DRISCOLL Daniel Patrick
Merchant Navy
Upper Burma Rifles
35045, Driscoll's Scouts
N/N, Lieutenant Colonel, 25th Battalion, Royal Fusiliers
N/N, Legion of Frontiersmen, London, England
CITATIONCompanion of the Order of St Michael & St George (CMG)Gazetted 21 March 1919, p3836Distinguished Service OrderGazetted April 1901Croix de GuerreGazetted May 1917AWARDS
Companion of the Order of St Michael & St George (CMG)
Distinguished Service Order
India General Service Medal
Burma 1887-89Queens South Africa Medal
Transvaal, Cape Colony, Orange Free State, Wepener, Defence of MafekingKings South Africa Medal
South Africa 1901, South Africa 19021915 Star
British War Medal
Victory Medal
Croix de Guerre [France]
NOTES
Born 11 May 1862, Burma
Died 6 Aug 1934, European Hospital, Mombasa, Kenya
Buried Mombasa, Kenya
BIOGRAPHICAL
Daniel was initially a Captain and later Lieutenant-Colonel in command of the Driscoll Scouts. He was awarded the DSO, Queen's Medal and much has been written about his part in the war in South Africa. He was subsequently appointed CEO of the Legion of Frontiersmen. Served in the European war in command of the 25th Battalion, Royal Fusiliers. Awarded the Croix de Guerre in 1917 and created a CMG in 1919. He left for East Africa in 1919 and died in Ruiru in Kenya in 1934.
When War was declared, Driscoll, who had the Legion running as a well-oiled unit, came up with a revolutionary idea - too revolutionary for the War Office. We wrote to the War Office stating the Legion membership as 10.500 throughout the world. He offered to land with 1,000 of his men on the French coast to work behind German lines "to clear the country of all detached bodies of the enemy." This was not such a crazy idea as it seems at first sight. The German lines of supply in the first months of war were very stretched and they were in a hostile country. There was no way that the War Office of those days would agree to Driscoll pursuing the Frontiersmen brand of independent guerilla warfare. They did go as far as to ask Driscoll to parade his men, which he did on 8th September, 1914 in front of Gen. Bethune, whose report was favourable, saying that Driscoll had a good hold on his men, typical "toughs" who would do excellent work as irregulars. Sadly, the War Office declined this unusual body of men, but changed its mind in January 1915, by which time many Frontiersmen had been snapped up by other units. Driscoll had until April to make arrangements when he took the 25th Fusiliers (Frontiersmen) to East Africa. Because of the quality of the men, the Regiment was most exceptionally formed and sent into action without previous training in Britain. He and Isabella had six children, Catherine (Born 5 July 1883), Elleen, Ida (Born 27 December 1884), Brien (Born 28 October 1885), Dermot (Born 20 November 1890), Felix, Terence (Born 14 May 1893) and Kathleen (Birth date unknown, probably around 1881-1882, but apparently the oldest of the six children). Upon their return from Burma, Isabella and the children settled in and she apparently lived in Brighton UK after returning from Burma in around 1901-1902
