Relatives sought of Ross man who died fighting for Australia in the First World War

RELATIVES of a New Ross man who died fighting for the Australian Army in World War I are being sought in the locality to give him a final resting place.

Chairman of the Dublin branch of the Western Front Association, Ian Chambers recently received an email about Peter Shannon from The Fromelles Association of Australia, a not-for-profit organisation which is run entirely by volunteers. Since 2011 it has been providing genealogy and other assistance to families who are hoping to have their soldier identified througth crowdfunding.

Peter was born in 1883 in New Ross. He came to Australia in the 1890s with his parents and siblings and joined the Australian Army in 1915 after working as a shearer at Merriwa in the Hunter Valley. He died at Fromelles in France and was one of about 1,300 Australians missing after the battle. His name is recorded with the others at the nearby VC Corner Memorial.

In 2008 a mass grave of 250 Australian soldiers was discovered at Fromelles. Peter is on the list created by the German Army of men they placed into the grave. So far 150 out of 250 sets of remains have been identified but Peter’s remains have not yet been identified and currently he lays beneath a headstone marked as ‘Known Unto God’, none of his siblings in Australia had children and so the search is now on to find a relative of his descended from the extended Shannon family in New Ross in the late 1800’s.

All of the soldiers were reburied in a new cemetery in 2010. DNA had been taken and now 150 have been identified mostly through family donating DNA.

In Peter’s case, none of his siblings had children so The Fromelles Association must look for the DNA, commencing in Ireland.

Mr Chambers said: ‘A living male Shannon who shares a male Shannon ancestor with Peter is sought. (The Y DNA line).’

Peter is listed on our Ancestry Tree ‘Fromelles Soldiers’. Anyone with information on Peter can contact marg@ rickarby.net

Mr Chambers can be also contacted by telephone on 01 8958831.