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Heinkel HE 111 accessed from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heinkel_He_111 |
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view of the damage accessed from http://scoilmhuirecampile.com/index.php/a-h-local-history/ |
Waterford Harbour Tides & Tales
Andrew Doherty
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Heinkel HE 111 accessed from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heinkel_He_111 |
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view of the damage accessed from http://scoilmhuirecampile.com/index.php/a-h-local-history/ |
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Buddy McDermott and Tom Sullivan hauling out the nets Photo courtesy of Tomás Sullivan |
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A mending needle |
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drift net |
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a typical break |
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repaired and time to range on |
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Violet in her FANY uniform via https://livesofthefirstworldwar.org/lifestory/5153419 |
In 1907 she was one of the first volunteers to join the FANY; First Aid Nursing Yeomanry. This unit was formed by Captain Edward Baker as a consequence of the miseries he had witnessed in the Boer War. The unit was trained to operate in war fronts as aid and assistance to wounded troops, but as it was staffed by women it was roundly criticised and at times lampooned, given the times and norms associated with them.
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Violet is standing, third from left via http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02vcgmd |
When they weren’t providing vital services to wounded and injured, they helped boost moral. Violet was one of a performing stage troop called “the Fantasticks”.
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Snowhill House |
When Bridget would have met her in the 1930s she was in her fifties and trying to maintain an ailing enterprise. Bridget recalled her once bringing her inside the house to view a wasps nest. Perhaps an indication of the decline in the house. She married a horse breeder from Tipperary in 1945 dividing her time between her home and her husbands. She finally sold Snowhill, perhaps when it was already too late, in 1954. The new owners had it demolished in 1955.
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An egg mine sketch with the release mechanism |
To counter the threat ordinary fishing boats and fishermen were recruited under the Royal Navy Minesweeping Reserve. With some basic training they were redeployed to various ports and waterways. Many were steel built steam drifters of 2-300 tons and up to 140 foot long. The skipper and crew were not under naval discipline or expected to wear a uniform. Their orders came from the Navy.
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There was two techniques for dealing with mines. They could be towed and if their anchoring cables snapped the mine which floated to the surface could be destroyed by gun fire. Alternatively the snared mine could be towed into shallow water where it floated onto the surface and could then be dealt with. Unfortunately steam trawlers for fishing were not built with military purposes in mind, and so unlike naval purpose built vessels with double hulls, they were more susceptible to underwater explosions.
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City of York, a typical steam trawler of the time |
During WWI 726 vessels were employed in mine sweeping and over 250 of them were lost, 214 to mines. I have not yet come across any details of their operations in Dunmore or the harbour. But we saw previously how its speculated they may have played a role in luring UC-44 to her doom in Dunmore East. Two Mine Sweepers that we know of were lost off Dunmore.
ANDERSON, Thomas 36yrs, Engineman
BAXTER, Albert, Trimmer
FARQUHAR, George, Engineman
KEECH, Reginald 16yrs, Ordinary Seaman
MILNE, Frederick J 26yrs, Trimmer,
These were:
ANDREWS, William R, Engineman,
BATEMAN, Michael 30yrs, Deck Hand
BLAKE, Reuben J, Deck Hand
BURNETT, George S D K 42yrs, Trimmer
FORREST, William 39yrs, Engineman,
FYFE, Thomas. 27yrs, Deck Hand
LEES, Robert 19yrs, Deck Hand
LUCAS, George Henry 45yrs Skipper
MCNICHOL, John 32yrs, Leading Seaman
RITCHIE, John AM, 32yrs, Second Hand
SPINK, James F 40yrs, Deck Hand
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The crews of both trawlers and UC-42 remembered in Templetown graveyard, Co Wexford photo via Michael Farrell BGHS |
The events around Dunmore East in 1917 will be remembered this weekend when The Barony of Gaultier Historical Society (BGHS) under the chairmanship of Michael Farrell will host an event entitled Friend and Foe. It sets out to shine a light on these events and bring, if you will pardon an obvious pun, more information to the surface. It starts this evening with a walk at 4pm looking at the life and times of Dunmore harbour 100 years ago. A full list of events are available on the BGHS blog page.
Much of the information used today was drawn from Jim Crossley’s book The Hidden Threat, The Royal Naval Minesweeping Reserve in WWI . 2011 Pen & Sword Maritme. Barnsley. Thanks to Frank Murphy for providing me with the book.