
MAGHERAGALL
WAR MEMORIAL
World
War 1 & 2 - Detailed information
Compiled & Copyirght ©
Rev. Nicholas Dark - 2006
Magheragall
is a village about 3½ miles west of Libsurn, Co. Antrim. The
memorials for the First and Second World War tak e the form of stone
tablets within the Magheragall
Parish Church. The names of the fallen are listed by the arena that
they fought in.
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Photographs
Copyirght © Rev. Nicholas Dark - 2006 |
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|
1914-1919
To
the Glory of God
and
in Grateful Memory of the men
connected with this Church,
who nobly fell in the Great War
In
France & Belgium |
GRAHAM
|
William
John |
[States
12th Battalion on memorial] 2nd Lieutenant, 18th atatched 12th Battalion,
Royal Irish Rifles. Killed in action 22nd November 1917. Aged 26.
Son of William and Mary Graham, of 67, Coolderry St., Donegall Rd.,
Belfast. No known grave. Commemorated on CAMBRAI MEMORIAL, LOUVERVAL,
Nord, France. Panel 10. |
HAWTHORN
|
Albert
A |
[States
11th Battalion on memorial, spelt HAWTHORNE on CWGC] Rifleman 2534,
12th Battalion, Royal Irish Rifles. Killed in action 2nd September
1918. Aged 24. Born and resident Magheragall, enlisted Lisburn.
Buried in MESSINES RIDGE BRITISH CEMETERY, Mesen, West-Vlaanderen,
Belgium. Plot I. Row C. Grave 24. |
HAWTHORN
|
Thomas
|
[Spelt
HAWTHORNE on CWGC] Rifleman 3028, "B" Company, 11th Battalion,
Royal Irish Rifles. Killed in action 1st July 1916. Born Magheragall,
enlisted Lisburn, resident Moira, Co. Down. Son of the late William
Hawthorne of Magheragall, Lisburn, Co. Antrim; husband of Mary Hawthorne
of Derrynisk, Moira, Co. Down. No known grave. Commemorated on THIEPVAL
MEMORIAL, Somme, France. Pier and Face 15 A and 15 B. |
LAVERY
|
Edward
|
Private
10739, 2nd Battalion, Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers. Killed in action
16th May 1915. Aged 18. Born and enlisted Lisburn, resident Cookstown.
Son of John Lavery, of 10, Old Hillsborough Rd., Lisburn, Co. Antrim.
No known grave. Commemorated on LE TOURET MEMORIAL, Pas de Calais,
France. Panel 16 and 17. |
MOFFETT
|
William
|
[Spelt
MOFFATT on SDGW and CWGC] Private 41144, 13th Battalion, Royal Scots
Fusiliers (Lothian Regiment). Died of wounds 10th April 1917. Aged
20. Born Magheragall, enlisted Glasgow, resident Kilsyth, Strilingshire.
Son of William Moffat, of Magheragall, Lisburn, Co. Antrim. Formerly
10128, Royal Scots Fusiliers. Buried in ETAPLES MILITARY CEMETERY,
Pas de Calais, France. Plot XXII. Row F. Grave 23. |
STITT
|
Thomas
|
2nd
Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers - there is
only one Thomas Stitt listed in the CWGC and SDGW -
Thomas Stitt, Rifleman 13561, 1st Battallion, Royal Irish Rifles.
Killed in action 9th May 1915. Born Portadown, Co. Armagh, enlisted
Belfast. No known grave. Commemorated on PLOEGSTEERT MEMORIAL, Comines-Warneton,
Hainaut, Belgium. Panel 9. |
TOLERTON
|
Robert
|
Rifleman
6641, 11th Battalion, Royal Irish Rifles. Killed in action 1st July
1916. Aged 20. Born and resident Magheragall, enlisted Lisburn.
Son of John and Margaret Tolerton, of Beech Hill, Matheragall, Lisburn,
Co. Antrim. No known grave. Commemorated on THIEPVAL MEMORIAL, Somme,
France. Pier and Face 15 A and 15 B. |
TOLLERTON
|
George
|
Rifleman
6050, 14th Battalion, Royal Irish Rifles. Killed in action 6th May
1916. Born Magheragall, enlisted Belfast, resident Portadown. Buried
in AUTHUILE MILITARY CEMETERY, Somme, France. Plot/Row/Section D.
