A Lonely Grave: The Life and Death of William Redmond"In the early morning of 7 June 1917, the Catholic and Nationalist 16th (Irish) Division advanced side-by-side with the Protestant and Unionist 36th (Ulster) Division to take the Messines Ridge, south of Ypres. That evening, in a field hospital of the Ulster Division, an officer of the 16th died of wounds. He was Major William--nearly always known as Willie--Redmond; the brother of John Redmond, leader of the Irish parliamentary party. Willie Redmond was 56 at the time of his death, and holding a position of relative safety on the 16th Division's staff. Yet he insisted on going forward with his old battalion, the 6th Royal Irish Regiment. He had a premonition of his death in battle, and saw himself as making a blood sacrifice for Ireland every bit as meaningful as that made by the men of the Easter Rising. Willie Redmond was buried at Locre, the 16th Division's headquarters. There he still lies: uniquely, his body was never gathered with those of his fallen comrades into one of the official war cemeteries built after the war. His 'lonely grave', for the most part unvisted, symbolises Ireland's indifference to the fate of its soldiers who died in the Great War. Willie Redmond had been a nationalist member of parliament for nearly 34 years; representing Wexford, North Fermanagh, and East Clare. He had been one of the most determined advocates of home rule for Ireland--imprisoned three times by the British for his political activities. Yet when his brother called upon his supporters to join the British army in September 1914, Willie Redmond was one of the fist to enlist. His death in battle made a greater international impact that the death of any other British soldier in the Great War. This biography, the first of Willie Redmond, covers both his political and military careers."--P. [2] of cover. |
Contents
List of illustrations | 6 |
Young Parnellite 188497 | 31 |
Towards home rule 18981912 | 56 |
Copyright | |
3 other sections not shown
Common terms and phrases
11 June 16th Division 16th Division's 16th Irish 6th Royal Irish anti-Parnellite April August Australia battalion believed Boer British army brother Catholic Clare Journal Commission Cork Davitt December declared Dillon Dublin East Clare Eleanor Redmond election Empire England Ennis February fight Freeman's Journal friends grave Hansard Healy Hickie home rule bill honour Horgan papers house of commons Irish divisions Irish members Irish nationalism Irish party Irish soldiers Irish troops Irish Volunteers Irishmen J.J. Horgan January John Redmond July Land League landlords leader Lieutenant London Major Redmond Major William Redmond March meeting nationalist MP never November October officers organisation parliament Parnell Parnell's Parnellite police political Protestants recalled Royal Irish Regiment September Sinn Féin South speech spoke Stephen Gwynn T.P. O'Connor told the commons Trench pictures unionist United Ireland vote Wexford William Archer Redmond William O'Brien Willie Redmond Willie Redmond wrote
References to this book
Ireland's Heritages: Critical Perspectives on Memory and Identity Mark McCarthy No preview available - 2005 |
An Englishwoman in Belfast: Rosamond Stephen's Record of the Great War Rosamond Stephen No preview available - 2000 |