Thomas Fleming 9777 War Certificate

painting of an officer of the Royal Irish Rifles in ceremonial dress

Jeremiah Cullinane was born in Fermoy, Co. Cork, Ireland, in 1890 to a working class family, who had lived in the town for several generations. “Jerry” was the much revered elder brother of my grandfather, John Cullinane. Jerry joined the British Army in on 3rd December 1913, an almost natural consequence of living in a garrison town and being poor. Jeremiah died in 1927 in Manchester, England, after a short illness. Jerry enlisted in the Royal Irish Regiment (No. 7109402) and early in the war he was sent to Europe as a member of the British Expeditionary Forces who went to Belgium. Jerry was involved in the Battle of Mons and was captured. He was sent to Limburg an der Lahn, a prisoner of war camp near Frankfort in Germany. Limburg was the camp where men belonging to Irish Regiments were collected together. This is also the camp where Casement spoke to the men to encourage them to fight for the Germans. Casement met with very little success. Today there is a Celtic cross erected at the site to commemorate the Irish soldiers who lost their lives there. Jerry was put on farm labour duty. He seems to have been very well treated and got along with his farm supervisor. He had many photographs taken at this time and has also left us a photograph of the man we believe to be his farm supervisor. He seems to have integrated as much as possible with the German culture. An ardent Catholic, he appears to have been attended by a German Chaplin and was in possession of prayers and religious mementos in German. I have been unable to ascertain Jerry’s service records and surmise they were among those lost during enemy action in the Second World War. Jerry was mentioned in the local Fermoy papers as being one of three Fermoy men in Limburg. They included Lance Corporal, Peter Nevin, of Clancy Street, Jeremiah from Grattan Terrace and Private William Dooley, Royal Irish Regiment, who lost his fight for life after being exchanged for a German prisoner, having being shot through the lung at Mons. Private Dooley was given full (British) military honours and the Union Jack draped over his coffin. Jerry did survive the war but wrote (in pencil) to his sister Betty on 1st March 1927 to say he was in bad health and that if anything should happen he was “in credit” as he was on £2.00 per week out of hospital and 21 shillings in. He asked her to let him know if she was at Bath yet and signed it : your fond brother, Jer, 8B Ward, Withington Hospital, West Didsbury, Manchester. Jerry was buried by HE Townson and Bros. Tintern Avenue, Burton Road, West Didsbury in March 1927 for the sum of £11-5sch. £5 paid on account on 17 March and £6-5sh. on 24th March by Ministry of Pensions. His sister, Betty and brother, John, attended his funeral. Jeremiah was 36. He had qualified for 1914 Star, British War Medal and the Victory Medal. || Selection of photographs, newspaper reports, letters, certificate of discharge and medal index card