Grave 48. |
TOLLERTON
|
James
|
Rifleman
6462, 9th Battalion, Royal Irish Rifles. Killed in action 1st July
1916. Aged 29. Born and enlisted Magheragall. Son of Thomas and
Jane Tollerton, of Knocknarea, Magheragall, Lisburn, Co. Antrim.
No known grave. Commemorated on THIEPVAL MEMORIAL, Somme, France.
Pier and Face 15 A and 15 B. |
WALKER
|
Claud
Arthur Leonard |
Lieutenant,
2nd Battalion, Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers. Killed in action 10th
July 1918. Aged 21. Son of the Rev. R. Walker, LL.D., and Mrs. L.
J. T. Walker, of Shankill Rectory, Belfast. Joined Public Schools
Corps, Aug., 1914. Nominated to R.M.C. Sandhurst, Dec., 1914. Commissioned,
May, 1915. Buried in BOUZINCOURT COMMUNAL CEMETERY EXTENSION, Somme,
France. Plot I. Row B. Grave 2. |
At
Gallipoli |
GILL
|
Henry
Albert George |
Private
598, 15th Battalion, Australian Imperial Force. Killed in action
in the Dardenelles 8th August 1915. Aged 29. Born 102, Newtownards
Road, Belfast. Enlisted Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. Son of
Mrs. Mary Agnes Gill of 102, Newtownards Road, Belfast. Farmer by
trade. Emigrated aged 24 years. Educated at the Intermediate School,
Queen's Collge, Royal University of Ireland. Cousin of Gill of Tamworth,
Sidney & of Gill of Emu Creek, Melbourne. No known grave. Commemorated
on LONE PINE MEMORIAL, Gallipoli, Turkey. Panel 46.
His
mother wrote "He was one of the best & one of the few -
my liberal minded large-hearted son - Without a minutes delay he
went at the call of duty his letters from the Dardanelles were always
cheerful. The last letter we received from him was dated 30th July
1915 then he was reported missing from 8th August and in November
we received a letter from a Pioneer Sergt of the London Regiment
who wrote that he had found my son and buried him and that he seemed
to have had an <...cannot decipher..> death. He was lying
on his side and in his outstretched hand he held a copy of the New
testament. The book was officially forwarded to me it was the book
we had sent him with his name & home address written therein
the mark of his thumb is on the mouldering cover of the book. this
is all that has come to me from <..... cannot decipher...>
death."
Another
letter reads:
102
Newtownard Road
Belfast City
3rd March 1920
Dear
Sir,
Herewith I
return you the <..cannot decipher..>for Roll of Honour and
for the Histories in Australia with the particulars filled in by
my mother as requested about our Beloved Albert - This is all we
know as yet, and if later we learn of any other details that might
be of interest to you we will send you. We still are anxious <?>
for news of him. This <..cannot decipher..>stood a big warm
loving <..cannot decipher..> for us all. His like <...cannot
decipher..> and in Australia was a daily self-sacrifice for us
the light and joy of our old <...cannot decipher..> went with
our Albert - our <...cannot decipher..> to send you this photograph
and hope it may be posisble for it to be inserted, and if you will
please let us know that you receive them safely. My Mother is out
at our home in the country at present with my youngest <...cannot
decipher..> who is an invalid now.
Thanking
you for your kind remembrance,
Yours
sincerely,
G.E.M.
Gill (Eva)
|
MARTIN
|
Alexander
|
Private
12/800, Auckland Regiment. New Zealand Expeditionary Force. Killed
in action 25th April 1915. Aged 20. Son of John and Isabella Martin,
of Moor Farm, Donaghadee, Co. Down, Ireland. No known grave. Commemorated
on LONE PINE MEMORIAL, Gallipoli, Turkey. Panel 72. |
In
Mesopotamia |
HOLDCROFT
|
Robert
|
[Memorial
states Quarter Master Sergeant] Sergeant 8853, 7th Battalion, Prince
of Wales's (North Staffordshire Regiment). Died of wounds 9th April
1916 in Mesopotamia. Born Burslem, Staffordshire, enlisted Lichfield,
Staffordsshire, resident Belfast. Buried in BASRA WAR CEMETERY,
Iraq. Plot Vi. Row Q. Grave 1.

The
Holdcroft Family
|
Tranquil
they lie, their knightly valour proved
their memory hallowed in the land they loved.
|
Also
those you gave their lives
in the World War
1939-1945 |
MURPHY
|
John
William |
Sergeant
1083884, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve. Died 3rd July 1945.
