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The Great War (1914-1918) Forum

Remembered Today:

'Last Absolution of the Munsters'


Mark Hone

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What a marvellous way to mark the anniversaries of the Absolution and the battle, and to capture the meaning of this entire thread.

Thank you, Michel and James.

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James,

all simply thank you... you had a wonderful idea

Michel

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James,

all simply thank you... you had a wonderful idea

Michel

Michel,

The flowers was a very thoughtful gesture, thank you for remembering the Munster's and I do appreciate your comment.

Sullivan (James).

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In two different ways, by words and a picture, and another by presence and flowers, tribute and recognition is made.

Thank you Sullivan and Michel.

Lest We Forget.

Kim

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I wondered today, when I remembered the anniversary, that already by the time I had thought of it, 92 years ago on the actual day many would already have gone....

Michel - a kind and thoughtful gesture, thank you.

Ian

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May 9th 2007

Today .... we think of "our" Munsters !

Isn't it a revelation to us all - that a painting can bring us so close to a battalion of men - who's sacrifice means so much to us - all these years later ?

May we never forget what they gave on the altar of freedom

Thank you brave Irishmen !

" Deep peace of the quiet earth to you - Deep peace to you " from a Gaelic blessing

Annie

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I don't know if my eyes are deceiving me .... but Jeans post # 76 ...... I was just looking at the photo again and although it's hard to see ...

I wondered if anybody else can see the soldier sitting next to Col Rickard to the right ...... he looks like a priest to me .... I can see a collar and a cross .....

wonder if that's Father Gleeson ??

post-7335-1178861270.jpg

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Their memory is imperishable, their reputation immense and their devotion to their Faith massive - as demonstrated by this thread.

I suspect had you been at Cork Railway station and been able to tell them of their fate, not a man would have dropped out.

We will remember them/

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Annie,

Looking again at the pic I am inclined to agree about the collar and cross. Jean's accompanying notes however imply he was an officer (the Adjnt).

Can Jean pour over the (hopefully better defined) image with a magnifying glass to verify Annie's observation?

Ian

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Annie,

Looking again at the pic I am inclined to agree about the collar and cross. Jean's accompanying notes however imply he was an officer (the Adjnt).

Can Jean pour over the (hopefully better defined) image with a magnifying glass to verify Annie's observation?

Ian

Well spotted, it does indeed look like a priest, Unfortunately the picture, a print-off from newspaper, is not great quality.

I have no further info on this Adjutant Fitzpatrick but would not be surprised if the man in question is named erroneously as I have found many similar errors in the 'Cork Examiner.'

This 'priest' seems like a very large, tall man, someone who, it seems to me, might not have gone unremarked on account of his size at a time when the vast majority of men pictured are thin.

But I have no information on where this picture was taken. It could very well have been taken in England, before or at the start of the war, and might feature the garrison chaplain rather than the front line chaplain.

There were two other priests mentioned as being with the battalion at the same time as Fr. Gleeson. In this obit for Pte. William Wallace (KIA 9/5/1915), a Fr. O'Flynn is mentioned:-

'..... while on the day he wrote the letter (2nd May) Mass was celebrated by Father O Flynn in a little orchard, the altar being erected under a big apple tree. At that Mass 500 Munster Fusiliers received their Divine Lord in the Sacrament of His Love.'

While Pte. Martin Stevens, who was wounded on the 9th, says:-

'Fathers White and Gleeson were with us in the trenches and their exhortations inspired us to greater valour and gave us great consolation. The regiment look up to them both as saints and heroes, and how they have escaped death so far is a marvel to us all. We all, including the priests, were highly complimented by our commanding officer.’

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Here is the picture, cut down to zoom in on Col. Rickard and the men on either side of him -

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Hardly conclusive, but I think this padre has a wider (or rounder) face than that of Fr Gleeson? (Compare with pic of post 70, page 4, by Jean).

That said, it is a faint view!

Ian

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Hi Jean !

Thank you for the close up .... but as Ian says he doesn't look like your other picture of Father Gleeson .... I can't tell either !

there are 10 soldiers named White as Chaplains in the MIC's

http://www.rootschat.com/links/01ix/

And I can't see an O'Flynn as a Chaplain !

Annie

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Also from The Times Mon MARCH 15-1915........ ( how good and brave this priest is !! )

Ulsters Gifts to Munster

An instance of the good feeling which exisits between Union Ulster and Nationalist Munster is supplied by a letter which the Dunmurry ( Co Antrim ) Working Guilds have received from the Rev F Gleeson Roman Catholic Chaplain to the 2nd Battalion Munster Fusiliers thanking them for gifts of woollen garments and other comforts

The Chaplain writes " The warm woollens of the North are greatly valued by the warm hearts of the South. Three ringing cheers for yourselves and Captain Fitzpatrick brought the joyful distribution to a close

From what I know and have seen after three months of this war - I am driven to the conclusion - that a sea submerged and forgotton Ireland would be infinitely preferable to an Ireland with it's brave sons ( from North and South ) tearing one another to pieces in bloody and unchristian strife

May God inspire and strengthen the leaders of all Irish opinions to settle their national differences without the utterably sad resort of force and arms "

Jean !I knew I had seen that name before ...... on post #444 ...... Father Gleeson had mentioned him but as a Captain !

Annie

Medal card of Fitzpatrick, James Eaton

Royal Irish Fusiliers

Captain

Royal Munster Fusiliers

Captain

Date

1914-1920

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documen...p;resultcount=1

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I don't know if my eyes are deceiving me .... but Jeans post # 76 ...... I was just looking at the photo again and although it's hard to see ...

