printed board/placard

Bloomfield House

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The 100th anniversary plaque and board shown in this entry are on the spot of Bloomfield House (web), where guns from Clyde Valley were held for the East Belfast battalion of the Ulster Volunteers in 1914. See also: John Henry Patterson’s involvement in Operation Lion.

“When the 3rd Home Rule Bill was passed by Parliament in 1912, Ulster Unionists under the leadership of Edward Carson and James Craig realised that armed resistance was the only resort left to them to remain British. The Ulster Volunteer Force was formed in January 1913 and comprised of 100,000 men. East Belfast Regiment was the largest in the UVF with over 10,000 men divided into 6 Battalions: 1st. Ballynafeigh & Newtownbreda, 2nd. Willowfield, 3rd. Mountpottinger, 4th. Victoria, 5th. Avoniel, 6th. Strandtown & Knock. Major Fred Crawford was tasked with procuring weapons and ammunition. On 24/25th April 1914 he did just this when landed 25,000 rifles and 3,000,000 rounds of ammunition from Clyde Valley at Larne and Donaghadee in Operation Lion. These munitions were taken all over the country, and a consignment was sent to East Belfast UVF. Part of this consignment was concealed in the grounds of Bloomfield House, which stood on this location.”

“This plaque marks the occasion in early May 1914 when over 2,000 men of the East Belfast Regiment, Ulster Volunteer Force paraded to the grounds of Orangefield House for an inspection to celebrate the success of Operation Lion when weapons and ammunition were landed at Larne and Donaghadee. For God and Ulster.”

These three are next to (and the same black background) as the Orangefield memorial – see In All Theatres Of Conflict.

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X04054 X04055 X04056 orangefield house gunrunners for god and ulster “When the 3rd Home Rule bill was passed by parliament in 1912, Ulster Unionists under the leadership of Edward Carson and James Craig realised that armed resistance was the only resort left to them to remain British. The Ulster Volunteer Force was formed in January 1913 and comprised of 100,000 men. East Belfast Regiment was the largest in the UVF with over 10,000 men divided into 6 Battalions: 1st Ballynafeigh & Newtownbreda, 2nd Willowfield, 3rd Mountpottinger, 4th Victoria, 5th Avoniel, 6th Strandtown & Knock. Major Fred Crawford was tasked with procuring weapons and ammunition. On 24/25th April 1914 he did just this when he landed 25,000 rifles and 3,000,000 rounds of ammunition from Clyde Valley at Larne and Donaghadee in Operation Lion. These munitions were taken all over the country, and a consignment was sent to East Belfast UVF. Part of this consignment was concealed in the grounds of Bloomfield House, which stood on this location.”

Respect For All

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Two final pieces from the #ae17 election campaign. Above, a somewhat menacing crocodile waits impatiently for an Irish-language act: “Meas do chách – Acht na Gaeılge anoıs!” (“Respect for all – Irish language act now!”) The white circle on red is the logo of An Dream Dearg, an Irish-language campaign (Irish News); the crocodile stems from DUP leader Arlene Foster’s response to Sınn Féın demands for an Act, when she said “If you feed a crocodile, they’re going to keep coming back and looking for more.” (BBC-NI | video at RTÉ) She later said she regretted the remarks as they allowed her to be demonised during the campaign (BelTel).

Below, Saoradh’s plea that “A vote for Stormont equals a vote for British rule – Don’t vote! Reject the quislings and Brit collaborators.” (See also: Stormont Must Go)

Previously: Previously from the 2017 Assembly Elections: Tapaıgh An Deıs | End The Age Of the Dinosaurs | Keep Belfast Clean | Hard Border | The Burning Issue

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X04071 X04067 clifton st new lodge rd

Young Militants

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Ulster Young Militants (UDA youth wing) board on a wall in the lower Shankill estate that has painted over (multiple times) to cover graffiti.

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X04027 hopewell sq

Between The Crosses

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The “Jesus” tag at the corner of My Lady’s and London roads has been replaced with a WWI mural showing soldiers running through a field of poppies, and which is surrounded by plaques from the Poppy Trail with the details of some of those from the 36th (Ulster) Division who were killed.

By Mark Ervine in London Road.

For the four panels on the right, see Ulsters Brave.

