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

October 14, 2014 by hhulster Posted in News Tagged Belfast, First World War, History Hub Ulster, HMS Hawke, HMS Theseus, Navy, RMS Olympic, Uboat-9, ulster, World War One

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_Hawke Under 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 (1^st class) Nathaniel Agnew, born Belfast

Able Seaman Robert Algie, born Belfast

Stoker (1^st class) David Bell, born Ballymena

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

Stoker (1^st class) John Chisim, born Belfast

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

Able Seaman Hugh Crawford, born Belfast

Stoker (1^st class) Robert Creighton, born Larne

Stoker (1^st class) James Dickey, born Belfast

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

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

Stoker (1^st class) Samuel Fee, born Belfast

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

Able Seaman James Toland Gorman, born Belfast

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

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

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

Stoker (1^st class) Robert Hunter, born Belfast

Able Seaman William Johnston, born Carrickfergus

Stoker (1^st class) Isaac Lewis, lived Belfast

Stoker (1^st class) Andrew McAllister, born Carrickfergus

Able Seaman David McCaugherty, born Belfast

Stoker (1^st class) Hugh McComb, born Belfast

Stoker (1^st class) William McFarlane

Stoker (1^st class) James McNally, born Belfast

Stoker (1^st class) John Mills, born Belfast

Chief Petty Officer Charles Molloy, born Drumragh, Tyrone

Stoker (1^st class) Edward Mullen, born Belfast

Able Seaman William James Ross, born Belfast

Leading Stoker Joyce Power, born Ballymena

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

Stoker (1^st class) John Smyth, born Belfast

Stoker (1^st class) Archer Thompson, born Belfast

Stoker (1^st class) David Tully

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

Stoker (1^st class) Henry Wasson, born Belfast

Stoker (1^st class) James Wilson, born Newry

Able Seaman Albert Patterson Wilson, lived Belfast

Stoker (1^st class) John Yates, born Belfast

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

Stoker (1^st class) William Clarke, born Belfast

Stoker (1^st class) Edward Crossin, born Belfast

Able Seaman John Thomas Gibson Dawson, born Belfast

Able Seaman James Charles Gamble, born Belfast

Stoker (1^st class) Daniel Laverty, born Belfast

Stoker (1^st class) Alexander Mairs, born Ballymena

Leading Stoker Patrick McEvoy, born Dechomet, Banbridge

Stoker (1^st 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.

Agnew, Nathaniel, Stoker, RN HMS Hawke, 19 Westminster Avenue Belfast, Died, Oct 1914

Algie, Robert, Seaman, RN HMS Hawke, 15 Ann Street Newtownards, Died, Oct 1914

Bell, David, Stoker, RN HMS Hawke, Ambleside Street Belfast, Died, Oct 1914

Campbell, George Jackson, Stoker, RN HMS Hawke, 69 East Bread Street, Died, Oct 1914, snipped

Chisim, J, Stoker, RN HMS Hawke, 20 Haldane Street Belfast, Died, Dec 1914

Cormican, H P, Stoker, RN HMS Hawke, Aldergrove Crumlin Antrim, Died, 04-11-1914

Crawford, Hugh L, Seaman, RN HMS Hawke, 56 Coolderry Street Belfast, Died, Oct 1914

Creighton, Robert, Stoker, RN HMS Hawke, 49 Mountcollyer Street Belfast, Died, Oct 1914

Dickey, J, Stoker, RN HMS Hawke, 21 Canton Street Belfast, Died, Oct 1914

Donald, Martie, Stoker, RN HMS Hawke, Salutober Red Brae Carrickfergus ANtrim, Died

Elkin, W J, Petty Officer (1st Class), RN HMS Hawke, Coleraine, Died, Oct 1914, Snipped

Elliot, John, Stoker (1st Class), RN HMS Hawke, 17 Hardinge Street Belfast, Died, Oct 1914

Fee, Samuel, Stoker, RN HMS Hawke, 28 Barbour Street Belfast, Died, Oct 1914

Gillespie, W J, Stoker, RN HMS Hawke, Wolfhill Cottage Ligoniel Belfast, Died, Oct 1914

Gorman, James, T, Seaman, Royal Navy (HMS Hawke), Summerhill Street Belfast, Missing, Oct 1914, snipped

