“Remember those not here today, And those unwell or far away, And those who never lived to see the end of the War & Victory, And every friend who’ve lost [or: passed] our way, Remember as of yesterday, It’s absent friends we miss the most, To ALL, Let’s drink a loving toast.”
William Walker’s poem Absent Friends is used as a part of UDA/UFF commemoration of various Larne men: “Ewan ‘Shug’ McPherson, Raymond ‘Toby’ Sloan, Kenneth ‘Kenny’ Nicholl (who is featured in a separate board, above; BBC-NI report of his killing), Ian ‘Big Ian’ Hamilton. Walker was a pilot during WWII who wrote poetry and returned to the brewing trade after the war; he died at age 99 in 2012 (Guardian).
There was some consternation (Larne Times) when the UDA/UFF board (shown above) with a silhouetted paramilitary holding a pistol was set up in late 2014, but the board remains in place in the summer of 2016. “South East Antrim 3rd Batt., D Coy.” If you know what “provost team” means, please let us know.
Robert King, of the 12th Royal Irish Rifles, who joined the army from the Ulster Volunteers, was “awarded the Military Medal for gallantry in action on 1st July 1916” at the Somme. The two sides of the medal are shown in the top right, with George V on one side and “for bravery in the field”. The 12th Rifles were drawn from the Central Antrim regiment of the Ulster Volunteers including the Newington area of Larne; King, however, was from Ship Street.
The Tullygarley mural in Larne, originally painted by Caroline Jeffrey, has been replaced with a computer-generated version reproducing most of the images. The bleaching green is gone; the Black Arch has been added, as has part of the mural that was on this site three generations of murals ago: God Save The Queen.
From the info-board for the previous version, included below:
“Tullygarley” means “Hillock of the Grey Calf” – thus the grey calf grazing with the cows.
The 36th Ulster Division – In September 1914 the Ulster Division was formed from the Ulster Volunteer Force which raised thirteen battalions for the three Irish regiments in Ulster.
Bleaching Green – Linen laid out in fields to bleach. The Bleaching Factory interior depicts the Bleaching process. (The building is currently derelict.) Blue Flax Flowers are the national floral emblem of Northern Ireland.
Local Primary School, Inver and Larne, known locally as “the Bridge”, as it looked in the 1930’s with the Inver River running through it. The bridge that the school was named after no longer exists.
Linen Factory of Glyn [Glynn] Road (no longer exists, site of abandoned garage) with inset depicting workers with weaving machines (circa 1924).
The old Tullygarley playground (mural site) with the Fountain in the foreground, and rows of houses on either side (Glynn Road and South Circular Road).
Sun Laundry Van. Sun Laundry showing people working inside (now Rea’s Furnishings, Bank Road).
Larne Lough – it is an area of special interest, a special protection area and a Ramsar site in order to protect the wetland environment.
SS Clyde Valley – launched in July 1886. Was used in 1914 to transport arms from Hamburg to Larne.
Roseate Tern – Larne Lough is the only breeding colony in Northern Ireland for the Roseate Tern, one of the UK’s rarest birds.
This is a recent mural to British forces in Linn Road, Larne. The larger piece of writing on the board above reads, “We wish to pay tribute to the young men and women from this area, who are currently serving or have served with Her Majesty’s Forces in Afghanistan and to those from Northern Ireland who have paid the Surpreme Sacrifice. Lest we forget”.
The smaller one has part of the Ode of Remembrance from Laurence Binyon’s poem For The Fallen: “They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old, Age shall not weary them, Nor the years condemn, At the going down of the sun, And in the morning, We will Remember them.”
“To the men in the CDF – the war’s over, lads …” It’s not clear precisely what “CDF” stands for [Craigyhill ?Defence Force?] or if a specific incident is referenced.
Seosamh Mac Coille Collection 