As the centenary of the Battle of the Somme appears over the horizon, plans for the celebration, contemplation and commemoration of the 36th Ulster Division are well under way. In venerating the tens of thousands who fought on the battlefields of the Western Front one name will seldom be mooted. For 31 of the 37 … Read more
In attempting to depoliticise the division, Nugent discouraged sectarianism and blatant displays of party political affection. In fact, one instruction earned him a papal medal, much to his amusement. He wrote to his wife, Catherine: ‘What do you think I got today? My head RC chaplain is a Jesuit Father and lives in Rome though … Read more
Born in Aldershot on 9 November 1860, the only surviving son of Major-General St George Nugent and Emily Litton, Oliver Nugent came from a distinguished Southern unionist landowning family but grew up acutely aware of his Irish ancestry: ‘We are not really a N[orth] of Ireland family and as a matter of fact, the Nugents … Read more
British Army Service Records Most researchers tracing an Irish First World War ancestor will start with the Army Service Records, the largest of all the British services. Their poor survival is one of the reasons we have no definitive figures for the Irishmen who fought in this war. In 1940–1 approximately two thirds of all … Read more
In the spring of 1914, Ulster’s political antagonisms reached fever pitch. The British government sent military reinforcements to guard key installations in the north of Ireland, while Royal Navy gunboats sailed along the coast. On an April night, ships docked at Larne, Bangor and Donaghadee, bringing consignments of rifles purchased by unionists in Hamburg. Within … Read more