DEATH OF A CRIMEAN WAR VETERAN

Leinster Leader March 12 1927

Death of Crimean War veteran

Comparatively few of the Crimean war veterans are now on the “land of the living,” and last week another of those ancient warriors passed away. His name was Burke, stated to be a native of Ballytore, Co. Kildare, and he had reached his 92nd year. There are no relations of his round Ballytore to-day, but a nonagenarian resident recalls that he was a son of a police constable named Burke, who must have been one of the members of the R.I.C. established in 1836. But for a short paragraph in an English journal the name of this Kildare veteran would never be heard.

            The writer well remembers another Crimean veteran, Tom Shafforoy, who lived around Castledermot a generation ago, and who was fond of telling what occurred at Sebastopol, especially on the evening of the day on which he “drew” his pension. Tom, like Goldsmith’s old soldier in “The Deserted Village” would shoulder his crutch and show how fields were fought and won. Between pension days poor Tom broke stones, and he did not die in Chelsea hospital; a lesser building was destined to be the scene of a Crimean warrior’s departure.

Links in history! These are small links in history, but the writer is almost ashamed to announce that he shook hands with a veteran who took part in the battle of Waterloo! Most people nowadays are ashamed to grow old. Just forty years ago the writer having only recently emerged ex vestibus infansalibus, was introduced to an old age pensioner in his 93rd year and who took part in the faithful battle mentioned.

A Leinster Leader article on the death of a local Crimean War veteran in 1927.