236045 Pte. Maurice Flymm British Army 1st Btn. Royal Munster Fusiliers from:Cork Maurice Flynn was born at Kilworth, near Castlelyons, Fermoy, County Cork on 9th December 1882. His father was a farmer and his mother died when he was young. His father (David) had re-married, his mother Hanah Lyons being his second wife. He had two half sisters one being Mary who married a Michael Bane, who like the husband of the other sister was in the Army. After Maurice's mother died he went to live with his sister Mary in Fermoy, but as the house was "too regimental", he left and became a groom for the Rices in the town.
At the age of 15 years he joined the 9th King's Royal Rifle Corps, having given his age as 17 years. The 9th KRRC was the Old North Cork Militia Regiment which had its headquarters in Mallow from 5th December 1899. The Boer War commenced in 1899 shortly after he completed his training and he was drafted to South Africa with this Regiment. It is believed that he joined up with his best friend who died within two weeks of his arrival in South Africa.
The one story he tells of this period relates to an incident when he was out scouting alone and came upon a group of Boers in a Wadi. These he single-handedly captured and led back to his camp, but prior to entering he was reminded that they still held guns in their saddle holsters and should be disarmed. They were obviously starving and glad to be captured in order to get fed.
Also whilst in South Africa he was wounded, and spent some time convalescing there. He often spoke of Table Mountain in Capetown, as it was so impressive to him. During the campaign he is reputed to have saved the life of an officer. Although there is no documentary evidence of this heroic deed, Pte. Flynn was presented with a colt pistol by the grateful officer. This is now held in the museum at Fitzgerald's Park in Cork.
Whilst in South Africa he appears to have travelled much, as he listed the following places under the heading 'My Travels in South Africa'.
1. Cape Town
2. Grun Point (Green Point)
3. Warm Baths.
4. Fourteen Streams.
5. ( ) Naaupoort.
6. (Tibus) Clifton's Farm-not found.
7. (Stainburg) Reit River - not found.
8. Bethany.
9. (Arundel) Bethulie Bridge.
10. Orange River.
11. Kilmounts (charge with bayonets)- not found.
12. Krugers Dorp.
13. Newcastle.
14. Dannhauser.
15. Dundee.
16. Lady Smith.
17. Orange River Colony (Station).
18. Glencoe.
19. Modder River (Island & Hotel).
20. Sunnyside.
21. Colenso.
22. Kimberley.
23. Wittebergen.
24. Springfontein.
25. Reitfontein.
26. Dreifontein.
27. Jagerfontein.
28. Colesburg.
He returned to England on 7th July 1900 and on 13th July 1901 was listed as being entitled to the Queen's South African Medal with both the Cape Colony and Orange Free State Clasps. The above regiment was disbanded in Mallow in 1908.
No soldier's papers were found in the thefiles at the Public Records Office. This is as expected, because he continued to serve in the Great War and the above papers are for those who were discharged to pension before 1913.
Maurice is known to have spent some time in India and whilst there he contracted malaria. He suffered from bouts of this all his life which included the usual shivering and high temperatures. It is also known that he claimed to have often swum in the Ganges, and also spoke of being on service at the Himalayas. At some stage around this time he was stationed at Gosport, Hants., and operated there as a P.E. instructor. It is also known that he served in Duncannon Fort, Co. Wexford and Charles Fort in Kinsale Co. Cork, which he was very familiar with, particularly the stables.
On his returning to Ireland he met up with Mary Sommerville whose father was an engineer in Co. Galway, and it appears that she was born out of wedlock. Mary was orphaned or given when young and went to live with relatives, the Rices at Bank House in Fermoy, the same family that Maurice had been groom to some years earlier. Mary was a live-in servant to the Rices and her cousin Sr. Veronica (Susan) Rice, was to become the Rev. Mother (later transferred to Youghal).
Maurice and Mary were married in Mallow on 30th September 1905 and they went to live at Chapel Hill in Fermoy. The wedding was never approved of by Mary's relatives and, after they eloped, the Rices stopped any inheritance she may have been entitled to, including property in Taylor's Hill, Galway and did not contact her for many years. There were a few brief meetings eventually when they were living in Glaunthaune.
