Refurbished monument to Athlone Victoria Cross holder unveiled

Significant new research informs new monument

The refurbished monument to Drummer Thomas Flynn in Cornamagh Cemetery was unveiled last week during a rain-filled ceremony.

The moment, honouring the 19th century Athlone soldier, who was one of the youngest ever to receive the Victoria Cross, was originally erected in 2008 by the Organisation of National Ex-Servicemen and Women (ONE) and each year since then on Armistice Day, ONE and Post 9 of the Irish United Nations Veteran Association (IUNVA) have placed wreaths at the site, which is in the middle of Cornamagh Cemetery.

Two local men, Shane McCormack and historian Gearoid O’Brien, have unearthed new details about his life and times during considerable research. Both men were present on the day of the unveiling as the rain poured down, alongside Athlone Mayor, Cllr Louise Heavin, Fr Declan Shannon, chaplain to the Defence Forces; members of ONE and IUNVA and the Royal British Legion.

Gearoid and Shane submitted their research to the Victoria Cross and George Cross Association in London and it was vetted by two senior researchers appointed by the Association and was approved.

“The new information discovered by Shane and myself, significantly adds to our knowledge of Thomas Flynn V.C. and as the Association had co-funded the original stone, they were very keen to ensure that the stone should be replaced or corrected to reflect the new research,” said Gearoid O’Brien.

“For the past 60 years it was believed that Thomas Flynn was the youngest (or possibly joint-youngest) ever recipient of the Victoria Cross,” Gearoid explained.

It was said Thomas was born in August 1842, which would have made him the youngest recipient of the Victoria Cross, but Gearoid and Shane discovered that this wasn’t correct. They found that Thomas was born earlier, December 1839, and was almost 18 years old when he earned the medal.

The two Athlone men discovered that Thomas was born in St Mary’s parish, and baptised in the forerunner to the present St. Mary’s Catholic Church on December, 22, 1839. His parents: Patrick Flynn and Ellen (or Eleanor) Kenny, citing their address as Coosan, were married in St Mary’s in January 1836. Thomas was the eldest of at least four children, and the only boy. By the time his sisters were being baptised the family was living on St Mary’s Hill or Scotch Parade.

He enlisted in the army in 1854, when he was just over 14 years old, and as Gearoid said, at that time boys who hoped to become drummers could join between the ages of 14 and 16. Within six weeks of signing up, young Thomas was setting sail for India to join his regiment, the 64th Regiment of Foot, the Staffordshire Regiment.

“His experiences in India, and especially at Cawnpore in October 1857, had a devastating effect on the young Thomas Flynn. Not yet 18 years of age and over 7,500 miles from home, Thomas’s military career, which had been impeccable, took a sudden downward spiral. It is obvious now that he was suffering from the condition we now know as PTSD or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, but at that time nothing was known about the condition,” said Gearoid. “Very soon after receiving his Victoria Cross, Thomas starting getting in trouble with his regiment, he found himself being court martialled several times and getting various periods of detention before he was eventually discharged from the regiment in 1869 at just 30 years of age.”

He returned to Athlone but he was not an unfamiliar sight in the local courts and was, apparently, unable to keep down a regular job. In 1880, aged 41, he married a local girl, Mary Hardiman, from St Peter’s parish.

“It would be great to be able to say that marriage settled Thomas down. Sadly, this was not the case. It seems that theirs was a turbulent marriage, with drink being a major factor, and soon both Thomas and Mary were seeking refuge in the Workhouse,” said Gearoid. “Thomas had a V.C. pension of £10 per annum. In his early days in the Workhouse, he discharged himself when the pension came in and by the time that he (or they) had drank the proceedings he sought re-admission to the Workhouse again. He was said to have been several years in Athlone Workhouse, with his pension confiscated by the Board of Guardians before his death on August 10, 1892. His widow, Mary, died in the Workhouse just three months later.”

Gearoid said that Thomas should not be judged by his actions after his experiences in India, but that his bravery as a young man should be celebrated. He also said that the whereabouts of his Victoria Cross is unknown.

Mayor Louise Heavin unveiled the refurbished Drummer Flynn monument on the day. She also highlighted a number of other men who were also awarded the Victoria Cross that were from the midlands including Abraham Boulger, though born in Kildare bought a farm at Emabeg near Moate where he lived until his death in 1900 and Thomas Duffy a native of the parish of Moate and Mount Temple who also received his VC for bravery during the Indian Mutiny (1857).

“The story of Drummer Thomas Flynn V.C. who we are honouring here today is a remarkable one. The only son of a soldier he was born in this parish, joined the 64th Regiment at an early age and was quickly dispatched to India where he served as a Drummer Boy,” said Mayor Heavin. “Despite an exemplary military career Thomas Flynn died in Athlone Workhouse and is buried here in Cornamagh Cemetery in an unmarked grave.”

The Athlone Mayor further said that Drummer Thomas Flynn was the only Athlone man ever to win a Victoria Cross, and it is only right and fitting that he should be commemorated properly in his native town and hopefully the unveiling of this new memorial will help to focus even more attention on this brave son of Athlone.

A laying of wreaths took place at the Drummer Flynn monument from ONE, IUNVA and the British Legion.

After a reading of a section of the WW1 poem, ‘For the Fallen’, the gathering observed a minute’s silence before the piper; Les Kiernan played The Last Post, then Reveille and then a lament.

“Our gathering today in this ancient cemetery of Cornamagh is in memory of a native son of this parish,” said Fr Declan Shannon, before blessing the monument. “It was while serving as a Drummer Boy that the young Thomas gained the Victoria Cross in recognition of his bravery.”

“On behalf of Shane McCormack and myself we wish to extend again a very special word of thanks to both the Victorian Cross & George Cross Association and The Staffordshire Regiment Museum who jointly paid for the refurbishment of this memorial stone. We also thank both institutions for their messages of support and good wishes for this event,” said Gearoid O’Brien. “I have been involved in various areas of research for almost 50 years, and I have to say that the discoveries that Shane and I have made about two local Victoria Cross recipients – Thomas Flynn of Athlone and Thomas Duffy of Mount Temple or Moate, are among the most important discoveries I have ever made.”

“The Drummer Boy, Thomas Flynn, may not have gotten the recognition while he was alive but let us do him the honour of recognising him in death for his bravery and selfless sacrifice,” said Fr Declan Shannon.