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The Belfast Harbour Pollice Medal

Friday, 01 May 1998 00:00 Michael Walsh

The Belfast Harbour Police were established as a result of 'The Belfast Harbour Act, 1837'. However there had been a Constable appointed in June 1824 which is still claimed by some as the year of its formation.

Today the B.H.P. is responsible for policing the 3,000 acres on the Harbour Estate.

In 1946 the Belfast Harbour Commissioners instituted a medal to be awarded 'for outstanding meritorious police service in the Belfast Harbour Police. In cases of gallantry, a bronze anchor, worn on the medal ribbon is also awarded''.

Mixed Emotions

Saturday, 01 November 1997 00:00 Michael Kavanagh

by Michael Kavanagh

Recently I acquired the World War 2 medals posthumously awarded to my cousin, the late Michael Kavanagh. I had always known that he was killed in action on board HMS Exeter at the battle of the River Plate, but had no further research. Having acquired the medals, my instinct for research took over. After all, for me the kernel of medal collecting is research.

Lieutenant J.H.M. Redding, Royal Munster Fusiliers

Friday, 01 August 1997 00:00 Austin G. Fennessy

by Austin G. Fennessy

John Hamilton Montfort Redding, son of Jane Montfort Redding and the Rev. R.B. Redding, Dollymount, Dublin was born June 10th 1897 and died while on active service in Egypt March 2nd 1917. At the time of this death at the age of 19 years 8 months he held the rank of temporary lieutenant. He is buried in the Cairo War Memorial Cemetery, grave ref. H.56. J.H.M. Redding received his formal education at Campbell College where he was a member of the college's officer training Corps. Redding was one of only a handful of Campbell College boys who received commissions into the Royal Munster Fusiliers.

Memorial Inscriptions Deansgrange Cemetery

Thursday, 01 May 1997 00:00 Liam Dodd

Volume 2 Part 1 South West Section Inscriptions with kind permission from the Dun Laoghaire Genealogical Society.

Courtesy Liam Dodd

SOUTH WEST SECTION

Brig. Gen. G.S. Shephard, DSO, MC

Saturday, 01 August 1998 00:00 Michael Walsh

Gordon Strachey Shephard was born at Madras, India, on 9th July 1885. His home address was 58 Montague Square, London. He was destined to become the youngest Brig. Gen. in the Royal Flying Corps. He was the second son of Sir Horatio and Lady Shephard. Eton College and Sandhurst Military Academy.

He was commissioned as 2nd Lieut. into the Royal Fusiliers on January 28th 1905, and promoted Lieut. on May 5th 1907. He was promoted Capt. on January 15th 1913. His Royal Aero Club Record card states that he qualified as a pilot at Brooklands on May 14th 1912, flying a Bristol Biplane and was awarded Royal Aero Club Certificate No. 215.

Badge of the Ancient Order of Hibernians

Tuesday, 01 December 1998 00:00 Michael Kavanagh

by Michael Kavanagh

This badge is a double badge and very unusual as cloth badges go. By a double badge I mean that the obverse and the reverse are separately made and stitched together at the top and bottom. The stitching is covered by a gold coloured metallic braid. Hanging from the bottom edge of the badge are thirty-three braid ringlets. The suspension devise is made from black cloth, through which a pin may be placed. This devise is a separate piece of cloth and is sown to both reverse and obverse.

North of Ireland Imperial Yeomanry

Tuesday, 01 June 1999 00:00 Michael Walsh

Camping at the Curragh

The Regiment to be Disbanded

The North of Ireland Imperial Yeomanry assembled for their annual training on Friday last. C (Enniskillen) Squadron was the first party to arrive in camp, the other Squadrons following in quick succession, excepting B (Derry), this Squadron travelling by night and arriving on Saturday morning at Newbridge at five o'clock. The camp was pitched on the same ground as it was last year - about an English mile from Newbridge.

Somme Villagers Honour Soldiers Executed as Spies

Monday, 01 February 1999 00:00 Ben MacIntyre

From Ben MacIntrye in Paris

One of the most dramatic episodes of the First World War was commemorated recently in a village on the Somme. A plaque was unveiled to four British soldiers who survived for months behind enemy lines before being caught and executed by a German firing squad. As part of the ceremonies surrounding the 80th anniversary of the end of the Great War, the village of Le Catelet, near Amiens, voted to put up a permanent memorial to the four soldiers, faslely condemned for espionage, on the spot where they were killed in May, 1916.

