Dublin's Leinster House the setting on Wednesday May 10th for the presentation of gallantry awards by the Deeds of Bravery Council, established in 1947, to provide recognition by the Irish State for deeds of exceptional bravery. Gold, Silver and Bronze Deeds of Bravery medals were presented to recipients and to family members in the case of 2 posthumous awards.

Posthumous Gold medals were awarded to Peter O'Keeffe (36) and Jonathan Herlihy (23) who lost their lives by drowning after going to the assistance of struggling swimmers at Owenanhincha Strand in West Cork in 2006. Mr. O'Keeffe was represented at the presentation ceremony by his father Reg O'Keeffe, 3 of his sisters and his fiancée Anne O'Riordan whom he intended in marry in February this year. Jonathan Herlihy was presented by his parents Liam and Eileen Herlihy, Christopher Herlihy his younger brother, grandmother Emma Lotty, and grandparents Frank and Mary Herlihy.

A posthumous Gold Medal was awarded to Michael Heffernan (40), a volunteer diver who drowned in 1997 while rescuing a family from a sea cave. Mr. Heffernan lost his life while saving a family of 4 whose boat capsized at Belderrig, Co. Mayo, in October 1997. A member of the Grainne Uaile Sub Aqua Club based in Ballina, Co. Mayo, he was the first voluntary rescue diver to die in a rescue operation. Michael Heffernan was survived by his wife Anna Marie and 2 children.

In 1999 Anna Marie Heffernan was presented with the Michael Heffernan Gold Medal by Dr.Michael Woods , Minister for the Marine , at that time. This award had been instituted by the Department of the Marine for awarding to those who display exceptional valour while taking part in an Irish Coast Guard co-ordinated mission.

In October 2000 a life-size bronze statue of Michael Heffernan was unveiled at the tiny Lacken Pier in Co. Mayo.

The medals, in recognition of acts of outstanding bravery, were presented by Dr. Rory O'Hanlon, Ceann Comhairle of Dail Eireann.

Those awarded Silver Medals were –

Geoffrey Taylor	Vidmantas Krinevicius
Hugh Trainor	David Skinner
Demitrios Paraskevakis	Captain William O'Meara
Tony Paget	Peter Farrelly
Brian Connolly	Francis Delaney

Bronze Medals were awarded to –

 

Tom Maher	Jim O'Sullivan
Tony Dunne	Maurice Colbert
Anne Marie Histon	Andrew O'Driscoll
Michael O'Connor	Leslie Ruddock
David McCarthy	P.J. Kavanagh
David Ind	Gerry Campion
Peter Burke	Ruth Doyle
Mark Mullen	Lorcan Dignam
Michael Fitzgerald	Michael Murtagh
Eddie Mackle.

On Sunday 14^th September 2008 Minister for Agriculture Brendan Smyth  unveiled a memorial in Geevagh, Co.Sligo, to 10 local men known as the “ Geevagh Prisoners” who were gaoled in 1908  for taking part in agrarian conflict. The memorial which is opposite Geevagh Church, is close the gates of the former Keogh estate where on 8  January 1908 100 people confronted local postmen Thomas Conlon  as he attempted to deliver registered letters containing eviction notices to tenants  who were engaged in rent strike as they battled  for the right to purchase the land they farmed on.

Subsequently on the on the night of 22^nd January 1908, 200 members of the Royal Irish Constabulary drawn from counties Leitrim, Roscommon and Sligo, descended on the Geevagh valley  and raided the homes of 19 men, all of whom were arrested and taken to Sligo Gaol  with ten being subsequently convicted of  “unlawfully assembly, intimidation of postmen  and preventing the delivery of  His Majesty’s mail”   and were sentenced to six month’s hard labour.

 

Children and grandchildren of the 10 men joined Minister Smith as he unveiled the memorial in their honour. 84-year old Patrick McLoughlin whose father James McLoughlin and a uncle were amongst the 10, laid a wreath at the memorial and said afterwards that he his father did not talk much about what had happened and that he had learned of about what had happened down through the years from other neighbours and was very pleased to see that they were being honoured. Patrick McLoughlin was joined at the ceremony by his 82- year old sister Mae and daughter Joan. Two of Edward McLoughlin’s children, 87-year old Henry McLoughlin and his 94-year old sister Mary  were also present

 

The 10 commemorated   are

 

-        Bernard Brehony

-        John Joe Curreen

-        Michael Fallon

-        Patrick Fallon

-        Thomas Fallon

-        Patrick Keavney

-        Edward McLoughlin

-        James McLoughlin

-        James McManus

-        Thomas Nangle

Captain Victor McDonald who has been awarded the Military Cross for bravery on the battlefield while serving with the Royal West Kent Regiment, is a son of Mr J.S. McDonald, Clerk of Petty Sessions, Clonroche. Captain McDonald recently volunteered for service in the Royal Flying Corps. His brother Lieutenant George McDonald is serving with the South Irish Horse, while another brother Rev. I.W. McDonald is a chaplain with the forces in Salonika. A younger brother is training in England. The family record of unselfish devotion to the cause for which the Allies are battling is certainly one of which Mr & Mrs J.S. McDonald have good reason to feel proud.   SourceFree Press Wexford 1^st September 1917 

The Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Clyde Road, Dublin, was the setting for a June 25^th  presentation ceremony  commemorating  the 60^th anniversary of the outbreak of the Korean War  recognising  the service of Irish veterans  who fought to defend the freedom of the Republic of Korea at  which  Ambassador  Chang Yeob Kim presented  Korean War service medals and  certificates  to Irish veterans and relatives of veterans  who served during the  Korean War. The ceremony marked the culmination of an effort by the Embassy of Korea to honour Irish veterans of the Korean War.            

Those who were presented with the Korean War Service Medal and Certificate included – 

·         Andrew Coleman ­          on behalf of his father John Coleman

·         Elizabeth Farrell ­          on behalf of his father Michael McSherry

·         Deborah Hutchinson ­          on behalf of her father Brendan Hutchinson

·         Michael Keogh Snr ­          on behalf of his brother Daniel Joseph Keogh

·         Bernard Mulhall­          on behalf of his brother Christopher Mulhall

·         Donal O’ Connell ­          on behalf of his uncle Alphonsus O’Connell

·         Aubrey John Bunyan

·         John Joseph Clarke

·         Canon Thomas Robert Jennings

·         Michael Kehoe

·         Michael C. Kelly

·         Thomas William O’Keefe

·         John Oliver Powell

·         Kevin Wood

·         John Hawkins 

Two veterans were in attendance and who will receive their medals in the coming weeks  were  

·         John Taheny 

·         Thomas McKenzie. 

The Korean War Veterans Association issues the Korean War Service Medal and Certificate. The Certificate is co-signed by Mr. Yang Kim, Minister for Patriots and Veterans Affairs, and Mr. Se-Hwan Park, Chairman of the Korean Veterans Association.    This medal was first authorised as the Incident Participation Medal in December 1950 to South Korean troops who had participated in the initial counter-assaults against North Korean aggression in June 1950. In 1954, the South Korean government authorised this medal, now called the Korean War Service Medal, to all U.N. troops  who had fought in the Korean War  between June 25^th 1950 to July 27^th 1953. Up to 1999 members of the U.S. armed forces were precluded from receiving or wearing this decoration until the regulations in force with regard to receiving and wearing foreign decorations were amended to allow the receipt and wearing of this decoration. In 1999  the South Korean government proposed the decoration to be reactivated  and  awarded retroactively awarded  to all Korean  and U.N. veterans  who had served  in the Korean War.  

In April 2001 the Korean War Service Medal was authorised for distribution  and wear  by serving  members of the British Commonwealth forces  including  the New Zealand Defence Force.

 One of the attractions of medal and militaria collecting is the potential many items have for research.  This becomes even more fascinating when every once in a while material emerges that we know very little about.  A case in point are the Bonn na Dála silver medals that have appeared on the market in recent years.  The purpose of this initial article is to generate discussion on this interesting silver medal and by sharing what little knowledge I have on the matter, as a group of   collectors we may be able to gather enough historical evidence so that by analysing what we know, we can attempt to draw some conclusion about what this medal was awarded for. 

Medal Description:-   Set in the contest of the  Celtic revival movement which had grown  out of the increasing Irish nationalism of the nineteenth century, art and jewellery often revived earlier images of  Celtic and Early Christian art. The Bonn na Dála medal is designed in this Irish Renaissance style and is shaped like a Celtic torc of the La Tene period, quite an appropriate design given the political situation at the time. Within the torc are classical La Tene, Celtic interlace motifs which to some degree are set in “panels” reminiscent of styles found on Christian monastic High Cross art.  The interlocking design terminates at the top of the medal creating an attractively designed integral loop and a plain ring suspender. The words “Bonn na Dála” followed by the date “1921” or “1922” is engraved in Gaelic style script in an otherwise vacant rounded panel in the centre of the medal.  

Translations from Irish.  A number of translations have been given for the Gaelic words “Bonn na Dála, such translations into the English language include the “Dáil Award,” and the “Dáil Medal”.  The Irish word “Bonn” can also mean “coin”.  The most appropriate translation however I suggest is similar  in meaning to the way the Meda society of Ireland  use the Gaelic word “Bonn” in its title “Cumann Bonn na hÉireann thus Bonn is closest in translation to the word “medal” hence “Bonn na Dála translates  “The Dáil Medal” or in a more literal translation “The Medal of the Dáil”    

Known recipients of the Medal:-  An Irish army Captain named Michael Ryan received a Bon na Dála medal - 1921 issue.   Ryan (a young creamery clerk) as a Volunteer had service with the Mid Limerick Brigade Irish Volunteers from 1917 and served as a Lieutenant in the Free State army from its establishment, retiring as an Engineer Corps Captain in 1946.  A second attributable medal is engraved on reverse “Séan MacGabhainn”  This is a 1922 dated medal (author’s collection).  To date I have found very little on any Séan MacGabhainn but I can say with certainty that there was no serving T.D. in Dail Eireann at that time, with that name. A third unnamed Bonn na Dála medal  was sold at auction in Dublin in April 2006 along with a silver medal/fob inscribed “AF to M. O’Dowda”   Given their association from the same source it is possible that this 1921 Bonn na Dála medal was the property of  M. O’Dowda.  O’ Dowda was a Post Office Telephone Engineer. 

Details of Manufacture:- The 1921 Dáil Medal carries Dublin silver hallmarks for 1921 and has the makers mark of renowned Irish Silversmith Edmond Johnson.  In 1921 Johnson Jewellers had shops at 94–95 Grafton Street and 44–45 Wicklow Street Dublin.  

Number of surviving medals known:-  I am aware of  six such medals in total to date. Four 1921 issue i.e. Captain Ryan’s medal and three others sold over the past few years in Dublin auction houses. Two medals were sold on eBay, MacGabhainn’s and another 1922 type. Over the past couple of years I heard of Bonn na Dála medals being offered for sale privately.  It may be that some/all of these were the same ones that found their way to Dublin Auctions and on-line auctions in recent times. Given the small numbers known, this is definitely a very scarce medal.  The whereabouts of other similar medals would add considerably to making a more informed assessment of quantities awarded.  To establish a list of known recipients of these medals is however vital in helping establish the reason for the award in the first instance.  

Conclusion to date:-

• We can state with certainty that the medal was issued in 1921 and also in 1922.  As no earlier or later dated examples are known, it appears likely that it was only issued twice.  No undated examples are known.

