Ant’s ancestor was a war hero... but Dec’s deserted!
THEy make a living wringing emotion out of participants in their reality TV shows.
But the boot was on the other foot as Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly filmed a Who Do you Think you Are-style programme about their ancestors.
McPartlin, 43, ended up fighting back tears as he discovered he had a great grandfather who was a war hero – as Donnelly was confronted with very different news.
In the first episode of Ant and Dec’s DNA Journey, which will be shown later this year, he is filmed learning that his ancestor, Peter McPartlin, had received a medal for bravery at the Somme.
The duo had visited the Tyneside Irish Centre in their hometown of Newcastle to unearth details about Donnelly’s lineage, but instead discovered the existence of McPartlin’s great grandfather. ‘The Tyneside Irish Brigade were a group of pals who joined the army as friends and they marched into the battle together, trained together got their uniforms together and most of them died together,’ said Bill Corcoran, who works for the centre.
He told McPartlin: ‘If you two had been there in 1914 you probably would have joined up together. your great grandfather is an absolute hero.’ Mr Corcoran said he had ‘fought as a warrior and he fought as a brave soldier and he won a very significant medal’.
Following the revelation, McPartlin said: ‘To fight at The Battle of the Somme and to be awarded the Military Medal for bravery, he was a hero, it’s quite emotional. I could have cried. It’s like you’re so proud. you don’t know anything then suddenly a hero comes along. It’s quite remarkable.’ The pair then visited the Royal Chelsea Barracks to find out about Donnelly’s great, great grandfather James Donnelly, who had fought in the Crimean War.
But the presenter, 44, was told his ancestor had been court-martialed for being ‘habitually drunk’ and was labelled a ‘deserter’.
Delving further into the story, however, Donnelly was told the soldier may have ended up charged because he sold the equipment given to him on enlistment to raise money for his family.
‘Says a lot about the man to sign on then go and give [the money] to his family because they were struggling, and then go back and face the music. He was a good man,’ said McPartlin.