Captain Robert William Popham Bell of the Royal Irish Regiment

Sunday, 01 February 1998 00:00 Michael Walsh

Captain Robert William Popham Bell, who fell in action on July 5th 1916, was the son of Robert Popham Bell, Esq., of Pegsborough, Tipperary, to whom Lieut. - Colonel Dugan, DSO commanding the 2nd Battalion Royal Irish Regiment, wrote:

"We shall all miss him more than I can say and your grief is shared by the whole battalion. His men were devoted to him. He died a most gallant death and was killed instantaneously by rifle fire. We recovered his body after the fight and buried him near the place where he fell. Our hearts go out to you and yours and the whole battalion joins me in the deepest sympathy. Personally I have lost a gallant officer and comrade."

Those Were the Days

Sunday, 01 November 1987 00:00 Seamus Montezuma

by Seamus Montezuma

Like many another I listened incredulously to the report of a recent sale in London when a piece of framed canvas, not more than two feet square and covered in paint, was sold for around twenty seven million pounds. It was of course Van Gogh's ‘Sunflower’. In the last issue of COIN AND MEDAL NEWS they advertise a very important auction to be held in Geneva in November when the world's largest and most expensive coin is up for grabs. This is the 1000 Muhur of the Mogul Emperor Jahangir which contains 12 kilos of pure gold and has a reserve price of ten million dollars - you heard me, ten million dollars! A couple of years ago the VC to a RAF fighter pilot was sold for £110,000 and most people will know that the late Duchess of Windsor's jewels, estimated at about three million pounds, went for twenty-five million.

Military Stations - Cork

Wednesday, 01 August 1990 00:00 Anonymous

“The capital of the South” as Cork is not inappropriately called, is a city of ancient name. In fact, its chronicles begin in the very dawn of history, and it is with some difficulty we recognise the two facts that it was originally the site of a pagan temple, and that afterwards, about the beginning of the seventh century, a monastery was founded on the ruins by Saint Finn Barr, the island hermit of wild Gougane Barra. At the time of the Norman invasion the ruler of Cork was Dermot McCarthy, Prince of Desmond, who, on the arrival of Henry II with his knights in 1172, judged it prudent to offer so powerful a monarch no resistance, but immediately submitted and did him homage. In 1492, the city welcomed the impostor Perkin Warbeck with much favour. Royal honours were paid to him, an act of blindness that deprived the citizens of their Charter. In 1609 James I restored the Charter to the city and it may be due to this circumstance that Cork afterwards displayed so ardent a sympathy with the cause of the Stuarts. In the great Civil War it remained staunchly loyal, and it was not until after a fierce struggle that Cromwell captured it. Cork Harbour then became the rendezvous of the Commonwealth fleet under Blake and Deane. The Royalist proclivities of the town were shown by its zeal in declaring for the restoration of Charles II and it is worth noting that that monarch was proclaimed King in Cork twelve days before his proclamation took place in London.

Robert Monteith, British Soldier, German Officer and Irish Rebel

Thursday, 01 February 1990 00:00 Michael Kavanagh

by Michael Kavanagh

Robert Monteith was born at Newtownmountkennedy, County Wicklow on 1 March 1879, son of Joseph Monteith of Co. Clare who had come south and married Mary Dillon. Joseph was a farmer and, apart from Robert, he had three sons and two daughters. Robert’s older brother Dick had joined the British army and Robert followed when he was 16 years old, enlisting in the Royal Horse Artillery. After basic training he was posted to “T” Battery RHA in India, with which unit he qualified for the India General Service Medal 1895-1902 with two clasps (see description of medals page 38).

Athlone and the South African War

Thursday, 01 November 1990 00:00 H.F.N. Jourdain

by H.F.N. Jourdain

The strength of the 1st Bn Connaught Rangers on embarkation for South Africa was 28 Officers and 850 OR’s. One man was absent at Athlone the night before leaving but his absence was not discovered before the Bn arrived at Queenstown, as another man who was under age had taken his place and answered to his name on parade at Athlone. This was not discovered until the BAVARIAN had been at sea three days. Thus the Bn embarked at full strength on 10 November 1899. As I write this in June 1947, nearly 48 years afterwards, I was reminded by an old Ranger that he was the good soldier who, under age and considered unfit for service in the field, took the kit of the man who was absent and embarked with the Bn at Queenstown. He came from Ballina, Co. Mayo and was on parade with other Rangers in Whitehall on Sunday, 15 June 1947, wearing his South Africa medals. Long may he be with us.

Buried - But Not Safely

Saturday, 01 February 1992 00:00 H. Mason-Fennell

by H. Mason-Fennell

A Soviet Marshal who was deeply involved in the failed coup against Mikhail Gorbachev committed suicide rather than face the disgrace of a public trial. Because of his rank and record of service he was accorded a military funeral, wearing in his coffin the full array of his decorations and insignia. Shortly after interment some enterprising people dug him up and stole all the medals and insignia! Is there NOWHERE safe nowadays?

