Honour at last for fallen soldiers
Four killed in world wars had lain in unmarked graves for over 50 years
Thursday November 12 2009
'AT THE going down of the sun and in the morning, We will remember them.'
The words, taken from the famous poem, 'For The Fallen' by Laurence Binyon, have adorned many a headstone in honour of the soldiers who have fallen in battle.
Yesterday, after laying in unmarked graves in an Irish cemetery for more than half a century, four Irish soldiers, three of whom fought in the First World War, were finally honoured in a moving commemoration ceremony at Dublin's Glasnevin cemetery.
For the first time, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, which is responsible for marking and maintaining the graves of members of the Commonwealth forces who died during the two world wars, has erected headstones to soldiers in the cemetery.
The war graves are among 205 whose identity was revealed following a study of the cemetery's burial records and which will all be marked by War Graves Commission headstones.
Thousands more are believed to be resting in family graves throughout the cemetery. With the permission of their families, the War Graves Commission also hopes to commemorate these soldiers with special plaques on their family headstones.
Martin Carr, 3rd Bn, Connaught Rangers (died July 4, 1916); Thomas Goff, 4th Bn, Royal Dublin Fusiliers (died November 3, 1918); Michael Leo Connolly, 4th Bn, Royal Dublin Fusiliers (died February 23, 1919); and Michael Kavanagh, Royal Artillery (died July 28, 1942) all lay in unmarked common graves in the 177-year-old cemetery.
The four are the first of 97 graves of servicemen and women to be honoured before Christmas. Work on the remaining 108 graves is then expected to start soon afterwards.
Glasnevin Trust believes that a multi million-euro project to re-develop the cemetery will make it one of the country's greatest visitor attractions on a par with the likes of Arlington national cemetery in Washington and Pere Lachaise in Paris.
Other projects include an underground museum and visitor centre.
"What we are trying to do is to make the cemetery as representative of Irish life past and present as we possibly can," Glasnevin Trust chief executive George McCullough said.
"We always knew we had war dead in the cemetery going back to the 1800s to Waterloo, the Crimean War and the Fall of the Light Brigade.
"We have to commemorate everyone equally. Why wasn't this done before? People took personal and political positions but we are recognising these people now and it's high time it was done."
Representing the Government at the commemoration ceremony was Minister of State Martin Mansergh.
He was joined by Alan Staunton on behalf of the British government, Alan Meale MP who represented the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and by John Green, chairman of Glasnevin Trust.
The War Graves Commission was pleased to be erecting headstones for the first time in what was an "iconic" cemetery.
"Ensuring that religion, race, creed nor culture should determine someone's resting place are values which continue to guide the commission's work in over 150 countries around the world," Mr Meale said.
TRIUMPH OF HISTORY: PAGE 32
- Fergus Black
Irish Independent
