Irish Guards lead special celebration

Irish Guards lead special celebration

29 June 2016

AFTER years of planning and a mammoth fund-raising campaign, Ballynahinch’s red letter day finally arrived on Sunday — the unveiling of the new War Memorial.

Hundreds of local people braved showery weather to watch the band of the Irish Guards, complete with wolfhound mascot, Domhnall, add a significant gravitas to a solemn event which marked the ultimate sacrifice of more than 100 men from the greater Ballynahinch area.

A large crowd lined the streets as the Irish Guards musicians paraded from 1st Ballynahinch Presbyterian Church, in Dromore Street, to the new War Memorial located on the site of the old cenotaph at the top of Main Street.

A special dedication ceremony then took place with three of the town’s clergy officiating — Canon Warren Russell, Paster Rodney Stout and Fr Desmond Loughran. A combined choir from the churches led the singing of hymns.

Before the dedication, the Memorial had been veiled by a large wrapper imprinted with photographs of the Ballynahinch Fallen. 

Margaret Armstrong introduced the unveiling party, composed of the old and the young: Frank Fox, now in his 90s, a WW2 veteran who constructed Mulberry harbours for use in the D-Day invasion of Europe; Alphie Colgan, a retired Ballynahinch dentist, whose father was involved in the erection of the original Memorial in 1934; Naomi McVeigh, great-grand-daughter of George Gilmore who lost his life 

serving in the 3rd Battalion Irish Guards in WW2; and Carson Rooney, great-grand-nephew of Royal Inniskilling Fusileer, Robert Valentine, of Artana, who died as a result of war wounds in 1920.

Stephen Fairley, Vincent Fullam, Walter Lyons, and Nigel McFadzean took turns to recite the names of all the Fallen of Ballynahinch and District, more than 100 in total. Names originally omitted from the 1934 roll have now been inscribed on the two blank faces of the new memorial.

The familiar words from Binyan were spoken by Colonel WF Gillespie, Amie-Jane Chadwick, and Dr Fred Byrne.

Andrew Carlisle, chairman of the Restoration committee, thanked the public and local councillors for their unhesitating support for the restoration project. 

“Churches and parishes, community groups, sports teams, Loyal Orders, masonic lodges, bands and individuals got behind the project, and contributed so generously,” he said. 

“Elected representatives and officials from Down District Council were our main project partners, and their financial support played a very significant part.”

He said the contractors’ workmanship from stonemasons S McConnell and Sons and A Robinson and Son, along with Demense Contracts, “was second to none throughout.”

Andrew thanked the Restoration Committee for “their hard and often hidden work” and the band of the Irish Guards, under their Director of Music, major Bruce Miller.  

Finally he told his audience: “This is your War Memorial — it belongs to everyone in this District. As a community, it gives us a focal point for respectful, inclusive remembrance of all those men, from very diverse backgrounds, who gave their lives, their all, for us and the freedoms we enjoy today.” 

At the close of the ceremony the band marched off down Main Street, with the crowd thronging after them in procession.