Reginald Woodman - Ulster Cyclist Corps

Interested in the Ulster Cyclist Corps noted against Reginald Woodman that appears on a memorial on another bloggers page. I was aware of the UVF having cyclists (and motor cyclists) but not of an Ulster Cyclist Corps.

21 year old Reginald Woodman is listed on the CWGC website as having been killed in 1917 with the Royal Irish Rifles.

Soldiers Died in the Great War shows he was in the Army Cyclist Corps prior to the Royal Irish Rifles

Name:	Reginald Woodman
Birth Place:	Dublin
Death Date:	8 Aug 1917
Death Place:	France and Flanders
Enlistment Place:	Dublin
Rank:	Rifleman
Regiment:	Royal Irish Rifles
Battalion:	9th Battalion
Regimental Number:	9263
Type of Casualty:	Killed in action
Theatre of War:	Western European Theatre
Comments:	Formerly 6896, A. Cyc. Corps.

There is a service record on Ancestry for 6896 Reginald Woodman which has him as a member of the Army Cyclist Corps (36th Division). He enlisted on the 29th April 1915 in Dublin aged 19. Employed as a Clerk and living at 15 Lindsay Road, Glasnevin, Dublin. His father is listed as William George Woodman of the same address with mother (name difficult to read), 3 brothers (Albert George, 27, William James Alexander 25, Clifford 20) and a sister (Kathleen Margaret).

He was transferred to the 15th Battalion Royal Irish Rifles on the 20/5/1916 and then to the 9th Battalion on the 27th June 1916.

He appears on the War Memorials for :

Wesley College

St George's Church

With his 3 brothers. he is on the Roll of Honour for St Thomas's Church and for St George's Church.


The father William George Woodman (1868-1936) appears to be from Burnham on Sea in Somerset originally. The mother Askin Hutcheon Woodman (1868-1950), nee Grimwood,  appears to have been from Scotland but died in Devon.

Clifford appears to have joined the Royal Dublin Fusiliers in September 1914 as 13860. Landed with the 7th Battalion at Suvla on the 7th August 1915. Suffered Malaria during his time in the Army. Discharged to the reserve (Z Class).

William James Alexander appears to have joined the Royal Dublin Fusiliers as 14144. No service record to confirm battalion but he landed in Gallipoli on the same date as Clifford. Commissioned as a 2nd Lt in the Labour Corps, 28th May 1918.  Medal card gives address as Ivanhoe, Lindsay Road, Glasnevin, Dublin. Appears in the London Gazette in 1922 still as a 2nd Lt

https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/32574/supplement/354/data.pdf

Albert George Woodman appears in the 1907 London Gazette as a messenger boy for the GPO

https://www.thegazette.co.uk/Edinburgh/issue/11974/page/1029/data.pdf

Currently not sure about who he served with during the Great War.

1911 census for the Woodman family
http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Dublin/Glasnevin/Lindsay_Road/16430/

1901 census for the Woodman family
http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Dublin/Glasnevin/Hollybank_Road/1273935/


Marriage record for William Woodman and Aksin Grimwood

Baptism record for Reginald

Baptism record for Clifford

Baptism record for William

Baptism record for Albert

Baptism record for Kathleen

High School, Dublin

A nice blog from Michelle Burrowes re research about the staff and students of The High School, Dublin who took part in WW1

The High School Dublin War Stories

ANZAC Irish

A new resource now online re Irish serving with the ANZAC forces during WW1

ANZAC Irish Database

Sgt Patrick Doyle, Leinster Regiment

My youngest son decided to research a namesake for a WW1 project at school re EveryManRemembered.

Decided it's time to blog again and get some additional information re Sgt Doyle

Sgt Patrick Doyle, number 3459, served with the 7th Battalion Leinster Regiment and was awarded the Military Medal.

On the CWGC website he date of death is recorded as the 17th August 1917 (my son was born 18th August and picked up on the proximity of the dates). On the Irish soldiers wills website, his date of death is recorded as the 18th August 1917, died of wounds. His will records 7th Battalion.

Soldiers Died in the Great War has him as 7th Battalion, died of wounds 17th August 1917. Enlisted Heath Camp, Queen's County. Born Mountrath, Queen's County.

Ireland's Casualties of WW1 has him born Mountrath, Queen's County. Died of Wounds 17th August 1917 but with 4th Battalion.

His Medal Index Card shows the award of the British War Medal and the Victory Medal. He didn't serve in a theatre of war early on so no 1914 Star or 1914-1915 Star.

The CWGC website shows he was the son of James and Mrs M Doyle of Mountrath, Queen's County. The census records for 1901nd 1911 show he was an Agricultural Labourer :

1911 census

1901 census

Sgt Doyle is commemorated on the Leinster Regiment Memorial in Portlaoise.

His Military Medal was gazetted after his death on the 19th November

London Gazette

The entry shows his number as 4/3459. No information yet about why he was awarded the Military Medal. As the war progressed, the Gazette listed names but didn't record the exploits of those awarded the MM.

He was probably recruited into and trained with 4th Battalion before joining the 7th Battalion on active service.