 

• Given the date range 1921 to 1922, the medals could have been awarded at some stage during the lifetime of the First, Second and/or Third Dáil.

 

• The medal was given to military personnel in at least one case: Captain Ryan.  It may also have been a civilian award but more data about known recipients is required before drawing any conclusions from this. There are some unsubstantiated suggestions that O’ Dowda the Post Office Telephone Engineer was associated with Michael Collins but  research needs to be done in this respect.

 

• The belief that these medals were issued to elected members of the First Dáil (21^st. January 1919 - 10^th May 1921), Second Dáil (16^th. August1921 - 8^th. June 1922) or even the Third Dáil (16^th. June 1922 - 9^th August 1923) are inaccurate as neither Captain Ryan, O’Dowda nor Sean MacGabhainn were members of the Dáil at the time.

 Trawling through the Dáil Debates for 1921 & 1922 on line have yielded no useful information and I could find no specific mention of any Dáil medal or award.  I look forward to hearing from any member of the Medal Society who may have any further information on this interesting topic. 

Private James Brambley, Royal Irish Regiment

As a collector of First World War medals I am guilty of assumption. That is to say that when I look at a pair or a trio to a particular regiment or with a particular name, I will make a guess at the history of the recipient. When I see a 1914 star to the Royal Irish Regiment, I ask myself - was he a casualty? - maybe he was taken prisoner after the battle of Le Pilly. A 1914/15 Star to the Munster’s or Dublin’s may be a “River Clyde Man”. Then my assumption is either proved right (or wrong) by the MIC card or service papers if they are available. Unfortunately as is often the case information on the recipient is just not available and so the group will just remain un-researched – but I have always felt one should never give up as new information is always being made public and so, what may not be here today may become available tomorrow.

Many years ago (in 1994) I bought a British war medal and victory medal pair to 3983 Private James Brambley Royal Irish Regiment. At the time the only information available specific to Brambley was a very non descript and boring medal index card which just confirmed his entitlement to the pair and also listed his later service in the Royal Engineers. When years later I searched for his service papers I drew a blank. And so I began to make “assumptions”. I assumed that James Brambley joined up post 1916 (as no qualifying date on MIC) and because of what appeared to be English name I assumed that maybe he was possibly a conscript pushed into the ranks of an Irish unit, to fill the gaps made by dwindling Irish recruitment. And so I felt I knew a little of who this James Brambley was – that is until it started to snow this year.

One positive outcome of being snowed in on the side of a hillside is time. Normally I would not have the time to reinvestigate “research dead-ends” but as I had time on my hands I began to reinvestigate groups that previously did not seem to have service papers available. When I tried with Brambley – initially I had no luck when I searched via his regiment or his regimental number. In the end I just pulled up all soldiers with the name Brambley and began investigating them one at a time. I eventually found a distinctly “crispy” service record which was totally charred and burned. It did have the name Brambley but most of the other details were obliterated. Luckily most of the other papers were intact and it confirmed that this Brambley was my man from later pages which has his regimental number on them. And it seems he was an interesting character to boot.

He was not English – He was from New Ross and enlisted in Waterford! In fact he was a pre-war reservist. He joined in 1909 the 4^th Special Reserve Battalion Royal Irish Regiment. Shortly after his recruits course Brambley undertook a Musketry course. On paper he would appear to have been a good reservist, attending annual camp faithfully every year. He was never on a charge or seemed to have caused his NCOs and officers any grief. That is until he was mobilised in August 1914. He was posted to the 2^nd Battalion Royal Irish Regiment on October 7^th. He would have been sent to reinforce the battalion after it suffered losses at Caudry and the opening battles of Mons. This battalion was to be decimated in the following weeks but it was finally wiped out at a tiny hamlet called Le Pilly. In fact roll call on October 20^th listed 30 officers and 884 men on the strength- on October 21^st, 1 officer and 135 men answered the call. This included our private Brambley who somehow managed to survive. Maybe his survival had something to do with a change in Brambleys character as 10 days later he was awarded 14 days field punishment (number two) by the commanding officer. Soon after this on December 3^rd Brambley received 28 days field punishment (number one). Unfortunately we do not have his conduct sheet so we cannot say for sure what his offence was (generally for this kind of sentence it would suggest drunkenness and or insubordination). Surely such a brutal and bloody introduction to the war must have a left a mark on this young man hence the apparent change in his personality. There is a letter dated November 2^nd from his new wife in Irishtown New Ross to the war office requesting any information they had about her husband as she had not heard from him since he had gone to the war. It must have been a horrific time for his young wife to see the filter of telegrams arriving at neighbour’s doors telling them of their sons and fathers being posted killed, wounded or taken prisoner. The War office replied to her a few days later informing her that he was still alive and serving with the BEF. For the next few months the Battalion was being rebuilt and brought back to strength. When it took the line again in March 1915 the war had become stagnant as the armies took a gasp for breath and dug in. Private Brambley ironically would have been numbered as one of the veterans of the battalion having been one of the few to have survived Mons. In May The Royal Irish held a position along Bellewarde ridge (Shell Trap Farm). The battalion had undergone a gas attack earlier in the month and stood their ground with little loss. On May 24^th the Battalion endured another gas attack. This time however casualties were much more severe including 18 officers and 370 other ranks. Again Private Brambley walked away from this action without a scratch. Over the next few weeks and months the battalion was again slowly built back up to strength. It took its place in the rotation of front line trenches then reserve trenches then rear areas. This service was interrupted intermittently by artillery fire, sniping and trench raids. Private Brambley again received another 10 Days field punishment (number one) on November 11^th. After this on December 7^th Private Brambley was wounded in action. It is ironic to think that after surviving 12 months in France and personally witnessing the destruction of his own battalion on two separate occasions he is eventually wounded in the line during the day to day normal “wastage” of trench warfare. There is not even a mention of any specific activity in the regimental history on the day concerned!

This wound seemed to focus Private Brambley as his records are clear until February 20^th 1917 when he is listed as deserting! Interestingly his papers suggest he was given 1 months leave from January 17^th and it seems he overstayed his leave by a month. It is easy for us to pass judgement on a man from a comfortable chair, 90 years on but I think we should put things in perspective. After he was wounded, and returned to the battalion he would have been with them on the Somme where his battalion famously took part in the attack and capture of the fortified villages of Guillemont and Ginchy. After these attacks (which were very costly - 230 men of the 2^nd Royal Irish alone). The battalion had to be rebuilt again – In addition to this general reconstruction- battalion structures were also reorganised for the new types of warfare being developed. By February 1917 the battalion began training for another assault – this was to be the famous attack on the village of Wytschaete on the Messinnes ridge. I can understand why Brambley may have had enough and decided discretion was the greater part of valour in this instance. I would speculate after visiting his young wife and child at home the idea of returning to the horror of France and Belgium was too much. I believe this view is confirmed by some very sad documentation accompanying his file. That is the death certificate for his 3 month old son who sadly died on November 26^th 1917. This childs conception would place Private Brambley back in Irish town New Ross about January or February 1917. He was on the run for exactly one month but his papers state “He rejoined” the battalion after desertion which suggests he voluntarily came back (as opposed to normal “Returned to battalion” which I have seen in other papers. He was placed under arrest and on April 5^th and sentenced to 2 months field punishment (No 1). Ironically this punishment would have kept Brambley in service with the battalion and he would have been with them at Messines on the attack on June 7^th. I would speculate that he would have been one of the most experienced men of the battalion at this point and maybe this was why he did not receive a more severe punishment (such as penal servitude and imprisonment). Again Brambley survived this attack and walked away apparently without a scratch. But by August 1917 the battalion were in the line to the right of the infamous Langemarck. The regimental history states that from the 3^rd to the 16^th the battalion lost just under 80 men due to very heavy artillery fire and enemy aircraft strafing the line. Our private Brambley is listed as suffering a gunshot wound to his right leg (GSW right leg) on August 5^th. This was most possibly caused by the German aircraft which caused several casualties (as opposed to being listed as having shrapnel wounds). The wound was severe enough for private Brambley to be hospitalised. He travelled to hospital in Liverpool (arriving August 11^th ) via Etaples General hospital. By this stage his young son John had been born and I am sure that when granted eight days recuperation leave on November 15^th he would have travelled home to his wife and sons. On November 24^th he returned to the Regimental Depot (in Clonmel) and it would have been here that he probably received the terrible news that his newborn son passed away just two days after he said goodbye to him.

Private Brambley remained attached to the depot until he was posted to the 3rd battalion on March 4^th 1918. Shortly afterwards he transferred to the Royal Engineers (March 19^th). He was downgraded as Class 2 Troops – This would have been as a result of his wound. In fact he would mainly have been used as a labourer (road troops) until the end of the war and his demobilisation. In February 1919 Pioneer James Brambley underwent his final field general court martial (for Drunkenness and Insubordination) where he was sentenced to 28 days field punishment number two.

On April 12^th 1919, James Brambley was discharged from the army at London. He gave his intended residence as being Irishtown, New Ross. Although his papers state he qualified for a 1914 Star, he never received one – Maybe someone later felt that he was not entitled to one as he spent so much of his early war on a charge enduring field punishment. That is despite the fact that he was one of the first soldiers to go overseas, he witnessed and survived some of the bloodiest battles in history and was in fact wounded twice.

For all his suffering and hardships he only ever received two medals. The same two medals I bought in 1994 and assumed were just an ordinary pair to an English conscript forced to join an Irish regiment.

How wrong I was!

 

The army rose out of the great strike of the Irish Transport and General Workers Union in 1913, known as the Lockout of 1913. The dispute was over the recognition of this labour union founded by James Larkin. It began when William Martin Murphy, an industrialist, locked out some trade unionists on August 19, 1913. In response, Larkin called an all-out strike on Murphy's Dublin United Tramway Company. Other companies, encouraged by Murphy, sacked ITGWU members in an effort to break the union. The conflict eventually escalated to involve 400 employers and 25,000 workers. This strike caused most of Dublin to come to an economic standstill and was marked by vicious rioting between the strikers and the Dublin Metropolitan Police, particularly at a rally on O'Connell street on August 31, in which two men were beaten to death and about 500 more injured. Another striker was later shot dead by a strike-breaker. The violence at union rallies during the strike prompted Larkin to call for a worker's militia to be formed to protect themselves against the police. The Citizen army for the duration of the lockout was armed with hurling sticks and bats in order to protect worker's demonstration from the police. Jack White, a former British Army Captain, volunteered to train this army and offered 50 pounds towards the cost of shoes to workers so they could train. In addition to its role as a self-defence organisation, the army, which was drilled in Croydon Park in Fairview by White, provided a diversion for workers unemployed and idle during the dispute. After a six-month standoff, the workers returned to work hungry and defeated in January 1914. The original purpose of the ICA was over, but it would soon be totally transformed.

The Irish Citizen Army was totally reorganised in 1914. In March of that year, a demonstration of the Citizen Army was attacked by the police and Jack White, its commander, was arrested. Sean O'Casey then suggested that the ICA needed a more formal organisation. O'Casey wrote a constitution stating the Army's principles as follows: the ownership of Ireland, moral and material, is vested of right in the people of Ireland and to "sink all difference of birth property and creed under the common name of Irish people".

