luckyjer

Nigh all children were listed as scholars even up to their eldest child Catherine who was then age seventeen. This being an indication of what their farm and farming of it, had provided for. While not regarded landed gentry some neighbors coined the nickname "Square" for Den Riney, the father. It was meant to connote Squire due to perhaps an envy on knowing what such a farm produced. Much of the family needs were produced from within its acreage. Going to church was a matter of stepping through a stile some hundred yards down the sloping field towards the Kenmare Bay. The Templenoe National School abutted a few fields removed to the left.

During the 1930s and having spent five of my early childhood years on the farm with Grandpa, Grandma and Uncle Denny I would in time get an appreciation of all that its fertility and viewing did offer. The farmhouse sitting atop a just right elevation that afforded a view of the Kenmare Bay and its little islands in its middle still excites my imaginings to this very day.

Being a child I was enamoured by what my eyes observed and the smells that permeates farm living. The cattle, the milking, the saving of hay, and the pots of tea served in fields of new mown hay. Much much to write about but a sense of an uncle I had never known is my focus.

The life my uncles and aunts may not have been the equal of the exciting few years of my young existance on their farm. With so many mouths to feed I would imagine that everyone had to perform their tasks under the supervision of a strict dad. Being his grandson and sporting his name of Denis granted me priviliges that I abused as in getting in the way of both Grandpa and Uncle Denny as they tended to their farming duties.

Knowing the date of Jeremiah's engagement as a Junior Wireless Operator on the "Gaika" out of Southampton in September 1916 I figured the year of his leaving home would be in 1915. Time previous to his first sailing to be trained in a Marconi Wireless operation's school. To be hired on as a Junior Wireless Operator surely required some level of training beforehand. Jeremiah would in 1915 be about age seventeen.

Brother Jack who would go to England and became a paver of roadways and airstrip, but as to the year of him leaving home I imagine it being in the late 1920s. As for what became of brother Jack later we know more about.

Jack was the kindly gentleman who helped me to get to England in 1952. The same Uncle Jack, who possessing paving skills leading to a subcontracting business would be charged to lead groups of men as their foreman building and repairing airstrips across Wales and England during WWII. Jack's son is a major player in UK business today.

Another, a fourth son, was Uncle Michael, whose contribution was that of service to Britain's RAF. He worked on maintenance of aircraft for them during WWII.

Uncle Jerry's coming and goings on ships are of a confusing nature between what is recorded on ship arrival manifests and the Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation records then stored in Cardiff. The typed notation on the MT&CA card is; The official logs rendered for these voyages have been destroyed.

There is a puzzle on where he was during the whole of 1944. Then showing up in 1945 sailing on a 521 Ton "L.C.14" named vessel. I am again left to imagine that L.C. to mean Landing Craft.

Servants of the .......

Can't assume, programming of people works.

My Uncle Jerry like I was born in Kenmare, County Kerry Ireland. In a place near Killarney (whom some folks may have heard of).

Was my uncle an Aussie? possibly, perhaps he applied to become a naturalized citizen of Australia. Knowing of the history of the Irish who are loyal within environs in which they find themselves.

A distant relative of mine, another Denis Riney got free passage to Van Dieman's Land (Tasmania) thanks due the crown. Refer below; to ship Medway of 1849 there he is listed, having been charged with cattle stealing in Co. Kerry, no less. The Great Hunger having been played on the folks of 'Ol Erin go Bragh. An event that served to populate many lands.

UK National Archives, Kew. Who knew?

Daniel Riney, Place of Birth: Queenstown, Cork, Ireland Continuous Service Number: 1520 Date of Volunteering: 01 July 1853. Date 01 January 1822 Catalogue reference.
ADM 139/16links to the Catalogue Dept Records of the Admiralty, Naval Forces, Royal Marines, Coastguard, and related bodies. Series Admiralty: Royal Navy Continuous Service Engagement Books Piece 1501 - 1600 Image contains 1 document of many for this catalogue reference

James S. Riney, Medal card, Corps Regiment No Rank British West Indies Regiment 2372 Private Date 1914-1920 Catalogue reference WO 372/17links to the Catalogue Dept Records created or inherited by the War Office, Armed Forces, Judge Advocate General, and related bodies Series War Office: Service Medal and Award Rolls Index, First World War Piece Ridley C - Shacklady T Image contains 1 medal card of many for this collection.

343/35/9 Original reference number: Description: Enq. re. D Riney. Date: Jan 1956 Match 2 from 'Ireland-Australia transportation database' Lastname: RINEY Firstname: DENIS Sex: M Age: 30 Trial place: Co. Kerry Trial date: 17/06/1847 Crime desc: Cattle stealing Sentence: Transportation 10 yrs, Ship: MEDWAY Document ref1: TR 6, p 100

Group of Kerrymen to keep each other company. Considerate.
Name, Where convicted, When date, Term of years.

