New Book - Fred Crawford

[jonathanb2701]

New book launched in Campbell College, Belfast on 19th November, by a retired school teacher Keith Haines,

on the Larne Gunrunner, Fred Crawford [ a founder of the Ulster Volunteers ]

[corisande]

Hey, I went to school at Campbell College. Was Fred Crawford an old boy too, or is the venue only because the author had been a teacher there.

[corisande]

A bit of research and I can answer my own question

The Campbell College web site tells me

Campbell College Governor, Fred Crawford, landed 25,000 rifles at Larne in April 1914. (Crawford's elder son, Stuart Crawford (OC 1128) was actually a pupil at the school at the time!)

The things they don't tell you when you are a pupil there. I see Fred Crawford also got the CBE a few years after this! Strange things went on in Irish politics.

[jonathanb2701]

The Newsletter paper has this book for sale at £14.99 postfree, and i see it on Amazon.co.uk for sale at £12.99 postfree.

The Newsletter has the following on page 46 of Saturday, 21st November's paper -

" Keith Haines who in his new book Fred Crawford - Carson's Gunrunner, throws new light on this complex man. Fred Crawford claimed that he was born an Irishman and died an Ulsterman. He was a God-fearing Christian who masterminded the largest illegal shipment of arms in the twentieth century. He was a founding member of the Ulster Volunteers who protected his Catholic workers during the Troubles of the 1920's. The dichotomy at the root of Fred's character is discussed and analysed in this authorative biography of the God-fearing gunrunner. Keith's meticulous research allows a man who, until now, has lurked in the shadow of Carson and Craigavon, to take centre stage and step into the light. Includes never been seen before photographs reproduced from the original glass plate negatives "

Has anyone seen or read it yet, to give an opinion or feedback on it ?

[corisande]

Jonathan

I assume you have a connection with this book. Its not the most obvious book for a WW1 forum, as the Larne gunrunning was in April 1914.

I would be interested to know what the connection is!

[1690philip]

Was speaking to a lad last night and he was telling me that he cleaned up his grave last year at the City cemetery Belfast.

Regards,

Phil

[markinbelfast]

I was disappointed to see the state of his burial place when I was doing research up there!...but there you go.

within the last month I've researched Ulstermen who have fought in ww1 went onto IRAQ and came home and died in the 1950's....and a 31 year old UDR man who died (not of any terrorist related thing) in 1979....both haven't got a grave stone.

[Desmond7]

Corisande - be fair ... April 1914 .. Ireland in turmoil .. Curragh mutiny .. government unstable ... UVF and National Volunteers training and arming ..

Then Sarajevo.

But I would argue that the immediate pre-war period and different political affiliations had a massive amount of relevance to how such men behaved in the actual period of global conflict.

Des

[corisande]

Yes, I agree entirely that the background with the UVF was part of the whole scene in Northern Ireland at that time. I was not saying the post was not relevant to this forum.

I was more trying to find out the OPs connection with the book - still like to know that. Things in Northern Ireland are never as they seem :-)

[jonathanb2701]

Corisande

I am interested in the Fred Crawford book, because i collect memorabilia of the Home Rule period relating to the Ulster Volunteers, and also leading on from this memorabilia of the 36th Ulster Division and the First World War. These topics have direct relevance to the subject of this book. My own family history, like most others in Northern Ireland, has alot of connections to the events of that time.

I do not know the author, nor have i seen the book,and i don't know anything about it other than what i have read in Saturday's Newsletter paper. My reason for bringing it to the attention of the members of this forum, is to inform them of it's release, and to see if anyone can give a personal review of it. Seeing as i live about 80 miles from Belfast and no ready access to bookshops, i would like to hear any of the forums member's views on it, before i would order it from Amazon or the Newsletter.

[corisande]

Jonathan

Thanks for that reply.

My family too has connections to events that took place both before, during and after WW1 in Ireland

I do not know how Irish history is taught in the schools of Northern Ireland today, but when I was at school the policy was not to even mention Irish history. We were taught for some obscure reason about the Tudors and Stuarts.

My Irish history has had to be self taught, which in itself is not a bad thing

I had a feeling that you must be a descendant of Fred Crawford, or that one of you family was involved in the Larne gun running (perhaps the were!)

The fact that my great-grandfather was in the DMP, grandfather was in Royal Dublin Fusiliers in WW1, my father in the RAMC in WW2, and that eventually I was educated at Campbell, might perhaps show that I have a fairly broad need to find out much that I missed from school history lessons.

I hope to get to read the Fred Crawford book one day, but right now I am deep in the 3 battalions of the RDF who were at Gallipoli

. Let us hope that someone can add a review here.

[jonathanb2701]

I bought this book prior to Christmas from Easton's bookshop in Belfast. For anyone with an interest in Ulster

in the buildup to the First World War, it is a good read. There are 23 black and white photos of Fred Crawford,

taken throughout his life. The book covers alot of his earlier life , and his involvement in the family business - starch

production. He was a officer in the Donegal Artillery [ a TA type unit ] from 1892 - 1909 , and served a year in South

Africa during the Boer War.

There is good coverage of the Larne gunrunning, and other incidents relating to the Ulster Volunteers. He appears as a

very able and determined organiser, who neglected his own business, for what he saw as the greater good [ Ulsters

fight against Home Rule ].

Two days after the declaration of the First World War, Fred Crawford recieved a letter, from Wilfred Spender, a leading

English supporter of the Ulster Volunteers, in which Spender writes - " I fancy the Germans counted on the UVF proving

an obstacle to England. Hope they will find out their mistake "

Fred Crawford was 53 years old at the outbreak of war, and was appointed Officer Commanding, Belfast defenses based

at Victoria Barracks, North Queen Street, a position he held for the rest of the war.

In early 1916 he went to France to visit the 36th Ulster Division, and meet his son who was an officer.

The book then goes on to cover his life, during the post war troubles in Belfast in the 1920s.

This book will probably mostly appeal to people from Northern Ireland, and those with an interest in the Ulster Volunteers

and the 36th Ulster Division. If anyone else has read this book, please give your own review.

[centurion]

Must try and read it

According to family tradition my maternal grandfather was somehow involved in the landing. He enlisted in Dublin when the war broke out, RDF,and survived the Somme

[rob elliott]

Jonathan,

Got this myself at Christmas, very good read.

Fred was quite a character, felt a bit sorry for Mrs C. as she never saw him and financially it must have been difficult.

One thing i do find very interesting is his observatins of the seniot officers during his time in South Africa in the Boer war.

As many of these Generals went on to serve in the 1st War the failings he observed were exagerated due to the size of the conflict.

Rob