COMMEMORATIONS TO MARK THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE OUTBREAK OF THE GREAT WAR
The City of Armagh Branch held a Parade, wreath-laying Service, and the ceremonial planting of 3 Irish Yew Trees at the Cenotaph on The Mall, Armagh to mark the 100th Anniversary of the outbreak of The Great War on Saturday 16th August, 2014.
As with all great ideas, this started out as a suggestion from one anonymous Branch Committee Member (whose modesty prevents me from revealing his identity). The original germ of his idea was to plant a single tree to mark the occasion, with a ‘plan B’ which would involve more time, preparation and expense. Our Branch Committee opted for Plan ‘B’ as it was very quickly identified that we would need to plant 3 trees – one for each of the 3 Divisions deployed to war from Ireland: The 10th (Irish) Division, the 16th (Irish) Division and the 36th (Ulster) Division.
The first obstacle was to obtain permission from The Mall Trustees, who have absolute control of what may, or may not, be placed on The Mall. A quick meeting was held with one of the Trustees to gauge our chances of success, and then an outline report of our intentions, hopes and intentions was submitted for their full Committee consideration. A corresponding meeting also took place with Armagh City and District Council, and the incumbent Lord Mayor, Councillor Robert Turner to obtain their support for our plans, and not only did they support what we were undertaking – they asked us to engage with them in a partnership with this project. A very nervous wait ensued until we were given a ‘green light’ from The Mall Trustees, and we could now announce our plans and start issuing invitations.
Our plan was simple. We would like the Lord Lieutenant for Co Armagh to plant the tree in tribute to the 36th (Ulster) Division, so the next priority was his availability. We also wished to have two VIPs from the Republic of Ireland to plant the trees in tribute to the two Irish Divisions, but we did not want senior prominent representatives that would cause security headaches by attending and thus detract from the occasion. We also desired to have some senior representatives of The Royal British Legion N. Ireland, so the actual Commemorative weekend of 2nd and 3rd of August (War was declared on 4th August 1914) was quickly ruled out – if we wanted guests then we would have more chance of their availability away from the Commemorative weekend. Lord Caledon was available for Saturday 16th August – so, date decided, all systems were go……
The Rt. Hon. The Earl of Caledon The Lord Lieutant for County Armagh
The Committee had set the ‘terms’ for our Commemoration event. It had to be cross-community – and therefore representative of those men of all denominations (or none) from throughout Ireland who went to war. It had to be representative of the whole of Ireland. It had to be a respectful and fitting tribute.
If the event was to be cross-community, then this should be reflected by the clergy taking part. We were privileged to secure the services of His Eminence Cardinal Sean Brady, Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland. Unfortunately the Church of Ireland Archbishop was not available, but The Very Reverend Gregory Dunstan, Dean of Armagh offered to attend. The Dean was by no means a poor substitute! We were very happy to have these two senior clerics. The ‘bar’ had just been raised another notch for our preparations.
His Eminence Cardinal Sean Brady, Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland and The Very Reverend Gregory Dunstan, Dean of Armagh
Councillor Robert Turner offered a Civic Reception following the Service and Tree Planting Ceremony, to compliment our partnership with the Council in arranging our event. Yet another coupe!
Having secured one VIP, we needed to decide on the two further VIPs to plant the other two trees. Major General The O’Morchoe CB CBE, who is President of the Republic of Ireland District of The Royal British Legion, and is a frequent visitor to Armagh City was approached, and delighted to accept – requesting that he plant the tree representing the 10th (Irish) Division as his father had served in that Division during WWI. He further offered to secure a Government Minister from the Republic of Ireland to plant the last tree in keeping with the limitations established by the Committee. Being keen to establish a ‘balance’ in our arrangements we had decided to, as far as possible, have a ‘like for like’. Local MLA Danny Kennedy, Minister for Regional Development accepted our invitation to attend, so the Southern Minister should preferably be of equal status.