Mary Sommerville had eight children,listed below.
William Anthony born on 22nd August 1906, died on 19th April 1958.
Maurice Christopher born on 23rd November 1907, died on 7th May 1908.
Eileen born on 8th March 1910 in Glasgow, died on 28th June 1976.
Maurice Joseph born on 27th November 1911, died on 9th December 1911.
David Benedict born on 4th January 1913, died on 4th December 1914. (Buried with military band in Tralee near the barracks.)
Ruby Harriet born on 9th March 1915, died on 7th January 1924.
Maureen Veronica born on 4th June 1918.
Hannah born on 9th March 1924, died on 12th March aged 3 days.
David was interred at the Military Cemetery in Tralee (Killerisk) on the following Saturday after his death, attended by many members of the Regiment (3rd Battalion), he was a very popular little boy with the regiment and the band played "The flower of the forest" at his grave side. His death was caused by food poisoning after eating contaminated 'bully beef' obtained from the Army stores, something Maurice never forgave the army for.
On 9th March 1915, Ruby Harriet Patrica was born and she was baptized in Tralee on the 14th March 1915, she died in the fever hospital of diphtheria. They were living in Glounthaune, the local doctor was called but was drunk on arrival. Mary Flynn ran to Beamish's, Ashbourne House and they rang for an ambulance from Cork. They also contacted Maurice at Ryan's where he worked and William at O'Gilvie and Moores, Parnell Place, Cork. By the time she got to hospital she had choked to death. Combermere Lodge is just across the road from the rear entrance of Ashbourne House and Willie was very friendly with Richard (Dickie) Beamish, the son of the owner of Beamish's Brewery in Cork.
They lived at Chapel Hill in Fermoy until 1910, when they moved to Glasgow. Maurice worked for Lever Bros, the soap manufacturers. The family lived at 4 Harrington Street, Maryhill, Glasgow.
By 1913 he was again back in Ireland. Unfortunately the smog and cold of Glasgow had a detrimental effect on the health of the eldest child Willie, consequently he returned to the Army. He joined the Royal Munster Fusiliers at Ballymullan, Tralee, Co. Kerry. The ex-servicemen and reservists were mobilized on 4th August 1914 and as he wore 3 Good Conduct Chevrons, he must then have served over 12 years with the Army. The soldiers generally enlisted for 12 years - 7 years with the Colours and the final 5 years in the reserves.
His 12 years were up therefore, certainly by 1911. However he entered the Special Reserves after his return from Scotland, thereby joining the Royal Munster Fusiliers. Upon mobilization he was Pte 6663 with the 3rd Royal Munster Fusiliers who moved to Cork during October/November 1914. They moved to Aghada in East Cork in May 1915, which consisted of a camp on the grounds of Hadwell House. The 3rd Battalion R.M.F. were a Special Reserve, and were to be used to replenish the dead or wounded of the 1st or 2nd R.M.F. Battalions on active service
On 19th April 1916 he sailed for France by ferry from Folkestone to Bologne in a reinforcing draft. (It is also possible that he may have been to France/Flanders on a previous occasion as he wore four blue chevrons representing 1915, 1916, 1917, and 1918 on active service.) Here he joined the 1st Battalion on active service, recently returned from their disastrous near annihilation on 'V' Beach. He was wounded shortly before 2nd August 1916 whilst with the 1st R.M.F. They served with the 48th Brigade, 16th (Irish) Division. This wound appears not serious (flesh wound in the leg) as a silver wound badge was not recorded as having been awarded. He appears to have served the remainder of the war in France and Flanders and suffered the after effects of a gas attack, something which was to plague him all his life. The only story he told of killing the enemy relates to a German sniper operating from a tree who had killed five of his colleagues. He waited until dark when he could identify the position of the sniper by the flash from his gun to shoot and kill the slayer of his mates. All his life subsequently he smoked his cigarette with the lighted end towards the palm so as not to show a glimmer at night.
A story is told that whilst on active service he struck up a friendship with a young soldier, the son of an Anglican Minister. Pte. Flynn wrote a letter to the soldier's family after his death, detailing the circumstances. In return, the family presented him with a pocket watch, and a ring as mementoes. The family kept in touch with Maurice for many years after the War.
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