219137 L/Cpl. James Cummins British Army 2nd Btn. Royal Irish Regiment from:Clonmel, Tipperary My grandfather James Cummins was a veteran of the Boer War, He signed on the Special Reserve of the Royal Irish Regiment in 1912. In 1914 he was with the BEF and badly wounded & taken prisoner near La Bassee and was a POW in Limburg, due to a foul up he was listed as missing presumed dead and remained so for three years. My grandmother received a letter from him and brought it to the Royal Irish Regiment depot in Clonmel. She was told it was a ruse by some soldier who had gotten his army number and was looking for socks etc. It was however his writing and she convinced them to check again.
James Cummins was repatriated through the Red Cross in 1918 and came home to find out that his brother had been killed at Cambrai and of his three brothers in law one had been killed at Suvla Bay, One had been badly injured at the same place and one had come home unscathed.
James lived till 1954. We still have the POW release letter also his enlistment record to the Royal Irish Regmt. Two of his sons served with the armed forces of Britain during WW2.
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