Cavan Hero of the Great War, Sergeant David Carson Jones DCM

Cavan Hero of the Great War, Sergeant David Carson Jones DCM, remembered on the Centenary of his award and subsequent death

Sgt Jones Photo 001Local Cavan man David Carson Jones was born in 1887 at Cloverhill, County Cavan. He enlisted in the 1st Battalion Royal Irish Fusiliers in April 1907, being promoted Lance Corporal the same year. He was promoted Corporal in 1909 and Sergeant in 1913. In addition he had attained the 1st Class Education Certificate, which marked him as a soldier with a promising future. On 17th October 1914, Sergeant Jones would perform an act of bravery that would see him awarded the Distinguished Service Medal for gallantry in the field in the face of the enemy.

Like many other regular Irish Regiments, the Royal Irish Fusiliers were first into the fray at the beginning of the First World War. As part of 10 Brigade of the 4th Division of the British Expeditionary Force, (BEF), the Faugh-a-Ballaghs went from peacetime duties to the front line in around two weeks.

Arriving in Boulogne on 22 August aboard the SS Lake Michigan, a Canadian Pacific Steamship Company passenger and cargo steamer, the Fusiliers had little time to rest before engaging the Germans at the battle of Le Cateau, France on 26 August.  In what was a fairly confused engagement owing to difficulties with communications, the Fusiliers suffered 24 fatalities including two Cavan men. They were 21-year-old Joseph Sullivan, son of Michael and Bridget Sullivan of 6 Breffni Terrace, Cavan and 24-year-old Private Peter McNally, son of Francis and Kate McNally of Cootehill.

The Faughs then joined the strategic withdrawal of the BEF which saw the battalion engaged in fighting a rear-guard action which lasted until 6 September 1914. Involvement in both the battles of the Marne and the Aisne followed, and by mid-October the battalion, although battle hardened had sustained 43 fatalities, and many more wounded.

On 17 October the Royal Irish Fusiliers found themselves on the outskirts of the town in northern France popularised by the risqué soldier’s song of the time – ‘Mademoiselle from Armentieres’. On the morning of 17 October, the battalion crossed the River Lys and advanced into the town, being met by ecstatic civilians who pressed bread, fruit, flowers and chocolate on the men.  However, the Germans in the town commenced firing as they were forced to withdraw, and street to street fighting took place until around noon, when the bulk of the Germans had been forced out.

On the battalion’s approach to the town was a farm occupied by the Germans. Named the Ferme Phillipeaux, an initial attack by the Faugh’s C Company was repulsed, resulting in the death of a popular officer – Captain Miles Carberry, a veteran of the South African War, and leaving several men wounded around the farm buildings. The farm was surrounded and picketed as the attack on the town took priority. Repeated attempts to encourage the Germans in the farm to surrender fell on deaf ears, and they continued to open fire on anyone who approached, killing two Fusiliers who were attempting to rescue the wounded. Orders were given to blow up the farm, and it was set on fire, but this endangered the wounded Fusiliers who were in mortal danger from falling debris.

Sergeant David Carson Jones volunteered to rescue the wounded and advanced with members of his platoon under heavy fire from the defenders, to the door of the farm.  They were able to rescue one wounded man and conveyed him to safety, although Sergeant Jones was severely wounded in the process. For this action Sergeant Jones and three of his men were awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal. The award of the medal to Sergeant Jones was published in the London Gazette of 10 November 1914 stating:

‘For conspicuous gallantry on 17th October near Houplines, in volunteering to rescue wounded men lying close to the door of a burning house held by the enemy under heavy fire. He was successful in rescuing one wounded man.’

Unfortunately Jones did not live to receive his medal.  He succumbed to his wounds on 20 October 1914 and is buried in Cite Bonjean Military Cemetery, Armentieres.

Another Cavan soldier from Sergeant Jones’ C Company died the same day from wounds in all probability received in the same action. Private John Sullivan, 21 years old, was from Creighan Terrace in Cavan town. The third son of John and Lizzie Sullivan, he died on an ambulance train which was removing him to a Base Hospital away from the front line. He is buried at Hazebrouck Military Cemetery, with his parents adding the inscription, ‘Son of John Sullivan of Cavan – May he Rest in Peace’ to his headstone.

Research by History Hub Ulster Associate Member Michael Nugent.

Thanks to Jonathan Maguire, Royal Irish Fusiliers Museum, Armagh, for his assistance in researching this article.

Michael Nugent has recently launched a new research website for families hoping to find out more about their World War One ancestors at http://ww1researchireland.com/

Picture courtesy of Nigel Henderson at http://www.greatwarbelfastclippings.com

 

HMS HAWKE Centenary: Heartbreaking stories of fathers-to-be who would never see their newborn children.

