My Y-DNA and mtDNA Haplogroups

Y-DNA

My Y-DNA haplogroup is M222. The R-M222 branch of the Y-DNA tree is defined by a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) called M222. Family Tree DNA (FTDNA) and The International Society of Genetic Genealogy (ISOGG) now call the M222 SNP 'R1b1a2a1a1b4b'. 23andMe call the M222 SNP 'R1b1b2a1a2f2'. M222 belongs to haplogroup R. Haplogroup R is the most common haplogroup in European populations.

Here is a video from The Sorenson Molecular Genealogy Foundation explaining Y Chromosome DNA.

My Haplogroup results from Family Tree DNA

The M222 SNP is most common in men whose male line ancestors came from Northwest Ireland, Ulster or Lowland Scotland. Most of my Y-DNA matches have either Ulster or Scottish surnames.

The area where M222 is mostly found

A study conducted at Trinity College Dublin, Ireland, found that a lot of men in Ireland (and even Scotland) have the M222 marker. The study suggests that M222 is the marker of the Uí Néill, which literally means the 'descendants of Niall'. M222 has been called the 'Niall Of The Nine Hostages' marker. Niall was a High King of Ireland and died around the year 400 AD. Here is the Niall Of The Nine Hostages page on Family Tree DNA. Here is more information about M222. This is the M222 group page from Family Tree DNA.

mtDNA

 

My mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) haplogroup is H3. H3 is a sub branch of haplogroup H. H3 is found mainly in Western Europe. H3 is at its highest frequency in Iberia and Sardinia, and is about 16,000 years old. 

H3 migration journey

A mother passes on her mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) to both her daughters and sons. Only daughters have the ability to pass it on to the next generation though. Here is an image from Family Tree DNA explaining how we inherit mtDNA -

                     
                 


H3 was involved in the resettlement of Northern Europe after the Ice Age. H3 is defined by the mutation 6776C. Here is the link to the H3 Project at Family Tree DNA.

Jim Belford - An Irish Far East Prisoner of War

James Belford was from Kildare, Ireland. He joined the British Army in 1933 after travelling to Belfast to enlist. He served in Malaya and he was in the Royal Artillery. He was captured by the Japanese while trying to defend Singapore. The British forces in Singapore surrendered to the Japanese on the 15th of February 1942.
Jim was forced to work on the 'Railway Of Death' in Thailand/Burma. The POW's were treated very harshly by the sadistic Japanese guards. The POW's were forced to work from early morning to late in the evening. The guards would regularly beat the POW's. The Japanese would kill the POW's if they were too ill to work or if they were too ill to march onto the next camp.

Lance Serjeant James Belford - 9th Coast Regiment, Royal Artillery

After the construction of the railway was finished Jim was sent to Japan to continue his slave labour. All of the POW's were like skeletons by this stage. Only the fittest of the men were chosen to go to Japan. He was transported, along with 900 British POW's, on a ship called the Kachidoki Maru. The ship left Singapore on the 4th of September 1944. It was part of a 12 ship convoy.

Kachidoki Maru

On 12th September 1944, off the coast of Hainan Island, China, the ship was torpedoed and sunk by the American submarine, the USS Pampanito at 22:40. The Americans had no idea the ship was carrying POW's. Over 400 POW's were killed, including Jim. Another ship in the convoy called the Rakuyo Maru which was carrying Australian and British POW's was also torpedoed and sunk. The Japanese rescued some of the POW's from both ships and continued their journey onto Japan on the ship Kibitsu Maru.


Here is Jim's name on the memorial in Kranji War Cemetery, Singapore -

Kranji War Cemetery, Singapore

Here are some more photo's of the memorial which were taken by my cousin -

Kranji War Cemetery, Singapore

Kranji War Cemetery, Singapore

Jim was born in 1914 in Kildare Town. He was the son of Peter Belford and Brigid Rankin. Jim played Minor Football for Kildare. Here is a match report from the 'Kildare Observer' from Saturday, May 21, 1932.

Kildare Observer -  May 21, 1932   

Here is Jim's page from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website.