Hello Susan, The casualty lists show 1989 Pte. P. Connors 1st Battalion Royal Irish Regiment dangerously wounded at Lydenburg 7 September 1900. Despite the discrepant spelling he is the only RIR man with the name Connor/Connors shown as wounded so it is almost certainly your man. Two other men were killed in this action. Despite your location your only real chance of making any further headway is to go the PRO route and get a researcher to copy his medal and clasp entitlement in the RIR subseries WO 100/177 (all of which survive) and check for his attestation and service papers in WO 97 (not all of which survive). The Royal Irish Regiment was originally the 18th Regiment of Foot (not cavalry) but along with other infantry regiments dropped the numerical title in 1881. It was one of the regiments disbanded in 1922 following the establishment of the Irish Free State and has no connection with the current, and more recently titled, British regiment of the same name currently serving in Iraq. Regards, David ----- Original Message ----- From: Susan O'Connor <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Saturday, May 03, 2003 6:49 PM Subject: [BOER-WAR] PATRICK CONNOR > Hello, > > I joined the list a while ago and I have also not seen any responses to > the various questions posted on the list. I wondered, if perhaps, these > questions were being answered 'off list'. > > I'm would love to know how to find any information about my grandfather, > PATRICK CONNOR and his 6 years in the British Army. > > He was born on June 9, 1881 in THOMASTOWN, KILKENNY, the fourth son of > a tenant farmer or farm labour. About April 1894, PATRICK, along with > his three older brothers, joined the British Army; he lied about his age > saying he was 16 years old when he was only 13 years & 10 months old! > > He was a member of the 18th ROYAL IRISH REGIMENT CALVERY, for 6 years. > Sometime in 1900, while fighting in a battle just outside Pretoria, > South Africa, PATRICK CONNOR suffered a severe shell wound, burn, large > scar and deformity to his left shoulder and shoulder joint. He did not > have full use of his left arm due to his deformed shoulder nor could he > raise his left arm from his body. Over the years, he had eleven > operations on this shoulder. > > He left South Africa and came back to Ireland on a hospital troop ship > (don't know the name?). He was a patient in a rehabilitation hospital > in Cork, County Cork in a converted mansion (don't know the name?). At > the hospital, he met ANNE KENNEDY, a nurse, who he subsequently married. > > I live in Vancouver, BC, Canada so I'm not able to go to Kew Gardens to > look up his service records. I anyone can give any ideas as to where to > look for more information on him, his regiment, the troop ship he was > on, the rehab hospital in County Cork, I would be forever grateful. > > Many thanks in advance for any response to my message, > Susan