1689- Enniskillen Protestants defeated Jacobite forces at Newtownbutler, Co. Fermanagh.
1914- Kaiser Wilhelm II threatened war if Russia did not halt it’s troop mobilisation.
1917- In Belgium,the Battle of Paschendaele began, lasting until Nov 10th. Half a million men died for an advance of four miles.
One of the first casualties was L/Cpl Francis Ledwidge of the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers who was killed by a shell at Boezinghe in the Ypres Salient. He was on a work party repairing a road at the time. Ledwidge was born in Slane, Co. Meath on 19 August 1887, the son of a farm labourer. He left school at 14. Lord Dunsany became his mentor after reading some of Ledwidge’s poems. His first volume of poetry was published in 1915, by which time L/Cpl Ledwidge was serving in Gallipoli with the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers. He also served in Serbia and was recovering from wounds in Manchester when he received news of the 1916 Rising and the execution of the Rebel leadership, among them his friend Thomas McDonagh, for whom he wrote this poem;
Lament for Thomas McDonagh
He shall not hear the bittern cry
In the wild sky where he is lain
Nor voices of the sweeter birds
Above the wailing of the rain.
Nor shall he know when loud March blows
Thro' slanting snows her fanfare shrill
Blowing to flame the golden cup
Of many an upset daffodil.
And when the dark cow leaves the moor
And pastures poor with greedy weeds
Perhaps he'll hear her low at morn
Lifting her horn in pleasant meads.
1922- Harry Boland shot by Free State troops in Skerries. He died three days later.
1945- Leading Seaman James Magennis from Belfast won a Victoria Cross when, as a diver in the midget submarine XE.3, he was involved in attacking the Japanese cruiser Takao by attaching limpet mines to it’s hull. He had to squeeze through a narrow space in the partly-open diving hatch of his submarine, and then scrape barnacles off the bottom of the cruiser before attaching the limpets. All during this time his breathing apparatus was leaking and he returned to the submarine exhausted. During their withdrawal it was found that one of the limpet mine carriers could not be jettisoned and LS Magennis freed it with a spanner.
1970- The practice of issuing a daily tot of rum to all sailors of Her Majesty’s Royal Navy was abolished.
Births
1964- Jim Corr, Musician, born in Dundalk.
Deaths
1917- Francis Ledwidge, poet. Killed in action near Ypres, Belgium.
1970- Dvr David Doyle from Dubin. KIA in Vietnam serving with the 3rd Cav Regt, Australian Army.
1981- Kevin Lynch died on hunger strike in the Maze prison.
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