I wondered if anybody else can see the soldier sitting next to Col Rickard to the right ...... he looks like a priest to me .... I can see a collar and a cross .....

wonder if that's Father Gleeson ??

Annie,

The officer sitting on Col. Rickard's left, is no doubt in my mind Captain T.W. Filgate as mentioned in the photo caption previously posted by JPC. (Filgate seated 3rd from right of photo).

Compare this photo of Filgate taken in Rangoon circa 1912-194.

post-148-1178921626.jpg

Notice the broad face.

Sullivan.

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Hi Sullivan !

I think it's Capt Filgate on the left ( as we look at the picture ) and a priest on the right of Col Rickard ( as we look at the picture )

Also does anybody know what language this is please ??

http://www.chakoten.dk/eng_padre.html

Looks to me like Sullivan's picture of Father Gleeson - is noted here as being Father Gleeson !!

Also you guys have probably seen this already but although I had seen the Peace Tower .... I hadn't noticed Father Gleeson ! :rolleyes:

Island of Ireland Peace Park

The Island of Ireland Peace Park and its surrounding park (Páirc Síochána d'Oileán na h'Éireann), also called the "Irish Peace Park" or "Irish Peace Tower" in Messines, near Ypres in Flanders, Belgium, is a war memorial to the soldiers of the island of Ireland who died, were wounded or are missing from World War I.

The tower memorial is close to the site of the June 1917 battle for the Messines Ridge and was chosen because that battle witnessed one of the few where Irish Catholics and Protestants , soldiers of all traditions from the Island of Ireland fought side by side against a common enemy

Stone tablet beside the Irish Peace Tower in Flanders, Belgium, with words by Francis Gleeson. Photograph by User:Redvers originally from en:wikipedia, now transferred to Commons.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Island_of_Ireland_Peace_Park

post-7335-1179115231.jpg

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This photo was prepared for GWF member JPC (Jean), also asked if I would post to GWF on her behalf.

The main photo - the Memorial Panels at Le Touret Memorial Cemetery. The ghost image is photo of Munster Fusiliers at Cork railway station waiting transit to Rue du Bois, for some perhaps the last journey.

post-148-1179123615.jpg

The Munster Fusiliers panels are left and right of the column in centre of photo.
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Hi Sullivan !

I think it's Capt Filgate on the left ( as we look at the picture ) and a priest on the right of Col Rickard ( as we look at the picture )

Also does anybody know what language this is please ??

http://www.chakoten.dk/eng_padre.html

Looks to me like Sullivan's picture of Father Gleeson - is noted here as being Father Gleeson !!

Also you guys have probably seen this already but although I had seen the Peace Tower .... I hadn't noticed Father Gleeson ! :rolleyes:

Island of Ireland Peace Park

The Island of Ireland Peace Park and its surrounding park (Páirc Síochána d'Oileán na h'Éireann), also called the "Irish Peace Park" or "Irish Peace Tower" in Messines, near Ypres in Flanders, Belgium, is a war memorial to the soldiers of the island of Ireland who died, were wounded or are missing from World War I.

The tower memorial is close to the site of the June 1917 battle for the Messines Ridge and was chosen because that battle witnessed one of the few where Irish Catholics and Protestants , soldiers of all traditions from the Island of Ireland fought side by side against a common enemy

Stone tablet beside the Irish Peace Tower in Flanders, Belgium, with words by Francis Gleeson. Photograph by User:Redvers originally from en:wikipedia, now transferred to Commons.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Island_of_Ireland_Peace_Park

Annie,

Yes, indeed Danish.

Re Fr Gleseson pic - I saw it in my copy of 'I Was There' and it is credited to 1st Munsters at Cambrai, Oct 1918.

Ian

Sullivan

A nice touch.

Ian

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Annie,

it is incredible, I passed tens of time in front of the park, I entered there, I visited it, but at the time of course I was not attracted by the quotation of Father Glesson !

I will go there again and to see with another glance, it is sure.

Michel

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This photo was prepared for GWF member JPC (Jean), also asked if I would post to GWF on her behalf.

The main photo - the Memorial Panels at Le Touret Memorial Cemetery. The ghost image is photo of Munster Fusiliers at Cork railway station waiting transit to Rue du Bois, for some perhaps the last journey.

post-148-1179123615.jpg

The Munster Fusiliers panels are left and right of the column in centre of photo.

James,

I will not enter any more “le Touret Memoriall” with the same glance, very moving, thank you.

Michel

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That photo's lovely Sullivan !

I found this Captain .... do we have him already ??

In Memory of

Captain JOHN CAMPBELL DICK

2nd Bn., Royal Munster Fusiliers

who died

on 09 May 1915

Remembered with honour

LE TOURET MEMORIAL

Medal card of Dick, John Campbell

Royal Munster Fusiliers

Captain

Date

1914-1920

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documen...p;resultcount=1

Annie

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Also I found this picture of the Royal Munster Fusiliers .... I recognised the name Fitzmaurice ...... are any of the others familiar ?

post-7335-1179285983.jpg

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The 2nd battalion Munster Fusiliers left lasting memorials to their battalion, on the battle fields of France, in the cemeteries and on memorial panels throughout.

They also left a lasting reminder in North Tidworth at the Garrison Church of St. Patrick and St. George. There is a stained glass memorial window to the 2nd battalion Munster Fusiliers, they were instrumental in support for the church building.

As far as I know, the church was started about 1909 and completed in 1912. The builder was G.L.W. Blount.

post-148-1179300327.jpg

The centre panel with the Arms of the Province of Munster.

The side panels listing the pre Great War Battle Honours of the Regiment.

Sullivan.

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