Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Tombstone Tuesday: Francklyn Fitzgerald Uniacke: Interesting marker, interesting name



The name Uniacke can be traced back to County Cork, and County Antrim, Ireland. In Nova Scotia it is thought that all Uniacke family members descend from landed gentry from the area of County Cork. Richard John Uniacke served as the attorney general of Nova Scotia. Of Francklyn Fitzgerald Uniacke I could find no specific reference.

In life the waist-belt and sword slings which were part of Captain Fitzgerald Uniacke's uniform would have been crafted of white leather; the sword was of infantry pattern with gold knot. Junior officers had black scabbards with brass fittings; the adjutant, a steel scabbard; and field officers, brass scabbards.

Carved to wrap around the marker is the waist belt, sword slings, and empty scabbard of the captain. The empty scabbard signifies that death has taken his sword, and thus the power, of the interred.

The marker reads: In loving memory of / Francklyn Fitzgerald Uniacke / Captain, Royal Canadian Regiment / Died Jan. 13th 1907 Aged 28 / "Until the day break and the shadows flee away"

UPDATE: Thanks to Martina Murphy at the Uniacke Estate Museum in Nova Scotia, Canada, I now have the following information about Francklyn Fitzgerald Uniacke. He was a great-grandson of RJ Uniacke. He was born in 1878 and died in 1907 at age 28. He was a captain, unmarried and died of pneumonia.

Reference re uniform: http://www.militaryheritage.com/royalregimentofcanada.htm

All photographs Copyright©Jennifer Geraghty-Gorman 2010
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