On Larkin's insistence, all members were also required to be members of a trade union, if eligible. In mid 1914, James Larkin left Ireland for America in October 1914, leaving the Citizen Army under the command of James Connolly. Whereas during the Lockout, the ICA had been a workers' self-defence militia, Connolly conceived of it as a revolutionary organisation - dedicated to the creation of an Irish socialist republic "The Workers Republic". He had served in the British army in his youth and knew something about military tactics and discipline. Other active members in the early days included Countess Markievicz, Sean O'Casey, , Francis Sheehy-Skeffington. Sheehy-Skeffington and O'Casey left the ICA when it became apparent that Connolly was moving towards the radical nationalist group, the Irish Republican Brotherhood.

 

James Connolly was a convinced Marxist socialist and Irish Republican and believed that achieving political change through physical force, in the tradition of the Fenians, was legitimate. Lenin would later describe the Citizen Army as being the first red army in Europe. This organisation was one of the first to offer equal membership to both men and women and trained them both in the use of weapons. The army's headquarters was the ITGWU union building, Liberty Hall and they were almost entirely Dublin based. However, Connolly also set up branches in Tralee and Killarney in county Kerry. In October 1915, armed ICA pickets patrolled a strike by Dockers at Dublin port. Attempts were made to set up Branches of the ICA in Limerick but were not successful. (However in the Years 1919 and 1920 the remnants of The Citizen Army did organise small groups in Waterford, Cork and Monaghan)

Appalled by the participation of Irishmen in the First World War, which he regarded as an imperialist, capitalist conflict, Connolly began openly calling for insurrection in his newspaper, the Irish Worker. When this was banned, he opened another, the Worker's Republic. The British authorities tolerated the open drilling and bearing of arms by the ICA, thinking that to clamp down on the organisation would provoke further unrest. A small group of Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB) conspirators within the Irish Volunteers movement were also planning a rising. Worried that Connolly would embark on premature military action with the ICA, Connolly was approached and inducted into the IRB's Supreme Council to co-ordinate their preparations for the armed rebellion known as the Easter Rising.
The ICA never numbered more than 250 to 300 men and women nationwide. On Monday April 24, 1916, 220 of them (including 28 women) took part in the Easter Rising, alongside a much larger body of the Irish Volunteers. They helped occupy the General Post Office on O'Connell Street (then Sackville Street), Dublin's main thoroughfare. Mallin, Connolly's second in command, along with Markievizc and an ICA company, occupied St Stephen's Green. Another company under Sean Connolly took over City Hall and attacked Dublin Castle. Finally, a detachment occupied Harcourt Street railway station. ICA men were the first rebel casualties of Easter Week, two of them being killed in an abortive attack on Dublin Castle. Sean Connolly, an ICA officer, was the first rebel fatality. A total of eleven Citizen Army men were killed in action in the rising, five in the City Hall/Dublin castle area, five in Stephen's Green and one in the GPO.

Connolly was made commander of the rebel forces in Dublin during the Rising and issued orders to surrender after a week. He and Mallin were executed by British army firing squad some weeks later. The surviving ICA members were interned in Frongoch in Wales until 1919.
Many of them later joined the new Irish Republican Army (IRA) from 1917 on, but the Citizen Army remained in existence until the 1930s. According to some reports ICA units were involved in various IRA operations during the Irish War of Independence. However the ICA always maintained its Independence never fully coming under IRA control for example ICA members stationed at Liberty Hall were not informed about or asked to take part in the burning of the Customs House in May 1921 and were forced to watch the ensuing drama from the steps and windows of Liberty Hall directly across the road. During the fighting in Dublin that began the Irish Civil War in June 1922, some elements of the ICA (which by this time had about 140 members) were involved in the Anti-Treaty IRA occupation and defence of the Four Courts while others occupied Liberty Hall, the Trade Union headquarters

In the 1920s and 1930s, the ICA was kept alive by veterans such as Seamus MacGowan, Dick McCormick and Frank Purcell, though perhaps only as an old comrades association by veterans of 1916.
Uniformed Citizen Army men provided a guard of honour at Constance Markievicz's funeral in 1927.

In 1934, Peadar O'Donnell and other left wing republicans left the IRA and founded the Republican Congress. For a brief time, they revived the ICA as a paramilitary force, intended to be an armed wing for their new movement. According to Brian Hanley's history of the IRA, the revived Citizen Army had 300 or so members around the country in 1935. However, the Congress itself split in 1935 and collapsed shortly afterwards. Most of the ICA members joined the Irish Labour Party. The ICA's last public appearance was to accompany the funeral procession of union leader James Larkin in Dublin in 1947.

 

Uniform of The Irish Citizen Army

 

Taken from R.M. Fox’s Book - The Irish Citizen Army Page 68 "Until the uniforms came (in 1914), the rank and file wore Irish linen armlets of a light blue colour with the letters ICA on them, while the officers wore bands of crimson. When a consignment of belts, haversacks and bayonets arrived the men were soon busy cleaning, polishing and oiling with enthusiasm. Big slough hats completed the turn out. ... When the uniforms came the enthusiasm was greater than ever. They were of a darker green than those worn by the Irish Volunteers, and it became the custom among the Transport Union members to fasten up one side of the big slouch hats with the red hand badge of the Union."

 

The men’s uniform was of a good quality serge coloured a very dark green - almost exactly the same colour as the R.I.C. bottle green. The uniform had a high collar and had two brest pockets and two large box pockets. The buttons used were the "football" type compressed leather buttons in both dark and light brown. (These buttons were also standard issue on Cumann Na M-Bann uniforms and were used on Irish Volunteer and later IRA uniforms becoming more common post 1916 as the official brass "IV" buttons became harder to get. There’s an illustration below - I’m also reproducing them if anyone needs any) The slouch hat was of the same very dark green colour. It was similar in style to the hats worn by the ANZAC's in the British Forces and the Boer "Cronje" hat. The Cap badge of the Irish Citizens army was the Irish Transport And General Workers Union badge for 1913 The red hand of Ulster which sometimes had the letters ITGWU on it in raised detail. Ordinary ranks sometimes wore a shoulder title in block letters reading ICA.

The ICA belt was of the same pattern as the RIC belt with the Brass “Snake S” Bely Buckle. Those carrying rifles wore black bandoliers and all members carried a white linen ammunition and kit bag. The trousers were the same dark green colour and material, but apart from one picture of Markievicz wearing Puttees I have never seen a photo of any other member of the ICA wearing puttees or leather leggings.

 

The women’s uniform was of a similar dark green colour but was of a much coarser heavy tweed material. It had an open V - neck style collar. The following is a reference to it from Helena Maloney’s Bureau of Military History statement. Countess Markievicz was the most photographed female member of the ICA however she is usually pictured wearing a mans uniform - as explained below. Which gave the idea that ICA men and women both wore the same uniform.

Helena Maloney – “In his book Sean O Faoilain attributed vanity to Madame Markievicz as the motive of her nationalist and military activities, and stressed her fondness for uniforms. The truth was she had never bought a uniform - like many other members of the Citizen army except a Boy Scouts shirt which then cost 3/6 d, and a boy scouts hat. Her Citizen Army dress up to the week before the Rising consisted of a plain tweed costume with a Sam Browne belt and black turned up hat, similar to the men's with a small bunch of cocks feathers. She went out to the rebellion in the uniform coat of Michael Mallin, who had got a new uniform. And he was so slim his coat fitted her perfectly.”

Women wore the same bandoliers and white kit bags as the men but sometimes wore Sam Browne belts rather than the "Snake S" buckle belts. Most women wore a skirt in the same colour but some such as Markievicz wore trousers underneath of just simply trousers. (Note women wearing trousers in 1910;s Ireland was exceptionally unusual and broke entirely with accepted ideas of dress style and morality.

 

Officers Uniform

ICA officers essentially wore the same uniforms as the ordinary member. Except that instead of the Block letter ICA shoulder title they wore a scrolled of italic pair of badges with the letters ICA on their collars as illustrated on the picture of Markievicz below. The full photograph (Not Illustrated) of Markievicz wearing Mallin’s old uniform shows that it had raised patches in a similar shape to I.V and British army officers uniforms but there were not outlined with lace like the I.V. and British uniforms. The ICA later adopted diamond shaped brass rank markings worn in pairs on the epaulettes. A post 1917 ICA uniform on display on the Ulster Somme Heritage centre Newton Ards has used Irish Volunteer brass "Trefoil" rank markings on the epaulettes in substitution for the official diamond shaped rank markings which were presumable not available. James Connolly had a uniform made for himself just before the Easter Rising and it is described in Ina Connolly Herons book "Portrait of a Rebel Father"

 

Citizen Army Boy Scouts

As well as founding Na Fianna Eireann countess Markievicz also ran the ICA Boy Scouts Their uniform was similar to the Fianna except that they had red facings and wore blue neckerchiefs or scarves. The Irish National Guard a small breakaway group from the Fianna again with a slightly different uniform were also closely allied to the ICA Boy Scouts. Clan Na Gael Girl Scouts were founded after some branches of Na Fianna Eireann - "The Irish National Boy Scouts" refused to admit girls as members they also worked closely with the ICA. Below is a reference to the ICA Boy Scouts and their Uniform in Cork in 1920 from James Alan Busby's Bureau of Military History Statement No 1628

"Late in 1918 or perhaps early in 1919, a Fianna representative from Dublin came to Cork and created a split in our ranks. A rival group known as the Citizen Army Boy Scouts was started in Cork. At the same time we had a girls contingent attached to the Fianna known as the Clan Na Gael Girl Guides. The Misses Wallace of St. Augustine Street Cork, were amongst the leaders of the latter group. There was no difference in policy between the Fianna and the Citizen Army scouts. There was however a small distinction in the uniform, we wore a saffron scarf while they wore a blue scarf. They had as far as I remember about forty boys at most in the organisation, but to the best of my belief it petered out about 1920."

 

Weapons and Armament.

Like the Irish Volunteers the ICA used a motley variety of weapons and were glad of anything they could get their hands on. Many of their cartridges and bombs/grenades were manufactured by members of the ICA in the basement of Liberty Hall. In comparison to the Irish Volunteers the ICA being a small force were far better uniformed arm armed. Photos {see below) of the army in training at Croydon Park Dublin show up to 70 men all armed with rifles. The most common rifle used was a German bolt action Mauser. Contrary to many reports the ICA did not take part in the Howth Gunrunning of 1914 but some ICA members managed to steal “Howth Mausers” hidden by the Volunteers when they were confronted by the Kings Own Scottish Borders and RIC on their way back into the city that evening. Members of the ITGWU worked on the docks in Dublin and were later able to smuggle in quantities of Mauser rifles for the ICA before 1916. Lee Enfield rifles were initially scarce in the ICA up to 1916 but in the War of Independence they managed to find a source in a sympathetic British soldier who managed to smuggle out Lee Enfield’s from Portobello Barracks. Officers most commonly carried C96 Broom Handle Mauser pistols and Countess Markievicz is also photographs with a Webley and Scot Long barrelled .45 revolver, though she used a Mauser pistol in the rising itself. Officers would have used a variety of revolvers including colts and automatic pistols such as luger 9mm parabellums smuggled in from Germany.

 

Unlike Cumann Na m-Bann whose duties were usually restricted to more traditional sexist roles of cooking, first aid and despatch carrying the women of the ICA carried weapons and were of equal rank with the men. Margret Skinnider an ICA member from Scotland and Countess Markievicz both fought in the front line with rifle and revolver.

