First World War soldier's warning of 'a deuce of a bust-up' discovered in Tipperary home

Irish Examiner

26-05-2025

A chilling prediction about one of the bloodiest battles of the First World War, anticipating 'a deuce of a bust-up in a short time', has been discovered in a letter unearthed during a house clear-out in Tipperary.
Denis Kenny, from Thurles, was astonished to read the "bust-up" warning that features in one of two letters written by his late granduncle Jim Maher, and which appears to reference plans for the Battle of Passchendaele.
The line made it through despite strict censorship of correspondence at the time, designed to prevent soldiers from disclosing any information about military activities.
'I really don't know how it made it past the defenders, so it's very interesting from a historical point of view,' Denis told the Irish Examiner.
The prediction was contained in what turned out to be the final letter received from Jim before he lost his life in Belgium on August 11, 1917.
'One of the quotes in the letter to his sister Josephine, which dates back to April 6, 1917, is 'look out for squalls. There's going to be a deuce of a bust up,'' Dennis said. 'He had to be referring to the battle ahead.'
Officially known as the Third Battle of Ypres, Passchendaele came to epitomise the horrors of trench warfare, claiming more than 500,000 lives. The battle took place on the western front between July and November 1917, where soldiers were fighting for control of the ridges located south and east of the Belgian city of Ypres.
Denis Kenny holds a picture of his granduncle Jim Maher at his home near Thurles. The striking family resemblance is evident in the century-old image. Picture: Chani Anderson
Denis, who found two letters from his granduncle Jim while clearing out his late mother's house, said that some of the details contained within are heartbreaking.
In a letter to Josephine, Jim tells her not to send an undershirt because 'we don't wear them'.
'You have to read between the lines,' Denis said.
Soldiers back then were encouraged not to have too many layers of material on in battle in case they made access to a wound difficult
"My guess is that this was the case for my granduncle.'
Instead, Jim asked his sister to send him some 'shaving sticks, soap, and a shirt'.
'I'm sorry for not responding to your letter sooner, but I did not have any time as we were up making advanced gun preliminaries. Consequently, I had no opportunity for letter writing.'
"We are presently billeted in a large town a few miles behind the line. Our pay, combined with the high prices of goods, does not allow us to do much shopping on our own,' the letter read.
'A glass of coffee, one slice of bread, and dripping costs seven French francs. One small piece of soap, half of ordinary size at home, is eight francs. 10 francs for two weeks' pay will not go towards procuring us a decent spread.'
In the letter, Jim also talks about his hopes for 'a speedy termination to the war".
Denis reads a miniature Christmas card sent home by his granduncle in 1915 while serving in France. Picture: Chani Anderson
Another letter was addressed to his "aunt Kate". In it, he enquires about her health, and adds: 'Do not do too much work and be careful of yourself. I suppose it's useless telling you, as I suppose you could not live if you were not working about the sows and cattle. How is father? I'm sure he's killed."
Only one line seems to allude to the war.
Please God, the worst is over
Denis said he had learned a lot about his granduncle's life over the years.
'Jim voluntarily signed up to join the armed forces at a local recruitment office, and was among those sent to their death in mainland Europe," he said.
"He was 28 when he joined the army. I think he was looking for a sense of adventure. The regiment he signed up for was the royal field artillery.
"Ireland was part of the British empire at the time, but there were also a lot of nationalist republican and radical actions and rallies taking place. There was talk of conscription in those days, as the British wanted to get numbers. In the First World War, they just wanted to get numbers to fight.
"There was talk of getting that into Ireland, but it didn't actually happen. Even though it never came to be, it caused a lot of anxiety and helped the republican cause," he added.
He said there were a number of reasons behind Jim's decision to join the army.
A set of service medals belonging to Jim Maher were also discovered in the clear-out. Picture: Chani Anderson
'He never married and joined the army in September 1915. The sad thing was that Jim's father William did his utmost to de-enlist him,' Denis told the Irish Examiner.
'He was particularly concerned given that his other son died in a hunting accident in 1909. He had already lost his son to violence, even if the killing was accidental. It must have been heartbreaking for him.
He had been really worried about losing another son
"I think he had hoped that Jim might stay home and maybe even take over the business, which was a local butchers.'
Denis said the lives of officers and soldiers were worlds apart.
'There was a very obvious divide between the officers and soldiers. This was highlighted by the hundreds of thousands of soldiers who were killed like my granduncle Jim. The officers had more opportunities. They were university educated and went to private schools," he added.
The letters and war medals were discovered in a box during the clear-out. Picture Chani Anderson
He said family members remained close to Jim despite their republican ties.
'Jim's sister Josephine was very active in Cumann na mBan, which was the women's organisation of the republican movement. She was a very senior figure in that.
"Her husband Charles was a key figure in the IRB [Irish Republican Brotherhood]. Meanwhile, Jim was fighting for the British in France or Belgium. It's difficult to believe that his sister was fighting the same army he was in, albeit not this particular regiment.
"You can imagine the interplay that was going on in the family, and yet they were very close," Denis said.