Brothers Simeon (Tim) Daly and John ( Jack) Francis Daly died in the First World War. RIP
This site is dedicated to the
memory of my great grandfather Regimental Sergeant Major Simeon
Thomas Daly, and his brother Corporal John Francis Daly, who were
both killed on the Western Front within a year of each other.
Very sad to think of my grandmother losing her father Simeon when
she was only five.
Their father was John Daly, who had been working for the Earl of Kilmair as a bailiff in Ireland, never a popular job. There was an Irish famine in 1779, and the Irish Land League from 1879-1882 organised tenants to resist landlords. The "Plan of Campaign" from 1886 to 1891 saw Irish politicians again organising tenant farmers to resist landlords and their bailiffs. (The whole movement until 1923 is known as the Land War.
John Daly married Cecilia Eliza Targett from Wiltshire, in early 1880 in London. Their first child John Francis Daniel Daly was born June 1st 1880 but died only 8 weeks later. John may have moved back to Ireland to keep working, because they had no more children until 1887. There was a newspaper story in the Kerry Evening Post October 17th 1885 which mentions a John Daly bailiff who had executed an eviction order, so this may be him.
Their next son Frederick was born in London in August 1887. John Daly by this time was coachman, so he had probably found a new job in London. He would have been under great pressure to move away from being a baliff in Ireland. Simeon Thomas Daly was born 1890 and John Francis born 1892. John Daly then got a coachman job with Sir Charles Nicholson in Totteridge North London, and the family moved into the Grange Lodge, across the road from Sir Charles's Grange. Ethel Daly was born there in 1897 and William Daniel born in 1904. William seems to have died before 1911, because John said that two of his children had already died. Sir Charles died in 1903, suceeded by his son also Charles who must have continued to employ John Daly.
Sadly their mother Cecilia also died, in January 1909, only 49 years old. Simeon had joined the army in January 1907 but was home from Aldershot Barracks to be present at his mother's death. In 1911 he was in barracks at York, Ethel was at a Catholic school "for workhouse children", and John Francis was a shop assistant living with his father, who was still a coachman. A family letter says that his father refused to ever learn to drive a motor car, so he had to stop work at some point.
The wartime photo shows John, Simeon, and their older brother Frederick at the bottom. John probably joined the army around Sept 1914 when his battalion was formed, the 10th Essex. In the photo Simeon already has his RSM crown, John is a Corporal and Frederick has an armband with a red crown showing that he has attested to be willing to serve in the forces, as part of the "Derby scheme" which started in October 1915. Attested men were placed in groups according to their age and marital status, and the groups would then be called up when needed, prioritising single men over those who were married.
This photo shows John with younger sister Ethel and older brother Frederick. John seems to be well wrapped up, and fully kitted out ready to go back into the front line. Both photos show Frederick with his Derby armband, so must have been taken when John was on leave some time between Oct 1915 when the Derby scheme started, and July 1916 when John was killed.
Ethel moved to France after WW1, married a Frenchman in 1921 and lived through the German occuption in WW2. She visited Simeon's grave and had her picture taken, see the link to Simeon Thomas Daly.
Frederick also joined the army, perhaps in 1918, and he said he was badly gassed at some point. He died from lung problems in 1939.
John died during the Battle of the Somme on 20th July 1916 and has no known grave but may be one of the 3,593 unidentified burials in the Delville Wood cemetary. He is also remembered on the Thiepval memorial.
Simeon died in the Battle of Arras on 13th April 1917 and is buried in the Wancourt cemetery east of Arras. He is also remembered on the war memorial at St. Oswald's church, Fulford, York.
Follow the links below to see details of Simeon and John's lives and wartime service :-
They died in similar ways, 9 months apart. Both took part in a very sucessful first day of a major battle, in a very well planned attack, and advanced several miles. Their units were then rested for several days, then thrown back into a hastily-planned follow up attack where their units suffered heavy losses and they were killed.
They are both remembered at St Alban's Church, Finchley, near the family home. https://parish.rcdow.org.uk/finchleynorth/about-the-parish/
My Grandma, Kay aged 3 with her younger brother Thomas Horace, and their mother Sarah, wife of Simeon Daly, in 1915. They look so sad, as though already anticipating losing their husband and father.