August 23. Ballymena RAF operator intercepted German and Japanese signals. Roll of Honour

In 1914 the Battle of Mons began. It was the first major action of the British Expeditionary Force in the First World War. In 1916 Robert Ramsey from Kilrea who had worked at Clarks of Upperlands died in France with the Royal Irish Rifles. He was aged 19. Arthur Gordon-Kidd DSO from Ballymena was considered for a VC for his action in the Royal Flying Corps in which he died this day in 1917. Thomas Lynn from Newtownards was born in Fivemiletown and is named among the WW2 fallen on the town’s war memorial. Serving with the Gordon Highlanders he saw action at Dunkirk, in North Africa, and the invasion of Normandy. He is remembered at St Desir War Cemetery, Lisieux, Calvados, France. The veterans on today’s Roll include a Royal Marine from Waringstown who served in both world wars, Samuel Martin, a Canadian infanteer from Coleraine, and Marine Maybin Turtle from Cullybackey. RAF veteran Nathaniel Thompson from Broughshane was a Sgt Wireless Operator who intercepted at first German radio traffic and later, in the Far East, the Japanese radio traffic from sites on the Chindwin and later Rangoon in Burma.