 

Flags

the Citizen Army carried a "Plough And The Stars" or "Starry Plough" flag It was a blue-green field with an image of a plough in yellow, with a sword as a ploughshare that had the big dipper/ ursa major constellation of seven eight pointed silver stars imposed on it. The plainer starry plough of a plain blue field with seven five pointed stars still used by the Irish left was not used by the ICA until it was reformed by the Republican Congress in the 1930's

The original Starry Plough was flown from the imperial hotel in O Connell St. during the Rising. On St. Patricks day 1916 the ICA hoisted a plain green flag with a golden or yellow harp over liberty hall. The remnants of this are on display in Collins Barracks. A scroll was also unveiled across the front of Liberty Hall in 1914 after the outbreak of WW1 which read “We serve neither King nor Kaiser but Ireland!”

 

Final Note

Unlike the Irish Volunteers who were mostly Catholic (with notable exceptions Bulmer Hobson etc...) a fairly large section of the ICA was of minority religions. Markievicz was Protestant as were Jack White and Dr. Kathleen Lynne. Jack White later declared himself an Atheist and embraced Anarchism during the Spanish Civil war. The first casualty of the 1916 rising was Abraham Weeks, attached to the G.P.O. Garrison (See Manus O Riordan - James Connolly, Liberty Hall and the 1916 Rising) Weeks was an English Jew and member of the International Workers of the World Union who came to Dublin from London in 1916 to avoid conscription to the British Army and to join the ICA.

 

This article intends to give some clarity to the evolution of the helmets worn by the Gardaí since the formation of the Irish state in 1922 and continuing until the 1950’s. Only a few   variations in helmet were in use, all blue cloth types.  The types included both Day and Night helmets.

The first Garda helmet was a four panelled blue cloth, cork helmet, identical in style to the home service other ranks pattern helmet worn by enlisted ranks in the British army. In collector terminology such helmets are generally referred to as the four panel, ball top Garda helmet. These same four panelled helmets were worn by the Dublin Metropolitan Police (D.M.P.) during the post 1916 Rebellion era.  In effect such D.M.P. helmets were only re-badged in 1922. In Dublin at this stage in Irish history, the D.M.P. helmet plate badge was replaced by the Póiliní Átha Cliath helmet plate.  In the decade before and after Irish Independence the four panelled style of helmet remained exactly the same, simply the badge was switched.

By 1925, the Póiliní Átha Cliath came under the jurisdiction of An Garda Siochána and once again badges were removed and the 7x7cms Garda helmet plate now replaced the Póiliní helmet plate.  At this stage the four panelled blue cloth ball top helmet continued in use. 

I suggest that by the mid 1920’s any existing D.M.P helmets still in stock in the Garda Depot had been exhausted and new four panel helmets were supplied by John Ireland of Ellis’s Quay Dublin.  Only two suppliers of four panel helmets are known Hobson and Sons of London and John Ireland of Ellis’s Quay Dublin.  Small square paper labels with the name and address of Hobson and Ireland are to be found on the inside of most four panel Garda ball top helmets.

The next major change came in the 1940’s with the introduction of the Garda six panel blue cloth helmets.  These helmets had a green internal liner and were very similar to the Bobby style helmets in the U.K.  Once again, the same Garda helmet plate was used i.e. 7cms X 7cms.  It must be noted however that at a later stage the commonly referred to Garda “motorcycle helmet plate” was also worn on the six panel Garda rose top helmet.  While many collectors claim that this was never the case, there is photographic evidence proving that motor cycle helmets were worn on six panel helmets.

Six panel helmets had a rose top.  Such helmets never had a ball top!  However it must be noted that many examples of six panel helmets are in existence with ball top fixings.  While the fittings and helmets are all original D.M.P./Garda items, these helmets are composite pieces and were never officially worn by the Gardaí.   The composite six panel Garda ball top helmets came onto the market in the twentieth century when the theatrical suppliers began to sell some of their stock.  These helmets though original,  had been adapted for film and stage.  You may notice that many of these composite helmets have the remains of silver paint on the front leather peak. Without doubt these helmets were designed to replicate D.M.P helmets for drama/theatrical purposes. 

The Garda Night Helmet. 

The use of Day and Night helmets in the history of Irish policing have their origins in pre Independence policing forces, namely the Royal  Irish Constabulary and the Dublin Metropolitan Police.  During the short lived era of the Póiliní Átha Cliath (1922 -1925) these Dublin Policemen had a darkened brass helmet plate identical in design to the Day plate on the Póiliní helmet illustrated at the start of this article – except of course the night plate was darkened brass.  The basic difference between Day and Night helmet plates is one of colour.  The die struck Garda night helmet is identical to the Day helmet and most likely stamped from the same dies. The only difference is while the Day helmet was struck from white metal the night helmet is designed from blackened brass.       

The shape of the night helmet remained basically the same with the same design continuing from the late Victorian era right through to the 1950’s.  For want of a better description, collectors have affectionately referred to the Garda night helmet as resembling “something from the Key Stone cops”. These helmets were four panelled with cork covered blue cloth.

The Night helmet interior, had a creamy canvas lining on the skull, green lining on the brim and finished with a stitched black leather trim to rim . The interior of this Garda Night helmet has a supplier’s paper label “Hobson & Sons (London) Ltd.” 

Similar to the Night helmet illustrated above, air was allowed to circulate via a small round vent on the top of the helmet.  Garda night helmets never carried additional furniture such as ball tops, shamrock bosses or metal chains.  All Garda night helmets had a simple leather chinstrap.

Visit to Martello Tower No. 7 at Killiney

 

On 3 May a group from the Society visited the restored Martello Tower (No. 7) in Killiney. The owner, Mr. Niall O’Donoghue conducted the group on a tour of the grounds of the property before we viewed the interior and concluded with a panoramic view of Killiney Bay from the top of the tower. He has devoted many years to the restoration of the tower and its surroundings, with the cost of the project to date amounting to over two million euro.

Dublin originally had 28 Martello towers which were constructed in the years 1804-5 to defend the coast against a possible French invasion. Twelve were located north of the river Liffey (none of these had an artillery battery attached) and sixteen south of the river (eight of these had batteries). Only nine of these sixteen towers remain.

The towers stand up to 12 metres (40 feet) high (with two floors) and typically had a garrison of one officer and 15-25 men. Their round structure and thick walls of solid masonry made them resistant to cannon fire, while their height made them an ideal platform for a single heavy artillery piece, mounted on the flat roof and able to traverse a 360° arc.

The idea of the towers is that their rounded angled shape helps them to deflect shot rather than taking the impact full on. When present, a protective glacis, or grassed ramp, in front of a tower deflects incoming cannon shots and provides a clear field of fire for muskets. Martello towers were sited roughly 600 yards apart and each mounted a long-range 24 pounder cannon, with a range of about 1,000 yards.

The interior of a Martello tower was divided into three stories. The ground floor served as the magazine and storeroom for ammunition and provisions. The garrison lived in a casemate on the first floor, which was divided into several rooms and had fireplaces built into the walls for cooking and heating. The roof or terreplein was surmounted with one or two cannon.

This tower and its battery are located on Tara Hill on Killiney Hill Road, a kilometre from the sea. The hillside defensive position was built with a rectangular three gun walled battery area, and features a steep glacis, a dry moat and a small caponier (a casemated work in a ditch, with musketry loops, for low level flank defence.) Three sizes of towers were constructed in Ireland and this tower is one of the small sizes, without the central pillar of the larger structures. The tower is an enfilading fortification. It is a free-standing, compact, squat, circular, two-storey structure built over a vaulted cellar with a parapet-protected roof with a fixture for a large traversing cannon. The tower stands 10 metres high, with bomb-proof walls, over 3 metres thick in places. The construction material is Ashlar cut granite stone, with pitch pine flooring and joists. There was no well on the site so rainwater was collected from the crown of the tower and stored internally in a 490 gallon tank.

Niall O’Donoghue began the tour at the main gate and led the group around the external buildings and features of the site. He explained that that he bought the site from the local council which has used it as a depot and rubbish dump. All the structures on the site were derelict or in poor condition. Restoration of the site took place in the period 2004-2008. One of the first tasks involved the removal of 230 lorry loads of rubbish and waste from the site. We then inspected the restored coach house and the rebuilt gunner’s cottage. The gunpowder store awaits reconstruction. The steep glacis protects the walled battery area with firing points for three cannon. A dry moat defends the caponier. We entered the tower here and explored the exhibition area, with pictures and fortification diagrams of the towers from Bray to Sandymount. Artefacts from this tower are also on display here.

We ascended to the first-floor which contains the garrison’s two-room living quarters, with fireplaces, for the officer and his men. The fortified entrance door is on this floor also. It is 3 metres from the ground and access was by a wooden ladder, which could be withdrawn into the tower in an emergency. The door is further protected by the machicolation supported by three corbels.

A granite spiral stairway leads to the second floor where the soldiers slept. It also contains a murder-hole to defend the entrance doorway from enemy attackers. The hole also serves as a shaft which allows the heavy cannon to be hoisted by block and tackle to the second floor and then through a second shaft at the machicolation to the crown of the tower.

Ascending the next spiral stairway we reached the crown of the tower and obtained a magnificent view out over Killiney Bay. Here too we saw the centrepiece of the defences, a replica King George III 18 pounder Blomefield cannon on its timber traversing carriage with the block and tackle attached. This replica was specially cast in the UK and is proofed and fully working. It had its inaugural firing at a ceremony on 12 July 2008.

Further work remains to be done. The restored battery area needs to have to have the outer gun-rails restored and to have three traversing timber carriages and three non-firing replica 24 pounder cannon installed. The coach house and caponier still require some work while the gunpowder store needs restoration.

The event concluded with refreshments and videos of the restoration work completed to date. Overall we were given a fascinating insight into a remarkable defence fortification and expressed gratitude to Mr. O’Donoghue for his kind invitation to view the structure.

Loss of two Transport Ships Commemorated

On Monday 19 November 2007, Councillor Denis O’Callaghan, An Leader of Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council unveiled a plaque at the Seapoint Martello Tower to commemorate the 400 people who lost their lives when the Prince of Wales and Rochdale ran around in Dublin Bay on that date in 1807.

On the afternoon of Wednesday 18^th November 1807 the transport ship Prince of Wales bound for Liverpool, with soldiers on board, departed from Dublin and suddenly encountered a violent gale with driving snow in Dublin Bay. It weathered the storm throughout the night in Dublin Bay and the following day was seen to be trying to return to Dublin. The extremely bad weather drove this ship onto the rocks at Blackrock, Co, Dublin, just north of Dun Laoghaire. The captain launched the ship’s long boat and headed for the shore with only 17 people on board. The remaining passengers, roughly 120 British soldiers , remained on board and perished with the majority of them being interred in the Merrion Cemetery on Merrion Road.

The Rochdale, with 265 passengers, many militia men bound for foreign service, and crew, had left Dublin the same day as the Prince of Wales and encountered the same storm and on the Thursday was also driven onto the rocks at Blackrock not far from the earlier tragedy. Militia men discharged their muskets in an effort to try and attract rescuers on shore to no avail and all were lost as weather conditions made rescue impossible. Some of the casualties were buried in Merrion cemetery and in Carrickbrennan Cemetery in Monktown.

Following the plaque unveiling ceremony and a short talk on this disaster by maritime historian Dr. Edward Bourke, Councillor O’Callaghan cast a wreath into the sea. The commemoration event was organised by Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council. Also present were representatives of the Dun Laoghaire Harbour Company as this tragedy was responsible for the construction of Dun Laoghaire harbour as an asylum harbour, and Anthony Jordan from Ballyhaunis, Co. Mayo , a distant relative of one of the victims.