Previously from the Poppy Trail: Among The Fallen | Poppy Trail 1914 | Poppy Trail 1915 | Poppy Trail 1916 | HMS Hawke | XXXVI | The Sacrifice Remains The Same

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X04064 X04065

Ulster’s Brave

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Photographic portraits of four UVF members – Robert “Squeak” Seymour (east Belfast commander), Joe Long, Robert Bennett, James Cordner – on panels adjacent to a new Somme mural (shown tomorrow). Seymour died in 1988, the others in the early seventies. The same four are commemorated on a mural (and a plaque) on Ballymacarrett Road. “At Ulster’s call, they gave their all, a different war, on a different day, a bloody sacrifice, was the price to pay.”

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X04066 london rd lest we forget if they ask you will you kindly tell them here lies a soldier of the UVF resting where no shadows fall he shall grow not old as we that are left grow old

Always Keep A Diamond In Your Mind

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“The past is behind, learn from it. The present is here, live it. The future is ahead, prepare for it.” 2016 mural and board-cut diamond (which is lit from behind at night) in Lord Street, replacing the old LPA mural which lasted from 1997 to 2015.

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X04047 jobs for the boys diamond project Co-ment project CharterNI

XXXVI

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The main battles of the 36th (Ulster) Division (“XXXVI”) are listed – Somme, Thiepval, Messines, Ypres, Cambrai, Somme (1918), St. Quintin [St. Quentin], Lys, Courtrai – and those who died are commemorated on this new board. The main board is surrounded by smaller boards, part of the Poppy Trail, bearing the names, ages, addresses, ranks, and units of deceased soldiers. For example: William Lyttle, aged 18, 16 Tenth Street, 9th batt. Royal Irish Rifles, Rifleman 13044.

The same (main) board has also been mounted on the Shankill: see Improving Your Environment.

Replaces: They Haven’t Gone Away and Welcome To The Shankill.

Update: info board added “Thousands of brave Shankill men marched down our road and off to war, over 1500 of them never returned, with over 150 losing their lives on the 1st day of July 1916.”

X11327 2022-08-06 Divisions info+

X11328 2022-08-06 XXXVI ACT info+

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X04049 X11327 X11328 northumberland st

IRA – Sinn Fein – ISIS

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04050-2017-02-28-ira-isis

A gallery of scenes from IRA bombings has been added around the Bayardo memorial arch, the centre-piece of which are two images from the 2015 Paris bombings (shown above). “IRA – Sinn Fein – ISIS no difference”.

In a recent interview for the USA’s PBS (Public Broadcasting Service) the DUP’s Sammie Wilson said he agreed with the equivalence. The second image shows the view from the Shankill (the damage at Canary Wharf is centre-right). Alexander Minto Howell was killed outside the Bayardo bar by the British Army.

04052-2017-02-28-ira-isis-howell

04051-2017-02-28-ira-isis-boyardo

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X04051 X04050 X04052 Argyle St Bayardo Somme association slaughter in Omagh carnage in Hyde Park terrorists wantonly slaughtered 130 people innocent during a series of coordinated attacks Friday 13th November

The Burning Issue

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04057-2017-03-01-end-corruption-rhi

Not a phoenix or a bonfire but a pile of sterling going up in flames, a reference to the recent RHI (“Renewable Heat Incentive” rather than Sinn Féin’s promised “Respect, honesty, integrity”) scandal which was a cause of yesterday’s election. Whether it will make any difference to the electorate will be seen today, as counting gets under way in the 2017 Assembly Elections.

Previously from #ae17 (Assembly Elections 2017): Tapaıgh An Deıs | End The Age Of the Dinosaurs | Keep Belfast Clean | Hard Border

Previously about RHI: Heating Empty Barns … Killing Kids

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X04057 end corruption Arthur Rd

Hard Border

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04050-2017-02-27-hard-border

The UK’s vote to leave the EU (“Brexit”) might mean the return of the “hard” border between Northern Ireland and the Republic. The board shown above lists the Tories, DUP, TUV, and (west Belfast rivals) People Before Profit as supporters of Brexit. PBP supported the exit on anti-austerity grounds.

Previously from #ae17 (Assembly Elections 2017): Tapaıgh An Deıs | End The Age Of the Dinosaurs | Keep Belfast Clean

04033-2017-02-12-votail-sinn-fein

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X04050 X04033 Glen Rd Falls Rd