Major General The O’Morchoe CB CBE President of the Republic of Ireland District of The Royal British Legion
General The O’Morchoe very quickly secured assurances from the Department of Arts Heritage and the Gaeltacht that someone would attend, but no name could be confirmed at that stage. As it turned out it was well in to July (and therefore just a month before the event) before a name was confirmed. This was not due to discourtesy or any such thing – politics being politics there was a cabinet reshuffle on Friday 11th July, and the newly appointed Minister for Arts Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Heather Humphries TD was delighted to accept our invitation.
Heather Humphries TD Minister for Arts Heritage and the Gaeltacht
To ensure the local cross-community aspect we also invited the St Patrick Conference of The Society of Saint Vincent de Paul, Armagh, who have included our Branch as partners in their past ventures. A cross-community over- 60’s club, The Brolly Club, who meet in our Branch premises were also invited, as were The Order of Malta and St John Ambulance Corps. We decided to invite members of Dublin Central Branch and Limerick Branch of The Royal British Legion as representatives of the two recruiting areas of the two Irish Divisions. We were delighted by their acceptance of our invitations – this was further evidence (if such was needed) of the inclusive nature of our plans. Our guest list was starting to grow. One thing we were going to be firm on was that there would not be a long wreath-laying ceremony – no more than 7 wreaths would be allowed.
A decision was made to invite representatives of the other 4 Churches around which we rotate annually to hold our Remembrance Sunday Services. (Dean Dunstan was already attending, and therefore representative of St Patrick’s Cathedral). As the venue for the Civic Reception was limited in space, we would have to keep our invited guest list low (preferably below 150 people). As we were partnered by the Council all Councillors would have to receive an invitation as a courtesy. The President, Chairman, Vice-Chairman and Secretary of N. Ireland District RBL were each invited.
Because the Royal Irish Fusiliers have a direct link to WWI, because The O’Morchoe was their last Commanding Officer before the Regiment was ‘lost’ through amalgamation, because Armagh has a long history as a Garrison Town with the Fusiliers (T.A.) Battalion being the last resident Regimental representatives - we included the Old Comrades Association, Armagh and Dublin Branches as guests. (As we said before - like for like!).
One other stipulation that was made early in the planning stage by our full Committee was that this was a Royal British Legion event. We would not exclude all those Regimental and Civilian Associations that support us year upon year from attending this event. However we were determined that this Commemoration would be representative of, and open to all sections of our local community. Because of the sensitivities in some quarters about the green blazers and green headgear of some of those Associations, the Committee agreed that the dress code for this event would be Legion blazer or dark jacket or suit. No Regimental headdress on the Parade that did not have a direct link back to WWI (this meant that the Fusiliers would be permitted to wear their caubeens). We hoped that the Associations would understand the reasons behind the ruling, and wrote to them asking for their co-operation. By and large everyone accepted the thinking behind our decision, and we are very grateful for their support and co-operation. One or two individuals had difficulty accepting our terms for this Parade. All I can say is that we know we made the decision for the right reasons, and we stand by this decision.
Another decision that was made in the early stages of preparation was to invite representatives from both France and Belgium, as this was where most of the sacrifice during the war was made. The Assistant Mayor of Essigny-le Grand in France, Mme. Therese Martin Barjavel, is a frequent visitor to Armagh during the period of Remembrance each November, so an invitation was quickly sent off and accepted. Armagh City is twinned with Messancy in Belgium, so an invitation was sent off to their Mayor. It took three months and two communications to elicit a response thanking us for the invitation, but declining to accept. Cde. Martin Thompson stepped in and through a contact in Belfast was able to secure the co-operation of Dame Patricia Windsor Hawkins MBE, Knight of the Order of Leopold II, who accepted our invitation to represent the people of Belgium.
Mme. Therese Martin Barjavel The Assistant Mayor of Essigny-le Grand in France
Dame Patricia Windsor Hawkins MBE, Knight of the Order of Leopold II, representing the people of Belgium.
The next development in our plans was to include the ethnic communities locally. The Polish Blue Army had fought alongside the French Army, whilst the Chinese Labour Corps’ contribution to the war effort was incalculable. The staff in Armagh City Council was unable to help us identify local representatives of these two communities. Cde. Branch Chairman, Paul Corr was in Dungannon one day and called in to their Council Office. Within a very short space of time he was given names and telephone numbers. Following up on this we were successful in securing the attendance of Jerome Mullen, Honorary Consul of the Republic of Poland in N. Ireland. We also secured the attendance of Tak-Sun Poon as a representative of the Chinese Community.
