Thomas Flynn VC, a life revealed

The Association is deeply indebted to Shane McCormack and Gearóld O'Brien of Athlone, the home town of Thomas Flynn VC, who, after exhaustive and dedicated research, have established that Thomas Flynn was in fact born in Athlone on 22nd December 1839. On 31st July 1854 he joined the 64th Regiment, the Second Battalion of the Staffordshire Regiment, who were stationed in Mullingar at the time. His father, a veteran himself, was Patrick Flynn, and his mother, Eleanor Kenny. Sometime after his discharge in 1869, Flynn, having returned to Athlone, married Mary Hardiman in 1890. They both entered the workhouse in Athlone and died a few months apart from one another in 1892. It must be concluded therefore that the youngest person at the date of his VC action was Andrew Fitzgibbon VC, at 15 years and 3 months of age. It had been thought that Flynn VC was the same age at the time of his VC action. He was in fact just shy of his 18th birthday.