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| File Reference |
24SP1302
|
| Name |
Francis Joseph Thornton |
| Gender |
male |
| Maiden/Other names |
Thornton, Frank
Drennan, Frank
|
| Address detail |
| Street |
88 Phibsborough Road, Dublin
|
| County |
Dublin
|
| Country |
Ireland
|
| Address detail |
| Street |
31 King William street, London E.C.4
|
| Country |
England
|
| Address detail |
| Street |
New Ireland buildings, 12 Dawson Street, Dublin
|
| County |
Dublin
|
| Country |
Ireland
|
| Address detail |
| Street |
115 St. Helen's Road, Booterstown
|
| County |
Dublin
|
| Country |
Ireland
|
| Date of birth |
1891
|
| Date of death |
1965-09-23
|
| Associated files in MSPA |
24D13; 4P989; A125;
|
| Related files |
SDR3104 subject's National Army officers service number;
MD911 (Patrick Thornton, brother); 2D477 (Hugh Thornton, brother); MSP34REF51015 (Nora Thornton, sister)
|
| Easter rising service |
Yes |
| Easter rising location/place |
Liberty Hall, Beresford Place, Dublin
Westmoreland Street, Dublin
Telephone Exchange, Crown Alley, Dublin
Imperial Hotel, O'Connell Street, Dublin
|
| Organisation |
Irish Volunteers |
| Rank |
Volunteer
|
| Company |
Kimmage Garrison (Liverpool)
|
| National Army Service Number |
SDR3104
|
| Organisation |
Irish Volunteers |
| Rank |
Unknown
|
| Unit |
Organisation
|
| Division |
General Headquarters
|
| Commanding Officer(s) |
Michael Collins
|
| National Army Service Number |
SDR3104
|
| Organisation |
Irish Republican Army |
| Rank |
Unknown
|
| Unit |
Intelligence
|
| Division |
General Headquarters
|
| Commanding Officer(s) |
Michael Collins; Liam Tobin
|
| National Army Service Number |
SDR3104
|
| Organisation |
Óglaigh na hÉireann/National Forces |
| Rank |
Colonel
|
| Unit |
Intelligence
|
| Division |
General Headquarters
|
| Commanding Officer(s) |
Liam Tobin
|
| National Army Service Number |
SDR3104
|
| Organisation |
Óglaigh na hÉireann/National Forces |
| Rank |
Colonel
|
| Unit |
Intelligence
|
| Division |
2 Southern Division
|
| Commanding Officer(s) |
Joseph McGrath
|
| National Army Service Number |
SDR3104
|
| Pension Claim |
Yes |
| Award Pension |
Yes |
| Army Pensions Act 1923/1953 |
Yes |
| Type of Award |
WPWound pension
|
| Military Service Pensions Acts 1924 |
Yes |
| Grade |
D |
| Notes |
Awarded 14 years service for pension purposes
|
| Military Service Pensions Acts 1934 |
No |
| Military Service Pensions Acts 1949 |
No |
| Digital file |
Scanned/digital copyW24SP1302FrancisJosephThorton.pdf
Scanned/digital copyW24D13FrancisJosephThorton.pdf
Scanned/digital copyW4P989FrancisJosephThorton.pdf
Scanned/digital copyWA125FrancisJosephThorton.pdf |
| File dates |
16 October 1924 - 6 April 1972
|
| Subject Information |
File relates to Francis Joseph Thornton's receipt of a military service pension in respect of bis service with the Irish Volunteers, IRA and National Forces from 1 April 1916 to 30 September 1923 through the 1916 Easter Rising, War of Independence, Truce period and Civil War.
Francis Joseph (Frank) Thornton, a member of the Liverpool (England) Irish Volunteers, fought during the Easter Rising under the name of Frank Drennan and under that name was sentence to 20 years penal servitude (later reduced to 10 years) by British Army Court Martial following the surrender. From 1917 to 1919 Thornton was mainly engaged in an organising capacity for the Irish Volunteers working throughout the country. He was arrested in Drogheda in October 1917 but released following a hunger strike, rearrested in Dundalk in February 1918 and was deported to Reading Jail in August 1918 having been arrest immediately on his release, as part of German plot arrests. He was released in early 1919. From April 1919 onwards Thornton served on the IRA General Headquarters Intelligence Staff. He joined the National Army in [February] 1922 serving in General Headquarters Intelligence during the Civil War until appointed Command Intelligence Officer 2 Southern Division, National Army. It was while serving in this post that Thornton was seriously wounded in an ambush by IRA forces on 21 August 1922 at Meckler's Bridge outside Clonmel, County Tipperary. Frank Thornton left the Defence Forces in March 1924 - Francis Thornton is variously described in the file as having resigned from the Defence Forces and as having been discharged, medically unfit on 26 and 29 March 1924.
File contains material relating to Francis Thornton's service pension application and award including: signed handwritten statements regarding his service from Commandant W. J. Brennan Whitmore, Joseph O'Reilly and Major Joseph Furlong; material relating to Thornton's National Army and Defence Forces service; material relating to Thornton's receipt of a 1916 Medal and a Service (1917-1921) Medal with Bar and the replacement of these medals following their loss in 1953; and material relating to the closing of his pension account following his death.
File also contains material relating to the award of a Wound Pension to Francis Thornton in respect of the wounds received by him in the ambush on 21 August 1922 including: letter 6 November 1924 from Colonel M. J. Costello, Director of Intelligence to the Adjutant General outlining the circumstances surrounding Thornton's wounding; and typed signed letters (5 December and 16 December 1924) from Runaidhe (the Secretary), Army Pensions Department to the Army Finance Officer and related documentation, including results of medical examination, regarding the examination of Thornton by the Army Medical Board for the Army Pensions Board, the finding by the Board of a 20% disability, the querying of this finding by the Minister for Defence as too low and the subsequent confirmation of the original finding following further examination - the letter of 5 December 1924 has a handwritten note dated 9 December 1924 addressed to Mr Horgan stating the Ministers request for Thornton's examination by one of the civilian assessors.
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