Dating of Photo -Lawrence O'Shea and his shorthand typist maybe.

[gregory tree]

 What does everyone think of this Lawrence O'Shea in this link that is also in my original post, noting that it says in the filename "three-campaigns-reminiscences-of-an-ex-soldier-sailor-by-lawrence-oshea":
https://www.rct.uk/collection/1121468/three-campaigns-reminiscences-of-an-ex-soldier-sailor-by-lawrence-oshea
 I can't find any more about him but I have a few pages of similar writing which my grandmother has attributed to her father, I think. Maybe he told it was his writing, not sure, but it is so similar to the description of the writing in this book presented apparently to King George V by Lawrence O'Shea.
 I am beginning to think this may then be her father's paternal uncle Lawrence SHEA born 1855 but the others who have put him in as a much younger brother of Michael SHEA b 1838 have records for a Seaman by same name who married a Louisa.
So confusing with so many with the same name, but my grandmother's uncle was born Arthur Lawrence and as these medals don't fit someone that young or a seaman b. 1855 I am still wondering.
The Lawrence O'Shea who goes with the book presented to the King in 1919 goes with the writing her father had, whether it was his work or his Uncles or Brother's who knows?? I wish there was another photo to compare - ideally of that of the author - my great grandfather may have fantasised that this was the author, and copied his work

Here is a hint in his profile on Ancestry for UK Royal Navy registers of Seamen's Services 1848-1939: https://www.ancestry.co.uk/family-tree/person/tree/39001678/person/162528650429/hints

[gregory tree]

I have just now, using the Contact us on their Webpage, messaged the Royal Collections Trust to try and find out more about the Lawrence O'Shea who presented the 'Memoirs'  /three-campaigns-reminiscences-of-an-ex-soldier-sailor-by-lawrence-oshea' to King George V in 1919, if they have any further information on him, and I sent the images of the front and back of the photograph said to be
of Lawrence O'Shea and his shorthand typist.

Will see how that goes. It is 9:45pm Sunday 28th Jan here, so they won't see it until they are back at work Monday morning UK time at earliest.

[ShaunJ]

1. The man who wrote the book was Lawrence O'Shea born Chelsea 1855 (alias Thomas Beacon). Everything in the newspaper reports tallies with his service records.
2. The man in the photo, given the provenance, and the medals on display, is almost certainly the same man.

[jim1]

It's been proven that the man in the photo is Lawrence O'Shea b. 1855.
In 1871 he was on a Naval training ship as Boy 2nd. Class.
In 1875 he joined the KRRC under the name Thomas Beacon which
leads me to believe he may have absconded from the Navy.
It may be as both men had attachments to the Navy has added to the confusion.
I would say he is the author of the book as he appears to have had an interesting
& varied military career.
Just seen ShaunJ's reply but will post anyway.

[gregory tree]

Thank you both for clarifying that. Wow. I will find the 'Memoirs' that my great grandfather is supposed to have penned. I believe this was his uncle maybe?
My Great grandfather was RW Shea and spent some time in Broadmoor after shooting his wife dead in Malta in 1902. He was later released into the care or supervision of the Salvation Army I think - his father Michael SHEA wrote a letter in support of his request to be released. His father was Michael SHEA c1838-1908
RW Shea fought in France in WW1 - his son Henry Patrick SHEA was killed in Greece 3 Oct 1916 they had both been wounded in France in 1915 or the photo I have was taken in 1915 after they had been wounded.

Thanks again

[gregory tree]

Hello again.
 I have located images of the 3 pages which are named Prophetic verse so not exactly what I thought as the work of Lawrence O'Shea was memoirs.

It likely was Robert W SHEA's work.

His service numbers:
WWI Pension Record; Service No: 674,1002,446,3186,4541
Corps, Reg't or Unit: 2/R. Irish Fus Ref: 11/M/215953;

Sorry but the files are too large to add but the last page [2nd page of verse] should be OK so will try just that one.

[jim1]

There are 2 Regts. he served overseas with WW1.
He attested 19/10/14.
His 14 Star is reckoned from 7/11/14 meaning he had previous service as he
didn't undergo the 3 month training period.
1st. Btn. Connaught Rangers. No. 4541 earning the 14 Star, BW & V medals.
1st. Garr. Btn. R.I.F. No. G/674. Based in India.
The poem isn't factually correct as the war ended Nov. 1918 not 1917 & there wouldn't
have been any tourists.
Can't find any town called Kondor in India or anywhere else & it wouldn't have been held
in combat by anyone as India wasn't a war zone.
I'm not sure how much is humour & how much is fact as I don't know what's on the other 2 pages.

[gregory tree]

Yes it is fictional I think but based on his experiences and what might happen if they missed the news of the end of the war, I think. I am glad I shared this photo and didn't just take the writing on the back as fact as I had done previously - I didn't think this man looked that old though to have been born 1855 but the medals seem to give the confirmation assuming they were his medals. I have another photo of RW Shea in a Sergeant's uniform but it seems it was not his uniform as he was only ever a Private. My grandmother described her father as a much higher rank on her marriage in 1923 in Sydney - she was probably led to believe that though being only a small child when her mother was killed. I don't know if she ever knew who shot her mother - we only discovered that in 2013 when the records were made available - or that was when we found them after searching - I now have the burial place in Malta of her mother thanks to help from a FB group and an email to the correct place in Malta.