Greer, William, Stoker, RN HMS Hawke, 16 Cluan Place Belfast, Unspecified

Hamilton, Robert J, Stoker, RN HMS Hawke, 38 Mersey Street Belfast, Unspecified, Oct 1914

Harper, William James, Stoker, RN HMS Hawke, 7 Linden Street Belfast, Died, Oct 1914

Hunter, Robert, Stoker, RN HMS Hawke, 80 Derwent Street Belfast, Died, Oct 1914

Johnston, William, Seaman, RN HMS Hawke, 9 Kitchener Street Belfast, Died, Oct 1914

Lewis, Isaac, Stoker, RN HMS Hawke, 17 Chatter Street Belfast, Died, Oct 1914

McAlister, A, Seaman, Royal Navy (HMS Hawke), Carrickfergus Antrim, Died, Dec 1914, snipped

McCaugherty, David, Able Seaman, RN HMS Hawke, 30 Hurst Street Belfast, Died, Oct 1914

McComb, Hugh, Stoker, RN HMS Hawke, 97 Ogilvie Street Belfast, Died, Oct 1914

McFarlane, William, Stoker, RN HMS Hawke, 24 Fifth Street Belfast, Died, Oct 1914

McNally, James, Stoker, RN HMS Hawke, Grosvenor Road Belfast, Died, Oct 1914

Mills, John, Stoker, RN HMS Hawke, 20 Coolderry Street Belfast, Died, Oct 1914

Molloy, Charles H, Petty Officer, RN HMS Hawke, 76 Clementine Street Belfast, Died, Oct 1914

Mullan, Edward, Stoker, RN HMS Hawke, 76 Sugarfield Street Belfast, Died, 03-11-1914

Power, Joyce, Stoker, RN HMS Hawke, Raceview Ballymena Down, Died, Oct 1914, snipped

Ross, William J, Seaman, RN HMS Hawke, 234 Upper Newtiwnards Road Belfast, Died, 03-11-1914

Sefton, Thomas H, Stoker, RN HMS Hawke, 20 Kendal Street Belfast, Died, Oct 1914

Smyth, John, Stoker, RN HMS Hawke, 26 Conningsby Street Belfast, Died, Nov 1914

Thompson, Archer, Stoker, RN HMS Hawke, 5 Teutonic Street Belfast, Died, Oct 1914

Tully, David, Stoker (1st Class), RN HMS Hawke, 95 Bristol Street Belfast, Died, Oct 1914

Upritchard, Charles, Stoker, RN HMS Hawke, 12 Rosebank Street Belfast, Died, Oct 1914

Wilson, James, Stoker, RN HMS Hawke, 63 Britannic Street Belfast, Died, Oct 1914

Wilson, P, Stoker, RN HMS Hawke, 20 Moneyrea Street Belfast, Died, Oct 1914

Yates, John, Stoker (1st Class), RN HMS Hawke, 25 Springmount Street Belfast, Died, Oct 1914

[Show slideshow]

Ulster and Malta in the Great War – A Presbyterian Perspective

October 5, 2014 by hhulster Posted in News Tagged David Reid, Edward Boyle, Elizabeth Gould Bell, Francis Eccles, George Atkinson, Henry Alexander McClune, Hugh Adair, Hugh McCann, James Duffey, James Hutchinson, John Moon, Patrick Murphy, Robert Cairns, Samuel Clayton, Samuel Easton, W C White, William Dawson, William John McCabe

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.

During 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 23^rd November 1916. He was wounded and captured during the Battle of Passchendaele and died on 23^rdNovember 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 31^st 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 3^rd October 1915 whilst serving with the Wellington Mounted Rifles and is buried in Pieta Military Cemetery

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

Private (11407) Patrick Murphy of Derrygullen died on 27^th 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 19^th 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 5^th 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 4^th 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 6^th 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 2^nd 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 18^th 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 27^th 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 29^th 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 15^th 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 27^th 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 16^th 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 25^th 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.

Trooper Hugh Adair

was born in Bangor on 11^th 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 Station Hand in Makauri when he enlisted with the 9^th 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 10^th September 1915 suffering from gastritis and he subsequently died of enteric fever on 3^rd 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.

