Rectory Lane Cemetery, Berkhamsted

JOHN MICHAEL MCCORMACK (1866-1903)

John was born in Dublin, Ireland on 28 September 1866, the first of five known children born to
John McCormack and Bridget Bannon.  He was baptised on 08 October 1866 at St Michan’s Church, Dublin and his baptism record states the family were living at 18 Coleraine Street.

John would later be joined by siblings Elizabeth Winfred (1871-), Martin (1872-), Anne (1877-) and
James (1880-).

Sadly, we have been unable to locate John and his family in any of the Irish Census records.  It is highly likely that these documents were destroyed by fire during the Civil War in 1922 when the Public Records Office in Dublin suffered a severe attack.

Like his father, John was a military man.  He signed his short service attestation record in Dublin on
29 November 1884; service number 5929, Commissariat and Transport Corps.  It states that he was a single man and a Clerk in civilian life.  His physical appearance is described as:  height – 5ft 6.5”; weight – 130lbs; chest measurement – 33”.  A fresh complexion, hazel eyes and brown hair and a Roman Catholic.  He had a scar on the back of his neck, two moles on his left cheek and a tattoo of J.M.C. (John’s initials perhaps) and an anchor on his left forearm.

John had a successful military career with many promotions starting with his first to 2^nd Corps on
10 October 1888 through to his final promotion to Staff Sergeant Major on 01 March 1901.  He fought in the Anglo-Egyptian War in 1885 for which he was awarded two medals, the Egyptian White Clasp and the Egyptian Bronze Star, also known as the Khedive’s Star.  He also served in the Boer War from 1899-1902.  During this campaign, John received a gunshot wound on 19 July 1900.  For his service, John was awarded the Queen’s South Africa medal.  He is mentioned twice in the London Gazette on 10 September 1901 and 29 July 1902.

In his private life, John met and married Rosina Lucy Summers, daughter of Charles William Summers and Rosina Ruth Rance, on 24 July 1892 at the Catholic Cathedral, Portsmouth.  The marriage is mentioned in John’s military record along with another interesting discovery.  It appears John applied, and was successful, in adopting his youngest brother James.  The reason for the adoption is unclear but James was adopted by his brother and sister-in-law on 17 April 1893.  John and Rosina had no biological children.

John died at Grey’s Hospital, Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa on 03 September 1903 aged 37.  Cause of death was a fracture of the base of the skull.  He had served with the military for a total of
18 years and 279 days.

According to the Army Register of Soldiers’ Effects, the sum of £12-18s-0d was granted to John’s widow, Rosina (Rosa).

John is buried in Fort Napier Cemetery, Pietermaritzburg and is commemorated here at Rectory Lane.