Aged 22. Son of Mr. and Mrs. John Murphy, of Moneybroom, Magheragall,
Co. Antrim, Northern Ireland; husband of Georgina Murphy, of Toronto.
Buried in TORONTO (ST. JOHN'S NORWAY) CEMETERY, Ontario, Canada.
Section 11. Range 25. Grave 34. For full history see Magheragall
Parish Church web site
|
PHILLIPS
|
Ivan
|
Fusilier
6979364, 1st Battalion, Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers. Died as a
prisoner of war of the Japanese 10th January 1943. Aged 20. Son
of John and Martha Phillips, of Lisburn, Co. Antrim, Northern Ireland.
Buried in TAUKKYAN WAR CEMETERY, Myanmar. Plot 11. Row J. Grave
3. |
ROBERTS
|
William
|
Gunner
14594156, Royal Artillery. Died 27th June 1943. Aged 39. Husband
of Maud Roberts, of Magheragall. Buried in LISBURN CEMETERY, Co.
Antrim, Northern Ireland. Section D. Grave 162. |
SMYLIE
|
John
Finlay |
Marine
PO/X 4563, H.M.S. Barham, Royal Marines. Died 25th November 1941.
Aged 19. Son of James and Sarah A. Smylie, of Lisburn, Co. Antrim,
Northern Ireland. No known grave. Commemorated on PORTSMOUTH NAVAL
MEMORIAL, Hampshire. Panel 59, Column 2.
Note:
HMS Barham was a Queen Elizabeth-class battleship of the Royal Navy
named after Admiral Charles Middleton, 1st Baron Barham, built at
the John Brown shipyards in Clydebank, Scotland, and launched in
1914.
In
World War I, she collided with her sister-ship Warspite in 1915.
In 1916, she was Admiral Hugh Evan-Thomas's flagship of the 5th
Battle Squadron temporarily attached to Admiral David Beatty's Battlecruiser
Fleet at the battle of Jutland, where she received five hits and
fired 337 shells.
During
the 1926 general strike she and HMS Ramillies was sent to the River
Mersey to land food supplies.
She
was less extensively modified between the wars than her sisters.
Among her captains was Percy Noble.
In
World War II she operated in the Atlantic and Mediterranean. She
was damaged by a German submarine torpedo in December 1939, while
at sea north of the British Isles.
In
September 1940, she took part in Operation Menace, a British naval
attack on Dakar, Senegal prior to a landing by the Free French.
Barham engaged the French battleship Richelieu. On September 25th,
the Richelieu hit Barham with a 15-inch (381 mm) shell. The French
submarine Bévéziers hit the battleship Resolution
with a torpedo the same day. Operation Menace was abandoned.
Barham
then joined Force H at Gibraltar, taking part in several Malta Convoys.
At
the end of 1940, Barham joined the Mediterranean Fleet, taking part
in the Battle of Cape Matapan in March 1941 and receiving bomb damage
off Crete in May.
On
25 November 1941, while steaming to cover an attack on Italian convoys,
Barham was hit by three torpedoes from the German submarine U-331,
commanded by Lieutenant Hans-Dietrich von Tiesenhausen. As she rolled
over to port, her magazines exploded and the ship quickly sank with
the loss of over two-thirds of her crew.
The
British Admiralty was immediately notified of the sinking on November
25, 1941. However, within a few hours they also learned that the
German High Command did not know the Barham had been sunk.
Realizing
an opportunity to mislead the Germans, and to protect British morale,
the Admiralty censored all news of Barham’s sinking and the
loss of 861 British seamen.
After
a delay of several weeks, the War Office decided to notify the next
of kin of Barham’s dead, but they added a special request
for secrecy. The notification letters included a warning not to
discuss the loss of the ship with anyone but close relatives, stating
it was "most essential that information of the event which
led to the loss of your husband's life should not find its way to
the enemy until such time as it is announced officially..."
By
late January 1942, the German High Command had realized Barham had
been lost. The British Admiralty informed the press on January 27,
1942 and explained the rationale for withholding the news. |
THOMPSON
|
Joseph
Beckett |
Sergeant
(Pilot) 566058, 25 Squadron, Royal Air Force. Died 31st July 1940.
Aged 24. Son of Thomas and Sarah Thompson, of Magheragall. Buried
in MAGHERAGALL CHURCH OF IRELAND CHURCHYARD, Magheragall. Grave
194. |
Last
updated:
12 August, 2006
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