1922-177

National Army Soldier Henry (Harry) Stringer

 

National Army Soldier Henry (Harry) Stringer (aged about 19) of 15 Jones’ Lane, Mallow (near Kilcorney)

Date of incident: 23 Nov. 1922

Sources: CE, 30 Nov. 1922, 11 Oct. 1923; FJ, 30 Nov. 1922; II, 30 Nov. 1922; MSPC/2D321 (Military Archives); Keane (2017), 327, 419.

 

Note: National troops travelling in a military lorry under Captain Delaney from Millstreet to Kanturk were ambushed on Thursday, 23 November 1922, by Irregulars near Kilcorney. The National soldiers reached a damaged bridge and got out of the lorry in an effort to push it across a temporary bridge that had been built. ‘As they were getting back into the lorry, fire was opened upon them from three sides. One soldier named Stringer, a native of Mallow, was wounded. He was placed in the lorry, where he died shortly afterwards. The other members of the party immediately took cover and vigorously replied. An exchange of shots lasted about 20 minutes, after which the attacking party withdrew. It is not known if they suffered any casualties. The remains of Private Stringer were conveyed to Kanturk and were subsequently removed to Mallow for interment.’ See CE, 30 Nov. 1922.

Henry Stringer (known in the family as Harry) was in 1911 one of the five living children (eight born) of household head Ellen Stringer (then aged 45). She had been married for 22 years, but her husband was not listed in the census. The family resided at 13 Mill Street in Mallow. Only two of the five children still lived with their mother. They were a daughter (also named Ellen, aged 17) and her brother Harry (aged 8).

Well after Private Stringer’s death his mother Ellen pleaded on 8 July 1924 that she had been ‘left without any means of support’ and also had to shoulder the responsibility of caring for Harry’s brother (unnamed), whom she described as  ‘a poor deaf and dumb boy’. She declared that she was ‘trying to live on the charity of neighbours as poor a myself’. But the Army Pensions Department had been paying her at least a provisional dependant’s allowance of £2 16s. on a fortnightly basis since the death of her son, according to her own application of 1 March 1924. Then the payments stopped as of the one due on 8 March 1924. This pension file is incomplete. See MSPC/2D321 (Military Archives).   

The Irish Revolution Project

Scoil na Staire /Tíreolaíocht

University College Cork, Cork,

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