PUL – Page 13 – Paddy Duffy Collection

Tell Them Of Us

2025-12-212025-12-28Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

Printed panels illustrating the engagements of the British Army in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries have been added to the three stones (seen in Continuing Conflicts) that marked the World Wars and “continuing conflicts”. The conflicts depicted are the Great War 1914-1918, Second World War 1939-1945 (with individual photos of James Magennis and Blair Mayne, Korean War 1950-1953, Northern Ireland 1969-2007, Falklands War 1982 (the photo on the right is of troops “yomping”), Iraq 2003-2011, Afghanistan 2001-2023.

City Way, Sandy Row, south Belfast

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The Isles Of Pretani

2025-12-172026-08-28Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

“Late 19th century gas lamp donated by Pretani Associates, Dr Ian Adamson OBE and Helen Brooker, to the Dalaradia Historical Group to recognise their work on Common Identity. This work promotes one cultural narrative for the British Isles to which all can belong. A narrative which begins by understand the first known name of the islands – The Isles of Pretani. Knowledge brings a light which reveals the way forward towards stability within these islands. Dedicated by Professor Wesley Hutchinson on the 27th November 2019.”

The lamp was unveiled in September 2020 (Pretani Associates). For (a little) more on the claim that the Pretani inhabited both Britain and Ireland, see Kingdom Of The Pretani and the Visual History page on the Influence Of Jim Fitzpatrick.

Shore Road, north Belfast, next to Lest We Forget.

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Old Comrades Remember

2025-12-172025-12-24Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

This entry updates the images seen in November’s Lest We Forget, with the addition of six military insignia to either side of the ‘Old Comrades’ board that was added just after Remembrance Sunday.

On the left (top to bottom): Royal Irish Rifles (later the Royal Ulster Rifles), 36th (Ulster) Division, Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers; on the right: Royal Irish Regiment, Order Of St Patrick, British Light Infantry.

Shore Road, north Belfast

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Two Men, One Love, One Country

2025-11-282025-12-04Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

This entry updates 2023’s John McMichael, with close-ups of the smaller boards, in the apex and to either side on the main board, as well as of the stone to Ray Smallwoods, which reads, “In proud memory of Ray Smallwoods (murdered by the enemies of Ulster 11th July 1994) and all our fallen comrades. [For The Fallen] Erected by officers and volunteers of Old Warren A Coy.” Smallwoods was killed by the IRA in the garden of his home in Donard Drive, Lisburn (WP).

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Loyal Ballymacash

2025-11-282026-08-28Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

This pair of trees is in Ballymacash next to the bonfire site, hence the “No dumping and fly tipping” sign above the Union Flag on the tree to the right. The flag wrapped around the tree on the left is similar to one seen in 100 Years, an Ulster Banner with quadrants filled with (clockwise) King Billy, an Orange march, the Crown, and (instead of a Union Flag) what looks like UVF purple.

On both tree-trunks are small boards celebrating the “platinum jubilee 1952-2022” of “Her Majesty Elizabeth II”, with flowers of the nations and colonies (rose, thistle, shamrock, daffodil, silver fern, maple leaf) and an Orange star.

Rathvarna Drive, Ballymacash, Lisburn

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LWF

2025-11-222025-12-08Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

For Remembrance Sunday, rows of hand-painted wooden medallions were attached to the railings at West Kirk Presbyterian to pay homage to the dead of the British armed forces, including Bernard McQuirt, whose plaque is shown below. McQuirt was a VC winner for actions taken during the Indian Rebellion in 1858. Originally from Donaghcloney, he survived his injuries and died in 1888 at 72 Urney Street (HistoryHub | News Letter | WP) – Urney Street used to be where the plaque and the memorial garden now are, along the side of the West Kirk.

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Pass UVF

2025-11-192025-11-25Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

This is a freshly-repainted sign for “South Belfast Ulster Volunteer Force, 2nd battalion, A company Donegall Pass” on the back wall of the Hideout bar. The previous version was painted c. 2005.

Also included is a small board added next to the Defenders flute band board across the street, which presents the words of McCrea’s poem In Flanders Fields.

Pine Street, Donegall Pass, south Belfast

Lest We Forget

2025-11-082025-11-18Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

Here is a gallery of images from the wall behind the Shore Road ‘World Wars’ memorial (see Remembrance Sunday) which has a few new additions and re-ordered boards for this year’s commemorations. The main additions are the “Lest we forget” stencil shown above, and a large number of white crosses in the grass and along the fence bearing the emblem of the UDR. The UDR board has been moved from the slanted wall at the far left to what is now the central position on the wall.

For images from Sunday’s ceremonies at City Hall, see BBC.

Frank Pantridge was featured in September. The

November 4th

Battle Flags

2025-11-082026-08-28Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

The Confederate battle flag flies alongside a flag combining the Union Flag, Ulster Banner, and image of WWI soldiers, at the corner of Northwood Crescent and Skegoneill Avenue, north Belfast. (Compare with the flags flying in August.)

Here are two previous sightings of the flag – 2016 east Belfast | 2014 east Belfast – and both the flag and the war were celebrated in one of the Pioneers To Presidents murals, in north Belfast.