The sinking of HMS HAWKE: One of the greatest single losses of Royal Navy sailors from Ulster with 49 Ulstermen lost to just one U-boat

During the week when the Royal Navy traditionally remembers the Immortal Memory of Admiral Nelson and his final victory at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, it is worth pausing to reflect on the centenary of a naval incident that had a significant impact on so many Ulster families, the sinking of HMS Hawke. One of the greatest single losses of Royal Navy sailors from Ulster, this incident occurred on the 15th October 1914 when the German Submarine U-9 which was patrolling the North Sea came across two British Cruisers HMS Hawke and her sister ship HMS Theseus.

HMS_HawkeUnder the command of German hero Commander Weddigen, U-9 fired on the British ships. This was the same German submarine which had caused the deaths of almost 1500 British seamen only 3 weeks earlier with the torpedoing of the ‘Livebait Squadron’. The submarine’s first torpedo hit HMS Hawke, igniting a magazine and causing a tremendous explosion which ripped much of the ship apart. Hawke sank in a few minutes with the loss of her Commander and 523 men. Only 74 men were saved.

Sailors from Ulster lost on Hawke included the tragic loss of three fathers-to-be, leaving pregnant wives to fend for themselves throughout the difficult war years.

-Leading Stoker Joyce Power left young twins and a pregnant wife in Ballymena. His daughter Margaret Hawke Power named after the ship he was killed on.

-Also drowned was Able Seaman Albert Patterson Wilson whose first daughter Frances was born only 4 weeks later on 14 November.

-Mariette Isabella Donald was born at the end of 1914, her father Martie Donald not returning to Carrickfergus to meet his newborn daughter.

-The Gorman siblings from Clifton Park in Belfast lost one brother, Charles on HMS Pathfinder in September only to hear of the death of another brother, Able Seaman James Toland Gorman, only one month later on HMS Hawke.

-Sullatober Flute band from Carrickfergus who lost one of their players Henry McMurran on HMS Cressy just 3 weeks before, suffered yet another tragedy with the loss of another member, Stoker (1st class) Andrew McAllister.

-Another loss for Ulster was Lieutenant Commander Ruric Henry Waring, the first of the sons of Colonel Thomas Waring JP of Waringstown to be killed. Ruric’s younger brother Major Holt Waring would be killed in 1918 at the Front.

In August 1914, at the outbreak of the First World War, Hawke was part of the 10th Cruiser Squadron, operating on blockade duties between the Shetland Islands and Norway. In October 1914, the 10th Cruiser Squadron was deployed further south in the North Sea as part of efforts to stop German warships from attacking a troop convoy from Canada. On 15 October, the squadron was on patrol off Aberdeen and HMS Hawke stopped at 0930 to pick up mail from her sister ship HMS Endymion. Hawke proceeded to return to her station without zig-zagging to avoid danger, and was out of sight of the rest of the Squadron when a single torpedo from U-9 struck Hawke and she quickly capsized. The remainder of the Squadron only realised something was wrong when, after a further, unsuccessful attack on Theseus, they were ordered to retreat and no response was received from Hawke. The destroyer Swift was dispatched from Scapa Flow to search for Hawke and found a raft carrying 22 men, while a boat with a further 49 survivors was rescued by a Norwegian steamer.

524 men drowned, including the ship’s Captain, Hugh P. E. T. Williams, and 49 Ulstermen. Only 74 men were saved, of which 6 were from Ulster.

A surviving Stoker explained:
‘Those on deck for an instant immediately after the explosion saw the periscope of a submarine which showed above the water like a broomstick. The Hawke was holed above the engine room and commenced to cant over to starboard with alarming rapidity. Her plates were twisted and torn and a huge gap was rent in her side. An attempt to man the guns was made but owing to the extra acute list of the vessel it was found impossible to train them on the submerged craft. The horror of the situation was added to when a tank of oil fuel caught fire and the flames advanced with fatal rapidity. Seeing there was not the ghost of a chance of doing any good by remaining in what was obviously a death trap I determined to make a dash for it. I scrambled precipitately up the iron ladder to the main deck. All this had happened in less time than it takes to tell.’

He continued:
‘But such is British pluck and coolness of nerve even in the face of such a situation that already after the initial shock the Captain, Commander and a midshipman were on the bridge and calmly on the fleet manoeuvre in the Solent, orders were given out and calmly obeyed. The bugler sounded the ‘Still’ call which called upon every man to remain at the post in which the call reached him. Apparently during the first minute or two, the belief was entertained that all that was wrong was the boiler explosion, but the rapidity with which the cruiser was making water on her starboard side rudely and quickly disputed all minds of this belief.’

Another survivor explained that:
‘The Captain, Commander and the midshipman had stuck bravely to their posts on the bridge to the last, and were seen to disappear and the ship finally plunged bow first amidst a maelstrom of cruel, swirling waters’

One survivor when interviewed pointed out that:
‘the crew for the most part were Irishmen, the reason being that at the outbreak of war the Hawke which was one of the oldest ships of the British Navy, was stationed at Queenstown… there were only around 24 active servicemen on board, the remainder being fleet reservists’

None of these men’s bodies was recovered for burial, most remaining where they drowned. The centenary of the sinking of HMS Hawke and the tragic loss of so many men of Ulster will be remembered at the Royal Navy’s annual Trafalgar Day Service in Belfast on 19th October 2014.

