Joseph Prunty

Rank:	Serjeant
Street:
Townland:	Cloontagh
Town/Village:	Co. Longford
Civil Parish:	Clongesh
Catholic Parish:	Clonguish
Country:
Alternative Address:	Carngreen RIC, Enniskillen, Co. Fermanagh; Lisvernane, Aherlow, Co. Tipperary
Census 1901:	Resident at Cloontagh www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Longford/Breanrisk/Cloontagh/1552124/
Census 1911:	Stationed at Carnross RIC Barracks, Enniskillen, Co. Fermanagh www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Fermanagh/Ross/Carn/515101/
Regiment/Unit:	Irish Guards, 2nd Battalion
Regiment Number:	1949
Date of Death:
Cause:	Survived WW1;
Memorial:
Information:	Prunty enlisted on the 5 August 1915. The Longford Leader describes a recruitment drive held in Granard on the 7 February 1916, where a Sjt. Prunty of the Irish Guards, whom they described as 'a Longford man' addressing the crowd, making claims about cases of poisons and devilish gases with the dates 1911 stamped on them proving that the Germans were preparing the awful devises to be used against the English and England was then asleep. Joseph Prunty was born in Cloontagh, born 3 August 1883*. Prior to WW1, Joseph enlisted as a reservist with the Irish Guards, and joined the RIC on the 3 December 1906. He was stationed in a number of towns and villages in Counties Fermanagh, Leitrim, Tyrone, Sligo, Antrim, Roscommon and Mayo, including Enniskillen, by 1911 and by mid-1914 was in Ballycastle Co. Mayo. Joseph married Anne Jane McCauley of Market Street, Enniskillen on the 7 January 1914, in Enniskillen. Joseph was called to the Colours (enlisted for active war service) in August 1915. Little is known about his active service, he was made a Prisoner of War (POW) on the 13 September 1917 at Langemarck, during an advance by the 2nd IG on the 12 September during the Battle of Passchendaele, which saw two of his fellow guardsmen earn the Victoria Cross. Joseph was discharged from the army on medical grounds, in August 1919, and served in Co. Antrim with the RIC until is disbandment in 1922.
Parents Names:	(Possible) Son of Thomas Prunty and Anne (née Dunne), Cloonteah, Co. Longford
Notes:	The birth of only one Joseph Prunty was registered nationwide for the period of 1881 to 1885. Expanding the search fro, 1879 to 1887, in line with National Archives bracketing, shows only two Joseph Pruntys born in Ireland, the other in Mohill, therefore we believe that the Joseph Prunty born in Co. Longford in 1883 is the man referred to in the article and the pensions records. The Germans POW files listed Joseph's DOB as 4 August 1883 in Ardagh. His address was given as Market St, Enniskillen *Possible death in Richmond, London, in 1967
Links:	Reference in Longford Leader, February 1916, during recruitment at Granard; (likely) Civil Record of Birth; (likely) Civil Record of Marriage; link to Red Cross WW1 POW records;