2 days later, Dr. Edward Burke closed the Autumn programme of The Old Dublin Society in the Dublin City Library and Archive, 138-144 Pearse Street, Dublin 2, with his lecture “The Sinking of the Rochdale and The Prince of Wales”. Medal Society of Ireland readers will be able to purchase reprints of this lecture at a nominal cost when published in the Dublin Historical Record during 2008.

Charles Howard-Bury D.S.O
Explorer and War Hero

In 1921 the first reconnaissance of Mount Everest was made by a team of mountaineers and surveyors. The leader of the reconnaissance mission was an Anglo-Irish Army officer from Co Westmeath called Charles Howard-Bury. He was one of the most remarkable figures in the history of early 20th century exploration. During his long and varied careers as a soldier, intelligence officer, explorer, politician, landowner and charity worker, he worked and lived on three continents, was decorated for bravery, spoke 27 languages and travelled through areas which had yet to be mapped or surveyed. For this work he would receive the Founders' Medal of the Royal Geographical Society and the Gold Medal of the French Geographical Society.

Charles Howard-Bury was born in London in August 1883. His father, Kenneth Howard, was an Army officer of aristocratic origin. He was the grandson of the 16th Duke of Suffolk and a descendent of Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk and a major figure at the Tudor Court of Henry VIII. Howard-Bury's mother was Lady Emily Bury, daughter of the 3rd Earl of Charleville, of Tullamore, Offaly. When Howard-Bury was only two his father died. His cousin, Lord Lansdowne became his guardian. Educated at Eton College, where he excelled at languages, history and sport, Howard-Bury chose a military career. He graduated from Sandhurst Military Academy in 1904 and joined the Kings' Royal Rifles Regiment. Posted to India, he found plenty of time to indulge his passions for hunting, travelling and exploration. He travelled extensively across the sub-continent. He also visited China, Vietnam and Sri Lanka. In 1906 he was able to travel through the Pamir Mountains in modern day Tajikistan (then part of the Russian Empire). The religions and cultures of Asia fascinated him and he loved to photograph Hindu, Buddhist and Muslim holy places. He even made a pilgrimage along the sacred river Ganges. On one occasion he became a local hero when he shot a man-eating tiger who had been carrying off holy men in the city of Amarkantack. His gift for languages and love of travel led to his superiors noting him down as "a splendid candidate for diplomatic or intelligence work ".

In 1912, Howard-Bury inherited Belvedere House on the shores of Lough Ennell, Co Westmeath from his cousin Charles Brinsley Marlay, a wealthy art collector. Howard-Bury was now himself a very wealthy young man and he was able to retire from the Army, although he remained on the reserve list. In May 1913, he set out on a journey across Russia and Central Asia to explore the Tian Shan Mountains on the borders of China and Kyrgystan. He kept a journal of his travels in this remote and beautiful region. The journal contains vivid descriptions of the rare and beautiful flowers and plants he saw. He had a passion for flowers and he brought specimens and seeds back to the gardens of Belvedere. He also bought a baby bear in a market in Kazakstan. The bear, whom he called Agu was carried about on a pony. On his return to Ireland, the bear was installed at Belvedere where Howard-Bury used to wrestle with him.! Agu eventually got too big and dangerous and went to Dublin Zoo.

When the First World War began, Howard-Bury returned to his regiment. He served on the Western Front from 1915 to 1918 and witnessed the very worst of the conflict. He saw the first use of flamethrowers and survived poison gas attacks. He led his men at Arras, Loos, the Somme, Passchendaele and Ypres. His diaries record the decimation of his battalion. He saw hundreds of his men killed and wounded in a near suicidal attack on a heavily fortified German position from which the Germans withdrew of their own accord a few days later. .His diary entries refer again and again to “horrible sights and smells”. By the end of 1917 he was in a state of despair at the war and bitter about the staff officers and politicians safe behind the lines who were, as he saw it ,sending his men to futile deaths and prolonging the conflict. His own survival was a statistical miracle by this stage. He was mentioned in dispatches several times and was awarded the D.S.O in 1918. In March of 1918 he was taken prisoner during the German Spring Offensive. The Germans respected his military rank and aristocratic background and he was reasonably well treated. Sent to a P.O.W camp in Germany, he managed to escape but was recaptured after eight days on the move across Germany. He remained in captivity until the beginning of 1919.

After the war, Howard-Bury returned to Ireland and was appointed as High Sheriff of King's County (now Offaly) in January 1921.He would be the last holder of that office. He cannot have had much time to attend to his duties in connection with the post as, for most of 1921 he would be exploring the approaches to Mount Everest. In 1919 the Royal Geographical Society and the Alpine Club had decided to join forces to organise a reconnaissance of Mount Everest to be followed by an attempt to reach the summit. It was decided to seek permission from the authorities in Tibet for the expedition to approach Everest from the north. Howard-Bury was chosen by the RGS and the Alpine Club to visit Tibet and secure the necessary permits. He was selected for the job because of his linguistic, organisational and diplomatic skills, because he had visited the region and because he was prepared to pay his own expenses. He spent six months in India and Tibet in 1920 and was successful in his negotiations, securing the permission of the Dalai Lama. In January 1921 Howard-Bury was appointed as the Leader of the Reconnaissance Expedition. The Expedition team included experienced climbers such as George Mallory-who would die as he tried to reach the summit of Everest in 1924,surveyors and medical personnel. On May 19th 1921 the expedition set out from the Indian city of Darjeeling. On May 27th they crossed into Tibet. A month later they got their first clear view of the northern slopes of Mount Everest. Over the next three months the expedition members would travel through regions as yet unmapped and unexplored. As George Mallory wrote his wife; “we are about to walk off the map.” By the end of the expedition the surveyors had mapped an area of 12,000 square miles, revised the maps of another 4,000 square miles and carried out a detailed photographic survey of 600 square miles of the environs of Mount Everest. Howard-Bury took hundreds of photographs of Everest and neighbouring mountains, as well as collecting and describing flowers and plants. He brought seeds from the region back to Europe. One new species of primula flower was named primula buryana in his honour. He appears to have liked the Tibetan people and to have respected their religion and culture. His descriptions and photos of the Tibetan monks and monasteries remain a valuable record of a now almost vanished culture. Howard-Bury sent regular reports back to the Times newspaper on the expedition. One of his reports-describing the footprints of what the Tibetans called " The Wild Man of the Snows", led to the legend of the "Abominable Snowman" or Yeti and ,on his return to Europe, Howard-Bury found himself being quizzed about the "new race of men" he had supposedly discovered.! During the expedition, Howard-Bury climbed as high as 22,000 feet. and was able to look down into the then forbidden territory of Nepal. The climbers in the expedition reached 26,000 feet and worked out a route to the summit by way of what was called the "North Col".

The expedition ended in October and Howard-Bury returned home to find himself acclaimed as a hero across the world. He and other expedition leaders lectured to an audience that included the Prince of Wales in the Royal Albert Hall. A book detailing the expedition, "EVEREST RECONNAISANCE", largely written by Howard-Bury and George Mallory, was published in 1922 and became a bestseller. A French edition of the book was also published. For his work Howard-Bury was invested with the Founders Medal of the Royal Geographical Society on March 20th, 1922, "for his distinguished services in command of the Mount Everest Expedition in 1921". He also received the Gold Medal of the French Geographical Society in 1922. His hugely significant contribution to the exploration of Everest was acknowledged by those who eventually managed to reach the summit for the first time in 1953. When Everest was climbed in June 1953 by Hillary and Tensing, there was a news embargo for 48 hrs so as not to overshadow the coronation of Queen Elizabeth . Just two people were told that Everest had been conquered-the Queen Mother and Charles Howard-Bury.

In 1922, Howard-Bury was elected as Conservative MP for a district of Wolverhampton. He lost his seat in 1924 but was re-elected in a By-election in 1926,for Chelmsford. He remained in parliament until 1931. He campaigned for the return of the Hugh Lane Art Collection to Dublin, spoke out on behalf of persecuted Christians in the Soviet Union and sought compensation for ex-loyalists and policemen forced out of Ireland following independence. A former Unionist himself, he accepted the new Irish Free State and ran unsuccessfully for the Senate in 1925. In 1931 he inherited Charleville Castle from his mother. He preferred Belvedere House however, and spent most of his life there when not travelling the world.

During the Second World War, Howard-Bury worked as Deputy Commissioner of the British Red Cross .He was involved in organising the care of refugees fleeing the Balkans and other regions of Europe during and after the War. It was while in London during the war that he met Rex Beaumont-a flamboyant Yorkshire born actor. Beaumont would become his soul mate and life partner. He shared Howard-Bury's enthusiasm for flowers and gardens and also hosted grand dinner parties at Belvedere and at Dar-el Oud-the villa in Hammamet, Tunisia which they owned. Guests at these parties included the French writer, Andre Malraux, the British explorer, Dame Freya Stark and the first president of independent Tunisia, Habib Bourguiba. Howard-Bury was also a friend of Ian Fleming-the creator of James Bond, and he and Rex holidayed at Fleming's Jamaica house in the Fifties. Howard-Bury was popular and respected in Mullingar, where he and Rex were generous contributors to numerous local charities. In August 1962, a big party was held in Mullingar to celebrate his fifty years at Belvedere. More than 250 people attended the event.

Charles Howard-Bury D.S.O, died on September 20th, 1963 at the age of 80. He is buried in the Bury family vault at St Catherine's Church in Tullamore. His papers are mostly in Westmeath County Library. The Diaries of his 1913 journey to the Tian Shan Mountains were edited by Westmeath County Librarian Marian Keaney and published as ‘The Mountains Of Heaven’ in 1990. A new edition of ‘The Everest Reconnaissance’ was edited by Ms Keaney and published in 1991. Information Boards detailing his life may be seen at Belvedere House.

Ruth Illingworth is a Historian and Tour Guide. She has written two books about the history of her native town of Mullingar and contributed many book chapters and Journal articles on Westmeath history and broadcast on BBC and RTE television and radio. She had the privilege of knowing Rex Beaumont.

KNOX MEMORIAL HALL

Many of you will have attended our series of Fairs at the Knox Memorial Hall in Monkstown Village, Co. Dublin. Many will also have assumed that the hall was named in memory of John Knox, the Scottish theologian, who led the Protestant Reformation in Scotland. Nothing could be further from the truth. The Hall has a much more recent connection with history and a military one at that.

The answer to the question as to who Knox was and who wanted to remember him can be found on a large brass plaque inside the Hall, beneath a large stained glass window bearing the Knox family coat of arms. The inscription on the plaque reads:-

“this hall was erected and presented to the parish of monkstown by mrs. e.c. knox, in memory of her husband, edward chaloner knox of silverton, monkstown. who died april 4^th 1896, and of their beloved nephew lieut-colonel and brevet colonel eustace chaloner knox of the 18^th hussars, who commanded his regiment throughout the south african war 1899-1901, including the defence of ladysmith, and died in london, february 18^th 1902, aged 41.”

Edward Chaloner Knox was born in Sligo on the 20^th January, 1815 just under five months before the battle of Waterloo. He was the son of Major John Knox and Catherine Chaloner, and after graduating from Trinity College Dublin in 1837 he was called to the Irish Bar in 1839. In 1856, at the age of 41, he married Alice Hewitt Caroline St. George of Wood Park, Co. Armagh. They had no children but became very close to their nephew Eustace Chaloner Knox who was born in 1860. Having lived in Co. Tyrone for some time where Edward had become a Captain in the Tyrone Militia, they moved to Belgrave Hall, Queens Park, Monkstown, County Dublin, in 1875 and in 1885 they bought Silverton, 4, The Hill, Monkstown. Edward died on the 4^th April, 1896 at the age of 81 and is buried in Deansgrange Cemetery.

