broken British War Medal

[Noor]

Hi guys,

Here is one of my other random find from local coin dealer table yesterday. Usualy I am not interested broken medals but I know that the stuff in there haven't been researched, so I checked the naming - 6969 PTE J.KEHOE R.IR.REG.

Because I kind a like Irish related medals more and more now (maybe because my wife is Irish and we live in Dublin ), then I had a go and I did quick initial check over ancestry, etc web pages. In the end, because all the informion what was available + the sad story behind it, I decided to buy the disk, restore it and disply it with honour.

(by the way, if someone here has a BWM suspension over or broken medal, what naming is gone, I would be very interested to purchase/trade it)

[Noor]

James Kehoe (1882-13th May 1915)

Private

2nd (Service) Battalion, Royal Irish Regiment

James Kehoe was born in Kilmore, Co. Wexford in 1882 to James and Bridget Kehoe. Their family was farmers. James got married with Mary Doran of Rochestown, Taghmon, Co. Wexford and lived Ballymitty, Co. Wexford.

James enlisted to the Royal Irish Regiment (Previously 18th (The Royal Irish) Regiment of Foot) at Goodwick, Pembrokeshire as a private at aged 32. The Royal Irish Regiment started a new series from 1 for war-time service enlistments joining the newly forming service battalions. Private Kehoe regimental number was 6969.

When the First World War broke out, his battalion landed at Boulogne at 14th August 1914 and was virtually destroyed near Le Pilly during the Battle of La Bassée (10th October – 2nd November 1914). Many of the men were taken POWs. An entry in the unit war diary notes that by the 20th Oct. the Battalion was reduced to a Second Lieutenant and 135 other ranks. This from an original strength of about 1200 all ranks.

However, James arrived to France after 23rd 13th November 1914 (qualified end date for 14 Star) and joins with the battalion in the field.

Battalion was sent to St Omer where they served on Line of Communication duties. Refitted and reformed as a regiment they then joined the 12th Brigade, 4th Division on 14th Mar 1915. It is more than likely James joined them during the refit.

[Noor]

The Royal Irish Regiment fought at the Second battle of Ypres (Thursday 22 April – 25 May 1915), and James was mortally wounded at some point during the following engagements:

Battle of St. Julian 25th April – 4th May.

3rd May moved up to the firing line at St Julian, War Diary records Battalions first experience of poison gas.

[Noor]

Battle of Frezenberg Ridge 8th – 13th May.

8th and 9th May heavily shelled. Relived and moved to billets north east of Popreinghe. During this period of duty in the line the Battalion suffered 205 casualties. Most likely James got wounded then.

[Noor]

The Second Battle of Ypres was the first time Germany used poison gas on a large scale on the Western Front in the First World War. At around 5:00 pm on 22nd April 1915, the German Army released one hundred and sixty eight tons of chlorine gas over a 6.5 km front on the line. While this is often recognized as the first use of chemical warfare, poison gases were used at several earlier battles, including the Battle of Bolimov three months earlier.

By the way, in same place his battalion comrade Private Frederick George Room, for his actions at Frazenberg were awarded Victoria Cross (The London Gazette dated 17th October 1917) dressing the wounded and helping to evacuate them under fire.

[Noor]

He was hospitalised to The Duchess of Westminister's Hospital (No.1 B.R.C.S) where he died of wounds at 13th May 1915. James Kehoe was 33 years old.

He is buried to the Le Touquet-Paris Plage Communal Cemetery, Grave I. C. 4.

The Duchess of Westminister's Hospital (No.1 B.R.C.S) was at Le Touquet from October, 1914, to July, 1918, and the British graves in the Communal Cemetery were made from that hospital. The Communal Cemetery contains a number of French and Italian military graves, and two British Plots in the corner. A wooden obelisk in memory of the British dead was erected in the cemetery by the Lifeboat men of the commune. Casualty Details: UK 139, Australia 3, Total Burials: 142. The British Plots cover an area of 495 square metres.

For an informative and engaging account of nursing during WW1, read Lyn Macdonald's book, The Roses of No Man's Land. She quotes one nurse describing the Duchess of Westminster's hospital that she set up in her villa at Le Touquet in France. In the early days of the war, the Duchess and her friends would dress in full evening regalia, including diamond tiaras, to greet the incoming wounded whatever time of day. "It's the least we can do to cheer up the men," the Duchess would say, her wolfhound at her side. The Duchess was perhaps one of those whose "nurse's uniform" was designed by Worth.

[lambert]

Congratulations on your search ..

I'm impressed! How do you get all this information?

Lambert

[Noor]

Thanks Lambert!

