The Shankill Somme Association’s garden of reflection has added a number of new boards.
The board shown above is JP Beadle’s painting “Battle of the Somme: Attack of the Ulster Division”, which hangs in Belfast City Hall (militaryprints.com). It replaces a painting of a soldier in a field of poppies, seen in The Great War.
To its left is John Singer Sargent’s painting “Gassed”, showing the “aftermath of an indiscriminate mustard gas attack on British forces during the Battle of Arras 21st August 1918” (which also forms a part of a memorial in east Belfast) with the GK Chesterton quote “The true soldier fights not because he hates what is front of him, but because he loves what is behind him”.
Also new – and somewhat out of place – is the Northern Ireland Centenary board featuring James Craig: “It would be rather interesting for historians of the future to compare a Catholic state launched in the south with a Protestant state launched in the north and to see which gets on the better and prospers the more”. There are other “floreat Ultona” boards/murals in the Village (focusing on the B Specials and UDR) and in Rathcoole (where “Ulster welcomes her King and Queen”).
There are also three insignia on the gates (compare with M05717), to the Royal Navy, the Ulster Volunteer Medical & Nursing Corps, and the Royal Flying Corp.
Previously (c. 2017), the undead soldiers of We Shall Not Sleep were replaced with an image of the Cross Of Sacrifice memorial – the original is in Ypres, Belgium but there is also one in the City Cemetery – see One In Design And Intention. At the same time, the poppy plaques for individual local soldiers and the image of the Menin Gate were also added.
The Flanders Field board appears to have survived since 2012 – see Somme Memorial.
The final image below shows the new stone surround for the main memorial. See (again) Somme Memorial and for a close-up of the frosted glass, Reflections On The Somme.
For the 20th anniversary electrical box on the footpath outside, see Shankill Somme Association.
With thanks to Paddy Duffy for the photographs.
Click and click again to enlarge (to 1200 x 900)
Copyright © 2022 Paddy Duffy
Camera Settings: f4, 1/640, ISO 100, full size 2049 x 1537
Click and click again to enlarge (to 1200 x 900)
Copyright © 2022 Paddy Duffy
Camera Settings: f4, 1/400, ISO 100, full size 2049 x 1537
Click and click again to enlarge (to 1200 x 900)
Copyright © 2022 Paddy Duffy
Camera Settings: f4, 1/250, ISO 100, full size 2049 x 1537
Click and click again to enlarge (to 900 x 1200)
Copyright © 2022 Paddy Duffy
Camera Settings: f3.3, 1/320, ISO 400, full size 1537 x 2049
Click and click again to enlarge (to 900 x 1200)
Copyright © 2022 Paddy Duffy
Camera Settings: f4, 1/320, ISO 100, full size 1537 x 2049
Click and click again to enlarge (to 1000 x 1000)
Copyright © 2022 Paddy Duffy
Camera Settings: f4, 1/200, ISO 100, full size 2049 x 1537
Click and click again to enlarge (to 1200 x 1900)
Copyright © 2022 Paddy Duffy
Camera Settings: f4, 1/160, ISO 100, full size 2049 x 1537
Click and click again to enlarge (to 1200 x 1900)
Copyright © 2022 Paddy Duffy
Camera Settings: f4.5, 1/500, ISO 400, full size 2049 x 1537
Click and click again to enlarge (to 1200 x 1900)
Copyright © 2022 Paddy Duffy
Camera Settings: f4, 1/250, ISO 100, full size 2049 x 1537
Click and click again to enlarge (to 1200 x 1900)
Copyright © 2022 Paddy Duffy
Camera Settings: f4, 1/200, ISO 100, full size 2049 x 1537
T01427 [T01428] T01436 T01438 [T01437] T01435 T01433 [T01434] T01432 [T01431] T01426 [T01429] T01425 T01424 T01423
Extramural Activity 