Doninga Co. Kilkenny

[spider]

Have started to research my Great Granda.

Know very little about him.

He was from Doninga County Kilkenny, and he fought in WW1.

The family fled to County Fermanagh c. 1922 and settled there.


My question is, given where he was from, which of the Irish Regiments is he likely to have served in ?

[Groundhog]

Have started to research my Great Granda.

Know very little about him.

He was from Doninga County Kilkenny, and he fought in WW1.

The family fled to County Fermanagh c. 1922 and settled there.


My question is, given where he was from, which of the Irish Regiments is he likely to have served in ?

Royal Irish Regiment.

Do you have his Regimental Number?

[spider]

Thank You GH.

No sorry I know very little about him. I have been researching a long-lost Great Uncle, and have got hold of his attestaion papers. It gives his place of birth as Doninga. I asked my Mum, and she was able to say that that was where they were from, though they lived in Cork just before moving to Fermanagh. She knows very little about him also, he was dead years before she was born.

He (my Great Granda that is) fought in WW1, and survived. My Mum is fairly certain he was in an Irish Infantry Regiment.

His son (my long-lost Great Uncle) joined the Royal Highland Fusiliers in 1925, even though he was Irish. He was last heard of by my Great Aunt in 1939. I contacted the RHF and they sent me copies of his papers. Unfortunately the trail goes cold in 1944 - he was commissioned into the Indian Army.

They had a very unusual surname if that would help me find out more ?

[Groundhog]

I contacted the RHF and they sent me copies of his papers. Unfortunately the trail goes cold in 1944 - he was commissioned into the Indian Army.

They had a very unusual surname if that would help me find out more ?

You coud try Ancestry.co.uk? They were doing a free two week trial recently and you could get your ancestors WW1 record downloaded. Unfortunately many records were destroyed in the Blitz but you never know.

Did you try the CWGC search for you Great Uncle's name in case he died in WW2?

[spider]

You coud try Ancestry.co.uk? They were doing a free two week trial recently and you could get your ancestors WW1 record downloaded. Unfortunately many records were destroyed in the Blitz but you never know.

Did you try the CWGC search for you Great Uncle's name in case he died in WW2?

Hi GH,

Thanks for getting back to me.

I tried that Ancestry.co.uk last night but for some reason it won't accept my card details. I'm going to ring and register this week hopefully.

I'll give the CWGC a try, also the RHF gave me an address to write to Army personnel records in Glasgow, apparently they hold details re British Indian Army Officers.

If I make any progress I will let you know. I googled a map search for Doninga, all it would give me in Killkenny is Duninga. Would that be the same place - ariel photo just shows a rural road junction.

[Connaught Stranger]

Hallo Spider,

you state he served in WW1 and if I read your post correct, he went to Co. Fermanagh in 1922.

If so, there are a number of Irish Regiments he could have ended up in during WW1.

While its true that at the start of the WW1 many British Regiments used recruits from their

traditional County Regimental home areas, (especially in the U.K.) but, as massive

casualties began to be taken in the static trench warfare of WW1, another type of

recruiting system was brought into being, where despite which area you

joined after training you could be sent to top up what ever Regiment needed men.

For those recruited in Ireland, there was a "guarantee" they would stay in an Irish

Regiment, but, depending again in needs not always the one you joined up with.

For your search, you really need at least one the following:-

A military serial number.

A military unit name, Regiment, Company, etc.. etc..

I would also suggest taking a look at the Great War Forum at:-

http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com/fo...ex.php?act=idx

members there are extremely helpful, but if armed with some idea of Regiment name & number it helps get a quicker result.

Connaught Stranger

[Groundhog]

The question that spider asked was;

My question is, given where he was from, which of the Irish Regiments is he likely to have served in ?

Given that the man was from Co. Kilkenny, which was in the RIR's recruiting area, he was likely to have served in that regiment.

You can search the CWGC database online. Make sure you select Indian for Nationality.

http://www.cwgc.org/debt_of_honour.asp

I googled a map search for Doninga, all it would give me in Killkenny is Duninga. Would that be the same place - ariel photo just shows a rural road junction.

Probably.

[spider]

Hi CS,

Thanks for your reply.

I'm fairly certain he was a regular soldier, and served pre-WW1.

I'll try the link you gave me, Thank You.


GH, just done a search on the CWGC link you gave me, did Indian and United Kingdom, no hits. He must have got through. I do know from what the RHF sent me that his Battalion fought in Madagascar and Burma, he transferred to the Indian Army in November 1944. Thanks for your help.