This is a printed version Wilfrid Spender’s report of the first day of the Battle Of The Somme, replacing a previously painted instance that was in the same style as the adjacent mural.
“‘I am not an Ulsterman but yesterday the First of July, as I followed their amazing attack, I felt that I would rather be an Ulsterman than anything else in the world. My pen cannot describe adequately the hundreds of heroic acts I witnessed, the Ulster Volunteer Force, from which the Division was made, has won a name that equals any in history. Their devotion deserves the gratitude of The British Empire’ – Captain Wilfrid [not “Wilfred”] Spender, The Somme 1916″
Spender’s words are superimposed upon JC Beadle’s Attack Of the 36th Division (see Over The Top).
CS Lewis’s mother was Florence “Flora” Augusta Lewis. She studied arts, logic, and mathematics at Queen’s College (which became the Royal University during her studies, and is now Queen’s University) and taught Clive and his older brother Warnie Latin and French at home. She developed cancer when Clive was nine years old and died at age 46 on August 23rd, 1908, at the family home in Strandtown, east Belfast (Christian History Institute | Lifelong Learner | CS Lewis Institute | WP). Her grave is in Belfast City Cemetery (FindAGrave).
The Lewis family previously lived in the Dundela Villas (now the site of Dundela Flats) a few streets away from this new work by emic (web) along Belmont Avenue, which draws inspiration from Flora for its subject, and the local shops (The Secret Day Spa | Murphy & Bailey) for its palette.
The image above is from June 15th; the image immediately below, of the full, completed piece, is from June 20th. Two in-progress images are also included.
The previous tribute to Duke Elliott was installed in 2013 as the houses in Columbia Street were being rebuilt. Ernie “Duke” Elliott came from the Woodvale area (Leopold Street) and was a founder member of the Woodvale Defence Association in 1971, which was later folded into the UDA. He was also a Marxist. He was killed at age 28 in a pub brawl in December 1972 in a dispute over weapons (WP | Tele | Watching The Door).
The plaque “dedicated to the officers and members of ‘B’ Company WDA (UFF)” has been retained. Also included is an image of the plaque that was added (c. 2022) to the main mural, commemorating Jackie Parsons.
Ohio Street, Woodvale, west Belfast
Buster Adams, Noel Clements, Tommy Aiken, Allistair Cousins, Billy Andrews, Irene Craig, Davy Armstrong, Drew Crawford, Fred Bailie, John Crossett, Wilbur Barnes, Tommy Dinsmore, Mark Barr, Jimmy Dowie, Sam Black, Tony Duff, Tommy Black, Ray Dummigan, Tommy Boyd, Tom Edgar, Davy Bryson, Ernie Elliot, Jimmy Carberry, Brian Faulkner // Billy Fenton, Tommy Hill, Hedgie Ferguson, Trevor Hill, Billy Gardner, Keek Holmes, Lewis Gilbert, Tommy Howells, Billy Graham, Bertie Howells, Travis Grey, Jim Hutchinson, Dennis Grey, Geordie Johnston, Geordie Hall, Tom Johnston, Jimmy Hall, Maurice Kavanagh, Stephen Hamilton, John Kennedy, Bobby Harvey, John Kiltie, Billy Higginson
Geordie King, Lee McKeag, Hugh Linton, Betty McMillan, Billy Little, Bob McMillan, Harry Lockhart, Robert McMillan, Rab Lockhart, Norman McMillan, Drew McAllister, George McMurray, William McBride, Jimmy Millar, Bobby McCade, Archie Millar, Tommy McCormick, Victor Moody, Joe McCann, Wesley Morrison, John McCrea, Graham Murdock // Jonny Nelson, Tommy Totten, Freddie Parkinson, Billy Thompson, David Parker, Phillip Thompson, Jackie Parsons, Mark Turner, Bobby Patterson, Jimmy Welshman, Ned Pollock, Lou West, Charlie Quinn, Stanley West, Ray Riley, Cecil Williamson, Jackie Robinson, Silver Wilson, George Selby, Tucker Yates, Sammy Swain, Sandy Wright
“1st Shankill Somme Association [Fb] roll of honour. In memory of our esteemed past members. Lest we forget.” The Association celebrated its twenty-fifth anniversary in February of this year (2025) and celebrated with a march from the leisure centre up to the garden of reflection next to the Shankill graveyard (Fb). The new retrospective board above shows members of the Association at trips to various WWI landmarks across the years.
Also included is an image of the roll of honour to the left of the main memorial, which now has some new names and is topped by a tribute to Queen Elizabeth II. For Joe Coggle see S Company, C Company.
“The Shamrock supports Kneecap”. Kneecap member Mo Chara (Lıam Óg Ó hAnnaıdh) appeared in court (in London) last week to face charges of displaying a flag of a proscribed organisation (Hezbollah). He was released on bail and will return on August 20th. (BBC | AP) In the meantime, the group appeared in front of 10,000 fans on the West Holts stage at Glastonbury on Saturday (June 28th) despite criticism from UK prime minister Keir Starmer (BBC).
The Shamrock Sport & Social Club (Fb) in Ardoyne is running a promotion by which people who post their selfies in front of the new mural in supoprt of Kneecap on social media can claim a bottle of Le Grá lager (web).
A few changes have been made to the Sam Rockett mural (compared to the 2023 original): Rockett’s hair has been lightened, the “Prods out” graffiti on the row of burned-out houses has been brightened, a simple “B Company” has replaced the smaller “1st Belfast Brigade, B Company”, and “Murdered by cowards 21.06.79 – 23.08.00” has been added on the left.
“Break the stigma – be kind to your mind” – mental-health messaging by Pigment Space (ig) on the shutters of the Walk Inn Charity Shop, Holywood Road, east Belfast – next to Forever Changes (Bill Harris hair salon) and The Holywood Arches (Arches café), and across from Be Your Own Kind Of Beautiful (Norah Mitchell flowers).
The image above shows a unified and wider view of the two pieces seen previously in Bloomfield House and In All Theatres Of Conflict: on the left, a board marking the centenary of the Ulster Volunteers’ ‘Larne Gun-Running’; on the right, a board commemorating the casualties from the 36th (Ulster) Division in WWI; above them both are small boards from the ‘Poppy Trail’ collection of deceased locals.
Here are only three of many painted utility boxes that have been recently painted as part of the on-going Belfast Canvas project, begun in 2020.
These three pieces are … ‘Hang In There’ by CG Chimp (Chaingun on ig) on the Holywood Road in east Belfast, ‘I (Heart) Pool!’ by PaperSleeve/Niamh McWilliams (web) on Donegall Road in south Belfast, and an abstract piece by Bláthnaıd Ní hAogáın (ig) in University Square, Belfast city centre.
For about 140 painted boxes, from the Belfast Canvas project and otherwise, see the Visual History page for the boxes.
The central space in Ardoyne’s Easter Rising centenary wall, combining stencils of the signatories to the Proclamation around a tarp of the document (see In Commemoration Of 1916) has been empty – except for some electoral signs – since 2019’s board marking the centenary of Sınn Féın (see Still The People Spoke). This new tarp returns to the Proclamation and Easter lily and matches the frame of signatories once more.
The last full mural on the wall fell down in 2014 and there does not appear to have been the energy to paint another full mural since then – but perhaps the fading paint around Clarke and Connolly will provoke a complete re-do.
Paddy Duffy Collection 