Here is my sources:

Military-Genealogy.com, comp. UK, Soldiers Died in the Great War, 1914-1919

British Army WWI Medal Rolls Index Cards, 1914-1920

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Irish_Regiment_(1684-1922)

http://www.greatwar.ie/ire_batir2.html

http://www.1914-1918.net/rireg.htm

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Wexford/Ballymitty/Slevoy/691375/

http://www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=282969

http://homepage.eircom.net/~taghmon/histsoc/vol3/chapter6/chapter6.htm

http://www.pembrokeshire-war-memorial.co.uk/page20.htm

http://www.ww1cemeteries.com/ww1frenchcemeteries/letouquetparisplagecomm.htm

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=kehoe&GSiman=1&GScid=2249251&GRid=24555037&

http://www.1914-1918.net/hospitals.htm

http://www.letouquet-lemascaret.co.uk/LeTouquetHistory.htm

http://4yearsofww1.info/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_La_Bass%C3%A9e

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Battle_of_Ypres

http://www.richardmoles.com/dunne.html

http://armyservicenumbers.blogspot.com/2009/08/royal-irish-regiment-1st-2nd-battalions.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Battle_of_Ypres

[IrishGunner]

Nice pick-up - Irish regiment medals, especially casualties are very desired.

[Graham Stewart]

James Kehoe (1882-13th May 1915)

Private

2nd (Service) Battalion, Royal Irish Regiment

James Kehoe was born in Kilmore, Co. Wexford in 1882 to James and Bridget Kehoe. Their family was farmers. James got married with Mary Doran of Rochestown, Taghmon, Co. Wexford and lived Ballymitty, Co. Wexford.

James enlisted to the Royal Irish Regiment (Previously 18th (The Royal Irish) Regiment of Foot) at Goodwick, Pembrokeshire as a private at aged 32. The Royal Irish Regiment started a new series from 1 for war-time service enlistments joining the newly forming service battalions. Private Kehoe regimental number was 6969.

Noor - Only the 5th(Service) & 6th(Service)Battalions of the R.Irish Regiment began a new numbering series from '1' in August 1914. The regulars as this point were unsing five figure numbers, which makes me a bit curious, as to how quickly James was sent to the front as a reiforcement?? The 3rd(Reserve) & 4th(Extra Reserve)Bn's had their own numbering sequence, and men in these battalions were known as "Special Reservists".

The number "6969" used by James was first issued sometime in 1900/1901, so I'm wondering if James was either a pre-war regular, recalled as a Reservist or was he a "Special Reservist" called up, as they were to reinforce his regular colleagues???

In the first case - if he was a former regular on the Reserve, he would have kept his old number. As a Special Reservist again the number would have been issued on enlistment into the 'SR' pre-war. Going off my own Northumberland Fusiliers experience, lads who enlisted in August/September 1914 rarely went to regular battalions as reiforcements unless having previous military experience(i.e. Discharged former ex-regs). Whereas the "Kitchener Army" lads, who had to undergo military training, don't start appearing overseas until the middle/back end of 1915, the exception being Territorials. So my instincts are telling me he's either a pre-war regular or Special Reservist.

Edited April 1, 2011 by Graham Stewart

[lambert]

Noor Very good!

I like the British and decorations of your organization .. Among them, are the ones who managed to preserve the history of its heroes in detail ..

lambert

[Noor]

Noor - Only the 5th(Service) & 6th(Service)Battalions of the R.Irish Regiment began a new numbering series from '1' in August 1914. The regulars as this point were unsing five figure numbers, which makes me a bit curious, as to how quickly James was sent to the front as a reiforcement?? The 3rd(Reserve) & 4th(Extra Reserve)Bn's had their own numbering sequence, and men in these battalions were known as "Special Reservists".

The number "6969" used by James was first issued sometime in 1900/1901, so I'm wondering if James was either a pre-war regular, recalled as a Reservist or was he a "Special Reservist" called up, as they were to reinforce his regular colleagues???

In the first case - if he was a former regular on the Reserve, he would have kept his old number. As a Special Reservist again the number would have been issued on enlistment into the 'SR' pre-war. Going off my own Northumberland Fusiliers experience, lads who enlisted in August/September 1914 rarely went to regular battalions as reiforcements unless having previous military experience(i.e. Discharged former ex-regs). Whereas the "Kitchener Army" lads, who had to undergo military training, don't start appearing overseas until the middle/back end of 1915, the exception being Territorials. So my instincts are telling me he's either a pre-war regular or Special Reservist.

Thank you very much for information! I wasn't sure as well about the "service" battalion and now I know I was wrong. If he served before 1914 and was recalled, then hopefully I have a luck and I can find out more details about his previous service!

Thanks again,

Timo

[Aberdeen Medals]

Hi Noor,

If you are still looking to have your single British War Medal repaired, then I would recommend that you contact Peter at G-A Medal Services. You can get Peter's contact details at;

http://www.gamedals....k/index.php?p=6

Best to send him the disc and let him source and fit an original BWM suspender for you, rather than you attempt doing the job yourself or farming it out to a general silversmith.

As information.

Yours aye,

Mark

Edited April 13, 2011 by Aberdeen Medals

[Noor]

Thank you very much! This site looks promising!

Regards,

Timo