Ulstermen known to have died on HMS Hawke are:

Stoker (1st class) Nathaniel Agnew, born Belfast

Able Seaman Robert Algie, born Belfast

Stoker (1st class) David Bell, born Ballymena

Stoker (1st class) George Jackson Campbell, born Belfast

Stoker (1st class) John Chisim, born Belfast

Stoker (1st class) Hugh Patrick Cormican, born Belfast

Able Seaman Hugh Crawford, born Belfast

Stoker (1st class) Robert Creighton, born Larne

Stoker (1st class) James Dickey, born Belfast

Stoker (1st class) Mariott (Martie) Robert D Donald, born Carrickfergus

Petty Officer (1st class) William James Elkin, born Coleraine

Stoker (1st class) Samuel Fee, born Belfast

Stoker (1st class) William John Gillespie, born Lisburn

Able Seaman James Toland Gorman, born Belfast

Stoker (1st class) William Greer, born Ballybay, Monaghan

Stoker (1st class) Robert John Hamilton, born Belfast

Stoker (1st class) William James Harper, born Belfast

Stoker (1st class) Robert Hunter, born Belfast

Able Seaman William Johnston, born Carrickfergus

Stoker (1st class) Isaac Lewis, lived Belfast

Stoker (1st class) Andrew McAllister, born Carrickfergus

Able Seaman David McCaugherty, born Belfast

Stoker (1st class) Hugh McComb, born Belfast

Stoker (1st class) William McFarlane

Stoker (1st class) James McNally, born Belfast

Stoker (1st class) John Mills, born Belfast

Chief Petty Officer Charles Molloy, born Drumragh, Tyrone

Stoker (1st class) Edward Mullen, born Belfast

Able Seaman William James Ross, born Belfast

Leading Stoker Joyce Power, born Ballymena

Stoker (1st class) Thomas Henry Sefton, lived Belfast

Stoker (1st class) John Smyth, born Belfast

Stoker (1st class) Archer Thompson, born Belfast

Stoker (1st class) David Tully

Stoker (1st class) Charles Edward Uprichard, born Lurgan

Stoker (1st class) Henry Wasson, born Belfast

Stoker (1st class) James Wilson, born Newry

Able Seaman Albert Patterson Wilson, lived Belfast

Stoker (1st class) John Yates, born Belfast

Boy (1st class) Clare Robert Adams, born Enniskillen

Stoker (1st class) William Clarke, born Belfast

Stoker (1st class) Edward Crossin, born Belfast

Able Seaman John Thomas Gibson Dawson, born Belfast

Able Seaman James Charles Gamble, born Belfast

Stoker (1st class) Daniel Laverty, born Belfast

Stoker (1st class) Alexander Mairs, born Ballymena

Leading Stoker Patrick McEvoy, born Dechomet, Banbridge

Stoker (1st class) Hugh McGinley, born Inch Island, Donegal

Lieutenant Commander Ruric Henry Waring, born Waringstown

*Research by Karen O’Rawe, Chair History Hub Ulster and William Hull, Research Assistant, Now Project.

*Three years before, on 20 September 1911, Hawke, under command of Commander W. F. Blunt, collided in the Solent with the White Star liner RMS Olympic. In the course of the collision, Hawke lost her bow. The subsequent trial pronounced Hawke to be free from any blame. During the trial, a theory was advanced that the large amount of water displaced by the Olympic had generated a suction that had drawn Hawke off course. The decision of the first court to try the case provoked a series of legal appeals.

*There were 6 known Ulster men who survived the tragedy. These were: Charles Trainer from Derry, JA Allen from Belfast, Thomas H Doyle from Belfast, Thomas Hoy from Larne, John Aitken, from Belfast and James O’Neill, from Belfast.

*Newspaper photographs courtesy of History Hub Ulster member, Nigel Henderson at http://www.greatwarbelfastclippings.com

History Hub Ulster is a research group based in Belfast, but working on projects across Ulster.

 

 

Ulster and Malta in the Great War – A Presbyterian Perspective

The location of Malta between the coast of North Africa and Italy made it a key strategic position, for Malta not only provided the Royal Navy with deep water anchorage but it was also a staging post for troopships transporting men and materials to Gallipoli, Salonica and Egypt.  However, for many Ulstermen, their connection with the island was medical and, for some, Malta was their final resting place in death.  For some Ulsterwomen, Malta was the place where they provided medical care to men wounded in battle or suffering from illnesses arising from the battlefields.

Elizabeth Gould BellDuring the Great War, Malta was described as the Nurse of the Mediterranean.  In 1914, Malta had five military or naval hospitals but this rose to 27 hospitals and camps during the war.  The first wave of war casualties to be treated in Malta (600 casualties from the Gallipoli landings) arrived on 4th May 1915 and approximately 136,000 men from the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force and the Salonika Expeditionary Force were treated in Malta up to February 1919.