Stoker (1^st Class) Robert Cairns

was born in Belfast on 23^rd April 1893, being the fifth child of Robert (a factory mechanic) and 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 6^th November 1915 and despatched to reinforce the British naval squadron in the Dardanelles. HMS Russell participated in the evacuation of Cape Helles from 7^th to 9^th 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 27^th 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

was born in Dungannon, County Tyrone, on 16^th September 1878 and married Rachel Reid on 27^th December 1904 and his wife, a linen weaver, was living at 44 Ruth Street in 1911. John was a labourer when he joined the Royal Navy on 4^th 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 1^st November 1917, he served on HMS Egmont, a Base Ship in Malta and died of a fractured spine on 16^th 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

October 5, 2014 by hhulster Posted in Events Tagged Burnavon, Cookstown, First World War, Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association, RSPBANI, Trenches, WW1

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 24^th 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

October 5, 2014 by hhulster Posted in Events Tagged Ards Borough Council, Dr Sinead Morrissey, Edward Thomas, Glenn Patterson, Grace Neills, Jessie Pope, John McCrae, Pints and Poetry, Siegfried Sassoon, Wilfred Owen

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.

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

October 3, 2014 by hhulster Posted in Events Tagged Ballymacarrett, Belfast, Belfast Festival, BelFest, Dan Gordon, East Belfast, Garth McConaghie

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.

Ireland 1912-1923 An Island in Turmoil and Transition

September 30, 2014 by hhulster Posted in Events Tagged An Culturlann, Belfast, Clifton house, Coiste na nlarchimi, Duncairn Cultural Centre, history, Independence, Linenhall Library, Markets Community Centre, Philip Orr, Revolution, Roddy McCorley Social Club, Seanna walsh, Skainos, Tom Hartley, WW1

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

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

September 20, 2014 by hhulster Posted in News Tagged First World War, HMS Aboukir, HMS Cressy, HMS Hogue, Livebait Squadron, Royal Navy, U-9, Weddigan, World War One

Exactly seven weeks into the First World War, the action of 22^nd 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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Stoker (1^st) 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 (1^st) 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 22^nd 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

September 16, 2014 by hhulster Posted in Events Tagged Alan Parkinson, Ashley Forbes, Banbridge District Council, Dr Gavin Hughes, Dr Margaret Ward, Eamon Phoenix, Iveagh Movie Studios, Jim McDermott, Philip Orr, Sean Collins, World War One

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

September 2, 2014 by hhulster Posted in News Tagged Captain Francis Martin Leake, HMS Pathfinder, Leading Stoker James Herbert Hillis, Ordinary Seaman Herbert Daley, Royal Navy, Royal Navy in NI, Staff Surgeon Thomas Aubrey Smyth, Stoker Andrew West, Stoker Charles John Gorman, Stoker George Sinclair Bell, Stoker William Swann

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 5^th 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

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

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

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

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

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

Stoker (1^st 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 5^th 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 5^th 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

Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers baptism of fire at Le Cateau

August 26, 2014 by hhulster Posted in News Tagged First World War, History Hub Ulster, Le Cataeu, Private John McKean Simms, private samuel hoy, Royal inniskillings, World War One, WW1 Research Ireland

Exactly 100 years ago, the 2^ndBattalion Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers had a ferocious baptism of fire near the small town of Le Cateau in Northern France. Thirty six men were killed, twenty four of them from Ulster, two of them teenagers from East Belfast. 19 year olds Private John McKean Simms and Private Samuel Hoy lived only a few streets away from each other and died together in battle.

Three weeks earlier, the Inniskillings had been performing guard duty at Dover Castle but now, made up to active service strength with drafts of reservists, they found themselves in the front line only two days after arriving in France. Their position was on the very left of the British line, facing overwhelming odds from a buoyant German army. Trenches as we think of them now did not exist then, and the soldiers had to make do with what cover existed or could be hastily created.

The German Army pressed the retreating British and French armies following the battle of Mons on 23^rd August. However, General Horace Smith-Dorrien, the Corps Commander ordered his troops to stand and fight at Le Cateau, as he believed a continued retreat would have led to a rout.

The attack began before dawn with a move by the German Jagers, to encircle the Inniskillings but they were driven back by accurate rifle fire. This set a pattern for the rest of the day, until an organised withdrawal was arranged.

