Ireland's Military Story

Month: September 2020

  • Wexford Arnhem Veteran Honoured

    Wexford Arnhem Veteran Honoured

    Wexford Arnhem Veteran Honoured By People of Netherlands

    Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Ireland, HE Adriaan Palm, presenting Mr. Sam Kendrick with the Medal of Remembrance. (Image: Embassy of the Netherlands)

    At a special Covid ceremony in Enniscorthy Castle on 18 September, the Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, HE Adriaan Palm (from Arnhem), honoured Wexfordman Mr. Sam Kendrick, the last known Irish veteran of the Battle of Arnhem, for his part in the liberation of the Netherlands.

    Sam at Enniscorthy Castle.

    Sam, who is 95 years old and from Kilmore, served with the Parachute Regiment during the Battle of Arnhem in September 1944.

    Earlier in May this year, the Ambassador had presented the Medal of Remembrance to Mr Kendrick in a virtual ceremony attended by Mr Kendrick’s friend and neighbour, Lt. Col. Ken Martin of the Royal British Legion Republic of Ireland.

    The Ambassador said: ‘Sam Kendrick is one of those heroes, who as part of the Allied Forces, risked his life for our freedom in the Battle of Arnhem and elsewhere – he is also one of the very few who are still alive and can recount those days’.

    Sam’s story was recorded in Dark Times, Decent Men – Stories of Irishmen in World War II, by historian Neil Richardson. He had left Wexford at 14 to work on a farm in the UK. When he was 16 he joined the Royal Navy. In 1943, he transferred to the Royal Irish Fusiliers and then to the Parachute Regiment. On the 17 September 1944, he took off from RAF Folkingham as part of the airborne component of Operation Market Garden. Their objective was Arnhem and capturing a bridge over the River Rhine.

    Equipped with a flame thrower, Sam landed with his comrades near the town of Oosterbeck where they encountered a German force comprising five tanks, 15 half tracks and enemy infantry. During the engagement Sam was hit in the foot by shrapnel. They were later involved in a firefight around St Elizabeth’s Hospital as they tried to break through to British units at the Arnhem Bridge but were forced back to Oosterbeek and cut off.

    Sam was taken prisoner and sent to Germany. He was liberated by American troops in April 1945. Almost every year since he has returned to the Netherlands to remember his fallen comrades in Arnhem commemorations.

    Ambassador Palm thanked Sam and all the former British and Irish servicemen and women who helped bring peace and freedom to the Netherlands: ‘Operation Market Garden offered a signal of hope for the Netherlands at the time. Hope for liberation and hope for a better future’.

    Dignitaries on the roof of Enniscorthy Castle with Sam. (Image: Embassy of the Netherlands)

    Thank you to Barry Roche from the Irish Times, the Embassy of the Netherlands in Ireland, and the Royal British Legion for images and information on this event.

  • New ‘Spectre’ PC-12s for the Air Corps

    New ‘Spectre’ PC-12s for the Air Corps

    New ‘Spectre’ PC-12s for the Air Corps

    Photos courtesy of Air Corps Press Office

    Yesterday the General Officer Commanding of the Irish Air Corps, Brigadier General Rory O’ Connor hosted the Minister for Defence, Simon Coveney TD, Secretary General of the Department of Defence, Ms Jacqui McCrum and the Defence Forces Chief of Staff, Vice Admiral Mark Mellett DSM at the official unveiling of the three new Pilatus ‘Spectre’ PC12NG that arrived from Denver, Colorado on 10 September.

    The Fixed Wing Utility Aircraft (FWUA) Project Board selected the Pilatus PC-12NG as a suitable replacement for the Cessna FR172, which served 47 years in the Air Corps: a contract for three aircraft was signed in 2017.

    The PC-12NG is a single-engine turboprop passenger and cargo aircraft manufactured by Pilatus Aircraft of Stans, Switzerland. The type has been in operation since 1991 and over 1,700 have been produced so far, with the fleet having accumulated over 7million flight hours.

    The PC-12NG is a versatile multi-role aircraft with day/night, all weather capabilities. Powered by a Pratt & Whitney PT6A-67P engine, the aircraft can cruise at 520km/hr at an altitude of 30,000ft. With two pilots and up to nine passengers, it is facilitated by a large cargo door, offering significant versatility across a wide variety of roles, including passenger, cargo, medical and surveillance.

    The utility of the aircraft is a result of the ease with which it can be reconfigured for various operations, carry large loads over a long range and operate from semi-prepared runways. The aircraft are configured as special mission platforms with appropriate mission and air ambulance equipment fitted. The aircraft houses a deployable electro-optical and infrared sensor suite, which provides for an in-flight 360-degree view, controlled through a mission operator station and a tactical flight officer.

    The air ambulance kit is a LifePort stretcher system, which facilitates the carriage of patients and incubator, if required.

    The three PC-12NG aircraft will be operated by 104 Squadron, No.1 Operations Wing, joining PC-12NG 280 which arrived earlier this year.

    • The main roles for the aircraft will be:
    • Logistics – Passengers (up to 9)Logistics – Cargo (up to 1½ Tonnes)
    • Logistics – Passenger / Cargo mix
    • Air Ambulance
    • Surveillance – over land and coastal areas using sensor suite
    • Medical Repatriation

    In April, a decision was taken to purchase an additional PC-12NG to respond to Government taskings resulting from the Covid-19 global pandemic. To date, this aircraft has been utilised significantly throughout Europe and North Africa where it has completed a number of missions, including:

    • Logistics Transport – CoVID Tests to Germany;
    • Medical Repatriation of Defence Forces personnel from Germany and Kosovo;
    • Service Support for Air Corps maintenance taskings;
    • Troop Rotation – Defence Forces personnel to/from MINURSO in North Africa
    • Air Ambulance – HSE support to the UK

    Minister for Defence Simon Coveney TD, unveiling PC-12NG 282.

    In the coming weeks the aircraft will be brought onto the Air Corps military register and undergo mission system testing. Air Corps personnel (technicians, flightcrew and support personnel) will undergo familiarisation training, along with Defence Forces elements, prior to the aircraft becoming fully operational in the various roles.

  • Round Table Discussion in the Somme Museum

    Round Table Discussion in the Somme Museum

    Roundtable Discussion in the Somme Museum

    Mrs Carol Walker MBE, Director of the Somme Association and Museum; Professor Brian Walker, School of History, Anthropology, Philosophy and Politics, Queens University; historian Dr. Brendan O’Shea; and Wesley Bourke, CEO The Irish Military Heritage Foundation.

    Spent a very enjoyable and engaging day in the Somme Museum discussing future projects supported by the Dep. of Culture Heritage and the Gaeltacht, focusing on Ireland and the Great War, and exploring Irish identity, diversity and reconciliation. Thank you to the museum staff for their hospitality.