Excerpts from The Witness, a weekly Presbyterian Church newspaper, describe the growth of the UVF in 1913 and the military awards granted in 1918 including RM Boyle a former Coleraine Academical Institution student and James Cordner a minister who served as a combatant. The first Lisburn man to win an MC was Captain Nelson Russell who was to play a foremost role with Irish troops in WW2. In today’s Roll of Honour – Thomas Knox of Dungannon served as aide-de-camp to his father, Lord Ranfurly in NZ between 1903-1907. Educated at Eton and Sandhurst he died this day in 1915 serving in the Coldstream Guards. Two from the Inniskillings fell in 1917. Albert Anderson who was born in Canada graduated from Queen’s Belfast and played cricket for Holywood. Thomas Coleman was from Belfast and had served in Gallipoli. Both are remembered in Bailleul Communal Cemetery Extension, Nord, France. George McGeown of Belfast and Aghalee died in a plane crash in England in 1943. Flight Sergeant Thomas Gilchrist from Lurgan and Pilot Officer Maurice Reid from Derry died together in 1944 and are remembered on the Malta Memorial. Major Watt Smyth from Larne died on special operations in Burmah in 1945 when he was shot in two separate ambushes trying to get his team back to British lines. Get today’s report here –
Remembrance NI - Every day is a Remembrance Day 