Eustace, the favourite nephew, enlisted at the age of 20 in the 18^th Hussars, the regiment commanded by his father. He was commissioned after four years as a trooper. He fought in the Egyptian War of 1884-1885 and took part in the Boer War, being one of those besieged at Ladysmith. He suffered all the privations of the siege and died on the 18^th February, 1902, of what was described as pneumonia, at the early age of 41.

Monkstown was in need of a Parish Hall and Alice, the widow of Edward Chaloner Knox, thought the building of this would be a fitting memorial commemorating the lives of her husband and nephew.

The Hall was opened on the 29^th June, 1904, after having been built for the sum of £2500. In the following one hundred years the Hall provided a venue for all sorts of parish activities and the Medal Society is very grateful to have the use of it for their fairs.

  

The next fairs at the Knox Hall will be on Saturday, the 5^th of August and on Saturday, 4^th of November, both 12 noon until 4 p.m.

THE SALTMILLS EXPLOSION

Capt. John Timmins 

John Timmins was a native of St Mullins Co Carlow but he moved to South Wexford to a small farm at the gates of Tintern Abbey in the townland of Poundtown after 1911. Unfortunately I have not been able to find out when and why. He became the local Company Captain of C Company 2^nd Battalion South Wexford Brigade I.R.A. which I think was a major thing considering he was not from the area. He would have been in his 30's when he moved to the area - so I am wondering if maybe he might have been placed in the area by the I.R.A.

My Grandfather and his colleagues were involved in a serious explosion on the 20^th October 1920 when they were preparing 'pipe bombs' (maybe wrong term) at a disused house at St Kearns. Five men were killed during the explosion and many others including my Grandfather were seriously wounded. I have been able to find out that they were making pipe bombs from flares stolen from the Hook Lighthouse - not sure when flares were stolen. From reading the witness statement of one of the men involved, Michael Conway, it is my understanding that these bombs were to be shipped to Dublin in butter boxes. But despite a lot of research I have not been able find where the butter boxes were distained. So I am wondering do you have any ideas.

Following the incident eight of them were arrested. But my Grandfather and Michael were too badly injured to be taken to prison and were taken to the Wexford County Infirmary. In my research I have found a witness statement of Lawerence Joyce of F Company who was sent to Grandfather home in Aughnaglear St Mullins the day following the explosion to remove documents for fear of pending raid. Yet again no idea what were these documents.

Two nuns were willing to provide them with the habits to help them escape. The plan was that the men were to make their way to Dr Ryan’s home in Co Wicklow. But alas they were too badly injured and they were under 24 hour guard. One of the nuns name was Sr. Kevin - Michael Collins’ niece. I remember her visiting my Grandmother when I was a very small child in the early 1970's. The funny thing was that following the War of Independence my Grandfather become a lifelong member of Fianna Fail.

On November 24th 1920 my Grandfather was removed to Waterford Jail where he remained until his Court Martial on 4^th February 1921. A number of his colleagues were moved from Waterford to Cork Jail where they were used as a human shield by the black and tans when they when on manoeuvres. But due to the severity of his injuries he was not moved.

During his time in Waterford he met Fr. PH Delahunty from Callan who later was involved in Prison escape from Kilkenny Jail. Fr Delahunty was moved to Kananas by his Bishop due to his involvement in the I.R.A. It is my understanding that Fr Delahunty’s colleagues put a scrap book together as a birthday present for the Priest - this I have not been able find. Fr Delahunty and my Grandfather remained friends and I have a copy of letter written by the Priest to Grandfather from the USA saying that he was looking forward to coming to Waterford in late 1939 for a prisoner reunion but I have not been able find out whether this event every happened.

Following their Court Martial they were sentenced to 5 years sevitude - removed to Mountjoy on 21^st February and deported to Portland Convict Prison where they remained until they were transferred to Dartmoor Convict prison on the 27^th July 1921 and they were released on the 19^th January 1922. I have tried to find out something about both prisons but I have not been very successful. The only piece of information that I have found is that they spent some time on the Super Dreadnought Valiant.

On their release in January 1922 the Catholic Bishop of Portsmouth gave a reception in their honour - but unfortunately I have not been able to find out about this event. I have contacted the Catholic Diocese of Portsmouth but they have no records of the event

I have copies of witness statements but Grandfather did not give one he died in 1949 leaving a widow and 7 sons. 

 

Back Row Left to Right Thomas Gleeson, John Timmins, Michael Conway, Edward Kelly.

Front Row Pat Kinsella Stephen Barron.

100-Year-Old British Artillery Shells Found on Co. Kerry Beach

 

Up to 6 British artillery shells dating from the late 19^th early 20^th century were discovered during Saturday 14^th January 2012 on Rossbeigh Beach, Co. Kerry, by a local man while running on the 2 mile long strand which is popular running and walking area.

 

The area was subsequently condoned off by police and following the arrival of an army bomb disposal team from Collins Barracks in Cork, the shells were destroyed in-situ by two controlled explosions.

 

In earlier years the beach was used as a British Army artillery range and was heavily used during the First World War.

 

It’s believed that a recent spell of bad weather disturbed the area where the shells were lying and resulted in their exposure and discovery which led to their subsequent destruction. 

Honorary Life Membership for Oliver D. Cresswell

At a Committee Meeting of the Medal Society of Ireland held in Collins Barracks, Dublin on the 8th of December 2018 it was proposed to bestow honorary life membership on Oliver D. Cresswell for his services to medal collecting in Ireland.

Oliver completed the first draft of his book "Irish Medals" over sixty years ago and it is still the standard work on Irish medals, examining the Irish Regiments and explaining which medals they were entitled to and which medals were scarce to the regiment.

Oliver published a second edition in 2009 containing many corrections and additions and every serious collector of Irish medals should have a copy of this in his possession. 

70^th Anniversary of Dublin’s May 1941 North Strand Bombing Commemorated

James Scannell

 

The most serious single WW2 incident in the Republic of Ireland occurred on the night of 31 May 1941 when a lone German aircraft dropped 4 bombs, the last of which was a 500lb land mine, on the North Strand area of Dublin which  resulted in the deaths of 29 people, injured a further 90, damaged 300 homes and left hundreds homeless  The 70^th  Anniversary of this tragic event was commemorated in Dublin on Tuesday 31 May 2011  with the re-opening of the refurbished memorial garden to the victims in Marino College, Dublin,  by Busso Von Alvensleben, German Ambassador to Ireland, in a ceremony   at which  Cllr Ray McAdam represented  Cllr. Gerry Breen the Lord Mayor of Dublin,  and attended by survivors, rescuers and the rescued, and members of the public.

The day began with a public walk of the bombed area led by local historian Pat Liddy as part of Dublin City Libraries ‘ Lets Walk and Talk ‘ programme from  the Charleville Mall Library in the North Strand and concluding at the recently refurbished memorial garden, originally dedicated in 1982, in the grounds of Marino College. 

During the opening ceremony of the newly restored memorial garden, Ambassador Alvensleben said that 70 years later still  no reason for the  bombing had even been established despite a vast amount research carried out,  further stating  that his  deep sympathy  and respect  was with the survivors  and the families and friends of the victims and concluded with the observation that their ordeal was a lasting reminder of how  immensely precious peace is.

Funding for the restoration of the memorial garden was provided by the Dublin of Dublin Vocational Educational Committee, the Office of the Taoiseach  (Prime Minister) and the German embassy.

Scholars and historians still debate whether or not the bombing was a mistake on the part of the pilot or retribution by Hitler for Irish breaches of its policy of neutrality but according to military historian Lar Joye, based in the Museum of Decorative Arts and History, Collins Barracks, Dublin 7, it likely that the pilot dropped his bombs on Dublin after straying off course and thought that he was over a British city when anti-aircraft guns of the Irish Army opened fire on him.

A Bofors L60 light anti-aircraft gun currently on display in the Soldiers and Chiefs exhibition in the Museum of Decorative Arts and History, Collins Barracks, Dublin 7, was based at Collinstown, now Dublin Airport, on the night of 31 May 1941, and fired at a German aircraft at around 1.30 a.m.  

Military Casualties of the S.S. Connemara & Retriever Disaster 3^rd November 1916

 

By Richard M. Clements 

 

The SS Connemara was a twin screw steamer, 272 feet long, 35 broad and 14 deep. Built by Denny Brothers, Dunbarton, in 1897 and put to work by her owners, the London and North-Western Railway Company, on the Holyhead & Greenore service – ‘The Direct & Most Comfortable Route Between London & Belfast & The North of Ireland’, which had been inaugurated in 1874. Greenore is on the Carlingford peninsula of County Louth. The Connemara's Master, 50-year-old Captain George H. Doeg, and his crew of 30, all from Holyhead in Wales, were experienced seamen and well used to rough weather.

The Retriever was a 483-ton collier owned by the Clanrye Shipping Company, built by Ailsa Shipbuilding Company in 1899. She was a steel screw, three masted steamer, 168ft long, 25 broad and 10 deep. She had a crew of nine. The Captain was Patrick O'Neill from Kilkeel. The Second Mate was his son Joseph O’Neill and one of the seamen, Joseph Donnan, was his son-in-law. The sole survivor of the tragedy, James Boyle, from Summerhill in Warrenpoint, was a fireman on the Retriever. The other seamen were from Newry.

The ships collided in stormy seas just beyond the Haulbowline lighthouse in Carlingford Lough.

Sailing on the routine crossing from Greenore, Co. Louth to Holyhead on that fateful night in November 1916 among the 51 passengers there were, we believe, 14 soldiers. Some were returning from leave, some had recovered from wounds suffered in France & Flanders. One may even have been in custody, involuntarily on his way back to his unit.

The following is what we know of those soldiers:

Diver, Frank. 6374 Gunner, Durham Royal Garrison Artillery (TF).Born Leckpatrick, Co. Tyrone. Press stated from Castlefin, Co. Tyrone. He had been home on leave; tragically, his wife and three children were accompanying him on the voyage. The body of the youngest child, Cassie Diver, about 6 months old, wearing a white lace pinafore, blue print dress and bonnet washed up on Cranfield beach was noted by my grandfather, Frederick Haddon Clements, who drove a lorry for a farmer called Nicholson of the Millbay, Cranfield, who was involved in the recovery of the bodies washed ashore at Cranfield.

Frank Diver’s body was not recovered. He is commemorated on the Hollybrook Memorial.

Goodfellow, Philip G. 157225 Sapper, Inland Water Transport, Royal Engineers. Aged 44, from Carnagat, Newry, Co. Armagh. SDGW has him as ‘killed in action France & Flanders’. However, he was covered by the press reports. He had been home attending the funeral of his sister. He was the son of the late Philip and Mary J. Goodfellow, of Newry; husband of Mrs. K. Smith (formerly Goodfellow), of Ballymacateer, Beechpark, Lurgan. His body was not recovered. He is commemorated on the Hollybrook Memorial.

