|
|
|
3rd Battalion, Connaught Rangers
| Want to know more about 3rd Battalion, Connaught Rangers? There are:5234 items tagged 3rd Battalion, Connaught Rangers available in our Library
These include information on officers, regimental histories, letters, diary entries, personal accounts and information about actions during the Great War.
|
|
|
|
The Wartime Memories Project is the original WW1 and WW2 commemoration website.
- 1st of September 2024 marks 25 years since the launch of the Wartime Memories Project. Thanks to everyone who has supported us over this time.
|
Want to find out more about your relative's service? Want to know what life was like during the Great War? Our
Library contains many many diary entries, personal letters and other documents, most transcribed into plain text.
|
Looking for help with Family History Research?
Please see Family History FAQ's
Please note: We are unable to provide individual research.
|
|
Can you help?
The free to access section of The Wartime Memories Project website is run by volunteers and funded by donations from our visitors.
If the information here has been helpful or you have enjoyed reaching the stories please conside making a donation, no matter how small, would be much appreciated, annually we need to raise enough funds to pay for our web hosting or this site will vanish from the web.
If you enjoy this site
please consider making a donation.
Announcements
- 19th Nov 2024
Please note we currently have a massive backlog of submitted material, our volunteers are working through this as quickly as possible and all names, stories and photos will be added to the site. If you have already submitted a story to the site and your UID reference number is higher than
264989 your submission is still in the queue, please do not resubmit.
Wanted: Digital copies of Group photographs, Scrapbooks, Autograph books, photo albums, newspaper clippings, letters, postcards and ephemera relating to the Great War. If you have any unwanted
photographs, documents or items from the First or Second World War, please do not destroy them. The Wartime Memories Project will give them a good home and ensure that they are used for educational purposes. Please get in touch for the postal address, do not sent them to our PO Box as packages are not accepted.
|
World War 1 One ww1 wwII greatwar great battalion regiment artillery
Did you know? We also have a section on World War Two. and a
Timecapsule to preserve stories from other conflicts for future generations.
|
|
|
Pte. John Casey 6th Battalion Connaught Rangers (d.21st March 1918)  John Casey died, killed in action, on 21st of March 1918 on the first day of the German Spring Offensive. He had enlisted in Glasgow and served also with the 3rd Battalion of the Connaught Rangers.
For 100 years he was lost to his family. His sisters had emigrated to America before he enlisted so they never knew what had become of him. His sister’s last memory of him was as a young boy playing the tin whistle at the door of their home in Glensaul.
Through research, and thanks to the internet, we were able to trace John. On 21st of March 2019 his grand niece and grand nephew, along with a great grand nephew, visited his grave in Ste Emilie Valley Cemetery, France on the 100th anniversary of his death. They were the first members of his family to stand at his grave. He had been buried initially on the battlefield but his grave was discovered during the battlefield clearances, he was identified by his tag and re-interred in Ste Emilie Valley Cemetery, just a short distance from where he fell.
Finding John has been an amazing and very exciting journey. We would encourage anyone who has even scant information about a relative to engage in a similar quest.
|
Pte. Foster James Trainor 3rd Battalion, D Company Connaught Rangers My great uncle, Foster Trainor, an American citizen, born in Plattsburgh, NY and lived in Schenectady, New York, joined the Connaught Rangers in 1914 at 19 years old. He was in the 3rd Battalion, D Company. He signed up in St. Pancras, London and discharged as a Private in Kinsale, Ireland.
|
Pte. J Scott 3rd Btn. Connaught Rangers (d.4th Dec 1918) Private Scott is buried In the South-East part of the Willmount Cemetery, Killora, Co. Galway, Ireland.
|
L/Sgt. Joseph Jones 3rd Btn. Connaught Rangers (d.10th Oct 1918) Joseph Jones was the son of Mrs. B. Jones of 11, Upper Quarry Lane, Clarence St., Cork.
He was 35 when he died and is buried in the South part of the Whitechurch Cemetery, Whitechurch, Co. Cork, Ireland.
|
Bdmn. Frederick John Gilkes 3rd Btn. Connaught Rangers (d.6th Sep 1916) Bandsman Frederick Gilkes is buried against the west boundary in the Kinsale (Ringcurran) Church of Ireland Churchyard, Kinsale, Co. Cork, Ireland.
|
Sgt. William Clarke 3rd Btn. Connaught Rangers (d.29th May 1915) Serjeant William Clarke is buried in the Ballygunner (St. Mary) Catholic Churchyard in Ballygunner, Co. Waterford, Ireland.
|
Pte. Frank Mark Finan 10th Btn Sherwood Foresters (d.24th Aug 1918) Frank Finan was born on the 4th May 1894 in a village called Dromore West in County Sligo. As far as I know he was an only child. He lived in a one or two room house with his grandparents and two aunts and his mother. The house is still standing to this day.
He joined the 3rd Battalion Irish Guards on the 20th of Jan 1916 and was transferred to the Connaught Rangers 22nd of June 1916 then posted to the 3rd Battalion at Kinsale on the 4th of July 1916.
His transfer to the Royal Irish Rifles took place on the 1st of Nov 1916 and he was then transferred to the RFC as 3rd Class Airman on the 19th of December 1916.
He served with No.2 Balloon Section, RFC and was attached to 63rd Royal Naval Division from the 3rd to 24th of Sept 1917 for Infantry Training, after which he was transferred to 10th Battalion Notts & Derby Regiment.
Frank was 5ft 9 inches in height, with red hair and grey eyes.
There was mention in the 10th Bn history of a heavy gas attack on 15th August.
"All remained quiet until very early on 15th. About 12.15 a.m. the enemy started a very heavy gas bombardment on the whole area occupied by the 17th Division; mustard gas presominated. For three hours he kept up a steady stream of shells; he chiefly bombarded the ridges, and as the night was absolutely still the gas floated down into the valleys and clung to the dense undergrowth. The area shelled stretched from our support line some 2000 yards westward, and this all became saturated with the deadly stuff. The sunrise brought with it a ghastly state of affairs; the casualties from the gas poisoning steadily mounted up, and long strings of men with their eyes bandaged, each holding the man in front, trailed slowly backwards down to the dressing station. Lieut-Col King, D.S.O. and Adjutant Capt. G F March M.C. both became casualties, and in all the battalion sustained losses to 18 officers and 510 other ranks; a total which for the moment made it almost cease to exsist as a fighting unit; only the garrison of the forward posts escaped the effects of the gas." This is the date of the gas attack that Frank died from on the 24th of August 1918. His mother died 3 yrs to the day after Frank died, she had never married and the whole immediate branch of his family died out when he died. Frank is buried in Mont Huon Cemetery in France, he was 24 years old.
|
Michael Donnelly 3rd Battalion, E Company. Connaught Rangers Michael Donnelly was my grandfather, whom I never met. Indeed, my own father only knew him for a short time as Michael died around 1932, when my father was about 3 years of age. According to what we do know about Michael, he allegedly drove the "chuck wagon" (food service) and served on the front lines during the Battle of the Somme. He was gassed during that battle which, eventually, led to a declined health and subsequent early death.
|
Recomended Reading.Available at discounted prices.
|
|
|
Site Home
Help & FAQs
