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Book records sacrifice of those who died in war
By Eoin English
Wednesday, June 02, 2010
A RESEARCH team led by two military historians has compiled the most complete record of all Cork people who died in the Great War.
Their massive 650-page tome, A Great Sacrifice, was accepted last night on behalf of the people of Cork by Lord Mayor Dara Murphy and county mayor Derry Canty.
The team identified at least 3,784 people from the city or country who died in World War 1, and recorded their name, rank, place and date of birth and death, place of burial. But they also penned a small biography on each individual.
Mr O’Shea said the team hopes the book will show that those who died in the war were more than a statistic. "There were real people from real places," he said.
Tens of thousands of Irish men died in World War 1 (1914-1918) serving with the British, Imperial and US armed forces.
In 1922, the Irish National War Memorial Committee published Ireland’s Memorial Records – eight books recording the names of more than 49,000 Irishmen who died while fighting with the British and Imperial forces. However, this work did not include the names of those men who died while serving in the US army. Also excluded was the name of Private James Graham from Cork who was court-martialled and "shot at dawn" on December 21, 1915.
In March 2008, the Cork City and County Vocational Education Committees decided to produce an accessible record of Cork men and women who lost their lives in the war.
The research team led by Gerry White and Brendan O’Shea conducted a detailed study focused on Cork city and country and identified at least 3,784 people from the area who lost their lives in the war. More names are still being found and they will feature in later editions.
Among the names in the new book are Sgt William Looney of the Royal Artillery, who was originally from 143 Bandon Road, Cork, who died from pneumonia in a military hospital in France on November 11, 1918 – the day the war ended.
Sgt Looney, one of five brothers who fought with the British army, was one of five Corkmen who died on the last day of the conflict along with Sergeant William Morrissey, 33, of the Army Service Corps, who died in a military hospital in France.
He lost two brothers in the war – Richard, a sergeant with the 2nd Battalion, Leinster Regiment, who died in battle on July 31, 1918, and Matthew, a drummer with the Leinsters, who was killed in action on April 5, 1916.
Richard Swanton, from Ballydehob, was just 16 when he died in battle on October 3, 1918, while serving as a private with the 1st Battalion, Dorsetshire Regiment.
* A Great Sacrifice – Cork Servicemen Who Died In The Great War is published by Evening Echo Publications, and costs €39.99.
This story appeared in the printed version of the Irish Examiner Wednesday, June 02, 2010
Wednesday, June 02, 2010
A RESEARCH team led by two military historians has compiled the most complete record of all Cork people who died in the Great War.
Their massive 650-page tome, A Great Sacrifice, was accepted last night on behalf of the people of Cork by Lord Mayor Dara Murphy and county mayor Derry Canty.
The team identified at least 3,784 people from the city or country who died in World War 1, and recorded their name, rank, place and date of birth and death, place of burial. But they also penned a small biography on each individual.
Mr O’Shea said the team hopes the book will show that those who died in the war were more than a statistic. "There were real people from real places," he said.
Tens of thousands of Irish men died in World War 1 (1914-1918) serving with the British, Imperial and US armed forces.
In 1922, the Irish National War Memorial Committee published Ireland’s Memorial Records – eight books recording the names of more than 49,000 Irishmen who died while fighting with the British and Imperial forces. However, this work did not include the names of those men who died while serving in the US army. Also excluded was the name of Private James Graham from Cork who was court-martialled and "shot at dawn" on December 21, 1915.
In March 2008, the Cork City and County Vocational Education Committees decided to produce an accessible record of Cork men and women who lost their lives in the war.
The research team led by Gerry White and Brendan O’Shea conducted a detailed study focused on Cork city and country and identified at least 3,784 people from the area who lost their lives in the war. More names are still being found and they will feature in later editions.
Among the names in the new book are Sgt William Looney of the Royal Artillery, who was originally from 143 Bandon Road, Cork, who died from pneumonia in a military hospital in France on November 11, 1918 – the day the war ended.
Sgt Looney, one of five brothers who fought with the British army, was one of five Corkmen who died on the last day of the conflict along with Sergeant William Morrissey, 33, of the Army Service Corps, who died in a military hospital in France.
He lost two brothers in the war – Richard, a sergeant with the 2nd Battalion, Leinster Regiment, who died in battle on July 31, 1918, and Matthew, a drummer with the Leinsters, who was killed in action on April 5, 1916.
Richard Swanton, from Ballydehob, was just 16 when he died in battle on October 3, 1918, while serving as a private with the 1st Battalion, Dorsetshire Regiment.
* A Great Sacrifice – Cork Servicemen Who Died In The Great War is published by Evening Echo Publications, and costs €39.99.
This story appeared in the printed version of the Irish Examiner Wednesday, June 02, 2010
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