THE 1914-15 STAR TRIO TO CORPORAL (ACTING SERGEANT) T. AYLWARD, WHO SAW SERVICE WITH THREE

THE 1914-15 STAR TRIO TO CORPORAL (ACTING SERGEANT) T. AYLWARD, WHO SAW SERVICE WITH THREE IRISH INFANTRY REGIMENTS DURING WW1, “D” COMPANY, 8TH BATTALION ROYAL IRISH FUSILIERS,THE 2ND (GARRISON) AND 4TH BATTALIONS ROYAL IRISH REGIMENT AND THE 2ND BATTALION ROYAL DUBLIN FUSILIERS, and whose service papers suggest, unusually for the era in which he lived, that Aylward travelled to Mexico. Three: 1914-15 Star (officially impressed: 19785 CPL. T. AYLWARD, R. IR. FUS.) British War Medal (renamed, contemporary re-engraved naming: 19785 CPL. T. AYLWARD R. IR. FUS.) Victory Medal (officially impressed: 19785 (..) T. AYLWARD. R. IR. FUS.). British War Medal renamed, contact marks to rim of Victory Medal partially obscuring rank in naming details (as indicated), though faint trace of the letters “PTE” (for Private) are visible, otherwise Good Very Fine to Almost Extremely Fine).

Group accompanied by biographical details, extracts 1901 and 1911 census returns, copy WW1 Medal Index card and 51 pages copied service papers.

Thomas Francis Aylward was born in Harrington Street, Dublin, in 1886, the son of John and Kate Aylward. At the time of his son’s birth, John Aylward was a 42 year old retired Royal Irish Constabulary Head Constable (pensioned 4/3/1884). Thomas Aylward is recorded in the 1901 census as a 16 year old boy copyist employed in the “C.S.L. Com” (Civil Service, Land Commission), living with his parents and elder brother in Millmount Avenue, Drumcondra, Dublin and is recorded in the 1911 census as a 26 year old Civil Service Assistant Clerk employed by the Irish Land Commission, living at Carlingford Terrace, Drumcondra with his parents and elder brother.

Service papers confirm that Thomas Aylward enlisted into the Royal Irish Fusiliers at Tipperary on 7/5/15 using the alias Thomas Francis Hayes, and the address 28 Mary Street, Cork, being posted for service with “D” Company, 8th Battalion Royal Irish Fusiliers, on 8/5/1915. Aylward saw service at home, 7/5/1915 to 17/9/1915, being promoted Corporal, 16/9/1915, and first saw service in France during WW1, from 18/9/1915 to 18/6/1916. In France, Aylward was appointed Acting Sergeant on 1/10/1915 but was subsequently reduced to Corporal, 15/11/15, after being convicted of being drunk and using offensive language in the Sergeant’s mess.

A Medical History Record (Wounds Report) in Aylward’s soldier’s papers states that he injured his hand while detonating a bomb on 24/5/16 at Loos: “the soldier was detonating bombs in the Bn bomb store. It being his duty to do so being a battalion bomber”. Aylward was subsequently invalided to Ireland on 18/6/1916.

Back in Ireland Aylward was posted for service with the Royal Irish Regiment, on 16/12/16, being posted initially to the 4th Battalion and then to the 2nd Battalion. He deserted again on 18/12/16, was subsequently apprehended drunk on South High Street, Dublin, on 27/12/16, and was court martialed, sentenced to 21 days confinement to barracks and deprived of 7 days pay. Aylward was subsequently punished for a series of misdemeanors, including repeated absence and drunkenness on 14/1/17, 17/1/17, 23/1/17, 28/7/17, 22/9/17 and 24/9/17. By this time the army had clearly had enough of Aylward and he was transferred to the Class “P” Army Reserve (men who were considered more use for the war effort employed in a civilian capacity than in the armed forces), on 26/1/1918.

Aylward subsequently re-enlisted, into the Royal Dublin Fusiliers, on 13/5/1919. At the time of re-enlistment he stated that he was 33 years old, gave his trade as that of electrician and stated that he had previously seen service with the Royal Irish Regiment. On re-enlistment Aylward was posted for service with the 2nd Battalion Royal Dublin Fusiliers, on 5/6/1919 and was discharged for a second time on 27/6/1922. At the time of his second discharge Aylward’s conduct whilst serving was described as having been “good” and Aylward himslef being described as “thoroughly reliable and temperate”, this despite the fact that his Regimental Conduct Sheet for his period of service with the 2nd Dublins records him as having been variously convicted of being “drunk on duty as Sergeant’s mess waiter”, absent from tattoo roll-call while stationed in Constantiople, absent from guard-house, being improperly dressed, etc, etc, on numerous occasions between 9/8/1919 and 11/5/1922.

While serving with the 2nd Battalion Royal Dublin Fusiliers Aylward saw service at home, 12/5/1919 to 3/12/1919, and with the Army of the Black Sea (Turkey) from 14/12/1919 to 16/11/1920, in India, 17/11/1920 to 27/4/1922, and again at home from 28/4/1922 to 27/6/1922.

The 2nd Battalion Royal Dublin Fusiliers landed at Istanbul on 20/12/1919 and saw service in Turkey with the Army of the Black Sea, taking part in the post-war occupation of Turkey. In June and July of 1920, in co-operation with the Greek Battalion of the Archipelago Regiment, the battalion took part in operations against Turkish nationalist forces. The 2nd Dublins embarked from Turkey for India on 17/11/1920, landing at Karachi on 7/12/1920, and was subsequently posted for duty at Mooltan. The 2nd Dublins sailed from India for England in March and April 1922 and was posted to Bordon Camp, the 2nd Battalion Royal Dublin Fusiliers being demobilised there in June and July of 1922, Aylward being discharged on 27/6/1922 and the 2nd Dublins being disbanded on 31/7/1922.

Post-war medical reports note that the injury to his hand required four operations and that Aylward was later admitted to hospital in Dublin from 4/2/1918 to 14/3/1918 suffering from “gas poisoning”.

The 8th Battalion Royal Irish Fusiliers were serving in the front line at Hulluch on 27/4/1916, when the Germans launched an assault under cover of a gas attack. Aylward’s company, “D” Company, and in particular the bombers of that company, of which Aylward was one, played a prominent role in repulsing that attack (photocopy of relevant extract from the 8th Battalion Royal Irish Fusiliers War Diary for the relevant period accompanies group).

Aylward’s service papers contain a note dated 17/6/1920 to the effect that Aylward had caught gonorrhoea and syphilis five years previously (this would have been circa June 1915, when he was serving at home, prior to being posted for active service in France ?), Aylward stating that those conditions had been treated in Mexico two years previously (this would have been circa June 1918, during Aylwards period of service at home with the Royal Irish Regiment from 19/6/1916 to 20/12/1918 ?).

Aylward married, 10/5/1910, Harriet McQueerins, and had a son, Walter, born 14/11/1917.

The Irish Land Commission personnel records have not yet been transferred to the National Archives and are still held by the Irish Land Commission Records Branch and are in the custody of the Department of Agriculture, Cavan. Aylward’s Land Commission service record might reveal that he perhaps enlisted using a false name in 1915 because he had not obtained permission to resign his position with the Land Commission in order to enlist.

Thomas Aylward’s father, John Aylward, was born in Kilkenny. He enlisted into the Royal Irish Constabulary on 4/2/1860 with the service number 25446, and was promoted Head Constable on 1/2/1882 and pensioned on 4/3/1884.