Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
ANT’S GREAT IRISH SOMME HERO
TV DUO’S FAMILY HISTORY SHOCK But pal Dec discovers his Co Derry ancestor was Crimean War deserter
ANT and Dec have unearthed a long lost war hero in a search of their family trees in Ireland.
The telly duo delved into their history for an ITV special next month.
While they discover Ant’s ancestor won the Military Medal at the Somme, Dec’s great great grandad from Co Derry was a drunken deserter at the time of the Crimean War.
The 44-year-old said: “This was not what I was expecting at all, nowhere near.”
ANT and Dec dug into their family trees and uncovered colourful stories of decorated war heroes and drunken, shamed deserters.
The TV presenters delved into their ancestries for ITV show Ant & Dec’s DNA Journey.
Ant, 43, found a military hero in the Mcpartlin family, his great grandfather Peter, who won the Military Medal for his bravery at the Somme.
In Ant and Dec’s home town Newcastle, they visited the Tyneside Irish Centre, where Bill Corcoran told them of the Tyneside Irish Brigade in the First World War.
Bill said: “They were a group of pals who joined the Army as friends and they marched into the battle together and most of them died together.
“If you two had been there in 1914, you probably would have joined up together.”
He told Ant: “Your great grandfather is an absolute hero.” Shocked Ant replied:
“Wow, don’t say that you’ll start me crying. This is really fascinating.”
Bill said: “He fought and he fought as a warrior. When you win the Military Medal, you get that for something heroic.” Ant said: “To fight at The Battle of the Somme and to be awarded the Military Medal, he was a hero. It’s quite emotional.”
The trail then moved to Dec’s paternal line and the pair headed to the Royal Chelsea Barracks to find out more about his great, great grandfather, James Donnelly, who was in the Crimean War.
But Dec, who still has family in Desertmartin, Co Derry, discovered James was not only court marshalled, but was also labelled a deserter.
Military expert Glenn Fisher told Dec: “He’s gone for a soldier and he’s deserted after six weeks. It would have brought shame to his family.”
Dec, 44, read a document which said James, from Slieve Gallion, was “tried and imprisoned for habitual drunkenness”.
He said: “It was not what I was expecting at all, nowhere near. I didn’t ever expect it was going to be a colourful history.”
Ant & Dec’s DNA Journey will be shown next month on ITV. tom.bryant@mirror.co.uk
To fight at the Somme and to be awarded the Military Medal, he was a hero
ANT MCPARTLIN ON HIS GREAT GRANDFATHER’S WAR RECORD