By the end of the day, the Inniskillings had lost thirty-six men killed, and many more wounded.

Nine of those killed were from the greater Belfast area, including two Belfast teenagers.

Private John McKean Simms, 19 years old, was born in Carrickfergus. He came from a large family of ten brothers and sisters. His father Robert was a cattle dealer and at the outbreak of war, the family was living at 58 Portallo Street, Belfast. A message boy before enlisting, John was posted as missing after the battle, but his body was subsequently recovered and he was buried near where he fell in Esnes Communal Cemetery alongside seven of his comrades. John is commemorated on both the Cregagh Presbyterian Church and Strand-Sydenham Presbyterian Church Roll of Honour. Two of his brothers also served in the Great War. Thomas Simms had enlisted with Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers but was discharged as being under-age. He later served with Machine Gun Corps, achieving the rank of Sergeant and being awarded the Military Medal in 1918 whilst serving with MGC as part of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force. Robert James Simms served as a Shipwright with the Royal Navy.

A few streets away in Belfast at 82 Newcastle Street off the Newtownards Road was home to 19 year old Private Samuel Hoy. The eldest son of Samuel and Margaret Hoy, prior to the war he had followed his father’s trade as a carpenter. Samuel’s body, like the majority of those of his comrades killed that day, was never recovered and he is commemorated on the La Ferte-sous-Jouarre Memorial to the Missing. He is also commemorated on the Westbourne Presbyterian Church Roll Of Honour. Eight years after his death in 1922, Samuel’s mother received his medals.

An official communique published in the Belfast News Letter on 31 August stated:

“The battle on this day 26^th August was of the most severe and desperate character. The troops offered a superb and most stubborn resistance to the tremendous odds with which they were confronted, and at length extricated themselves in good order, though with serious losses and under the heaviest artillery fire.”

A number of John and Samuel’s brothers-in-arms who died that day were not much older at only 20 and 21 years old. The 36 men killed that day were the first soldiers from the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers to be killed on active service in the Great War.

The 24 men from Ulster killed on 26 August were:

Private William Robert Elliott, Holywood, Co. Down

Private James Smyth, Louisa St, Belfast

L/Corporal Robert McCorkell, Clonleigh, Co. Donegal

Private Thomas Murray, Antrim

Private Charles O’Donnell, Glendermott, Co. Londonderry

Private John Rafferty, Butler St, Belfast

Private Samuel Ritchie, Manderson St, Belfast

Private William Ruddy, Ardgowan St, Belfast

Private Robert Scott, Seapatrick, Co. Down

Private Francis Joseph Quinn, Cappagh, Co. Tyrone

Private James Templeton, Cupar St, Belfast

Private William Warnock, Richmond St, Belfast

Serjeant Thomas Wilkinson, Cappagh, Co. Tyrone

Corporal George Ayer, Doagh, Co. Antrim

Private Robert Falls, Cookstown, Co.Tyrone

Private James Carr, Downpatrick, Co. Down

Private James Browne, Hillview St, Belfast

Private William Harvey, Convention St, Belfast

Private George Henning, Bessbrook, Co. Armagh

Private William Nixon, Portadown, Co. Armagh

Private Thomas Donnelly, Belfast

L/Corporal Joseph Willey, Christopher St, Belfast

History: The Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers have a long and proud history and attachment with Ireland. The origins of the Regiment can be traced back to 1688 when citizens of Enniskillen organised to defend the town against the forces of King James. They were incorporated into the British army as the 27^th Regiment of foot and fought with distinction at Waterloo. In 1881, as part of Army reforms, the 27^th became the 1^st and 2^nd Battalions Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers. Three further battalions, 3^rd, 4^th and 5^th became militia or reserve battalions.

Battles Fought: In addition to le Cateau, the 2^nd Inniskillings fought at the battles of Marne and the Aisne in 1914, at Festubert in 1915, the Somme in 1916 and at St Quentin during the German spring offensive of 1918. At le Cateau, the Inniskillings had a battle strength of around 1,000 officers and men. In addition to the thirty-six killed, many more were wounded and a number taken prisoner.

Research completed by Michael Nugent, Associate Member of History Hub Ulster https://historyhubulster.co.uk

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

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