Book Review: Russian and Soviet Military Awards

Friday, 01 February 1991 00:00 Anonymous

by V.A. Durov. Order of Lenin State History Museum, Moscow. 1989

The Russians have long been keen on orders and medals and, as many collectors will know, have produced some of the most beautiful and expensive insignia in the world. They have also produced a large number of books on the subject but most of these have not been readily available in the ‘West’ and very few have been in the English language.

County Cork and World War 1 - Some Statistics

Thursday, 01 August 1991 00:00 Michael Walsh

(Journal of the Ballincollig Community School Local History Society - Vol 7, 1990-1991)

Some Regiments of the Cork Dead

Good Show, Comrades!

Friday, 01 November 1991 00:00 Michael Walsh

“The Order of Labour of the Peoples Republic of North Korea is awarded in accordance with the consideration of the Respected and Beloved Leader Kim Il-Sung and by Decree of the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea, Central Peoples Committee, to an individual or a group that is firmly armed with the Unique Ideology and who has distinguished himself in a revolutionary task or constructive project by positively upholding the directives of the Great Leader Kim Il-Sung and the policy lines of the Party, while devoting himself to continuous endeavours for self-regimentation and improvement.”

Bet you did not know that!

Irish Link in Boer War

Tuesday, 01 May 1990 00:00 Anonymous

By Michael McCarthy

A small and forgotten piece of Irish colonial history raises a fleeting head at Sotheby’s in London on Feb 8 (1990) when a Victoria Cross won by an Irish brigadier general during the Boer War comes up for sale. It may make as much as £45,000. The VC was won during the siege of Mafeking in late 1889 and early 1890 by Brigadier General Charles “Fitz” FitzClarence of the Irish Guards. FitzClarence was born in County Kildare in 1865. His grandfather, George, first Earl of Munster, was the eldest of five illegitimate sons sired by King William IV during a liaison with the actress Mrs. Jordan. FitzClarence led a squadron of the Protectorate Regiment at Mafeking during the famous siege by Boer forces. Twice he distinguished himself by leading from the front, once by going to the assistance of an armoured train which had been ambushed and in another instance leading a night attack from Mafeking on the Boer trenches, during which he was wounded. He distinguished himself in another skirmish where he was wounded again. The Irishman killed four Boers during one skirmish, including slicing the head clean off one of them, and was saved from death because his heavy compass case deflected a shot.

Book Review: Buttons of the Irish Militia 1793-1881

Wednesday, 01 May 1991 00:00 J. McDonnell

Written by J. McDonnell

MSOI member Joe McDonnell has produced this 40 page booklet “to help collectors appreciate the scope, variety and beauty of design of the buttons worn by the Irish Militia.” It contains lists, tabulated by county, of over 120 buttons, illustrated by line drawings and providing space for further discoveries by the reader. Admittedly a very specialised subject but part and parcel of Irish militaria and a most valuable aid to the enthusiast.

The Kearney Cross - A U.S. Civil War Medal

Sunday, 01 May 1988 00:00 Eamonn O' Toole

by Eamonn O'Toole

Philip Kearney was the happy warrior, a man always listening for the drum, a dedicated professional soldier in an age when his fellow countrymen held the profession in low regard. Born in New York of Irish descent on 2 June 1814, he was commissioned into the First U.S. Dragoons in 1837 and being quickly noted for his alert mind and gift of languages was sent to the military college of Samur in France to study cavalry tactics. This was in Algeria where he played an active part in the campaign against the forces of Abd-el-Kader. For bravery in action he was awarded the Legion of Honour and personally invested by King Louis Phillipe. He returned to the U.S. in 1840, married and settled down to routine peacetime soldiering but this must not have been to his taste as he resigned his commission in 1846. However, on the outbreak of war with Mexico later that year he hastened to the colours and was reinstated as Captain of Dragoons. He was made brevet major for gallantry at the battle of Contreras-Churabusco in August 1847 and lost his left arm in a cavalry action at the San Antonio Abad Gate of Mexico City. After the war he soldiered on for a while against Indians on the western frontier but again resigned in 1851 and returned to the French army. He took part in the Italian campaign of 1859 and was awarded a second Legion of Honour for bravery at Magenta and Solfernio.

Book Review: Clear the Way - A History of the Irish Brigade 1941-47

Sunday, 01 August 1993 00:00 Michael Walsh

By Richard Doherty and published by Irish Academic Press, Dublin 1993, hardback, 336 pages, many illustrations and maps.

This impressive history has just come to hand in time for publication of the Journal and will be fully reviewed in the next issue. Containing what appears to be a most detailed account of the campaigns of the Brigade, i.e., Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, Royal Ulster Rifles and Royal Irish Rifles, from Tunisia to Italy and Yugoslavia, it looks at first glance to be one of those books which the Irish military buff cannot be without.

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Medal Society of Ireland