Our guest list was increasing all the time. The list of wreath layers was not to exceed 7 (remember?). Well by this stage the list included: The Lord Lieutenant for Co Armagh, Deputy Lord Mayor of Armagh Councillor Joy Rollston, Danny Kennedy MLA, Heather Humphries TD, Dame Patricia Windsor Hawkins MBE (for Belgium), Mme. Therese Martin Barjavel (for France), Col. Mervyn Elder MBE (President of NI District RBL), Major General The O,Morchoe CB CBE (President of RoI District RBL), Joanne Andrew-Steer MBE (President NI District RBL Women’s Section), Armagh Branch RBL, Dublin Central Branch RBL, Limerick Branch RBL, Royal Irish Fusiliers Armagh Branch, Royal Irish Fusiliers Dublin Branch, Major General Patrick Nowlan Irish Defence Forces (Ret’d), Jerome Mullen and Tak-Sun Poon. 17 in total!! So much for our resolve!
I should mention that Major General Patrick Nowlan was ‘recruited’ by General The O’Morchoe during the period when the Department of Arts Heritage and the Gaeltacht would not commit to naming who would attend. Major General Nowlan was prepared to stand in at the last minute if we were let down and no Government Minister was available to attend. We were very grateful for his commitment to our event, and offered him the opportunity to lay a wreath so that he had ‘involvement’ in the proceedings. He chose to lay a wreath to represent all those Irishmen who died, and who were not part of the 3 Divisions commemorated by the Yew Trees.
Major General Patrick Nolan Irish Defence Forces (Ret'd)
Most of the organising Committee attended the Rep. of Ireland’s Annual Remembrance Service at Islandbridge in July, and were impressed with how organised it was and the calibre of those participating. We were particularly impressed by the guest speaker, journalist and historian Mr Kevin Myers. It had already been suggested by one of our members to invite this person to speak at our Commemoration. This was an ideal time to ‘network’, and after a short conversation following the Service, we had our guest speaker!
Only a week away from the event, everything was prepared, the Order of Service was printed, and then an email put us all ‘in a flap’. The Irish Defence Forces announced that they will attend and lay a wreath. This news is not unwelcome, in fact we are delighted that they have offered to do so (probably for the 2nd time ever in N. Ireland!). The problem is it is Friday afternoon and we need to contact 38 Brigade to ask them if they will do likewise (remember like for like?). As it turns out everything is sorted by the following Wednesday. Two more wreaths have been added to our list however!
The Armagh Old Boy’s Silver Band was invited to lead our Parade from Dobbin Street to The Cenotaph. Historically this same Band (but unsurprisingly different Band Members!) had led the second batch of Volunteers through the streets of Armagh to the train station as they left for training in preparation for duty in the trenches in 1914. It was particularly poignant to have them lead our Centenary Parade.
Events on the 16th August kicked off with a display of period artefacts and memorabilia in our Dobbin Street premises between 10.00am and 2.00pm. Tea and coffee was available throughout this informal display which was well attended. By 2.15pm we were assembling in the car park to form–up for the Parade. Northern Ireland District’s Parade Commander, Mr Alan McKee was given the responsibility of putting everyone in order, and ensuring the Parade went off without a hitch – something he carried out with aplomb in a relaxed and easy-going manner.
We were particularly honoured to have the Standard of The Old Contemptibles (Dublin Central Branch) lead the Parade of Standards. This was a fitting tribute to all who we were striving to show respect to. Amongst the other Standards on Parade were the Standard of NI District, NI District Women’s Section, NI District Youth Standard, Republic of Ireland District Standard, Group 9 Standard, the Branch Standards of Dublin, Limerick and Armagh Branches. The Standards of Armagh and Dublin Branches of The Royal Irish Fusiliers (Old Comrades Associations) were also on Parade. Other RBL Branch Standards were paraded, too numerous to mention, and we express our gratitude to all who gave up their time to attend and support our Parade.
