The Irish men in WWI were heroes, NOT traitors

LAST Sunday we commemorated the 100th anniversary of the Armistice of World War I — which was announced on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month.

Two million young men died during the four years it lasted, from 1914 to 1918. This historic moment was thought to be the final act to end all wars.

But of course, this was not the case. There was the Second World War, and many, many wars after that.

To this day, there are wars going on all over the globe. The outcome is always a waste of life.

I have been reading and listening to many arguments regarding the Irishmen who fought in WWI this past week. There were heated words on Joe Duffy on RTÉ Radio 1 where one man was describing the effect the first war had on his grandfather, and how he had been blinded by a gas attack.

Another man came on the line, describing any Irish men who had fought in the British army as traitors. He referred to the magnificent statue that is currently on show at the Fusiliers Arch at St Stephen’s Green as Traitors Arch. This man was angry that anyone would wear a poppy to commemorate the Irish involved in the Great War.

Does he not remember that we were ruled by Britain in those days and these brave men were fighting for their fellow countrymen? They were taking these jobs in the British army not because of patriotism, but many signed up for economic reasons to support their families. There were very few jobs available here at home.

A lot of them knew that if anything did happen to them, their loved ones would be taken care of by way of a pension.

We have been silent too long on these forgotten heroes. I had two grand uncles in the Great War. I first heard about them when I was in school. My knowledge is still not yet complete but I am determined to find out more.

Patrick Kavanagh was 24 and his brother John, known as Jack, was 22 years old when they joined up to fight. They were members of the Irish Fusiliers 1st Battalion They both saw action. Paddy was buried for five days in a trench at the Battle of the Somme, but survived with ill health to return to his family and his job in Arthur Guinness.

He was so delighted to survive, that he never claimed his British army pension.

He died some years later after an accident where he got crushed between two Guinness barges on the River Liffey. His wife had to work to look after herself and their children.

Poor Private Jack Kavanagh was not so lucky. He was badly wounded on the battlefield in Gallipoli and died on May 7, 1915. He is buried in Alexandria, Egypt.

He was not married but his mother, my great grandmother, applied for and received a pension from the British army and she lived to the ripe old age of 92. So he did look after his widowed mother.

My cousin Eddie is the custodian of his Medal and the Death Penny sent to his mother.

My great grandfather on my father’s side died in 1913 and his son, my grandad Thomas Parker, was only 13 years old when the Great War started. Guinness took him in early as an apprentice Cooper to make sure there was a wage coming into the house.

MY Mum is the youngest of 13. She had three older brothers in the RAF during the Second World War. Uncle Paddy was a Flight Sergeant at RAF Upwood and other bases; Uncle John was based in Singapore for a considerable time and Uncle Mick lied about his age and was sent home when they discovered how young he was. He wanted to be with his brothers and they helped him enlist.

I don’t think they ever saw any battles in WWII — but they were not traitors. Again they were looking for work to support their families as well as following in their uncle’s footsteps. They felt the time spent in the British army was very useful.

Ireland was by that stage a Republic and of neutral stance. However, they were fighting for what they believed in and that maybe this war would be the last one. My father had two older brothers that joined the RAF too — again it was down to pure economics. They both came home for a time and emigrated to the US, where they brought up their families.

They came back for their parents’ funerals and not much else. They felt at that time that Ireland had little to offer them work-wise and a job with the RAF widened their horizons.

It showed them so many more possibilities for their lives.

Neither of these men were traitors either. It has always been said that travel broadens the mind. However, my point is that every man and woman who fought in both world wars are heroes and should be remembered and honoured as such.

The days when they were not spoken of are gone and we should be very proud of them all. I hope that as a nation we have passed that stigma that should never have existed in the first place. It is part of who we are.

We are not just Irish — we are European, and freedom of choice is everyone’s right.