Private Richard Flynn 7076018 - executed for Murder

Last entry in the list in Oram and Putkowski's ' Death Sentences passed by military courts of the British Army' the last soldier was Private Richard Flynn of 2nd Battalion Royal Dublin Fusiliers executed by shooting 6th November 1920 for murder in Turkey. His service number at his trial was one of the new ones that the British Army introduced, and would have been changed as every other serving soldier's was changed. However he has information about himself in National Archives ref ADM 1, 116, 137, 156, 167, AIR 18, WO 711029, 93/49. He is buried in Haidar Pasha Military Cemetery in a suburb of Istanbul between Scutari (Uskudar) and Kadikoy on the Asiatic side of the Bosphorous.WO 71/1029 refers, according to its index entry, to the court martial of R Flynn and F Hardy for murder.

In 1919 Flynn choose to re-enlist, and was posted to Constantinople in September 1919, to join the Black Sea Army. The battalion was stationed in the area of Haidar Pasha, where drunkenness was a problem with three cases of murder within a year. On the 22nd September 1920 he invited a Pte Francis Hardy to go with him into a small village called Soghanli. Both men wore side-arms which was standard for soldiers at the time, but in addition Flynn carried a rifle which in itself was forbidden. At the small village, for some inexplicable reason, Flynn aimed his rifle through an opening in a gate and shot dead the son of a man named Mustapha Salim who lived in the village. But this was not the end of the story, they then entered a house and taking money and fled with the home owner, Emur Mustapha, in pursuit. The pair then encounter a man named Aarif Dai, and again Flynn calmly raised his rifle and shot him dead, and wounded the following Emur, who recovered and gave evidence against the pair. Richard Flynn was sentenced to death and shot at Bostandjik Prison. Francis Hardy was a Military Medal recipient, and did not meet the same fate as Flynn, although he was ordered to forfeit all his medals including his Military Medal.. Pte Flynn was buried in Haidar Pasha Cemetery in Turkey.

Flynn had been in Royal Dublin Fusiliers as 9576, switched to Liverpool Regt, then back to RDF probably after the war as 32421

A complete list of those Royal Dublin Fusiliers buried at Haidar Pasha. All 2nd Battalion unless noted, buried at Haidar Pasha is, apart from Richard Flynn.

• 29/11/1915 died 13422 Private M LENNON note date he is 6th Battalion. I suspect he was a POW who died in captivity
• 06/02/1920 died 32380 Private W FEENEY
• 18/02/1920 died 32196 Private Joseph CARROLL Son of Joseph T. and Mary Carroll, of 73, Eccles St., Dublin. died age 19
• 19/02/1920 died 32396 Private Thomas CONDRON Son of Patrick and Ellen Condron, of Prosperous, Sallins, Kildare. died age 21
• 13/03/1920 died 31339 Private J O'SHEA Son of Mrs. Sarah O'Shea, of Turnpike, Ennis, Co. Clare. died age 20
• 18/04/1920 died 32590 Private J McDONNELL
• 20/06/1920 died 21719 Private P BRENNAN
• 22/06/1920 died 32342 Private M QUIRK
• 08/11/1920 died 7075036 Sergeant P HEARNS

1898 Apr 27.. Born Dublin

1901 Census.

1909 Oct 22. His father died

1911 Census At Gardiner St, Mountoy with his widowed mother Teresa. He later gives that as his address in 1919

1914 Dec 7. Richard Flynn enlisted in RDF, He was a Carter. His next of kin was his mother Teresa, living at Grenville St, Dublin. When discharged in 1919 his address was 33 Mid Gardener St, where his wife Kate lived.

1919 Jun 23. Re-enlisted in RDF, 9576

1919 Oct. Married in Dublin

1920 Sep 22. Went on a rampage with F Hardy and was soon convicted for murder.

Executed RDF Soldiers