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Ireland (Historical Counties) => Ireland => Topic started by: oberon on Sunday 19 August 07 04:40 BST (UK)
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Here's a long shot -
Joyce Marion Wallace was born on January 3 1923 in Shanghai...back in Shanghai in 1940, aged only 17, she married Sean Rainey, an Irishman then serving as a private in the Seaforth Highlanders. This was partly a strategic move to get out of China: the Raineys duly moved to Australia, where Marion had powerful cousins in the Fairfax family, owners of the Sydney Morning Herald, and then to Bangalore. Here two children were born, and young Mrs Rainey served briefly as recruiting officer for the Black Watch while learning about "the sins of gin" and how to mix dry martinis.
Such skills made her welcome when she arrived as a young divorced woman in austere post-war London - she went on to marry and divorce Richard Wrottesley 5th Bart and have a son, Mark, by him.
It's Sean Rainey I'm after, who ended up as a Major, who is proving v elusive.
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Oberon,
If Sean Rainey was a British Army officer, he should be quite easy to trace. I would ask a moderator to move this post to the Armed Forces forum where you'll get expert advice on how to get his service papers.
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Tried the Seaforth Highlanders - they couldn't help without dob which I haven't got!
Any other route I could try?
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Oberon- will send pm is a few minutes as I don't want to post details about people who are probably still alive.
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Hi Oberon,
There's a list of suggested sources for locating details of ancestors who lived or worked in Shanghai on the The University of Bristol (http://www.bris.ac.uk/history/customs/ancestors/shanghai.html) website. Most of them are Europeans.
Christopher
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Tried the Seaforth Highlanders - they couldn't help without dob which I haven't got!
Any other route I could try?
Oberon,
Service records are held by the MOD - not the regiment. Have a look at the Armed Forces Resources forum where you will see a posting entitled "How to get Service papers post WW1"
These should give a potted history of his life, including where born and when, physical description, next of kin and their address, and possibly address on discharge.
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I've noticed that you seem to be looking for Major Sean Rainey. I do have a connection to him. I was checking out the family military history.
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Hi Lou,
Welcome to RootsChat, oberon was online yesterday hopefully he will reply soon.
Regards
Sarah
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Hi Lou he was my wife's maternal ggrandfather
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Hi there. He was my partner's father. He unfortunately passed away in 1984.
Any further information. Please don't hesitate to get in touch.
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Lou
I know next to nothing about him other than he married Marion in 1940 and had Sheila and Michael. Also I think his father was Cmdr TA Rainey and his uncle Sir Charles Rainey Bt, about whom I can find nothing.
Any info you have about the family would be hugely interesting.
David
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There are a few blanks that we would like to fill in. I think Sean was a rather colourful character to say the least. Dermot, my partner & his brother were the last of his children. Is your wife in touch with any of the Rainey family? There are a few.😊
Hope to hear from you soon. Helen.
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Helen
My late wife died in 2002 but I know her mother, Sheila, her half sister, Claudia, and knew Michael (he died last year) and his children.
David
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Sorry to hear about your wife. We went to Michael's funeral last year, him being Dermot's half brother. Dermot lost his brother Ferg 5 years ago this may. Sad times.