Fred Weir, Frank Finan, Tom Frehill

[pol o frithil]

To whom it concerns,i am trying to find out some information on some ancestors of mine who did serve and may have served in the british army. the first man is called fred weir from co. cavan in ireland.he joined the royal irish fusiliers i am sure of this because i have a photo and museum is confirming that it is there uniform. the cap in the photo is called a broderick cap which means he was in this regiment in 1904/1905.he served in the first world war and survived and came home to ireland.what i am looking for in relation to fred is his service number ,what medals he would have got and as much info about his service record. the next man is called from co. sligo in ireland.he first joined the irish guards and then he joined the sherwood foresters(notts and derby regiment). his service number for the sherwood foresters was 72254. he died in august 1918 and buried in mont huon cemetery at le treport. he was in the 10th battalion. i am looking for is service records for both regiments, what medals he would have received. i am also looking for his service number for the irish guards.the last piece of information i am looking for i was told an ancestor of mine called tom frehill from co. galway served in a british army regiment in the 19th century. i have no idea what regiment was there at the time or his service number orhis military record. i would be most greatful if any one as any information for me on the above topics.

[Desmond7]

Pol - first welcome.

You'll find quite a few irish enthusiasts here. Hopefully some of your question will be answered.

If you live in Ireland, I would advise a visit to your town/borough's reference library. These usually have microfilm copies of the old newspapers of the era. Speaking from past experience of examining old papers in Ireland, you may well find some mentions of the mention in their columns. It's all a matter of narrowing down dates.

As regards Frehill - just a guess but he would have been well in the recruiting area fo rthe famous Connaught Rangers.

Best wishes Des

[priv]

Pol,

If you look in the main site, it gives you the details of how to research relatives. You could also commission a researcher to do it - there are many to be found and I am sure that members who have a favourite would send a PM to you if you advertised for recommendations - try following other threads.

Re the medal entitlement, the Public Records Office has an online site for the Medal Index Cards. www.pro.gov.uk. The online MIC's only go up to N at present so you can't find Fred Weir via this way. The MIC provides basic info on medal entitlement and provides the references for that person on the specific Medal Role. It also shows other regiments they may have served with plus very often the theatre of war and the date of entry therein.

Had a quick look for your man Frank Finan and found the following:

Frank M Finan

Private 72254 Notts and Derby (which you already knew), but also.....

Private 51231 Royal Flying Corps !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You can download the online MIC for a fee of £ 3.50 - this may well give you some other info, but this is not always the case.

Good luck with the research and have fun - bet you didn't know about the RFC bit !

All the best

James

[aliecoco]

Hi,

Just to add on about Frank Finan. I have been to the PRO today and I have got his MIC and medal roll for you. If you PM me with your address I will send these two copies on. I hope this will give you a start towards the research on Frank.

Alie.

[Simon Furnell]

Welcome to the forum,Pol.

Sounds like you have a regular soldier,pre-war,which should make life a little easier(though not always true),research wise.

It could be,depending on how long he served after 1904,he was entitled to the lot.

I expect he would have been a reservist,for many years after he actually left the army,and may have been called up,early on in the war.

My Great-grandad was a pre-war regular,with the Rifle Brigade,and was wounded on The Somme in 1916.

After he recovered from his wounds,he was posted to Tipperary(i expect i have spelt it wrong.Sorry.Always do),until his discharge in 1918.

I am sure he had the lot,except a Mons Star(still looking into this),and was discharged in September,1918.

Do you know the age,of the 2nd man,from Sligo?

August,1918,was the start of the big push to defeat the German Army,and many men,and women,were lost during this time,right up until the Armistice in November

The casualties were very heavy,from March 1918,onwards,and many men,regardless of age(minimum age 18,i think),and condition,were sent to the front to fill the gaps.

Would have thought he was a volunteer,rather than a Conscript,though i am not sure on this.

Hope you have luck in your search,Pol,and look forward to more postings.

Good hunting.

All the best.

Simon Furnell.

[curranl]

Hello Pol and welcome to the Forum,

As the others have said, the best place to start would be the mother site of this Forum. This will give you the general info you need and the people on the Forum can then help you with specific questions.

Regards,

Liam.