Since its establishment in May 2011 the Cork Branch of the WFA has gone from strength to strength. At our June meeting discussions were held with regard to upcoming events and our plans to increase the profile of the WFA in Ireland. Following this we were treated to a talk by our Education Officer, Mr Eugene Power, about some items from his extensive collection of Great War artefacts. Those in attendance, both the ‘old hands' and the new members, were fascinated with the items that Eugene had brought along, including a large collection of pieces of trench art, original post cards, and personal correspondence from those who served.
On 2 July the branch held its first major event at the Cork Public Museum in conjunction with members of the Irish Great War Society. Entitled ‘Understanding the Great War' this event proved to be a major success with several hundred people attending. There were four talks on different topics of the war given during the day and they were all very well attended. Our Honorary President, Mr Billy Good, gave the first talk in the morning on the military career of his father, Lt William Good MC of the Connaught Rangers. He was followed by our Chairman, Mr Gerry White, who gave a very interesting talk on the Battle of the Somme. In the afternoon Mrs Aedin Johnston gave a talk about her quest for information about granduncle, Driver James O'Connor of the Royal Field Artillery, her search for his war grave, and the emotions and difficulties she experienced along the way. Aedin's talk stirred up a lot of emotions amongst those in attendance as her story is one that has been experienced by hundreds of people and families all over in Ireland. Our final talk of the day was a very interesting presentation on the development of trench warfare that was given by our education office, Mr Eugene Power.
Our research officer, Ms Jean Prendergast, also had a very busy day with scores of people calling to her desk looking for information about an ancestor who served in the war. One lady who spoke to Jean knew that her granduncle had died during the war but she had no other information about him. However, after a few minutes with Jean, she knew when, where and with whom he had enlisted and the details of the action in which he fell. And the icing on the cake came when Jean produced a photograph of her granduncle - something that neither she nor other members of her family had ever seen!
Ross Glennon, our public relations officer was also kept occupied throughout the day dealing with queries regarding medals and decorations. For him the highlight of the event was being able to inform a family that, of their four relatives who perished in the war, one had been awarded a Military Cross and another had been the recipient of a Military Medal. He also took great pleasure in telling them that one of the casualties was also related to Bram Stoker, the author of the gothic horror novel ‘Dracula'.
The event was considerably enhanced by the large display of artefacts and memorabilia from the Great War that was put on by the members of the Irish Great War Society. The members of this group also spent the day interacting with many of the people who attended the event and were able to provide a graphic description of what life was like for a young soldier serving on the Western Front.
All in all the day proved to be a great success it led to our chairman and public relations officer being invited to take part in a one hour history programme on Cork City Community Radio the following day. This also was a great success and it was used to publicise the ethos and objectives of the WFA.
While we were organising the event in Cork Public Museum, the Cork Branch also received invitations to attend a number of remembrance ceremonies. Ross Glennon attended the Combined Irish Regiments Parade in London in June and he laid a wreath on behalf of the branch at the Cenotaph during the ceremony. On 9 July representatives from the branch travelled to Dublin to attend the Royal British Legion Service of Remembrance at the Irish War Memorial Gardens where our chairman had the honour of laying a wreath on behalf of the Association. The following day was Ireland's National Day of Commemoration and the occasion when Irishmen who died at war or on peacekeeping missions are remembered. The Branch was represented at a ceremonies that were held at Fitzgerald's Park, Cork, and the at the Royal Hospital Kilmainham.
The Cork Branch also had a stand at the annual military history exhibition and show at the old Cork Women's Gaol on the weekend of the 12/13 August, and our members are looking forward to joining our colleagues from the UK on the WFA stand at the ‘Back to our Past' exhibition which will be held on the grounds of the Royal Dublin Society from 21-23 October 2011. Our Chairman, Gerry White, will be giving a public lecture in the Bishopstown Library on Saturday, 27 August on the Cork Victoria Cross Winners of the Great War. We are also in the process of organising a series of talks for the autumn, a wreath laying ceremony at the Great War memorial in Cork on 11 November, and another exhibition on the war that will be held in conjunction with the Irish Great War Society at Bishopstown Library, Cork, on 12 November.
All in all, it has been a very hectic four months since the branch was established but, not content to rest on our laurels, the members remain enthusiastic and are looking forward to promoting the aims and objectives of the Association in the future. The branch meet on the last Wednesday of each month upstairs in the Rob Roy Public house, Cook Street, Cork. Each month there will be an informative lecture given by branch members on their chosen area of interest in the Great War.
You can view a slide show of the images sub mitted by Ross to demonstrate the work of the Cork Branch. Please use the "expand" icon to view full screen, press "Esc" on your keyboard to close and return to this page.
Images and article submitted by:
Ross Glennon
Public Relations Officer
WFA Cork
"Faugh a Ballagh"
