HVP Huzzey: Big Hitter for Wales

HVP Huzzey 2nd left middle row, Welsh rugby team.

I have written much about my famous great-grandfather Henry Vivian Pugh Huzzey (aka HVP or Vivian).

There's a cracking article in today's South Wales Echo (page 33 I'm reliably informed) outlining this little known sporting great.

With his tally of tries for Cardiff and Wales, there can be little doubt that HVP Huzzey would have been one of Welsh rugby's most famous names had he played in Welsh rugby today.

How fantastic that as of today, more people know of my great-grandfather, his sporting prowess, and his achievements for both Cardiff and Wales, rugby and baseball.

Link:,
HVP Huzzey in today's South Wales Echo

Private Daniel Roderick Hurley 14409489, 9th Para, R.I.P.

Please say a prayer for the repose of the soul of Daniel Roderick "Roddy" Hurley, died 7th June, 1944, Normandy, France.

This photograph was supplied by Bern and Fay Robins in the memory of The Parachute Regiment and family members Thomas Thresher and Charles Rutherford McIlhargey.

Link:
Photo Source 
Commonwealth War Graves Commission record of Private D.R. Hurley

Private Daniel Roderick Hurley, 9th Paras, D-Day

2009: Veterans of 9 Para greeted by a German Army band in Normandy.

My Uncle Roddy died the day after D-Day (7 June 1944), aged just 19 years old.

Here is the info from the Para Data site:

Private Daniel Roderick Hurley, son of Daniel Joseph and Ann Hurley, of Cardiff, served with 9th (Essex) Parachute Battalion. He took part in the D-Day landings to Normandy, during Op Overlord.
Private Hurley died on 7 June 1944, aged 19 years old. He is now buried at Ranville War Cemetery, Normandy.

 His military history is:

Army Roll of Honour: World War II supplied by Naval and Military Press Ltd

Name

Daniel R Hurley

Rank

Private

Service Number

14409489

Regiment

Parachute Regt (not otherwise specified)

Date of Death

7/6/44

Theatre of War

Western Europe Campaign, 1944/45

The 9th (Essex) Parachute Battalion was formed from the 10th Battalion The Essex Regiment in December 1942 and became part of the 3rd Parachute Brigade with the 6th Airborne Division in 1943. 

The Battalion was widely scattered during the D-Day drop on 6th June 1944 but, nevertheless, succeeded in storming the German gun battery at Merville, in an epic and costly action with a much diminished force. It fought around Breville and then participated in the break-out to the Seine in August. It fought in the Ardennes during the winter of 1944-5 and parachuted as part of the Rhine Crossings during Operation VARSITY in March 1945, subsequently advancing to the Baltic with the 3rd Parachute Brigade.

After the war it served in Palestine with the 6th Airborne Division and was amalgamated with the 8th Parachute Battalion when the 3rd Brigade was disbanded to form the 8th/9th Parachute Battalion in January 1948.

Commanding Officers:

1943-4        Lt Col M Lindsay
1944            Lt Col TCH Otway, DSO
1944-6        Lt Col N Crookenden, DSO
1946-7        Lt Col MAH Butler, DSO, MC
1947-8        Lt Col PC Hinde, DSO
1948            Lt Col JHM Hackett, DSO. (8th/9th Bn)

by Paradata Editor


Uncle Roddy's grave details are as follows:

07/06/44

14409489

Pte.

HURLEY

D R

Ranville

IA-M-3

 Links:
Para Data on Uncle Roddy
Daily Mail on 9th Paras Memorial
9th Para Roll of Honour

Newport's Hurley War Dead

My grandfather, Daniel Hurley fought in WW1 with the Royal Engineers.

In trying to find out a little more about this I came across the website below which details the Hurleys from Newport, Gwent who died in WW1, two of whose memorial is in St Mary's RC Church (I assume in Newport).

Interestingly, my grandfather was born in Ireland and, as yet, I do not know if he was recruited or called-up in Ireland or Wales, because in WW1, 1914-1918, the whole of Ireland was still officially part of the United Kingdom (despite the 1916 Easter Rising).

It wasn't until Ireland was partitioned in 1921 that Kinsale, County Cork and all of what we now know as 'southern Ireland,' 'the Irish Republic' or 'Eire' became the Irish Free State.

So it is perfectly feasible that during WW1 a Hurley from Kinsale may have signed up or been called up for service in the British Army.

A 'Who Do You Think You Are?' documentary I watched a while back (Dervla Kirwin I think???) broached this very subject, and said that service in the army was normal, even for those with Irish republican (Sinn Fein/IRA) sympathies.

My search for Daniel Hurley's war record with the Royal Engineers continues...

Link:
Newport's War Dead: H

	Hurley, Daniel, 40, 26th September 1917, 10th Bn. Royal Welsh Fusiliers,   33741, Private, Son of Bartholomew and Noah Hurley, of 11,  Wallis St., Pill, Newport, Mon., TYNE COT MEMORIAL,   Panel 63 to 65.Local memorial - St Mary's RC church
	Hurley, Harold, 21, 29th April 1916, Private
	Hurley, Harold, 24th May 1917,   1st/4th Bn Devonshire Regiment, 200743,  Private, BASRA MEMORIAL, Panel 11.
	Hurley, John. Royal Engineers, 768, Sapper,      WW1 Local memorial - General Post Office,  Newport and St Mary's RC church
	Hurley, Victor, 23rd October 1918, 9th Bn.   The Loyal North Lancashire Regiment, 41364,  Private, BERLIN SOUTH-WESTERN CEMETERY, XVIII. B. 9.

Hurleys in Ireland - More Info

This is quite an interesting website if, like me, you are a Hurley:

Link:
The Hurley Family Tree

Not least because it tells us that:

"Ballinacarriga [tower house - but look, it's a castle to me!] was built in 1585 by Randal Hurley (Muirhily)"

and

"In 1631 Randal died and was succeeded by his son Randal Oge, who was one of the first to take up arms in the rebellion of 1641. One of the most interesting aspects of the Hurley Family is that the women fought alongside their men-folk, up to and including 1641, the family was indicted of high treason following that rising, was outlawed and lost everything."

Riches to rags. That sounds typical!

But then there's:

"Dermot O'Hurly, Archbishop of Cashel, suffered martydom in Dublin,

THE HURLEY CHALICE,
St Mary's Catholic Cathedral, Cork.
and was buried in St. Kevin's Church, where his body bore the repute of many miracles."

Could the Hurleys have their own Saint...

Hurleys of Kinsale: My General Ignorance

'Our' branch of the Hurleys originate in Kinsale, County Cork.

I hope to look into more of Kinsale in future posts, but without looking online (honest!) these are the things I think I know so far (true or false, time will tell):

• Kinsale has a deep natural harbour. This resulted in a German U-Boat going there during WW2. I'm not sure how that ended up, but I seem to recall it was scuttled, captured or similar???
• Kinsale was the setting for a terrible defeat for Irish Catholic forces in Tudor times. I read a history of it in an Irish mag a few years back and I think Spanish troops landed there or thereabouts but couldn't link-up with the main Irish force from further north???

• I think Kinsale was in the "wild west" of Co. Cork - rebel territory that was opposed to the partition of Ireland - and so fought against the pro-partition forces in the Civil War of 1921, as featured in the film Michael Collins. I haven't read up on this yet, so I might be out by a few miles...

Welcome to my world of Irish ignorance! I hope that this blog will help me learn more about my Irish heritage, the Irish Hurleys, Kinsale and Co Cork in general.

Anyone out there in internet land who can help - I'd love to hear from you.