One Ulsterwoman who served in Malta was Dr. Elizabeth Gould Bell of College Gardens who left Belfast in July 1916 to take charge of a ward in a Malta Hospital.  Elizabeth was married to Dr. Hugh Fisher (but widowed by 1911) and her father, Joseph Bell, had been Clerk of the Newry Union, a position her brother also held.  She was the first female student to study Medicine and Surgery at Queen’s College Belfast and she received her degree from the Royal University in Ireland in 1893.

Before the war, Dr. Bell was a keen advocate of the extension of the franchise to women, being a member of the Irish Women’s Suffragette Society in Belfast and treated suffragette prisoners in Crumlin Road Gaol.  She later devoted herself to the medical welfare of women and children.  Her only son, Hugo Bell Fisher, was studying medicine when he received a commission with the Royal Munster Fusiliers in 1915 and he joined his unit in France on 23rd November 1916.  He was wounded and captured during the Battle of Passchendaele and died on 23rd November 1917.  He is buried in Harlebeke New British Cemetery in Belgium and is commemorated on the War Memorial in Fisherwick Presbyterian Church.


 

Based on the information held by Commonwealth War Graves Commission, supplemented with details from Soldiers Died in the Great War, 68 Irishmen who died in the Great War are buried in Malta and seventeen were Ulstermen:

Private (T4/061442) Hugh McCann of Crossgar died on 31st July 1915 whilst serving with 42nd (East Lancashire) Divisional Train, Army Service Corps and is buried in Addolorata Cemetery

Trooper (11/959) Hugh Adair of Belfast and Bangor died on 3rd October 1915 whilst serving with the Wellington Mounted Rifles and is buried in Pieta Military Cemetery

Private (9949) Francis Eccles of Drumglass died on 3rd August 1915 whilst serving with 1st Battalion, Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers and is buried in Addolorata Cemetery

Private (11407) Patrick Murphy of Derrygullen died on 27th August 1915 whilst serving with 5th Battalion, Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers and is buried in Addolorata Cemetery

Lance Corporal (9236) Edward Boyle of Maguires Bridge died on 19th May 1915 whilst serving with 1st Battalion, Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers and is buried in Pembroke Military Cemetery

Private (11609) George Atkinson of Donegal died on 5th December 1915 whilst serving with 1st Battalion, Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers and is buried in Pieta Military Cemetery

Private (11824) James Hutchinson of Armagh died on 4th September 1915 whilst serving with 6th Battalion, Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers and is buried in Pieta Military Cemetery

Private (G/1458) James Duffey of Londonderry died on 6th November 1916 whilst serving with 2nd Garrison Battalion, Royal Irish Fusiliers and is buried in Addolorata Cemetery

Private (17909) Samuel Clayton of Portadown died on 2nd October 1915 whilst serving with 6th Battalion, Royal Irish Fusiliers and is buried in Pieta Military Cemetery

Corporal (2643686) William Dawson of Belfast died on 18th September 1917 whilst serving with 6th Battalion, Royal Irish Rifles and is buried in Pieta Military Cemetery

Rifleman (8937) Henry Alexander McClune of Belfast died on 27th September 1915 whilst serving with 6th Battalion, Royal Irish Rifles and is buried in Pieta Military Cemetery

Rifleman (8502) David Reid of Blaris died on 11th October 1914 whilst serving with 1st Battalion, Royal Irish Rifles and is buried in Pieta Military Cemetery

Private (PLY/15918) William John McCabe of Belfast died on 29th March 1919 whilst serving with the Royal Marine Light Infantry on HMS “Foresight” and is buried in Malta (Capuccini) Naval Cemetery

Engineer Sub-Lieutenant W C White of Belfast died on 15th June 1918 whilst serving with the Royal Naval Reserve on HMS “Snaefell” and is buried in Malta (Capuccini) Naval Cemetery

Stoker 1st Class (K/14000) Robert Cairns of Belfast died on 27th April 1916 whilst serving with the Royal Navy on HMS “Russell” and is buried in Malta (Capuccini) Naval Cemetery

Leading Stoker (300050) John Moon of Belfast died on 16th May 1918 whilst serving with the Royal Navy on HMS “Egmont” and is buried in Malta (Capuccini) Naval Cemetery

Private (23685) Samuel Easton of Doagh died on 25th January 1916 whilst serving with 4th Battalion, Worcestershire Regiment and is buried in Pieta Military Cemetery


Three of the Ulstermen buried in Malta were associated with Belfast congregations of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland.

Hugh Adair - SR ExtractTrooper Hugh Adair

was born in Bangor on 11th October 1893, being the third son of Hugh and Mary Adair.  His father was a farmer but Mary was a widow by 1901, at which time the family was living in Southwell Road, Bangor.  Hugh Adair emigrated to New Zealand in 1912 and was working as a Stati????????on Hand in Makauri when he enlisted with the 9th Squadron of the Wellington Mounted Rifles in December 1914.   Trooper Adair left New Zealand in February 1915, arriving in Egypt in March 1915 and, in August 1915, his unit was located at ANZAC Cove on the Gallipoli Peninsula.  Hugh’s only sister, Ruby, served as a nurse with Queen Alexandra’s Imperial Army Nursing Service in Alexandria.

