NAMED WITH PROVENANCE**Eire Irish Defence Forces Officer’s Sword With Scabbard & Sam Browne Pattern Frog To Commandant Francis Xavier Flanagan of the IDF Ordnance Corps Died In Service 1961 With Associated Antecedents, Service Records & Paperwork. ED 30 Sword

**NAMED WITH PROVENANCE**Eire Irish Defence Forces Officer’s Sword With Scabbard & Sam Browne Pattern Frog To Commandant Francis Xavier Flanagan of the IDF Ordnance Corps Died In Service 1961 With Associated Antecedents, Service Records & Paperwork. - ED 3062

In 1922 after much civil disorder between Loyalists and Republicans including the Easter Rising of 1916 the Irish Free State was established in 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty signed by British and Irish representatives. The Free State had its own armed forces. The Free State came to an end in 1937, when under the new constitution the Irish state was named Eire. The Eire Irish Defence Forces (IDF) remained neutral during WW2 which the Eire Government referred to as ‘The Emergency’. Commandant (a senior Captain / Major equivalent) Francis Xavier Flanagan of the IDF Ordnance Corps Served in the IDF as a temporary officer from 22 January 1941 to 31 October 1946 and as a permanent officer from 01 November 1946 to 22 June 1961 when he sadly died in service. He was buried with full Military honours. This is the officer’s original IDF Officer’s sword with etched blade, stamped with the officer’s name direct from the family of the Officer. These swords were reputedly made by the British company Wilkinson sword, but did not sign the blades of these swords. The sword has a brass guard with integral IDF badge & urn top. The guard is fitted with Officer’s leather cord and acorn portepee. The blade is etched on both sides with foliate panels, IDF badge and Harp devices. It has the inlaid ordnance proof roundel. The blade is 32 ½” length (39” overall). The hilt has a wire bound fish skin covered grip in excellent condition. The leather covered wood scabbard with German silver throat mount is clean and undamaged and is fitted with Sam Browne pattern leather frog with straps, brass buckles and stud. Accompanying the sword are the Officer’s original (expired) Eire Passport with his photograph, Remnants of his Birth certificate, copies of newspaper cuttings reporting his funeral, original group photos of the Officer with friends / colleagues, copies of his service record with antecedents and a glazed framed original certificate of the Officer’s service . A copy of an IDF document with the collection states “Enclosed find statement of service for the above officer as issued by officers record section. Enclosed find the original letter to Commanding Officer Collins Bks. A photograph from a local newspaper (1985) shows members of the Southern Command Golfing Society in Cork Golf Club in the late 50s. I think that Comdt Flanagan is the person seated front right of the photo. The following information may be of interest. Comdt Flanagan was a native of West Cork, with the family home in Ballyvourney. He went to school at the North Monastery Cork. He was one of a large family and three of his brothers. He was a great man at parties and social occasions, he sang well and was liked by all the ladies, and regarded as a gentleman by those who knew him. He was a member of the Fr O Flynn loft in Cork, which was a Shakespearean society. His army service was as per cert, but he also served in the Directorate of Ordnance, Dublin. Later he worked in the Ammunition Depot, Curragh. He was promoted to the rank of Comdt in Aug 1952 and was posted to Cork where he was Commanding Officer of 3rd Garrison Ordnance Company from 1952 until 1958. In 1958 he was appointed to Command Ordnance Officer, Southern Command and served with Command Headquarters until June 1961. The unit of 3rd Grn Ord Coy was located in the Engineer lines during the early 50s. In the mid 50s the unit moved to the Military Police lines and in the late 50s it moved again to Block14, it's current location. Frank Flanagan was a keen golfer and with other "golfing" officers he founded the Southern Command Golfing Society in the early 50s. He was a regular partner to Lt Col Paddy O Sullivan and Comdt John O Driscoll who like him were members of Cork Golf Club. Termination of service was due to died in service”. The price with attributed sword with provenance worthy of further research includes UK delivery (NB due to risk of damage, we can only send internationally without the glazed frame). ED 3062

£1,950.00