Help re Martin Collins

[Janice Jones]

My father Edward Collins dies 4 days ago. I  would like to include information about his father, Martin Collins, at the funeral service.
Martin Collins was born 14 November 1895 in Ballinlough, Galway, Ireland, on a small farm called Abbey
He died Dec 1975 in Hendon, England.
He left the family farm in his early/mid teens as it could not support all the family and its 14 children.
He married my Grandmother Vesta Vick in Q1 1920.
Family memory says when he reached the mainland he enlisted (probably lying about his age) and that because he had come from a farming background they set him to work with the horses. The farm had been arable but he learnt fairly quickly.

I can't find any reference to a time in the services.
Can anyone help?

Many thanks

jan

[KGarrad]

WW1 ended in 1918.

Records for all military personnel serving after 1920 are still with the MOD, and cannot be found online anywhere.

To apply for his records you need to visit:
https://www.gov.uk/get-copy-military-service-records

There is a fee of £30.

[Janice Jones]

Thank you that is helpful
I'm told that he may only have been 15 or 16 when he enlisted (lying about his age) so that would have been in about 1910-1911

[Sinann]

Are you sure he enlisted that young.
Was his father Patrick, mother Jane Mulligan born Ballinlough but living in Ballygowen in 1901
http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Galway/Ballynagar/Ballygowan/1388183/
Not with his family in 1911
http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Galway/Ballynagar/Ballygowan/465169/
But there is a Martin Collins in nearby Woodford which could be him.
http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Galway/Woodford/Woodford_Town/466042/

If I've got the correct family.....

[Janice Jones]

Thsnk you, yes that is the correct Martin. I also wondered about the Martin in Woodford but can’t prove anything.
Although there is some confusion about his age when he enlisted, that he almost certainly lied about it has been consistant. Could it have been later in 1911 or in 1912?

[Janice Jones]

Re Grandad Martin Collins: Born Loughrea Co. Galway 1895, probably in Woodford Co. Galway 1911, Married my Gran (Vesta) in London 1920.
But I can find nothing between 1911 and 1920.

My brothers memory re Martin 'joining up' is slightly different to mine.
" . .there was  a requirement for him to ride, it was a mounted regiment. All mounted regiments are called cavalry but not all have cavalry as part of their name and there were quite a number of mounted Irish regiments during that period.
He joined up to get free passage to England and although he had been bought up on a farm in Ireland and could ride he pretended he could not to delay going into active service"

Anyone have any ideas?

[Sinann]

Other than his army record there probably wouldn't be anything to find between those years.
Was he still in the Army when he got married, if so than as KGarrad said his record will still be with the MOD.

If he had stayed in Ireland I'd say look for his siblings marriages to see if he was witness on any.
Have you any idea if any of his brothers signed up, sometimes brothers are listed on Service records and say if they are enlisted or at home.

[Janice Jones]

Thank you.
No he wasn’t still in the army when he married.
I can’t find any reference to his war records which is frustrating.

It was a crucial time in his life and no records!