Hugh Adair was transferred to a hospital on Malta on 10th September 1915 suffering from gastritis and he subsequently died of enteric fever on 3rd October 1915 and is buried in Pieta Military Cemetery.  On 20th November 1915, the Newtownards Chronicle report on his death recorded that he had been wounded after a couple of months at Gallipoli. Unlike most military gravestones in Malta, which lie canted and contain three names, Hugh Adair has a personal memorial that was erected by his aunt, his sister and his brothers. His name is also commemorated on the Rolls of Honour for First Holywood Presbyterian Church and Cooke Centenary Presbyterian Church in East Belfast.

Robert CairnsStoker (1st Class) Robert Cairns

was born in Belfast on 23rd April 1893, being the fifth child of Robert (a factory mechanic) aRobert Cairnsnd Ellen Cairns, who were living in Greenmount Street, Belfast in 1901.  Robert Cairns served on HMS Russell, a Duncan-class battleship, which was detached from the Grand Fleet on 6th November 1915 and despatched to reinforce the British naval squadron in the Dardanelles.  HMS Russell participated in the evacuation of Cape Helles from 7th to 9th January 1916 and she was the last battleship of the British Dardanelles Squadron to leave the area.

After the conclusion of the Dardanelles campaign, HMS Russell stayed on in the Mediterranean and was steaming off Malta early on the morning of 27th April 1916 when she struck two sea mines that had been laid by the German submarine U-73. A fire broke out in the aft part of the ship and the order to abandon ship was passed.  After an explosion near the aft gun turret, she took on a dangerous list but sank slowly, allowing most of the crew to escape.  A total of 27 officers and 98 ratings were lost, including Robert Cairns who was buried in the Malta (Capuccini) Naval Cemetery.  Robert Cairns’ name is commemorated on the Roll of Honour for Great Victoria Street Presbyterian Church in South Belfast.

Leading Stoker John Moon

John Moonwas born in Dungannon, County Tyrone, on 16th September 1878 and married Rachel Reid on 27th December 1904 and his wife, a linen weaver, was living at 44 Ruth Street in 1911. John Moon 2 John was a labourer when he joined the Royal Navy on 4th March 1902 for a 12-year period.

He extended his service in March 1914 and was serving on HMS Vivid 2 when the Great War started.   From 1st November 1917, he served on HMS Egmont, a Base Ship in Malta and died of a fractured spine on 16th May 1918 following an accident onboard HMS Mimosa.

He was buried in the Malta (Capuccini) Naval Cemetery and his name is commemorated on the Roll of Honour for Newington Presbyterian Church in North Belfast.

 

Research by Nigel Henderson, History Hub Ulster Member

RSPBANI Music and Songs of the Trenches Concert

Tunes and Songs of the Trenches RSPBANI Music and Songs of the Trenches Concert to Commemorate First World War

The Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association, Northern Ireland Branch (RSPBANI) has come together with Cookstown District Council to present a Music and Songs of the Trenches concert on Friday 24th October 2014 in the prestigious Burnavon Theatre, Cookstown to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the First World War.

Two-and-a-half thousand pipers served in the Great War; men from Scotland, Ireland, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.  Over five hundred of these men never returned home.    Two pipers were awarded the Victoria Cross for their bravery and many other medals were presented to these courageous men.  The RSPBANI are proud to commemorate the lives of all those who lived, fought and died in the Great War through the music, tunes and songs of the period.

The programme will feature tunes composed by some of the greatest pipers of 1914 – 1918 including William Ross, William Lawrie and George Stewart McLennan performed by P.M. Ian Burrows and Pipers from Ballybriest, Cloughfin, Matt Boyd and Tullylagan Pipe bands as well as celebrated Uilleann Piper Chris McMullan.

There is great variety in the programme with the songs from the First World War sung by well-known baritone Karl McGuckin, the Willie Drennan Folk Band performing excerpts from their Somme CD  and the local Tamlaghmore Silver Band leading a sing-along as well as playing tunes from the period.

Tickets are on sale priced at £10 seat and are available from Burnavon Theatre Box Office: Tel 028 8676 9949 or http://www.burnavon.com/theatre/whats-on/Music-and-Songs-of-the-Trenches/info

Pints ‘n’ Poetry Night To Bring First World War To Life

Join Poet Laureate, Dr Sinead Morrissey, and local novelist Dr Glen Patterson, presenter of the BBC’s Study Ireland poetry TV series, as they bring some of the most personal accounts of the First World War to life in an evening of ‘Pints a’’ Poetry’ to be held at Grace Neill’s, Donaghadee.

Organised by Ards Borough Council, the words of ordinary soldiers in the trenches and established poets, read from the work of writers such as Wilfred Owen, Siegfried Sassoon, John McCrae, Edward Thomas, and Jessie Pope, will recount what it was like to live and serve during the Great War.

