. France in his case; his first entry to this theatre being 3rd August 1915. 3rd Royal Irish Rifles were based at Portobello Barracks at the time of the rising.

The British Medical Journal has him as died of heart failure in Belfast following his exertions during the rebellion

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti...07049-0028.pdf

His death registration in Belfast gives year of birth as 1839.

He was born in Feb 1847. Baptised in London in Feb 1848. English census records have him born in France. His father was a Physician with a practice in Boulogne (and then later in Dover).

He was an Ensign in October 1866 in the 46th Regiment of Foot, a Lt in the 1871 census, a Captain in the 1881 census, a Major in the 1891 census and a Colonel in the 1901 census. In the 1911 census he was a "retired Colonel of HM Land Forces".


Allatt (written as Allett) is recorded in the 1916 Rebellion Handbook as being involved in the raid on Francis Sheehy-Skeffington's house on the Friday evening with Captain Bowen-Colthurst.

http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/c...colonel-allett

http://www.ebooksread.com/authors-en...-war-ala.shtml

An odd phrase appears in connection with Allatt :

The Military refused to produce others, Colonel Allett had died mysteriously in the interval, according to some he committed suicide in Belfast when Colthurst was condemned, saying, "The game is up."