Thursday 10 November 2022 03:32 PM Belgian historian claims 'youngest' WWI soldier John Condon was OLDER than 14 trends now
The story of the youngest Allied soldier to be killed in the First World War has been debunked more than 100 years later - according to a Belgian historian.
Private John Condon was long believed to have joined the army aged 14 in 1914 by pretending he was 18.
A year later he was killed in a gas attack at the Second Battle of Ypres and his body wasn't recovered for another 10 years.
His headstone in Poelcapelle British Cemetery in Belgium has an inscription stating: 'Private J. Condon, Royal Irish Regiment, 24th May 1915, Age 14.'
But, an amateur historian believes he has discovered that Private Condon was in fact aged 18 at the time of his death - and the remains at his listed resting place do not belong to him.
From his research, retired Belgian schoolteacher Aurel Sercu believes the grave is actually the final resting place of Rifleman Patrick Fitzsimmons of the Royal Irish Rifles.
The mistake that led to this was the misidentification of a soldier's boot that was found close to what had been believed to be Private Condon's remains in 1925.
At the time it was thought to have been worn by Private Condon because it had '6322 4/RIR' stamped into it.
But both Private Condon and Rifleman Fitzsimoons had the service number of 6322 and both had signed up for the 4th battalion of their respective regiments.
Private Condon served in the Royal Irish Regiment but their abbreviation was simply R.I or R.I REG. The RIR initials were for the Royal Irish Rifles.
Supporting his theory, Mr Sercu also found a birth certificate that showed Private Condon was born on October 16, 1896, which proves he was actually 18 when he died.
The story of the youngest soldier to be killed in the First World War has been debunked more than 100 years later. Private John Condon was long believed to have joined the army aged 14 in 1914 by pretending he was 18. A year later he was killed in a gas attack at the Second Battle of Ypres and his body wasn't recovered for another 10 years. His headstone in Poelcapelle British Cemetery in Belgium has an inscription stating: 'Private J. Condon, Royal Irish Regiment, 24th May 1915, Age 14.'
In the 1911 census Condon is listed as being 14-years-old, backing up the information in his birth certificate.
Mr Sercu said he is 'more than 99 per cent certain' that Private Condon is not in