While modern, original works, including those that are part of the UK-wide ‘Letters to an Unknown Soldier’ project to commemorate the centenary of the outbreak of war, will explore the impact and influence that the Great War still has today.
pints and poetry
Readings will be given by local writers and members of the Ards community including the Mayor of Ards, Councillor Philip Smith, who is looking forward to the event:

“The First World War was a powerful source of inspiration for a body of literature which continues to resonate today and the incorporation of both work written at the time and modern poems and prose will ensure that the evening reflects the experience of those who lived and served during the First World War, as well as the impact and influence that it still has today.”

The Pints ‘n’ Poetry event takes place on Thursday 9th October, 8-10pm, at Grace Neill’s, Donaghadee.

Tickets cost: £5 (includes light supper) and can be purchased online visit www.ards-council.gov.uk/pintsnpoetry or at Ards Visitor Information Centre. For more information telephone 028 9182 4021.

More Than A Flag at #BelFest

 

East Belfast answered the call to arms in World War One. Dan Gordon and Garth McConaghie work with a group of young East Belfast Bandsmen to find out why and create a special performance with songs, poetry, music and drama to commemorate this vital part of the city’s heritage.

Running from Thurs 23 – Sat 25 Oct at Ulster Bank Belfast Festival at Queen’s.

Click to book here.
More than a flag

Ireland 1912-1923 An Island in Turmoil and Transition

Ireland 1912-1923 An Island in Turmoil and Transition: A series of talks and debates about the Irish Revolutionary period and it’s political and social aftermath.

Philip Orr and Tom Hartley talk, debate and discuss each of 7 themes as below.

Every Thursday from 25th September – 6th November at various locations across Belfast.

For more info contact Séanna Walsh at Coiste na nlarchimí by emailing seanna@coiste.com

 

coiste

The Livebait Squadron: One of the largest Naval disasters in history with 31 of Ulster’s men lost to just one U-boat

Exactly seven weeks into the First World War, the action of 22nd September 1914 saw three large but old British Royal Navy cruisers, manned mainly by reservists and referred to as the Livebait Squadron, sunk by just one German submarine while on patrol in the North Sea.  In all 1,459 men were lost off the Dutch Coast, on the three ships HMS Aboukir, HMS Cressy and HMS Hogue.  Of these, at least 31 men had connections to Ulster, most of them Stokers and three quarters of them part time reservists. Their average age was only 27 years old. 30 Ulstermen are buried at sea, with only 1 Ulsterman with a known grave.

HMS Aboukir

HMS Aboukir

The cruisers were part of the 7th Cruiser Squadron, which was assigned patrol duties in the North Sea.  Although concerns had been expressed about the vulnerability of these old ships, no changes had been made. There was less concern about submarine attacks at this point in the war than later, despite the previous sinking of HMS Pathfinder.

The morning of 22 September found a single U-boat, U-9 passing through the Broad Fourteens on her way back to base.  Surfacing after taking shelter from a storm, U-9 spotted the unprotected British ships and moved to attack.

She fired one torpedo from a range of 500m, which struck Aboukir, flooding the engine room and causing the ship to stop immediately.  Aboukir capsized and sank within 30 minutes. It was assumed that the ship had hit a mine, and the other two cruisers closed in to help.

U-9 resurfaced to observe Hogue and Cressy trying to rescue men in the water, and fired two torpedoes at Hogue from a range of 270m. Despite the ship opening fire on U-9, the two torpedoes struck Hogue and within 15 minutes she capsized.

HMS Hogue

HMS Hogue

The last remaining cruiser Cressy was left to face U-9 alone but failed.  Hit by two torpedoes, she capsized and floated upside down for 40 minutes before sinking.

One survivor explained how the men were;

‘much bruised and the skin was knocked off their bodies by the buffeting of the waves and contact with the wreckage’

Another man writing to his mother told of his experiences;

‘the sea was literally alive with men struggling and grasping for anything to save themselves. To add to the horror of the scene the Germans kept firing their torpedoes at us.’ 

He goes on to explain how he lost both of his brothers, all three of them serving on HMS Cressy;

‘I was just going to jump when I saw dear brother Alfred coming along the deck which was then all awash. Together we lingered for a moment, shook hands and told each other that whoever was saved to tell dear mother that our last thoughts were of her. We then kissed, wished each other goodbye, and plunged into the sea together, and we never saw each other again. Nor did we see any sign of brother Louis’ 

Witness reports of the time are inconsistent with survivors saying that anything up to 20 submarines where involved and that at least 2 were destroyed.  In fact the only submarine involved, U-9 returned home the next day to a hero’s welcome with Commander Weddigen and his crew all receiving the Iron Cross. U-9 and Commander Weddigan would go on to sink HMS Hawke three weeks later with the loss of 524 men, over 40 of them from Ulster.

