The Autograph of Sapper Jack O’Neill
A battered leather-covered autograph book that was a great Uncle’s legacy sparked thoughts about the traces we each might leave behind. Imagining the stories contained on each page, particularly those written during the first World War. The autographs are often creative with illustrations, poetry, story, and rhymes. Signatures that have been gathered over a short, but life-changing time in the first decades of the 20th century. A curiosity about the people behind the entries lead to a research journey that began with that of Sapper O’Neill.
A carefully cut-out image of a boxer pasted into this wartime autograph book drew my attention. The page showed a sepia-tinted photograph of a young man wearing boxing gloves with his hands up, in a boxing stance. The page was signed Sapper J O’Neill RE.
The page following the cut-out image of the boxer has a rhyme that reads; “If a girl loves a boy/ that’s her business / If a boy kisses the girl/ that’s his business/ If they get married / that’s their business/ Please turn this page back that’s my business.” The writing is similar, and the rhyme appears to refer to the image of the boxer. It seemed likely that Sapper O’Neill was the young man in the image.
A search of British war records shows 11,551 O’Neills, with 3,666 J. O’Neills and 68 J. O’Neills’ in the Royal Engineers [1]. This figure stops me as I imagine this number multiplied by the many surnames possible – an unimaginable number of men and women in wartime service. It quickly becomes clear more information is needed to trace a war record.
Another path was the possibility that Sapper O’Neill was the boxer in the photograph. This was more successful. An early find is a cigarette card describing Sapper O’Neill and his boxing career. [2] The image appears to be the young man in the autograph book.
The lightly colour-tinted image on the cigarette card shows a young man with thick sandy-coloured hair and a meticulous centre parting. He has heavily lidded blue eyes, his ears showing possible damage from boxing. The card describes ‘Sapper O’Neill’ as 5 foot 7 inches, weighing 9 stone 7 pounds. Further information on the cigarette card states Sapper J O’Neill was born in ‘Bellarene’ Ireland in 1889. His boxing career began in the army, where he won the Royal Engineers heavyweight championship in 1909. [3]
A newspaper search for Sapper O’Neill finds his name appearing in an Australian newspaper which at first seemed unlikely. Yet it is a boxer Sapper O’Neill from England with the first name – Jack.[4]
Jack O’Neill had an international boxing career before the first world war. From his 1909 title-winning bout in the Royal Engineers his boxing took him to the USA including a match at Madison Square Garden in 1913 and on to Australia in 1914.[6]
When war was declared in 1914 Jack was in Australia. It was reported he immediately applied to join the Australian Expeditionary Force [7] and then returned to England on a troopship where he was sent to France with the British forces[8]. Shortly after arriving in 1915 Jack was injured and hospitalised for 10 months, a record of the injuries Jack sustained was not found. It is likely he was a patient in the new Queen Mary’s Military Hospital in Whalley, Lancashire[9] as this was where he signed the autograph book. On completion of his treatment, Jack was discharged from the Royal Engineers.
Two reports from Gloucester in the news from 1920 and 1925 are the only other sources found about Jack in this limited exploration. In 1920 Sapper Jack O’Neill was charged with causing grievous bodily harm. His solicitor describes Jack’s life as one of overcoming adversity, describing his difficult early years in Ireland, supporting his mother and siblings from the age of 14 years. Going on to paint a glowing picture of Sapper Jack O’Neill the solicitor describes; Jack’s work with recruitment for the military; teaching boxing; and his time in the Royal Navy. The Judge dismissed the case.[11]
In 1925 the final record found is a newspaper report stating Jack has been sentenced to 10 months hard labour following a street fight that left a man dead. [10]
I am surprised and encouraged by the information that can be traced from one entry in this antique autograph book. Sapper Jack O’Neill and his life has not been fully revealed and may never be yet the man in boxing gloves now has a name and a story. This small gesture is to acknowledge his life and hopefully one day to share it with his descendants.
Curiosity now tempts me to see what other stories may be revealed through the heirloom wartime autograph book. It has been affirmation that however small they may be, we leave unexpected traces behind.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
.[1] ‘Discover The Military Ancestor In Your Family With Forces War Records’. https://www.forces-war-records.co.uk/ (accessed Dec. 18, 2022).
[2] Ogden’s Tobacco Company, ‘Sapper O’Neill. Ogdens Cigarette Card’, NYPL Digital Collections. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47da-cd20-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99 (accessed Nov. 26, 2022).
[3] ‘Ogden’s – “Boxing” (1915) – Card #28 – Sapper O’Neill – CardHawk’. https://cardhawkuk.com/product/ogdens-boxing-1915-card-28-sapper-oneill/ (accessed Dec. 16, 2022).
[4] ‘SAPPER O’NEILL V. JOE WELLING.’, Argus, Melbourne, Victoria, Jul. 18, 1914. Accessed: Nov. 26, 2022. [Online]. Available: http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article10796935
[5] The Library of Congress, Young Fox — G. McDonald — Sapper O’Niel [i.e., O’Neill] (LOC). 1913. Accessed: Nov. 26, 2022. [Photo]. Available: https://www.flickr.com/photos/library_of_congress/4445862462/
[6] ‘BoxRec: Sapper Jack O’Neill’. https://boxrec.com/en/proboxer/125096 (accessed Dec. 16, 2022).
[7] ‘Sapper O’Neill Volunteers’, Sunday Times, Perth, Western Australia, Aug. 09, 1914. Accessed: Dec. 16, 2022. [Online]. Available: http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article57783703
[8] ‘SAPPER O’NEILL TO JOIN THE COLORS’, Referee, Sydney, New South Wales, Sep. 30, 1914. Accessed: Dec. 16, 2022. [Online]. Available: http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article120283320
[9] ‘Queen Mary’s Military Hospital, Whalley in the Great War – The Wartime Memories Project -’. https://www.wartimememoriesproject.com/greatwar/hospitals/hospital.php?pid=17721 (accessed Dec. 16, 2022).
[10] ‘SAPPER O’NEILL SENT TO GAOL.’, Age, Melbourne, Victoria, Oct. 29, 1925. Accessed: Nov. 26, 2022. [Online]. Available: http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article155664772
[11] ‘SAPPER O’NEILL.’, Australasian, Melbourne, Victoria, Mar. 20, 1920. Accessed: Dec. 27, 2022. [Online]. Available: http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article140238173
ADDITIONAL REFERENCES
[12] ‘BBC – World War One At Home, Calderstones Hospital, Lancashire: Queen Mary’s Military Hospital’, BBC. https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02305l4 (accessed Dec. 16, 2022).
[13] ‘Queen Mary’s Military Hospital, Whalley in the Great War – The Wartime Memories Project -’. https://www.wartimememoriesproject.com/greatwar/hospitals/hospital.php?pid=17721 (accessed Nov. 26, 2022).
[14] ‘Sapper O’Neill boxer’. http://www.fightsrec.com/sapper-o-neill.html (accessed Nov. 26, 2022).