The 1914-15 Star awarded to Private F. Rooney, Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, who was killed...

The 1914-15 Star awarded to Private F. Rooney, Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, who was killed in action on the first day of the Battle of the Somme, 1 July 1916, on which date the battalion suffered over 500 casualties 1914-15 Star (10056 Pte. F. Rooney. R. Innis. Fus.) attempt to obliterate unit, but details all perfectly legible, otherwise very fine £100-£140 --- Importation Duty This lot is subject to importation duty of 5% on the hammer price unless exported outside the UK --- --- Frederick Rooney was born in Dublin and attested there for the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers. He served with the 1st Battalion during the Great War in the Balkan theatre of War from 17 March 1915, and subsequently on the Western Front, and was killed in action on the first day of the Battle of the Somme, 1 July 1916, on which date the Battalion was involved in an attack at Beaumont-Hamel: advanced on the right of the 87th Brigade’s attack, they were soon cut down by machine gun fire from the front and both flanks. Those men that did get through were then held up at uncut wire and the small parties that cleared this were soon killed or taken prisoner. Withdrawing to their original positions, the Battalion suffered total casualties of 549, including their Commanding Officer who was killed in action. Rooney has no known grave and is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France.