HMS Cressy

HMS Cressy

Despite rescue attempts by Dutch merchant vessels, of the combined crew of 2296 men there were only 837 survivors.  1459 men, mostly part-time men from the Royal Naval Reserve rather than regular sailors, had died.  For weeks after this catastrophe bodies of British sailors were washed ashore on the Dutch coast, a few men buried at cemeteries in Holland.

The disaster shook British public opinion and the reputation of the Royal Navy. There were reprimands and criticisms for those in charge.  The reputation of the U-boat as a weapon of war was established. Sceptics in Germany fell silent and the Royal Navy never underestimated the U-boat threat again. In later years, it is estimated that 15,000 seamen fell victim to torpedo attacks. In this first major incident alone one tenth of that number perished.

There were at least 31 casualties related to Ulster on board HMS Aboukir, HMS Cressy & HMS Hogue:

 

HMS ABOUKIR

Stoker (1st) Norman Sidney Burrard, born Monaghan, died aged 20

Stoker (1st) Matthew Cleland, born Belfast, died aged 26

Stoker (1st) Hugh Donnelly, born Belfast, died aged 26

Stoker (1st) John Foster, born Dromore, lived Belfast, died aged27

Stoker (1st) William James Gordon, born Downpatrick, died aged 27

Stoker (1st) William Johnston Kerr, born Belfast, died aged 25

Stoker (1st) William Martin, born Belfast, died aged 22

Stoker (1st) Gilbert McBride, born Belfast, died aged 26

Stoker (1st) Francis Leonard McLoughlin, lived Ballycashon, died aged 21

Stoker (1st) Edward Thomas Quinn, lived Belfast, died aged 29

Stoker (1st) Hugh Sands, lived Belfast, died aged 24

Able Seaman Edward Henry Everall, born Annalong, died aged 26

Sick Berth Steward Reuben John Johnston, born Belfast, died aged 37

Able Seaman Frederick Charles Hamilton, born Lisburn, died aged 35

HMS CRESSY

Stoker (1st) Peter Breslin, born Ardara, Donegal, died aged 27

Stoker (1st) Samuel Chancellor, born Belfast, died aged 22

Stoker (1st) Joseph McBride Hilland, born Belfast, died aged 24

Stoker (1st) Thomas Joseph Hughes, born Belfast, died aged 29

Stoker (1st) Alexander Jamison, born Doagh, lived Belfast, died aged 28

Stoker (1st) David Lewis, lived Belfast, died aged 25

Stoker (1st) John Logan, born Belfast, died aged 23

Stoker (1st) Isaiah Marshall, born Belfast, died aged 23

Stoker (1st) Henry McMurran, born Whitehead, lived Carrickfergus, died aged 27

Stoker (1st) Thomas Murphy, born Newry, died aged 31

Stoker (1st) Charles Neill, born Belfast, died aged 26

Stoker (1st) William Joseph Redmond, lived Belfast, died aged 29

Leading Carpenter’s Crew Joshua Singleton, born Hillsborough, died aged 37

Engine Room Artificer William Wright, born Belfast, died aged 31

Lieutenant Philip Arthur Graham Kell, linked to Portrush, died aged 37

HMS HOGUE

Stoker William Clair, born Belfast, died aged 41

Stoker (1st) David Graham, born Whiteabbey, lived Whitehouse, died aged 36

Only one of these men’s bodies was recovered for burial, most remaining where they drowned.  They are remembered at either Chatham or Portsmouth Naval Memorials.  The wrecks of the three cruisers still rest on the seabed, the mass graves of so many men, although these are not protected and it is alleged that the wrecks are being salvaged for metal.  The anniversary on 22nd September will be marked at the Historic Dockyard, Chatham with a Drumhead service and fall of 1,459 poppy petals, one for each life lost.

 

Research by Karen O’Rawe, Chair of History Hub Ulster.

Servicemen images courtesy of History Hub Ulster Member, Nigel Henderson at http://www.greatwarbelfastclippings.com

 

Ireland and the First World War 1914-1922, Banbridge

Shared History Lecture Series “Ireland and the First World War 1914-1922”

Chaired by Dr Éamon Phoenix (Political Historian, author and broadcaster)

Iveagh Movie Studios, Banbridge town.  Series commences on Wednesday 24th September for 7 weeks.  All talks commence at 7pm sharp on successive Wednesday evenings.  Admission is free and their is no need to book.

Wednesday 24 September

“Ireland and Europe on the Brink: from Home Rule to the Guns of August” – Dr Éamon Phoenix

Wednesday 1 October

“Volunteering: Carson’s Army from the Old Town Hall to Kitchener’s Call 1913-1916” – Alan Parkinson (author, lecturer, formerly of University of London Southbank) “The North Began’: The Rise of the Irish Volunteers 1913-1916” – Éamon Phoenix

Wednesday 8 October

“The Battle of the Somme” – Philip Orr (playwright, historian, lecturer)

Wednesday 15 October

“Irish Nationalists and the Great War” – Sean Collins (historian) “Airbrushed out of History? The Great in Modern Memory, North & South” – Jim McDermott (historian)

Wednesday 22nd October

“Women in Ireland, the Vote and the War” – Dr Margaret Ward (author on Irish Women’s History; Visiting Fellow in Irish History, Queen’s University, Belfast)

Wednesday 29th October

“Ireland 1918-1922: Revolution, Partition and Civil War” – Dr Éamon Phoenix

Wednesday 5 November

“Postcards and Memorabilia of Home Rule and The Great War” – Ashley Forbes (historian) “Researching Ancestors in the First World War” – Dr Gavin Hughes (military historian, Trinity College Dublin)

 

This programme is delivered by Banbridge District Councils Good Relations Programme, part-financed through OFMDFM.