All our invited VIPs were escorted to their seats after being ‘announced’ at the entrance to The Mall area. The representatives of Belgium, France and Ireland were given a musical ‘National Salute’ before being seated, as was Lord Caledon on his arrival. To be honest, quite a few sleepless nights had been spent worrying what sort of reaction there would be to the National Salute for Heather Humphries TD, but there was no backlash from anyone who had been present to hear the proceedings. Hopefully this is a sign of progress in the right direction towards acceptance of all of our differences within this one Island that we share.
As President of the Branch I had been asked to welcome everyone, and then Kevin Myers gave a short address. During the Service of Remembrance proceedings Cardinal Sean Brady also gave an address. Both speakers were interesting and thought-provoking, reflecting on the courage and sacrifices of those we were remembering. It was obvious that both had put considerable time and thought into what was said. We are very grateful to them both for doing so, and by speaking in such terms, for adding so much to our Commemoration Service.
Our 7 wreaths (sorry 19 wreaths now!) were laid following the Last Post, two-minute silence and Reveille. Dignitaries were then led to the area immediately behind the Cenotaph where the 3 Irish Yew Trees had been prepared in the ground. These were ceremoniously ‘planted’ by Lord Caledon (36th), Major General The O’Morchoe CB CBE (10th) and Heather Humphries TD (16th). The memorial plaques were unveiled in front of each tree as each tree was ‘planted’. A Piper’s Lament was played before all moved back to the front of the Cenotaph for The National Anthem to conclude the Service.
A Group Photograph was taken before all moved back to the Reception. As the Council were hosting (and therefore paying) for the Civic Reception – we were limited by numbers and space, so only those who received formal invitations (200 in all) were able to enjoy this. Everyone else was treated to a Reception at our Dobbin Street premises. It was during the Civic Reception that Deputy Lord Mayor Councillor Joy Rollston, Lord Caledon and The O’Morchoe made their speeches.
Throughout all the planning and preparation we were conscious that there were two things that we could not control – the weather and the number of people who would support the event. On the day the weather remained dry, if a little cool. We were grateful for that. We had a good number of people who joined in the Parade, and I would thank everyone for their support which was very welcome. The number of people who attended to watch the proceedings on The Mall was a bit disappointing as there were not as many as there would have been at a normal Armistice Day Service. Thank you to everyone who did attend, however – your presence was very much appreciated.
So – did we achieve all we set out to do? I would say that we far exceeded what we planned at the start. We never once imagined that we would be hosting representatives of the Irish Armed Forces, of Lisnevin Trust, and more than one representative of the Irish Government. We obtained widespread support from current and past Councillors of Armagh City and District, with only one political party not represented. We had a broad representation of our local community, across both the religious and ethnic divides. There was a good representation from both the NI District and Republic of Ireland District. We enjoyed good comradeship and craic with those members of Dublin Central and Limerick Branches who made the long journey ‘up north’, and as a result new friendships have been formed.
Most importantly, those who went to war in the name of Ireland to fight for the right of freedom of small nations 100 years ago were remembered in a respectful and fitting manner. We had also honoured the broad representation of all of those from across the whole of Ireland who, despite all their different backgrounds, creeds and politics, had joined as one to fight a common enemy for that common cause. I have every belief that their descendants would be proud of how we marked their sacrifice.
Thank you to everyone who contributed in any small way to help us mark this Centenary. We received so much assistance from across the community and outside agencies that was vital in delivering our plans. A BIG thank you also to each and every member of the Committee who contributed in no small way to ensure that this event went off without a hitch. There were many rehearsals and discussions to ensure no detail had been forgotten or overlooked. Finally thank you to all those Branch Members who are not on the Committee, but who willingly offered their services to complete many tasks that could not be done by the Committee alone.
In this, my inaugural year as President of the Branch, I have been so proud of the way everyone has pulled together so willingly to achieve this common goal. It has been a privilege to be part of such a team. I cannot thank each of you enough. Well done!
A DVD has been made of the Parade, Service and Tree Planting Ceremony, and is available from our Dobbin Street premises priced at £10. An album of photographs and a book of signatures of VIPs has also been prepared as an historical record of those who attended. These will be displayed within the Legion in due course
David Hammerton President
