Defending The Community

A UVF roll of honour has been added in the apex above the small memorial garden (now reduced to a single stone) in the Caw, Londonderry: “In proud remembrance of our volunteers who defended this community with courage, dignity & pride: Billy Kirkwood, Noel Burke, Davy Moore, Raymond Miller, Jock Henderson, Gary Simpson, Willie Gurney, Davy Mills, Tommy Henderson, Sam Dickson”. None of these appear to have died during the Troubles itself. There was previously a plaque to four volunteers who died in 1975.

The large 36th (Ulster) Division board shows (on the left) various battalion insignia in three rows:
8th Royal Irish Rifles – East Belfast; 9th Royal Irish Fusiliers – Armagh, Cavan, Monaghan; 9th RIR – West Belfast; 8/9th RIR – Amalgamated 1917; 9th Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers – Tyrone;
10th RIR – South Belfast; 10th Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers – Londonderry; 11th Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers – Donegal, Fermanagh; 11th RIR – South Antrim; 11/13th RIR – Amalgamated 1917;
12th RIR – Central Antrim; 13th RIR – 1st Co Down; 14th RIR – Young Citizen Volunteers; 15th RIR – North Belfast; 16th RIR (Pioneers) – 2nd Co Down.

And Wilfrid Spender’s report on the 36th Division on the first day of the battle at the Somme (July 1st, 1916) is on the right – for the text, see Their Amazing Attack.

Sperrin Park, Caw, Londonderry, replacing Undefeated.