Londonderry's War

Londonderrys War website was Launched on the 11th November 2021 at 11:11 in honour of those who fell in the World War conflicts.

Although launched and the content created, this site will be an ongoing project. It is being done in alphabetical order as per the burial sites named on CWGC.

War Graves are scattered throughout the north of Ireland. Some are concentrated in one place while many are in various remote sites throughout the nine counties of Ulster.

I toured many of these sites and visited as many of these men and women as possible, always paying my respects for those who sacrificed everything in defence of our country and freedom who are buried throughout. Without them and their likes the world we live in would be a very different place.

This website will cover every War Grave in the County and City of Londonderry and its various churches and burial grounds. The stories you will find are powerful and sad. They vary from extreme battlefield experiences to illness and accidents. There are no happy endings, but every one of them do have a story. This website shows another side of war that many people are not aware of.

A few things I must emphasize though, and this is regarding every soldier, sailor, airman or women mentioned in any of my books and this website. It may seem obvious to you the reader and myself, but after watching and seeing people taking selfies while grinning and pointing at grave markers and showing a complete lack of respect, I thought I would mention it in my introduction: Everyone in the books and website were real human beings, who lived and breathed. They had families and friends and they lived normal lives until world wars called them to service. Most are volunteers[1] and all died as a direct cause of their service. They should not be treated as trophies, and if you visit them, you should show great respect and if possible, raise any issue with the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.  The CWGC are responsible for the upkeep of the locations. Contact information can be found at the following website: https://www.cwgc.org/ you can also post issues on my Facebook page which can be found at the following address: https://www.facebook.com/ulsterswargraves/, or email me direct at mark@ulsterswargraves.com.

In regards to the research, all the service personnel in County Londonderry have also been researched and documented using information taken from their last battalion, unit or ship they served on. If there is further information or a record of previous service then this will also be noted and the history given. It is worth remembering while some stayed with the same, others switched. Sailors for example would change ships if theirs was in dock for repairs, maintenance or upgrades. Soldiers could often change if their battalion was dissolved or they became sick, wounded or sent home. You will notice this referenced throughout this book especially with home battalions.

In regards to service records being used for research, while Second World War records are obtainable they unfortunately take a long time and quite an expense to get. It is possible though that in future editions or online this information will come to light and be added.

The First World War is a different story though, some are available but it is very hit and miss with around sixty percent being destroyed when the War Office in London was bombed in the Blitz on London during 1940. The rest are largely in very poor condition having sustained burn and smoke damage making them at times unreadable and unfindable.

I also use newspaper articles, corornor reports, discharge papers, Commonwealth War Graves records and death certificates along with a multitude of other miltary records to source information. All the data must be originally sourced from the time of the soldier, sailor or the air persons death and life.

Furthermore, if you have information you would like added to any of the service personnel’s history then let me know and it will be added online and/or to later editions of this work.

My aims and hope for this website, is that it will be used in addition to actually visiting the final resting places of these individuals. Instead of seeing a stone with markings on it you will know something of their life and how they ultimately made their final sacrifice. They deserve to be remembered.

Finally, I have to say on a personal note that this has once again been a very difficult task which has required much soul searching and long periods of absence while I myself dealt with the sorrowing stories I have unearthed. It is worth noting that there are no happy endings in this website and many stories that you will read will have you sitting back in disbelief.

May they all be remembered and rest in peace.

Mark Walmsley

[1] During both world wars there was no conscription in Ireland or Northern Ireland. There are those buried here though from other countries who were called up into the service.