“This memorial is in honour of the men from our neighbourhood who made the ultimate sacrifice in the First World War. The handmade ceramic poppies were created by the GVRT [Greater Village Regeneration Trust] Well Women’s Group.”
The Poppy Trail: 1914 | 1915 | 1916 | 1917
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The UVF mural to number 4 platoon, A company, 1st Belfast battalion has been augmented with a plaque (shown below) that includes Shankill Butchers “L[enny] Murphy” d. 1982 (who lived in the adjacent Brookmount Street), his brother “J[ohn] Murphy” d. 1998, “A[rchie] Waller” d. 1975, “J[ohn] Townsley”, and “R[obert] Bates” d. 1997 (also known as “Basher Bates”); William Moore, Sam McAllister, Arthur McClay (from Antrim), David Bell, Eddie McIlwaine (still alive), Norman Waugh, and Benny Edwards do not appear to be included. Small wooden crosses in a fenced-in box bear the names of various volunteers.
Glenwood St, Shankill, Belfast.
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The poppies and the downcast soldiers come from the first World War but the names are all of modern UVF and RHC volunteers, from 1976 to the present day. Included on the list is John Hanna (junior): the new board is next to the recent John Hanna memorial, as shown in the wide shot, below.
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“With courage and vision you will dare to take risks, have the strength to be compassionate, and the wisdom to be humble. Courage is the foundation of integrity. – Mark Twain.” (The quote does not appear to be from Twain but is widely attributed to Keshavan Nair, who wrote a book on “lessons from the life of Ghandi”.)
This new board above the Red Hand Commando mural in Glenwood Street honours three UVF men who turned to politics and community work: Augustus (Gusty) Spence, who was among the earliest members of the UVF and after release in 1984 joined the PUP and set up the Shankill Activity Centre; David Ervine, also a UVF and PUP leader – see David Ervine and Memory Chair; Plum Smith, a founder member of the RHC and later shop steward and PUP leader – see RIP Plum Smith.
Click here for the full RHC mural.
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IRA volunteer and Sınn Féın politician Martin McGuinness died in March 2017 from amyloidosis (Guardian obituary). See also: Your A Scumbag, Martin McGuinness and The Bogside Butcher.
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Derry Gaol was built in 1791 with towers added in 1824, including the one shown above for executions by hanging. The rest of the prison was demolished in 1973; this tower lives on as a small WWI museum. For more info, see Rambling Wombat.
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A WWI poppy is used as the “O” in “Lest we forget”, joining together the Ulster Volunteers of 1912 and the modern Ulster Volunteer Force. For more of the many small UVF boards mounted in the Village in order to re-establish its presence, see South Belfast Volunteers | Welcome To The Village | A Hive Of Glass | For God And Ulster.
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The stained glass from Townsend Street Presbyterian shown above depicts a scene from Bunyan’s Pilgrims Progress, where Valiant-for-truth crosses over to his Father’s house. The glass was unveiled in 1922 in memory of “John Sinclair Martin of the 5th Royal Irish Rifles and his son Robert T Martin” (Beechgarave | History Hub Ulster).
Below is ‘Charity’ from the trio of ‘Faith, Hope, and Charity’ by Wilhelmina Geddes, unveiled 1914-02-08. 2016 saw the publication of a biography of Geddes (BelTel | Irish Times).
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Eight silhouetted men ride on an elephant while the faces of a dozen more Like Sure Start, the Great Shankill Fathers’ Forum is perhaps part of the Greater Shankill Partnership. It does not appear to have any independent on-line presence.
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The members of the anti-Home Rule ‘Ulster Volunteers’, formed in 1912, joined the 16th and 36th divisions at the onset of WWI. The emblem of the Ulster Volunteers is on the right (the emblem of the 36th is on the left). The same emblem was used in 1966 when the modern UVF was founded. See also South Belfast Volunteers | A Hive Of Glass | Village UVF | Welcome To The Village.
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Extramural Activity 