Paddy Duffy Collection

The Silent Unseen

2022-09-252024-07-24Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

Stanislaw Sosabowski — who appears in the apex of this mural in east Belfast — survived the first World War (fighting for Austria-Hungary), the occupation of Poland in 1939, and escaped from a prisoner-of-war camp before crossing Europe and taking command, in Britain, of the 1st Polish Paras. The unit fought in Operation Market Garden at the Battle Of Arnhem. (WP | Polish Heritage Society for a booklet of text and images)

His memoirs have been published as Freely I Served and interviews about his service were collected for a film called A Debt Of Dishonour (youtube) – the title comes from the fact that Sosabowski was blamed for the failure of the Operation, perhaps as a bargaining tactic in negotiations between Britain, Russia, and Poland.

Across the middle of the mural are airmen from the 303 Polish Squadron, which was celebrated in a Shankill mural: Love Demands Sacrifice. In the foreground is a modern British paratrooper in field gear.

For images of the launch, see WWIIPolesNI.

A post at (the blog) We In Coming Days May Be has a report on the East Belfast electoral constituency. Here is a report on Polish Residents In Belfast from the Belfast Interface Project. Attacks on Poles in east Belfast reached a peak in the first few months of 2014; see previously Romanian Housebreakers Beware and e.g. this Telegraph article. See also: Multiculturalism Is Genocide | Never Actually Existed | Belfast You’re Melting My Head.

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Copyright © 2022 Paddy Duffy
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Let Us Entertain You

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The LPOW mural in Harvey Court dates back to 1997, to the release of political prisoners as part of the Good Friday Agreement. A recent (2015) version can be seen at Consolidate The Peace. The new mural features performers Jonny Jones, John Calvert, Tony Jones, and Sylvia Pavis. It was painted by Blaze FX with sponsorship from Charter NI and the Housing Executive.

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Copyright © 2022 Paddy Duffy
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Getrude Star

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Gertrude Star flute band (Fb) celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2021 and to mark the occasion this (2022) May, the two side-walls were painted, one of which is shown below. The main mural was painted for the 50th anniversary in 2011, with Ulster Banners and Union Flags flanking the UK coat of arms – “Dieu et mon droit”, “Honi soit qui mal y pense”. The following areas are listed: (left) Gertrude St, Clarawood, Templemore Ave, Woodstrock Road, Albertbridge Rd, south Belfast, Scotland, Antrim, Glengormley, Carrickfergus, Braniel; (right) Dee Street, Newtownards Rd, Cregagh Rd, Castlereagh Rd, Holywood, Ballybeen, Tullycarnet, Shankill Rd, north Down, Bangor.

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Twelve Brave Young Men From Gertrude Street

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The twelve “Gertrude Street Great War Fatalities” are: Robert Harvey; William Duff; James Fagan; Alexander Leckey; George McCune; Hugh Nabney; William Nabney; Matthew Scott; Robert C. Skillen; James Watson; Samuel Wright; James Burns.

This board was originally next to the To France And Flanders mural on the adjacent wall; the mural also named these twelve but which only lasted a year. That mural depicted the damaged basilica tower in the village of Albert and there is a similar mural in the village itself – a photograph of the mural and the rebuilt tower can be seen in the top right of the board; the mural can be seen in full here.

As the map in the top left shows, Gertrude Street was where Wolff Close now is, running north from the Newtownards Road; the original Gertrude Star mural (circa 1989) was on the first gable of what is now called “Freedom Corner” – see D00388.

The emblem of the Gertrude Star flute band serves as a background. The band’s 50th/60th anniversary mural is across the street.

“‘The Legacy Of Gertrude Street. Twelve brave young men from Gertrude Street,/Bravely fought in world war one./They tried their best as legends do./But never returned back home.//They dragged through muddy trenches,/In the darkness of the night./But never once would they give up,/As they bravely continued to fight.//Each year these men will be honoured,/As we stand together taking time to reflect./It’s vital to show these heroes the uttermost respect.//For now they lie in Flanders fields,/Between crosses row by row./They lived, they fought for our country,/And gave their lives many years ago.//Forever we will speak of these men,/Who came from Gertrude Street./Their legacy will always live on,/When we think of their marching feet.’ By Angela McCully”

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Copyright © 2022 Paddy Duffy
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Boab Kerr

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UVF Scottish Brigade Volunteer Scott “Boab” Kerr, from the Govan area of Glasgow and Sons Of The Somme FB (Fb), died in 2015 and is remembered with a plaque on the corner of Beechfield Street in east Belfast.

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Force

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Masked UVF gunman in Inverary Drive, east Belfast, in a style similar to UVF gunmen in Carrickfergus, Larne, and Millbrook.

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Copyright © 2022 Paddy Duffy
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Buster Keenan

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This mural to William “Buster” Keenan was unveiled on July 8th (2017), coincidentally the anniversary of wife Eileen’s death. Both are listed on the UVF memorial stone in front of the mural, along with David Ervine and the Long-Cordner-Bennett-Seymour quartet.

According to ACT, Keenan was involved in the Battle Of St. Matthew’s (in which Bobby Neill and James McCurrie were killed, along with Henry McIlhone). To the left is another “Ulster Volunteers” stone, a “Sydenham roll of honour – to those who gave their lives in the Great War”.

East Belfast UVF On Parade

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The board appears to show a “show of strength” (firing into the air) rather than a parade, by hooded gunmen of the east Belfast UVF. The crowd is gathered on Newtownards Road at Dee Street, date unknown (but prior to 2008).

Newtownards Road, east Belfast.

Lost Volunteers

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This board commemorates the action and deaths of the British Army’s 36th (Ulster) Division in World War I’s Battle Of The Somme, of which Captain Wilfrid Spender wrote, “I am not an Ulsterman but yesterday, the 1st 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 that I witnessed … The Ulster Volunteer Force, from which the division was made, has won a name which equals any in history.”

For images of the launch (on 2016-03-08) see Belfast Live.

The Right To Defend Yourself

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“We seek nothing but the elementary right implanted in every man: the right if you are attacked, to defend yourself.” Re-imaging took a decisive turn into re-re-imaging with the return of hooded gunmen to east Belfast, at the junction of Newtownards Road and Dee Street (at the old Bright Street), replacing a mural for the Glentoran Community Trust. It’s not clear who the UVF felt attacked by in 2011; it is possible that this mural is also about local muscle-flexing in addition to sectarian politics or attention from the police. Eleven years later, the mural is still standing, though somewhat the worse for wear.