Help !!!

ceejaylufc · Post by **ceejaylufc** » Tue 08 Jul, 2008 9:22 pm

Hi - I am trying to find out how to get hold of information about a court martial held in Corfu in 1861. From what I can gather, my 4x great grandfather was court martialed and executed after shooting a fellow soldier in his room. As a result of this, his son was sent to the Ragged School in Leeds at age 6.I've tried ancestry.co.uk and findmypast.com and can't get anywhere.Anybody any ideas ?Many thanks xx

arry_awk · Post by **arry_awk** » Wed 09 Jul, 2008 4:15 pm

Hi Ceejaylufc.Try typing, Court Martial Corfu 1861, into yourbrowser. The results maybe of interest ifyou know names and the info given. haven't timeto look myself!You could also type,The Ragged School Leeds,into the browser. Might be worth a try!CheersArryPS Leave your Webley .38 at home!

grumpytramp · Post by **grumpytramp** » Wed 09 Jul, 2008 9:32 pm

CeejaylufcI must thank you for the question ........ love a bit of investigation and it occupied my lunch break rather nicely. As Arry Awk points out let google be your friend!This is what I uncovered.It was reported in 'The ANNUAL REGISTER or a view or record of the HISTORY and POLITICS of the year 1861' published in 1862 by J & FH Rivington:MILITARY MURDER AT CORFU. — Intelligence was received last month of a case of assassination in the garrison at Corfu, resembling in its incidents the recent military murders in England. A private, named Chadwick, belonging to the first battalion of the 9th Regiment, had been sentenced by his commanding officer to six days' confinement within barracks, for some act of insubordination towards his corporal, Donollan. The punishment scarcely seems sufficient to have provoked mortal hatred ; but Chadwick brooded over it, and watching an opportunity when the corporal was standing up in his bed and arranging some things in a rack above it, he fired his rifle at him, and inflicted a wound from which Donollan died, after two days, in the greatest agony. Although the crime conformed so closely to the type prevalent this year among the military in England, a peculiar feature of the story was presented in the prompt retribution which overtook the murderer. Corporal Donollan was shot on Saturday, the 26th of October, and died on the morning of Monday, the 28th. The same day, an inquest and court of inquiry were held, and the general court-martial which sat on the 30th sentenced the murderer to be hanged. This sentence was carried into effect nine days afterwards, on the South Parade, in the Citadel of Corfu.It appears that there may have been a contempary witness who recorded the execution one WH Ranson records in a series of recollections and diaries handed down to his now Great-Great-Grandson who has rather splendidly recorded them blog form [see http://whranson.blogspot.com/2007/08/18 ... do_20.html ]1861 - Corfu/VidoAfter a few days I was sent with a detachment to an Island across the Harbour called Vido and Stationed in the Maitland Tower. It was in Corfu that I first saw the degrading sight of flogging a man on the bare back (since abolished) I also saw a soldier of the 9 Regt of Foot hung for murdering a comrade.Finally and perhaps most poignantly is the Memorial:Non-Commisioned Officers and Privates of the 1st Battalion 9th Regiment who died during service in the Ionian Islands from 1859 to 1864http://www.northeastmedals.co.uk/mm/corfu_brit ... 1.htmwhich includes the name of Corporal M Donolan and perhaps not unsurprisingly no mention of your predecessor.I trust this is of some interest!CheersG

ceejaylufc · Post by **ceejaylufc** » Thu 10 Jul, 2008 1:11 am

Oh wow ! thank you so much - that is my 4 x great grandad, I was interested to know what had happened and why, I can now tell my dad we have a murderer in the family - for whatever reason Once again, thank you so much, I can now add this to the family tree

Si · Post by Si » Thu 10 Jul, 2008 9:17 am

Hi, ceejaylufc,I believe this is a picture of the "south parade of Corfu Citadel" I took last year.Hope it's of interest. The Greek looking building is actually a C of E church built by the British, and not an ancient temple. Out of shot to the left, across a draw-bridge, is the Esplanade where the Corfiots still play cricket!Cheers,Si.

arry_awk · Post by **arry_awk** » Thu 10 Jul, 2008 5:15 pm

Brilliant work ALL! Glad I found that bit on Google!and glad CEEJay could glean some vital familyinfo! Any news on the Ragged School Leeds?There seems to have been a few of them throughoutEngland.Shame South Parade, Leeds doesn't match the photo!Arry

Tasa · Post by **Tasa** » Thu 10 Jul, 2008 5:25 pm

arry awk wrote: Any news on the Ragged School Leeds?There seems to have been a few of them throughoutEngland. There was a Ragged and Industrial School on Edgar Street, York Road, in the 1860s, according to several references in Google.

arry_awk · Post by **arry_awk** » Thu 10 Jul, 2008 5:29 pm

Thanks Tasaover to Ceejay!Arry

ceejaylufc · Post by **ceejaylufc** » Thu 10 Jul, 2008 8:38 pm

That's the one - thanks ever so Tasa, it is the one in Edgar Street, I found that out through the censusI didn't realise that the British were actually in Corfu, and that's a really good picture Si, can't think of the Greeks playing cricket , thanks for that, will put it in the records And Arry, thanks for everything, you put me (and everybody else) onto Google and I've got somewhere Well done everybody and thanks again Chris xxxxxxxx

Tasa · Post by **Tasa** » Thu 10 Jul, 2008 9:09 pm

It was a pleasure Chris!What I'm getting out of this forum is a deepened knowledge of the history and heritage of my city. Just by taking two minutes to Google something or look something up on a map to help someone else, I'm discovering all sorts of things I would never have gone looking for myself.It's a shame that these personal family stories never get to see the light of day. Many other towns and ciites have folk-life museums and collect these family histories - I'm not aware of Leeds doing the same (apart from the Abbey Museum?). Mind you, we need the buildings to match, and mass redevelopment hasn't helped.