Maternal grandfather joined the Dublin Fusiliers and ended up in the Boer War--Colenso, Ladysmith, etc. When demobbed he became a telephone technician and at the end of WW1 was awarded a medal for some mysterious "services in connection with the war". He sold the medal for a plug of tobacco.

Paternal grandfather was also in the Dublin Fusiliers (his father had also been in the army) and served in India and Egypt before being sent to France during WW1. He was involved on the medical side of things. After the war he was part of the Expeditionary Force sent to Archangel in Russia to fight the Red Army. He was into music, played piano, fiddle, whistle, mouth-organ, etc. so I know where my musical interests come from!