Iliffe, William 16995, Company Serjeant Major, 10th (CWGC states 12^th) Battn. Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers. Aged 47, born Rowditch, Derbyshire. Mentioned by the press. Buried in grave 291 Derby (Uttoxeter Road) Cemetery. He was the son of George and Jane Iliffe; husband of Mary M. Iliffe, of 70, Byron St., Derby. He had served in the Boer war earning a Queen’s South Africa medal with clasps ‘Belfast’, ‘Cape Colony’, ‘Tugela Heights’, ‘Relief of Ladysmith’ and ‘South Africa 1901’. He was also awarded a Long Service & Good Conduct medal. William Iliffe’s medals are in a private collection in Ireland.
   

Kenna, Robert Andrew 6290 Private, 3rd or Reserve Battn. Irish Guards. Aged 23, from Belturbet, Co. Cavan. Former member of the Royal Irish Constabulary, and had served in France with the 1^st Battn. Irish Guards, being wounded (maybe more than once). He was wounded by the same shell that killed Lord Desmond Fitzgerald on 3^rd March 1916. Mentioned by the press. He had recently been discharged from hospital and was returning to the Reserve unit in London. Buried at Drumalee Catholic Churchyard, Co. Cavan. He was the son of the late James and Mary Anne Kenna, of Deanery St., Belturbet, Co. Cavan. His father was also a Constable in the R.I.C.

Lomax, James 15539 Private, 6th (SDGW 5/6^th) Battn. Royal Irish Fusiliers. Aged 24, born Warrington, Lancs., and previously 5916 Lancashire Fusiliers. Mentioned by the press. Buried Warrington Cemetery. 

On his way to his home in Warrington, Private James Lomax, son of Mr. and Mrs. Elias Lomax, 9, Carlisle-Street, off Cockhedge-Lane, Warrington. His parents received a telegram from their son, who had been stationed at the depot of the Royal Irish Fusiliers, Dublin, stating that he was coming home on leave, and would arrive on Saturday morning. On the Monday morning (6/11/16) the following telegram was received from the London and North Western Railway Company’s manager at Greenore: ‘’Regret Private James Lomax, Royal Irish Fusiliers, lost in North- Western steamer Connemara Friday night. Remains recovered. Wire me if you wish body sent to Warrington – Burgess, Manager, Greenore’

The following telegram was also received from Greenore:

 

‘Deeply regret to report wire from depot Irish Fusiliers, body of Private James Lomax recovered from wreck S.S. Connemara was proceeding on pass from depot to Warrington, R.I.C., Kilkeel. Report inquest 12 noon, Monday’

In Private Lomax’s pocket was found a letter addressed to Miss A. Lomax, Carlisle-Street, Cockhedge-Lane, Warrington, and it was probably by this means that he was identified.

Private Lomax was wounded in the ankle in the landing at Suvla Bay on August 9th 1915, after entering the Balkans theatre on 7/8/15. He was in hospital for eight months and rejoined his regiment in March 1916, being appointed to light duty at the depot. He joined the Royal Irish Fusiliers in the early days of the war and was previously employed in the wire ropery at the works of Messers, Rylands Bros, Ltd. He was educated at the National Schools, Church Street and attended the services at St. George’s Mission. 

He was 24 years old. A telegram was sent to Kilkeel on Monday, asking for the body to be sent to Warrington and a reply was received stating that this had been done. The funeral took place with military honours.

A large number of people attended the funeral, which took place at the Warrington Cemetery on Saturday. A firing party and bearers from the Lord Darby War Hospital accompanied the cortege to the cemetery. The Rev J. M. Beckmaster officiated. The principal mourners were: Mr. and Mrs. R. Lomax (parents), the Misses Ada, Sarah, Alice, Hilda and Doris Lomax (sisters), Masters Ellis and Robert Lomax (brothers), Mrs. M. E. Bradshaw and Mrs. E. Ashton (aunts), Messers Joseph Miller, John Miller and John Lomax, of St. Helens (uncles). (The author had the good fortune of buying his 1914-15 star on eBay during the week of the centenary of the sinking).

     

Maginnis, Frederick Joseph. 7643. 16^th Battn, Manchester Regiment. Aged 23. The son of John and Cecilia Maginnis of Corrags, Newry. Listed as dying on Saturday 4 November 1916, Buried at Burren Roman Catholic Churchyard, Warrenpoint. Maginnis’s service papers are wrongly indexed as "Maginnes" and show that he was a 19 year old draper, born in Newry, who enlisted in Manchester in April 1915 with the 16^th (1^st City of Manchester) Battalion Manchester Regiment. He served in France from November 1915.

His papers show that on December 1915 he was confined to barracks for 4 days as punishment for having a ‘dirty rifle on parade’. He was wounded (gunshot wound - compound comminuted fracture of ulna, right arm) at the opening of the Battle of the Somme 1 July. He arrived back in the UK on 7 July 1916 and was hospitalised until 21 September. He then went on the usual short home leave granted to recuperated men prior to re-joining their unit. But, it seems he overstayed his leave. He said that on or before 10 October he had not received the order to re-join. Then there was an exchange about the 24 October about his not having had a railway warrant to travel to the 3rd Battalion (part of the Humber Garrison, a depot unit who would have then allocated him to a service battalion overseas when sufficiently fit). This confusion meant he was classed as Absent With Out Leave. He was likely detained by the R.I.C. until he could be fetched to the battalion. Accordingly, he was escorted onto the Connemara as an absentee by a sergeant and private of the 3rd Manchesters (Sergeant Joseph Perry and Private Jack Whittaker) sent over for the purpose. All three drowned. Papers indicate that his three war medals were duly applied for and sent to his mother in 1920-21.

There was a story that a handcuffed body was found after the sinking, probably based on local awareness of the events above, but this has been disproved. However, no hint of his status or story seems to have appeared in the various press articles.

Frederick was from a farming family. He had seven siblings. He moved to Manchester where he found employment as a draper and resided at 138 Slater Street, Oldham Road, Manchester. In April 1915 he enlisted in Manchester, joining the 16th Manchester Regiment. He was 5 feet, 9¼ inches tall and at his enlistment was 12½ stone. He was 23 years old when he died. The collision between the SS Connemara and the Retriever occurred on the night of 3^rd November, but Frederick is recorded as dying on 4^th November 1916.

Cooke, John Stanley 5416 Private, 1/6th North Staffordshire Regiment. (TF). Aged 18. Born Leicester, enlisted Derby. Buried Derby (Nottingham Road) Cemetery.

 

 The press reported that the body of a soldier with shoulder titles of the 6th North Staffordshire Regiment (TF) had been found.

 

Logan, George Henry 156817 Sapper, Inland Water Transport, Royal Engineers. Born Shankhill, Co. Antrim; enlisted Belfast. Buried in Carnmoney Cemetery, (Grave E.191) Co. Antrim. Son of Henry and Sarah Logan, of 40, Summer St., Belfast.

 

 

Carter, Edwin Righton 1409 Trumpeter, 1st King Edward's Horse (Special Reserve). Born Holloway, London, resident of Cricklewood. Body recovered late. Buried Carlingford, (Holy Trinity) Church of Ireland Churchyard, Carlingford, Co. Louth. 

  

 

The following men are on the Hollybrook Memorial as their bodies were not recovered:

Knowles, Ernest Thomas 2754 Private, 59th Sanitary Section, Royal Army Medical Corps (TF). Born Wigan, Lancs., resident Eccles, enlisted Cannock Chase, Staffs.

Perry, Joseph 8961 Sergeant, 3^rd Battn. Manchester Regt. Born and resident Manchester. Address (at enlistment): Duntroon ACT, Occupation: Groom, Next of Kin: Florence Perry (wife). Commemorated: Hollybrook Memorial, Southampton, England.

Perry was employed as a groom at the Royal Military College, Duntroon from 15 September 1913 until he enlisted though he was in Canberra by 1912. He was an Imperial Reservist who was mobilised on 12 August 1914 and embarked for England on the Miltiades on 17 October 1914 to join his battalion. The 3rd Manchester’s were a reserve unit and were based on the east coast of England at Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire. Perry is stated as returning from leave on 3 November 1916 (but more likely to have been returning with Frederick Joseph Maginnis).

Whittaker, Jack 10516 Private, 3rd Battn. Manchester Regt. Born in Witton, Cheshire, resident of Northwich (also died whilst escorting Pte. Frederick Maginnis).

 
Two other soldiers’ names are recorded as ‘body not recovered’ in the London & North Western Railway list of the victims.

King, Sergeant, D. Battery Royal Field Artillery.

Boyd, H, Corporal, 74th Battn. Reserve, Training Corps, Prees Heath, Salop.

(Neither of these names appears on the CWGC site).

 

At St Patrick’s Churchyard, Stream Street, Newry, the body of an unknown soldier who perished in the disaster was buried. Military honours were accorded to the remains. A party of artillery from Dundalk preceded the gun carriage, which was drawn by six horses. A firing party paid the usual honours and the ‘Last Post’ was sounded as the Unknown Soldier was laid to rest. 

 

 

 

Also of note are some crew members of the SS Connemara who perished such as:

 

Owen Thomas Williams, Fireman, aged 40. He had previously served in the Cheshire Regiment in India for 14 years, joining the London North Western Railway company in about 1914. He left a widow and six children. He lived at 13 Baker Street, Holyhead, Wales. His body was never recovered.

 

Isaac Woodall, Fireman, aged 28. He joined the London & North Western Railway Company on the 20th May 1914 and may have been serving on the Cambria as a Fireman (Stoker) when she was taken over by the Royal Navy on the 8th August to be converted to a Fleet Messenger. He signed form T.124 (for MN personnel willing to serve under RN conditions, rates of pay, feeding, uniform, etc) on the 11th August and she left Holyhead after ‘conversion’ on the 15th for service with the fleet at Scapa Flow. He remained with her after she was converted to a hospital ship in July 1915 but left on the 17th Feb 1916 when, presumably appointed to the Connemara.

He was the son of Isaac and Mary Woodall (née Owen) and was born at Caernarvon on 11 January 1889.

He is buried at Holyhead (Maeshyfryd) Burial Board Cemetery. His headstone reads - translated from Welsh – ‘To remember Isaac Woodall who lost his life on the Connemara. November 3rd 1916. 28 years old’. He is not listed on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission site.

The Man behind the Medal
Able Seaman Clement Chapman

Queen South Africa Medal (no bar)

Clement Chapman was born at St. Pancras in London on 22^nd July 1877. On 22^nd July 1892, his 15^th birthday, he joined the Navy as ‘Boy 2^nd Class’, having previously been employed as an ‘Errand Boy’. His official schooling was obviously limited.

At the time of attestation it was recorded that he was 5 foot 3 inches tall, had auburn hair, brown eyes and his complexion was recorded as being fair. He also had a number of tattoos – a cross and pierced heart on his left arm and flowers on the back of his right hand. He had a bracelet on his right wrist.

He was promoted to ‘Boy 1^st Class’ in November 1893 when based at HMS Ganges, to ‘Ordinary Seaman’ in 1895 when on HMS Cruiser, and to ‘Able Seaman’ in 1899 when on HMS Repulse. He saw initial service in the South African War (1899-1902) whilst on the latter ship before being transferred to the 2^nd class cruiser, HMS Sybille, on 16^th October 1900 – and here starts the story as to why I was interested in this medal.

On 15^th January 1901 the HMS Sybille was lying at anchor in Lambert’s Bay, which is about 250 km west of Cape Town. There were rumours that the crew were unhappy with the attitude of Captain Williams towards his men.

