This is part of a mural which is dedicated to The Ulster Volunteer Force of the 36th Ulster Division.
Private 6322 John CONDON, 2nd Royal Irish Regiment died 24th May 1915 age 14, he was the youngest known battle casualty of the war. In 1911, aged 15, he was living with his parents, John and Mary CONDON and siblings at 10 Wheelbarrow Lane, Waterford City. He was originally buried at Langemark, Belgium and he and other soldiers were exhumed about July 1923 and reburied in Poel Capelle British Cemetery, West Vlaanderen, Belgium. He was killed on the last day of the second battle of Ypres at Bellevard Ridge, Belgium. He is commemorated on a mural, on an end gable wall of Ardenvohr Street facing onto Carlingford Street, East Belfast, Northern Ireland and also on a memorial dedicated to him in Waterford City, which was unveiled on Sunday 18th May 2014.
Some notes from what remains of his army record. ( I will let you, the reader, decide if was he fourteen or twenty and his death) On the 24th October 1913 he gave his age as 18 and as being born in the parish of Trinity Without, Waterford City . He was posted into 3rd Royal Irish Regiment, Special Reserve at Waterford, Ireland for a period if six years service.
He was by occupation a bottler, employed by Messrs Sullivan's Bottling Store, 32-34 High Street, Waterford City and had been working for 18 months with the company. Whilst in the reserves he did his training from the 24th October 1913 to the 23rd February 1914 and Musketry training from the 18th April 1914 to the 17th May 1914. He left the reserves and joined the regular army at Cork on the 2nd March 1914 where he was posted to the Royal Engineers as private 26168, stationed at Chatham, Kent on the 23rd February 1914. There is no other reference to the Royal Engineers in his documents, it appears that he was not posted to Chatham but posted to the army reserve. On the 7th August 1914 he was mobilized to join the colours and posted to 2nd Royal Irish Regiment at Cork as Rifleman 6322. On the 16th December 1914 he was posted to the British Expeditionary Force in France. He was killed in action, location not known, on the 24th May 1915. His next of kin were given as follows - father, John of 2 Thomas Avenue, Waterford City, brother, Patrick and two sisters, Katie and Mary (? Margaret) of the same address.
His father, at one stage, lived at 7 Harrington Avenue, Waterford, care of D Ryan. On Army Form B104-93 his date of birth was given as 24th October 1895, born in Waterford and there is no reference to him being under age.
Image of his headstone
