PUL

Comber Loyalists

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“Comber loyalists support Union Flag at city hall.” – that is, the permanent flying of the Union Flag at Belfast city hall. High Street.

Old UVF nail-up in De Wind Drive.

“Comber Orange and Protestant hall. Erected A.D. 1875” and “Comber Orange Hall 2010” in Railway Street.

“To the glory of God and in memory of those members of Ulster’s security forces from Comber and district who gave their lives in defence of their country. Fidelis atque fortis [faithful and also strong]. Erected in 1998.” With the names of one UDR soldier and four RUC policemen. Killinchy Street.

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Copyright © 2013 Peter Moloney
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What Do We Forget When We Remember

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Two poems are featured prominently and another two alluded to in this Newtownards mural and memorial garden to WWI soldiers. The central panel features part of an anti-war work by by Owen Griffiths, Lest We Forget. Robert Laurence Binyon’s For The Fallen is featured on the stone, above a line of Latin from Horace’s Odes (III.2) – On Virtue (which most famously re-appears in Owen’s Dulce Et Decorum Est). On the left and right there appear the mottos of the Royal Irish Rifles – ‘Quis separabit’, which comes from Romans 8:35 – and the Royal Artillery – ‘Ubique – Quo Fas Et Gloria Ducunt’, which comes from Kipling’s Ubique.

For the (WWI) 13th battalion RIR, see Regimental List and similarly for the 16th (rather than the 17th) “Pioneers”. For the (WWII) 5th Anti-Aircraft battery, see Newtownards History.

Tower Court, Newtownards

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Copyright © 2013 Peter Moloney
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Robert Dougan

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Robert Dougan was commander of the UDA South Belfast Brigade and lived the Oranmore Drive (BelTel). He was killed by the IRA on February 10th, 1998 while sitting in a car outside Balmoral Textiles in Dunmurry, which led to a month-long expulsion of Sinn Féin from the talks (L.A. Times); two months later the Good Friday Agreement was signed. There had been attempts on his life in 1993 and 1994 (Irish Times).

Tildarg Avenue, Suffolk, west Belfast

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Copyright © 2013 Peter Moloney
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Craigavon House

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Craigavon House was the home of James Craig, a political centre during the (3rd) Home Rule crisis – an estimated 100,000 people congregated at Craigavon House on the 23rd of September, 1911, to hear Edward Carson’s inaugural speech as Unionist leader (McNeill Ch. 4 | We Will Take Nothing Else) – and a hospital during the latter part of WWI (Bangor Historical). It has fallen into disrepair, covered over by the fourteen panels seen here, in order to serve as the rallying point of the 100th anniversary commemorative parade in April (RTÉ | BBC).

Various people and units are portrayed: USSF, post house staff, motor car corps, young citizen volunteers, the Larne gun-running, Fred Crawford, Edward Carson, James Craig, the nursing corp, Ethel Burnside, the 36th Division, the Ulster Covenant.

Circular Road, Belfast

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Copyright © 2013 Peter Moloney
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Red Hand Defenders

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There are four loyalist paintings on the street surface in Portavogie, beginning with the crest of the Red Hand Defenders flute band (Fb) “Formed in 1979” and the Portavogie Young Volunteers.

Harbour Road and Main Road, Portavogie

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Copyright © 2013 Peter Moloney
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I Am Not An Ulsterman

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“I am not an Ulsterman [but] yesterday, the 1st of July 1916, as I followed their amazing attack, I felt I would rather be an Ulsterman than anything else in the world.” The words of Captain Wilfrid (here given as “Wilfred”) Spender replace a Steeple Defenders board that has presumably fallen into disrepair alongside a board showing a soldier from the 36th Division running through no-man’s land (both seen previously in 2003 and 2009).

For a fuller quote, see X04435 from south Belfast.

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Copyright © 2013 Peter Moloney
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Volunteer Denver Smith

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“In memory of Vol. Denver Smith, murdered by cowards 1st January 2000. Here lies a soldier. He gave his life whilst serving his community. Lest we forget.” Smith was killed by a gang of six men with machetes and pikes; the incident was perhaps drugs-related (Guardian | BBC-NI. For the wider picture An Phoblacht | Irish Times).

The mural originally appeared with seven plaques, then with three plaques, and now with graveside mourners on either side of a single stone, and a bench and three flag-poles to the right.

The UVF flag is between the the Denver Smith and All Gave Some gables.

Parkhall Road, Antrim

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Copyright © 2013 Peter Moloney
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