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Fifth Dunree service for WW1 dead
22.06.09
THE fifth annual
remembrance service for the men and women of
Inishowen who died during World War 1 will be held
on Sunday, June 28, in Fort Dunree Military Museum.
A service of remembrance led by clergy from the
Roman Catholic, Church of Ireland, and Presbyterian
faiths will be followed by a reading of the Roll of
Honour and the Last Post. Wreaths will be laid by a
number of organisations as well as private family
flowers. Music will be provided by the Buncrana
Accordion Band, The Tullintrain Pipe Band and
violinist Tracey McRory.
The organisers of this event, the Inishowen Friends
of Messine group, would like to invite everybody to
come along to remember their relations and
neighbours, who came from every single parish in
Inishowen, and who died and were forgotten for so
long. |
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At least 248 men and
women from Inishowen died in WW1. They came from
both main traditions and fought for different
reasons. For many years their sacrifice was
forgotten. In the words of President Mary McAleese,
"memories were put in shoeboxes".
And did you know that 25 men from Inishowen were
lost at |
sea during WW1 in both
the Merchant Navy and Royal Navy. The first naval
casualty was William Clarke from Greencastle who
died on HMS Amphion when it struck a mine in the
English Chanel on August 6, 1914, the first week of
the war. Two Inishowen men were lost on HMS Viknor
when it struck a mine off Tory Island on January 13,
1915. They were Robert Begley and Edward Farren from
Greencastle, both had been members of the Royal
Naval Reserve.
Buncrana man Patrick Brennan, a Stoker on HMS
‘Invincible’ was killed at Jutland while the last
Inishowen sailors lost during the war were Thomas
McLaughlin and Mark O’Donnell from Shrove. They died
on SS ‘St. Barchan’ of Glasgow when it was torpedoed
about four miles off St John's Point, Co Down. The
annual service of remembrance starts at 2.30pm. |
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