An Cosantóir

www.military.ie the defence forces magazine | 9 The Connaught Rangers Association and Museum by SGT WAYNE FITzGERALD – PhotoS by SGT WAYNE FITzGERALD & CPL LEE COYLE O n the 11th May 2015, An Cosantóir visited King house in boyle, Co Roscommon, the home of the Connaught Rangers Museum. We were met by the chairperson of the Connaught Rangers Association, Pte Willie beirne, from Sp Coy, 6 Inf bn and the Association's General Secretary Mr Paul Malpas. Paul told us, "There were four fighting Battalions of the Connaught Rangers: 1st, 2nd, 5th and 6th and two reserve battalions, 3rd and 4th. The 2nd were more or less wiped out in 1914 while retreating at Mons during the Great War, so they were amalgamated with the 1st Bn for the remaining years of the Battalions existence." On giving us a tour of the museum and entailing us with many tales from the different eras of the Connaught Rangers history, a few names came to the fore during their infamous mutiny in 1920s India. Pte James Daly, with the 1st Bn in India in 1920, who was one of the mutineers who tried to take over the armoury in Solon that resulted with the deaths of two fellow soldiers. He was later sentenced to death by firing squad in Dags- hai Prison, India on 2nd November 1920, and was buried in India. His remains were finally laid to rest in his hometown of Tyrrellspass, Co Westmeath in 1972. Another was Pte Patrick Gogarty from Roscommon, who re-enlisted in the 1st Bn on 4th April 1919, after a brief spell in the Royal Irish Regiment. He is regarded as one of the original mutineers in Wellington Bks in Jullundur, 1920. He was also sentenced to death by firing squad, which was later reduced to penal servitude for life. His British Army discharge papers, which are on show, state his character was 'Very Bad' and he was discharged with disgrace and sentenced to imprisonment with hard labour, he had one year and 292 days service (75 days overseas). He was released on 4th January 1923 and joined the recently formed Irish Free State Army on 12th January 1923, where he served 39-years and 304 days with 4 Garrison Ord Coy, Athlone. He was discharged on 19th November 1962, attaining the rank of Sergeant with an 'Exemplary' conduct record. He died in St Vincent's Hospital, Athlone in March 1965, aged 64. Interestingly, both men had joined the British Army after the Great War in late 1919 at Staffordshire, England. Paul said if people wanted to read more on the Con- naught Rangers Mutiny he highly recommended an ar- ticle that appeared in the Irish Sword No 88, Vol 22 Summer 2001 by L/Cpl Conor Francis O'Brien who was in the Guard Room on the day of the mutiny in 1920. In the 'Remembrance Room' of King House there is a num- ber of model dioramas, most notably is the highly publicised 6ft scene depicting the Dublin and Munster Fusiliers landing at Suvla Bay, Gallipoli. Willie told us they previously asked the Boyle's Men's Shed to make a diorama depicting a WW1 trench scene from 1914 and another showing a memorial garden on the same topogra- phy in 2014, and were really impressed with it. You cannot but admire these dioramas, as they are expertly made with amazing details. In finishing, Paul said they regularly help out people researching their family's history in the Connaught Rangers, and they now have a database containing records of 30,000 soldiers, from 1880-1922 – this does not include the previous 87-years of the unit due to lack of details from that period, which included the 1st Boer War and the Zulu Wars. For more information on the Connaught Rangers Associa- tion or the museum please visit their website: www.connaughtrangersassoc.com Paul Malpas showing Patrick Gogarty's documents Pte Willie Beirne explaining the Gallipoli diorama Patrick Gogarty attending Pte Daly's remains being laid to rest in Glasnevin in 1972

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