As High Sheriff of Belfast I had a busy day on 11 November 2011 (11/11/11), remembering I was the 111th person to hold that Office.. I attended the Annual Remembrance Service of the Ulster Reform Club in the Reading  Room. Welcome was by our Club President Jeremy Mills, the son of Stratton Mills MP and the service was led by The Reverend Christopher Wilson MA(Pst. Th.), MA(Cantab). I then was the invited guest speaker at the luncheon afterwards, my theme being the Belfast Blitz.

 I had recently written the foreword, in conjunction with the Belfast Telegraph, for the book, Bombs over Belfast The Blitz 1941. 2011 marks the Seventieth Anniversary of the bombing of Belfast by the German Luftwaffe. Belfast was a prime target with the shipyard at Harland and Wolff building many vessels for the Royal Navy, Short Brothers constructing the Sunderland flying boat and Mackie’s machining the Bofors anti-aircraft shells. Other companies and linen mills also made an important contribution to the Allied war effort in aircraft parts, glider frames, gun mountings and ammunition. In short, with an enviable tradition particularly in engineering and textiles Belfast clearly was a suitable bombing target for the German Air Force.

Despite being informed by imperial defence experts that Belfast was to be a certain Luftwaffe target Belfast was totally unprepared for the forthcoming horror. There were inadequate public shelters, some barrage balloons and not enough anti-aircraft batteries to protect a densely packed population. Unlike other British cities there had been no organized plan to evacuate children, numbering almost 100,000 remaining in Belfast.

I gave the background prior to the Blitz, the activities of the Abwehr, the German Secret Service before and during the War, the lack of government preparation and the subsequent human and industrial cost. In the aftermath, I discussed the southern reaction from Dublin and that of Eamon de Valera, the Irish Prime Minister. The German response and that of Joseph Goebbels, Minister of Propaganda was also interpreted.

I then travelled to Dublin to attend a Reception in honour of the new President of Ireland , Michael D O’Higgins in the State Apartments, Dublin Castle. 

The inauguration of Michael D O’Higgins as President did not exclude the observance of the Armistice Day in the Republic.  In addition to the church services, there was a ceremony of remembrance and re-dedication at Glasnevin cemetery at the two memorial walls bearing the names of soldiers lost in the World Wars.  These two memorials record the names of all 208 men and women buried in Glasnevin who died as a result of either WW1 or WW2.

The Chairman of Glasnevin Trust, John Green, indicated in his address that the initiative to relocate these memorials developed from a consciousness that arose during the visit to the cemetery of Dr Paisley and myself.  I recalled that these war monuments were at a remove from the visitor centre and were at that time insulated from environmental works by scaffolding and a palisade fence.  It was during the few minutes there of prayer and reflection that an awareness developed of the need to relocate the monuments to a position of greater prominence.

This work was recently completed and the monuments were re-dedicated in their new position by the Minister of State at the Office of Public Works, Brian Hayes TD in association with the British and German Ambassadors, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and the Royal British Legion. The original site war memorial was at the time of construction a very prominent position in the cemetery. Near the South-West entrance gate, it would have been seen by all entering or leaving the cemetery. The need to relocate the monument arose from the development of the new visitor centre and other facilities in recent years.

I spoke to the President on behalf of the Lord Bannside and wished him a good tenure of office. I also passed on his good wishes to the outgoing President  Mary McAleese and her husband Senator Martin McAleese.