Gunner William Hamilton from Fivemiletown died in 1916 with the Royal Field Artillery. His remains rest at Flat Iron Copse Cemetery, Mametz, Somme. HMS Ariel sank in a mine explosion off East Africa in 1918. David Foster from Ballymena was lost. Thomas Campbell from Portrush, a RAFVR Wireless Op./Air Gunner was lost over Belgium in 1942. Major General Corran Purdon paid tribute to a contemporary fellow officer Billy Hanna who died leading his company of Royal Irish Fusiliers in the toughest of confrontations in Sicily in 1943. Billy had represented Ulster at rugger, cricket and hockey. In 1944 Fred Atkinson from Moy serving with the Irish Guards died in the invasion of Normandy.
0n your august 2nd post of stretcher bearers in the mud, the very small man on the left of the picture is called Coates from Belfast—some years ago the
imperial War museum verified this was the 36th Ulster Division Field Ambulance and this small man was Coates from i believe the from Woodvale area. I worked with his son Jimmy in Kilroot Power station–h told me his father used to scream in his sleep and that he died in his 50’s. A photograph appeared in the Newsletter about 10-15 years ago of the Imperial War Museum of Jimmy and the stretcher bearers photograph -Jimmy retired in 1991 and we remained friends for many years but lost touch in the 2000’s.
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