The stage one coordinates (above), lead you to a memorial in the heart of Waterford City. Here you will find information on the The Youngest Soldier who was killed in World War I. Also present are two sets of coordinates cast in brass and set into the cobbles on the ground. One set of coordinates points to exactly where you stand. The other set, well lets just say they are in a faraway field in Flanders.
To find the final stage and cache you must lookup the far away coordinates on an appropriate map. The Geocaching map will suffice. Here is the final resting place of John Condon, the youngest soldier who was killed in World War I. Take the first letter of the name of the graveyard and equate it with its place in the alaphabet (A=1, B=2 etc). Insert into the following equation and the final coordinates will be revealed .
The final can be located at:
N 52°(X - 1).669
W 007°0 (X - 10).(X - 7)66
Ground Zero is close (or as close to) the birthplace of our soldier, which was in the parish of Trinity Without in Waterford City. His parents were John and Catherine Condon of Thomas’ Avenue, also known as Wheelbarrow Lane, off Barker Street. This lane was closed by Waterford City Council in the 1960s. The current buildings were erected during the Celtic Tiger 'boom' of earlier this century, over the site of the lane. It is a residential area so please be unassuming and stealthy in your search.
The Grave of John Condon (Cache Owner 2026)
Controversy:
John Condon saw active duty and was called up on December 16th 1914. He was part of the British Expeditionary Force’s 4th Infantry Division, so Private Condon took his post in France. The Battalion fought in a number of engagements known as the Second Battle of the Ypres in Belgium from April 22 to May 25, 1915.
John tragically met his end on the second to last day of the battle. In the early hours of May 24, the Germans launched a massive artillery attack followed by clouds of deadly chlorine gas. The gas spread across the four and a half mile front manned by members of the 2nd Battalion amongst others. John was one of nearly 400 people who died in the attack.
Condon was initially buried in a mass grave, but in 1923 the grave was dug up and his remains were identified. Condon’s body was moved to Poelcapelle Cemetery in Flanders, in what is today one of the most popular graves among tourists; only the Unknown Soldier’s resting place receives more visitors. But was Condon the youngest soldier to die in World War I?
The men that collected the body believed it was Condon because they saw 6322, Condon’s service number, on part of a boot. In Waterford, there is a birth certificate that clearly says a boy named John Condon was born in October 1895. This means the youthful adventurer told the truth about his age. In 1938, however, a local newspaper, The Waterford News, claimed that John Condon’s brother Patrick had stowed away, pretending to be his older brother. Patrick’s older cousin Nicholas was the source of that particular story.
Perhaps neither John or Patrick Condon is the body buried in Poelcapelle Cemetery. Condon’s Battalion never fought in the place where his body was allegedly found. The Royal Irish Rifles 2nd Battalion, on the other hand, did fight there. On June 16, 1915, Patrick Fitzsimmons, one of the Battalion’s members, was killed in action and had previously fought with the Rifles’ 4th Battalion. His service number? 6322. Fitzsimmons’ body was never recovered or identified.
There is a certain level of ambiguity associated with the stamp found on the supposed boot of Condon. It said 6322 4/R.I.R which was taken to mean service number 6322, 4th Battalion, Royal Irish Regiment. This is how the Imperial War Graves Commission interpreted the identification. The trouble is, Condon was apparently in the 3rd Battalion. R.I.R could just as easily stand for Royal Irish Rifles. Although no one can offer conclusive evidence, there is more than an element of doubt over Condon’s age and identity.