Ulster links to HMS Pathfinder: The first ship sunk using a powered torpedo from a submarine

HMS Pathfinder

HMS Pathfinder

The first ship ever to be sunk by a locomotive torpedo fired by a submarine was HMS Pathfinder, a Pathfinder-class scout cruiser, on 5th September 1914.  She was sunk off St Abbs Head in the Scottish Borders while on patrol, by U-21 commanded by Kapitänleutnant Otto Hersing, taking with her 6 men from Ulster.  Despite the event having been easily visible from shore the authorities attempted to cover up the sinking and HMS Pathfinder was reported to have been mined.

Captain Francis Martin Leake, Royal Navy HMS Pathfinder

Captain Francis Martin Leake

The majority of crew below decks had neither the time nor opportunity to escape and went down with the ship.  There was some confusion at the time over the exact number of crew on board, but research indicates that there were 261 deaths and only 18 survivors. 

One of these survivors of HMS Pathfinder was Captain Francis Martin Leake who had started his career as a young Lieutenant on HMS Caroline.  Captain Leake stayed with his ship as she went down by the nose but was lucky to be picked up and saved.  

He writes in a letter to his mother; “The torpedo got us in our forward magazine and evidently sent this up, thereby killing everyone forward”.  He says of Pathfinder; “She then fell over and disappeared leaving a mass of wreckage all around, but I regret very few men amongst it, for at the time they were all asleep on the mess decks and the full explosion must have caught them, for no survivors came from forward.”

Another survivor was County Down man, Staff Surgeon Thomas Aubrey Smyth who gave an account of his experiences in a letter to his mother who lived at Bedeque House, Dromore.

Staff Surgeon Thomas Aubrey Smyth, Royal Navy HMS Pathfinder

Staff Surgeon Thomas Aubrey Smyth

“The explosion blew a great hole in the side of the ship.  I was at the time in the wardroom, but ran up on deck immediately, and it was then evident by the way the bow was down in the water that she would sink rapidly.  I should say the whole thing occurred in about ten minutes which time was spent in throwing overboard the few articles which would float (the reason there was not more of these was that in preparation for war all unnecessary woodwork is got rid of to prevent fire).  I was then thrown forward by the slope of the deck and got jammed beneath a gun (which I expect is the cause of my bruising) and while in this position was carried down some way by the sinking ship, but fortunately after a time I became released and after what seemed like interminable ages I came to the surface, and after swimming a short time I was able to get an oar and some other floating material with the help of which I was just able to keep on the surface. After holding on for a long time – I believe it was an hour and a half – I must have become unconscious for I have no recollection of being picked out of the water. You see we were alone when it happened, so it took a long time for the reserve torpedo boats to come out and it was too quick to get any of our own boats out, besides most of the few we had were splintered into pieces.” 

There were at least 6 Ulster casualties on board HMS Pathfinder:

These Ulster men were:

Ordinary Seaman HERBERT DALEY born in Lurgan, died aged 20

Stoker (1st class) CHARLES JOHN GORMAN born in Belfast, died aged 24

Leading Stoker JAMES HERBERT HILLIS born in Banbridge, died aged 26

Stoker (1st class) WILLIAM SWANN born Glasgow, lived in Belfast, died aged 23

Stoker (1st class) ANDREW WEST born Belfast, died aged 23

Stoker (1st class) GEORGE SINCLAIR BELL born Belfast, died aged 28    

None of these men’s bodies were recovered for burial and as such they still remain were they died.  All six men are remembered at Chatham Naval Memorial.  The wreck site of HMS Pathfinder is designated under the Protection of Military Remains Act 1986.  The anniversary on 5th September will be marked by the British Sub-Aqua Club who will lay a wreath for the centenary of her sinking.

On the Centenary of HMS Pathfinder’s sinking on 5th September, HMS Bangor will arrive in Bangor, County Down. She will be open to the general public on the afternoons of Sat 6th and Sun 7th. HMS Bangor is a 600 tonne Sandown Class Minehunter, commissioned by the Royal Navy and launched by Lady Lisa Spencer in 1999 at Southampton Docks. She is named after Bangor and is the second Royal Navy vessel to bear the name. She is 52.5m in length and has a max speed of 13 knots.

Research by Karen O’Rawe Chair of History Hub Ulster.

Pictures courtesy of History Hub Ulster Member, Nigel Henderson at http://www.greatwarbelfastclippings.com