“So I think I have Thomas + one to find, remembering that Thomas 4714 pte 2 RDF died 1900 so still can't rule him out.”
A couple of thoughts.
Would the death certificate of the soldier, if it can be obtained, give any personal details to identify him? I would think not.
The snippets, I mentioned a while ago, report on Private T O’Donoghue’s death in various newspapers e.g. Bristol, Dublin, Ballymena but I don’t see a mention in the Cork Examiner which does have other Ladysmith reports.
Fuller access to the articles might give further information.
Might it also be worth contacting Cork archives (if there are any) to check?