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| File Reference |
MSP34REF752
|
| Name |
Christopher Joseph William O'Keeffe |
| Gender |
male |
| Address detail |
| Street |
The Sycamores, Newmarket
|
| County |
Cork
|
| Country |
Ireland
|
| Notes |
Date of birth not noted on the file
|
| Date of death |
1960-05-15
|
| Associated files in MSPA |
34E49
|
| Easter rising service |
No |
| Organisation |
Irish Republican Army |
| Rank |
Unknown
|
| Unit |
6 Battalion
|
| Brigade |
2 Cork Brigade
|
| Commanding Officer(s) |
Sean Moylan
|
| Organisation |
Irish Republican Army |
| Rank |
Company Quartermaster
|
| Unit |
2 Battalion
|
| Brigade |
4 Cork Brigade
|
| Commanding Officer(s) |
Patrick O'Brien
|
| Organisation |
Irish Republican Army |
| Rank |
Column Leader
|
| Unit |
Active Service Unit (Flying Column)
|
| Brigade |
4 Cork Brigade
|
| Commanding Officer(s) |
Patrick O'Brien, Sean Moylan
|
| Pension Claim |
Yes |
| Award Pension |
Yes |
| Army Pensions Act 1923/1953 |
Yes |
| Type of Award |
SPASpecial Allowance (DP file)
|
| Military Service Pensions Acts 1924 |
No |
| Military Service Pensions Acts 1934 |
Yes |
| Grade |
E |
| Notes |
Awarded 6 years service for pension purposes
|
| Military Service Pensions Acts 1949 |
No |
| Digital file |
Scanned/digital copyMSP34REF752 Christopher Joseph William O'Keeffe.pdf
Scanned/digital copy34E49 Christopher Joseph William O'Keeffe.pdf |
| File dates |
14 November 1934 - 13 May 1980
|
| Subject Information |
File relates to Christopher Joseph William O'Keeffe's service pension application and contains material relating to his receipt of a military service pension in respect of his service covering all or part of the periods from 1 April 1920 to 30 September 1923 with the IRA. He unsuccessfully applied for earlier periods of service and he also unsuccessfully appealed for an improvement in the rank grade that was assigned to him for his pension.
O'Keefe states that he became a member of 19 Battalion, Cork Brigade, Irish Volunteers, during the period from 1 April 1917 to 31 March 1918 and was involved in training, organisation, raids for arms, intelligence work and police duties. He then transfers to 6 Battalion, 2 Cork Brigade, Irish Republican Army (IRA) in 1919 and, sometime that summer, takes part in a feigned attack on Freemount Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) Barracks in an attempt to draw British troops out from Buttevant Barracks. A RIC communications post at the Courthouse in Freemount is destroyed to prevent it being occupied by RIC personnel. In 1920 and 1921, he states that he was involved in ambushes and attacks in Kanturk, Ballydrohane, Meelin, Newmarket, Clonbanin, Rathcoole and Abbeyfeale, along with the attempted round up of Colonel Hope. He states that he was attached to the Active Service Unit (Flying Column) in the 4 Cork Brigade area from December 1920 onwards through the rest of the War of Independence. During the truce period, he was part of a column that was in training in preparation for any actions necessary, acting as a Company Quartermaster and then as Second in Command of an Active Service unit attached to 2 Battalion, 4 Cork Brigade. He claims that he took over as Officer Commanding this unit when the previous Commander, Michael [Denny] O'Sullivan, was promoted to Commander of the 2 Battalion before the second critical date (for pension purposes) of 30 June 1922. O'Keefe states that he remained as Officer Commanding of this unit with 67 men throughout the rest of the Civil War, was involved in the 'clearing out' in West Limerick on 29 and 30 June 1922 and took part in Civil War attacks and ambushes in the brigade area. These include: Mallow, Kilmallock, Quarry Hill, Bruff, Bruree, Millstreet, Charleville, Taur, Newmarket, and Kanturk. He also states that he was involved in the care of arms and a 'dump'.
File contains: application form and typed transcript of sworn evidence given by the subject before the Advisory Committee, Military Service Pensions Act, 1934; pension administration documentation, handwritten notes and correspondence, including discussion notes concerning the rank of the applicant/appellant on the two critical dates of 11 July 1921 and 1 July 1922 from Sean Moylan, Captain Patrick O'Brien and Mr. E. Murphy; individual signed typescript and handwritten statements, as well as a collective handwritten signed statement, identifying the applicant and detailing the changes in rank structure in 2 Battalion, 4 Cork Brigade (which led to him being made Officer Commanding of the Active Service Unit (Flying Column) at the second critical date and during the Civil War period) by Officers and men of the 2 Battalion and the Active Service Unit, including, among others: Michael O'Sullivan, Jeremiah Philpott, Daniel Riordan, Con Morley, John O'Leary, Jeremiah Keane, Tim Cronin, John J. Buckley, Martin Murphy, Patrick (Paddy) O'Brien and Patrick Barry; handwritten letters from the applicant to Mr. Kelly, Secretary to the Referee of the Advisory Committee, Military Service Pensions Act, 1934, and Humphrey Murphy, a member of the Advisory Committee, concerning his claim for a higher rank grade and listing the majority of the members of 2 Battalion, Cork No. 4 Brigade attached to the Battalion Active Service Unit (Flying Column); details of the transfer of the balance of his service pension and a regular allowance to his widow.
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