That evening, the Captain and some of the officers aboard went ashore and the sailors were ordered to remain on board. After a good night out, Captain Williams and those who had left HMS Sybille joined him, decided to remain on land for the night.

Quite understandably, the sailors and the officers not chosen to join the Captain, having been left to their own devices, decided to have their own party. With the on-board party in full swing, a couple of those on board decided to take the HMS Sybille on a short trip out to sea – a ‘booze cruise’ of sorts.

This ‘booze cruise’ turned out to be the last trip the HMS Sybille ever made as, encountering a strong wind once she had left the protection of the bay, she struck a reef before running aground and breaking into two. This was in the early hours of 16^th January 1901.

Realising the seriousness of the situation, a sailor, with his senses not numbed by the intake of alcohol, fired an emergency signal from one of the guns on board. The HMS Sybille had run aground about 10 km south of Lambert’s Bay and an inhabitant of a settlement at Steenboksfontein realised the situation and rode on horseback to Lambert’s Bay to alert the authorities.

Later that morning a rescue operation was mounted with all the crew, other than two who drowned, being rescued.

Clement Chapman was one of 187 men of the vessel to be awarded the QSA Medal without clasp.

A month later, at the end of February 1901, Chapman was assigned to the HMS Monarch and then on 27^th May 1901 to the HMS Forte, on which he served until the end of the war. In July 1905 he was based at Pembroke with the rank of Sailmaker’s Mate and on 1^st September the same year he was discharged and joined the Royal Fleet Reserve. He was recalled for war service in 1914.

 At the outbreak of WWI he was assigned to HMS Aboukir, an armoured cruiser, built in 1900.

On the morning of 22^nd September 1914, HMS Aboukir, HMS Cressy and HMS Hogue were on patrol in the North Sea off Ymuiden, when they were attacked by the German submarine U-9.

With HMS Aboukir sinking rapidly, Captain J. Drummond requested the other ships to close in and rescue survivors.

However Captain Otto Weddigen of the U-9 had other ideas and completed two more attacks, sinking both other ships. After the attacks several Dutch vessels rescued as many survivors as they could.

Despite these efforts, the combined loss from the three ships was 62 officers and 1,397 seamen.

HMS Aboukir’s loss was 527 men, Clement Chapman of HMS Aboukir being one of them. His name is commemorated on the Chatham Naval Memorial.

In his early days in the Navy, Chapman’s conduct left something to be desired being rated ‘good’ in 1896 and 1897, and ‘fair’ in 1899. Whilst serving on HMS Repulse in June 1899 he was sentenced to 14 days in cells, which he served on HMS Pembroke. However, he was one of the many who paid the ultimate sacrifice for his country. I do not have his WWI medals.

A Quaker Combatant
Lieutenant Samuel Herbert Watson M.C.

 Liam Dodd

Samuel Herbert Watson was a particularly noteworthy Irish gallantry award winner of the First World War. What makes his story unusual is not the deed for which he won his award or even the award itself. The peculiarity that makes Watson stand out from many others is his religion. As a member of the Religious Society of Friends, Samuel Watson was one of very few Irish Quakers to take up arms during the First World War. While many Quakers did offer their services during the war, the vast majority did so in non-combatant roles. The Quaker commitment to pacifism had been long established by the time of the outbreak of the First World War and dated back to the seventeenth century. The most well-known early statement of this belief was a declaration made to Charles II in 1660 in which it was stated that:

‘We utterly deny all outward wars and strife and fightings with outward weapons, for any end, or under any pretence whatsoever; and this is our testimony to the whole world...we do certainly know, and so testify to the world, that the spirit of Christ, which leads us into all Truth, will never move us to fight and war against any man with outward weapons, neither for the kingdom of Christ, nor for the kingdoms of this world.’

The Friends’ Peace Testimony underpinned the Quaker dedication to refrain from war, actively oppose such conflict and promote peace. However, the relationship of the Society of Friends, and its individual members, with war was naturally a complicated one. During the First World War Quakers founded their own volunteer ambulance service, the Friends Ambulance Unit. Independent of the Society of Friends it enabled Quakers to contribute to the war in a way they felt would not undermine their dedication to peace. As a result of this and their opposition to war very few Quakers volunteered for combatant roles between 1914 and 1918.

Samuel Watson was born in July 1889 in the home of his family on St. James’ Terrace in Clonskeagh, Dublin. The son of Samuel Henry Watson, a merchant, and Margaret Sophia Goodbody he received his early education at St. Andrew’s College in Dublin. He was later sent to England where he attended Bootham, a private Quaker boarding school, and then returned to Dublin where he trained and qualified as a solicitor. An active member of the Society of Friends he took the unusual step of volunteering for active service on the outbreak of the First World War in 1914. He requested a commission as a member of the 7^th or 8^th Battalion Royal Irish Fusiliers, however, this was not granted and he joined the Royal Field Artillery in October 1914. Watson’s enlistment did not go unnoticed amongst his fellow Quakers. It was noted that he, as well as five other Irish Quakers, had volunteered for service that had the potential to involve them in combat. It was decided amongst their fellow Quakers that representatives were to be designated ‘...to visit each of these friends in order ascertain the actual facts and remind them in a sympathetic spirit that participation in military service is contrary to the Christian principles of our society’. Leonard Webb was given the task of talking to Watson and of urging him to refrain from going to war. The exact details of their conversation are unclear, however, it had no impact on Watson’s decision and he did proceed on service. Watson arrived in France in September 1915, serving as a Second Lieutenant with the Royal Field Artillery. He was sent to the 13^th Brigade, which came under the command of the 7^th (Meerut) Division of the Indian Army. However, his time on the Western Front was short lived as he and his unit were sent with the Meerut Division to serve in Mesopotamia. Watson took part in the fighting there until the spring of 1916 when he was invalided home and did not return to service until April 1917. On this occasion he was once again sent to the Western Front. The following year he was awarded the Military Cross for gallantry while serving with B Battery, 76^th Brigade, Royal Field Artillery. The official citation for his award states that:

‘When his battery was in action the enemy put down a very heavy barrage, one of the lifts being practically along the guns. Walking up and down the battery he encouraged the men, replacing casualties, and by his courage and coolness showing a superb example to the battery. He was invaluable to his commander and it was greatly due to his fine work that all guns remained in action for the whole of the S.O.S.’

No date or location for the action in which Samuel Watson was awarded the Military Cross is recorded in the citation. However, on the reverse of his medal he had the following details engraved: ‘Lieut S. H. Watson RFA / Sapignies France / 27^th Aug 1918’. Although Watson had the location correct the war diary for his brigade shows that the date for the award was incorrect by two days. On 23 August Watson and his brigade had taken up new positions to the west of railway lines near Achiet-le-Grand on the Somme. They were acting in support of infantry that were taking part in the British advance towards Bapaume in the second battle of the Somme. The action was part of what would become known as the Hundred Days Offensive that would lead to the end of the war on the Western Front. At 0300 on the morning of 25 August Watson’s battery began firing in support of the advance of the villages of Sapignies and Béhagnies, north of Bapaume. Six hours later the advance was resumed and the brigade began firing once more - this time to the limit of their range, 1000 yards to the west of Béhagnies. The involvement of the artillery brigade in supporting the advance was somewhat unremarkable until 1600 when enemy artillery fire came raining down on their lines. It was during this heavy bombardment, as men of the brigade became casualties, that Samuel Watson began walking up and down the lines of guns and took command of the situation as described in his citation for the Military Cross. The fire on Watson’s battery was the beginning of a counter attack, the German objective being to cripple the British guns in order to support and protect their own infantry. At 1750 the counter attack came and Watson’s battery began immediately firing at what was known as their S.O.S. line. This line was an agreed point at which a blanket of artillery fire would be placed to protect and assist against the enemy advance. When the artillery received the S.O.S., signaling the beginning an enemy attack, they began their fire. As noted in his citation Watson’s battery managed to remain in action throughout the counter attack and assisted the nearby infantry in repelling the German advance. The action was a small but significant moment leading to the capture of Bapaume a few days later. The fight also marked the end of Samuel Watson’s time at war. Although not mentioned in the citation for the Military Cross he had been wounded in the left arm and was sent home to recuperate. By the time he had recovered the armistice had been declared and the war was over. He was discharged and returned home to Dublin where he lived in Terenure. Watson did offer his services as a courts martial officer for the British Army to deal with trials of a political nature during the War of Independence but was refused. Samuel Watson lived out the rest of his life living and working in Dublin and died in his home on Dartry Road one day after his eighty-fourth birthday in July 1973. He is buried in the Quaker or Friends’ Burial Ground on Temple Hill in Blackrock, Co. Dublin.

Rank Curiosity. Brigadier-General

 David Murnaghan

Brigadier-General was traditionally a temporary rank in the British Army, the lowest rank for a General Officer, commanding a Brigade of Infantry or Cavalry. The rank of Brigadier-General was merely a temporary one given to officers holding certain appointments, for instance, as Brigade Commander. On relinquishing such appointment the officer reverted to his substantive rank. The rank insignia for a Brigadier-General was a crossed sword and baton. In March 1920, the rank of Brigadier-General was abolished; the officer in charge of a Brigade was henceforth known as a Colonel-Commandant until 1928 when the rank of Brigadier as distinct from Brigadier-General was introduced. The current rank in the British Army is a Brigadier, a Field Office not of General rank. The Brigadier rank insignia is three stars below a crown, the three stars being in a triangular pattern. Today there is no Brigadier-General rank in the British Army.

 

 

In Ireland, in 1922 there was for a very brief period the rank of Brigadier, which was identified on the sleeve by two brown bands with a narrow gold band between them. At the same time, there was a rank of Colonel-Commandant with rank insignia, on the sleeve, of two red bands with a narrow gold band between them. Also, there was the rank of Division Commandant-General with the same insignia as the Colonel-Commandant but worn on the shoulder strap. From 1923 onwards, there was no rank between Colonel and Major General. This continued to be the case until well after World War Two, which was known as the “Emergency” in neutral Ireland. In 1979, the commanding officers of a regional command e.g. Eastern, Southern, Western and Curragh Commands were upgraded from Colonel to a new rank of Brigadier-General, for which the rank insignia is gold embroidered crossed swords on a red cloth background.

 

Other Countries have the Brigadier-General rank. Currently, the German Army has a Brigadier-General rank but this was not always so. In World War Two, the German Army had the rank of Colonel and above that Major General. However, the SS when operating in an army role (Waffen SS) had the ranks of both Brigadier-General and Colonel. Army insignia were worn on the shoulder epaulettes and as there was not an army rank of Brigadier-General, the Waffen SS Brigadier-General and the army Colonel both wore the same insignia i.e. that of an army Colonel, on the shoulder board. The SS’s rank insignia, worn on the turndown collar included different SS insignia for the Brigadier-General and the Colonel. The U.S.A Brigadier-General is a one-star General. Around the world the rank of Brigadier is now rarely used, Brigadier-General being the rank grade.

 

References.

Badges, Medals, Insignia Irish Defence Forces, James P Hogan, Published in Association with Military Archives, 1987.

The Irish Defence Forces since 1922, Donal MacCarron & Bill Younghusband, Osprey Publishing Oxford, 2004.

Step Together-Ireland’s Emergency Army 1939-46, Donal MacCarron, Irish Academic Press, 1999.

Uniforms of the World 1700-1937, Richard Knotel, Herbert Knotel & Herbert Sieg, Exeter Books New York, 1980.

The British Encyclopedia, Odhams Press London, 1933.