Initially I got a fright, but was relieved it wasn’t moving.

Does anyone know what the hell this is all about?

And this is the back…

This medal is also known as “The Mons Star” – This was the First one of three to be issued and was known as “Pip” the other two later in the war were “Squeak and Wilfred”

I kind of got distracted with my own life after that and forgot about the medal again until the other night when a man responded to my forum query and sent me a link to the National Archives website where I was overjoyed to find corresponding records.

Here is his Service Record:

I discovered his name was Denis Driscoll.

I always wondered what his name was too… I was wondering would it be Daniel, or David…

He was born in Courcey, County Cork (The Courcey Parish in West Cork is bounded by Bandon to the north, Kinsale to the East, Killbrittain to the West, and the Atlantic ocean to the south and comprises of the Villages of Ballinadee and Ballinspittle.)

He was born on 13^th January 1872.

I think that ‘STO’ is most probably an abbreviation for Stoker, meaning that Denis worked in the bowels of the ship, probably loading coil for the ship’s boilers.

These are the ships he served on:

· HERMIONE Astraea Class , 2nd Class cruiser serving in the CHannel Fleet.

· WARSPITE (pictured below) Imperieuse Class , Armoured Cruiser, serving as Flagship in the Pacific.

· AMPHION Leander Class , 2nd Class Cruiser, serving on Mediterranean Station. Probably on loan as he rejoined WARSPITE again.

· PHAETON Leander Class, 2nd Class Cruiser , serving in the Pacific.

· EGERIA Sloop converted to Survey Ship, I have no details but will “best-guess” probably surveying the Pacific area.

· Return to PHAETON on Pacific Station.

· GRAFTON Edgar Class , on Pacific Station.

· Return to AMPHION in the Pacific and passage home to Devonport . Ship to Harbour Service Devonport.

· AEOLUS Apollo Class, 2nd Class Cruiser, based at Queenstown. Almost a home posting.

· DONEGAL Monmouth Class, Armoured Cruiser, Commissioned for China Station but ran aground.

· MONMOUTH as above, China Station.

· AMPHITRITE Diadem Class, 1st Class Cruiser, Ship served as a Tender to VIVID.

· WAR SERVICE

· LONDON Formidable Class Battleship. Served with the 5th Battle Squadron Channel Fleet based at Portland and Sherrness. March 1915 to the Dardanelles supporting the landings at Gaba Tepe and Anzac Cove. Transferred to Taranto to reinforce the Italian Fleet. October 1916 returned to Devonport.

• What does PIC 383709 mean? (hand written under Denis Driscoll’s name)
• What do the initials mean under rating?
• What does it mean when “Fisherman” is crossed out? Is it an admin error, do you think?
• Does anyone have any idea what “Gratuity for raising V14 Warspite” means? (This one is particularly difficult to get info on)
• Does anyone know what “RR 7475″ means? (written on bottom left)
• Can anyone decipher the handwriting beneath “Gratuity for raising V14 Warspite”?

I wondered about the background too, how would an Irishman fare on an English Ship within the Royal Navy given the tumultuous relationship between England & Ireland at that time? What would provoke an Irishman to go into Service? How would his fellow Irishmen have reacted to him?

Countless hundreds of Irish served in the British forces and usually with great distinction. For instance there was a most significant presence at Gallipoli.

He saw it as the best option to ensure the enactment of Home Rule after the war, realising that the Irish Volunteers would return as an armed army capable of confronting Ulster’s armed opposition to Home Rule.

Within a month of the start of the war this was agreed and the Irish National Volunteers were formed and encouraged to enlist.

Two Irish regiments were formed within the British Army – the 10th and 16th regiments and over 170,000 eventually joined. Also once this precedent had been established many also joined the Royal Navy.

This explains the apparent contradiction of why so many Irishmen fought on the side of the British.

Hopefully in time, I can find out more about Denis Driscoll, as more and more information is being digitalised and available online.

In the meantime, I want to put his details out there… He may be someone’s Grandfather, Great-Grandfather, Friend…

You never know who may come looking for him…

Anyway, I went in and scanned the aisles for some peppercorns. 

I gave up in the search and decided to ask the fella with the white coat.  It’s unlike me to ask, I usually circle round and round til I find what I need and it’s only when I have thoroughly exhausted this search do I approach the men in white coats.  Anyway, on this occasion I musta waltzed around the aisles enough to make me dizzy.  So I say to yer man “excuse me, do ye have any peppercorns?”

Yer man opens his mouth and goes “ah!” as he strides longleggedly round the corner, I follow him and he leads me to the popcorn. 

“Eh, that’s popcorn, I asked for peppercorns?”

“Aaaaaah” he says with more passion this time and strides off out the front door of the shop… 

“Where are you taking me now?” I asked him.  “I don’t think ye’d be keeping the peppercorns outside”

He leads me to the row of fresh peppers and looks at me as if he has given birth to them or something…

“Eh YEAH… they are peppers…  I asked you for peppercorns…”

Now he slows down and kinda gives me a puzzling look. 

I soften and explain that I am looking for the other half of the salt&pepper pair, but in it’s whole form, before you do the grindy grindy thing”

“You want salt?”

“No, I want it’s long lost brother – Pepper”

“Oh Ok, yes, we don’t have/that will be delivered on Friday”

“I don’t think it’ll be delivered on Friday, I think you don’t understand me and you’re brushing me under the It-will-be-delivered-on-Friday rug” I said to a misunderstanding face.

So I leave him to his confusion and approach another white coat.

“Excuse me, do you speak English?”

“Yes, yes!” he says in broken English, but I make a mental note to give him a chance before I bollick him.

Do you have any peppercorns?…