The Way It Used To Be

Ships used to transport Irish emigrants departed from Irish ports, from Liverpool, England and from other English ports like Southampton, London and even from Scottish ports. These ships came to be known as Coffin Ships because of the unsanitary conditions and overcrowded conditions that prevailed, ships designed to transport other than human beings. This plus the health of famine starved emigrants, whose lack of food, and scant clothing had them frozen and/or trying to get relief from the stench that we can but imagine, prevailed. Death must be welcome thought by many during weeks upon weeks of sailing while hoping the journey to soon end. Then upon arrival at Castle Gardens, Battery Park, New York, an immigration center, they would be processed through, all the while fearing - rejection. Better known, Ellis Island would open its doors on January 1st, 1882 and had capacity to process up to 10,000 immigrants a day. On December 17, 1897, Ellis Island, now, with expanded facilities was processing 500,000 immigrants per year. The island was closed in 1954 and now serves as a museum.

Brilliant Strategy

Thusly positioned in Ould Erin and British troops fleeing from Dunkirk what panic would then be triggered within the British isles. Ireland's declaring itself neutral was something concocted between Dev Valera, Churchill and Franlkin D. Roosevelt is my sense. Dev, an American-born whose life was spared (as like a Condon, years on, was) but his fellows in the struggle met their ultimate fate, this due the part they played in the Irish Rebellion of 1916. Now with dues needing to be paid he went along with the neutrality approach. It worked to great effect for England and her UK members states.

Mystery man Michael Collins, who terrorized Ireland's occupiers and who was instrumental in the founding of the Irish Republican Brotherhood, Michael, would be flushed out by an envious Eamon Dev Valera (later Taoiseach). Now, time to negotiate with England's talented diplomats but Dev knowing the outcome, to likely be, made known of plans that he had, of touring the USA to collect monies and plead for Ireland's cause. In his absence was Collins (age 33) left in charge to engage in negotiating terms that came to be, a twenty-six county solution. It was an all Ireland solution that Dev was railing about supposedly unhappy by the term that were reached with Collins. This hostility led to a Civil War causing brother to fight brother and so on. Collins would be shot and killed in August 1922.

Focus of attention

Aside from messages of a general character, such as in war, the operator must be constantly on the alert for battle orders from the admiral. The rôle played by the wireless operator in war time is certainly not a desirable one, at least from the standpoint of personal safety. He is always shut up tightly in his room, fully aware of the dangers of attack by air, sea, and submarine.

Getting a sense of uncle's living in Brisbane

Here is what she found:

Response #1 to my Email

I searched the 1949 electoral roll which came out on CD-ROM some months ago. it is possible to search by name regardless of district or sub-district but I did not find him. On the basis that he was in Downing Street Spring Hill when he died, I made the assumption he would probably be close to the city and checked the district of Brisbane and its various sub-districts.

In 1950 I found Jerry Riney in the subdivision of Brisbane living in Wharf Street in the city. His occupation is given as labourer. I could not find him in that electorate for 1950, 1952, 1954, 1958, 1959. You mentioned he was at Newmarket when he received his medals so I checked the Ryan electorate but I could not locate him.

In 1963 I find him in the Brisbane electorate subdvision of Paddington listed as Jeremiah Francis Riney. He was at 20 Fortescue Street Spring Hill. There is a line only where occupation would have been listed so I assume he was retired. Fortescue Street is close to Downing Street. He appears to have moved around the inner city area quite a bit. These areas were fairly run down in the 1950s and 1960s and provided rooms for single men.

Cecelia McNally led a rejuvenation of the area in the 1970s. She lived at the top of Spring Hill and initiated the Spring Hill Fair in September-October. It was based in Downing Street and was an enormous success. It made the area very fashionable. Fortescue Street is now mainly offices. In relation to the medals you seem to have come to a an impasse.

My only other suggestion would be to contact the Queensland Military Memorial Museum at 28 Church Street FORTITUDE VALLEY Q Australia 4006 PO Box 1602 FORTITUDE VALLEY QLD 4006 They have a website at www.qmmm.org I have an email vbhsbinc@bigpond.net.au They may be able to advise you.

Response #2 to my follow-on email

I checked the Queensland electoral rolls 1950-1959 for Moreton, subdivision of Sherwood in which the suburb of Oxley is placed but I could not find Jeremiah Riney. I think he led a wandering life.

A CD-ROM of the 1959 electoral roll will be released later this year. It will be searchable directly by name. It may give a clearer indication of his movements. Unfortunately we will not have a list of vessels on which he operated as we hold Queensland immigration records primarily until 1915.

The Commonwealth Government controls records from 1923 but from what you indicated there could be many foreign archives involved in tracing his movements.