U-Boats Sunk off Northern Ireland in Operation Deadlight
From November 1945 to February 1946, 116 German U-boats were scuttled off the northwest coast of Northern Ireland in Operation Deadlight.
AP Archive footage of scenes from Operation Deadlight showing the sinking of German U-boats by RAF Coastal Command off Northern Ireland.
During the Battle of the Atlantic the U-boat menace had plagued Allied shipping. As early as 1944 the British government had begun to draw up plans for the destruction of the German U-boat force following the end of the war. Following Allied victory in Europe, 156 U-boats surrendered either side of the Atlantic in early May 1945.
Forty-two surrendered U-boats moored at Lisahally, Northern Ireland, 12 June 1945. (Royal Navy photograph A 29241 from Imperial War Museum)
Of these 156 U-boats. 138 were transferred to Lisahally in Northern Ireland and Loch Ryan in Scotland to await their future.
At the 18th Meeting of the Tripartite Naval Commission on 29 October, it was decided that all unallocated submarines were to be sunk in open seas no later than 15 February 1946.
Of the 135 U-boats moored in Northern Ireland and Scotland, 116 were marked for destruction – 86 from Loch Ryan and 30 from Lisahally – ; while remaining 19 were divided amongst the Allied powers.
On 31 October the Royal Navy were given orders to began the disposal of the U-boats.
Formal orders were issued on 14 November for the scuttling in deep water off northwest of Northern Ireland of 86 U-boats from Loch Ryan and 24 from Lisahally to commence on 25 November with boats from Lock Ryan.
The U-boats were to be unarmed and towed 130 miles to a designated position and sunk by demolition charges. Weather permitting, a number of U-boats were to be sunk by the Royal Air Force and the Fleet Air Arm, while others were to be sunk by Royal Navy submarines.
Free Polish Navy destroyer ORP Krakowiak towing German Type XXIII U-boat U-2337 out to sea for scuttling from Lock Ryan on 28 November 1945. (Press Agency/Imperial War Museum)
As predicted the weather in November was bad, as a result 50% of the boats foundered under tow not making it to their designated position: either sinking or having to be sunk by gunfire. Only two U-boats were sunk by demolition charges, seven by submarines and 13 by aircraft.
The 28 of the U-Boats from Lisahally were sunk between 29 December 1945 and 9 January 1946, and the remaining two were sunk on 10 and 12 February 1946.
Sadly due to prevailing Level 5 Covid-19 restrictions, the traditional Choral Service of Remembrance at The National Cathedral of St. Patrick in Dublin, now in its 101st year, must be conducted without the attendance of any congregation.
The 2020 Remembrance Sunday Evensong worship, by clergy and choir only, will be broadcast by St Patrick’s Cathedral via live video stream at 3.15pm on Sunday. Wreaths will be laid during the service by The Very Reverend Dr. William Morton, Dean and Ordinary of St Patrick’s Cathedral, on behalf of the President of Ireland and the President of the Royal British Legion.
2020 is the 75th anniversary of the end of the Second World War and this year we pay a special tribute to the men and women of the Second World War generation who served and sacrificed to defend our freedoms and ways of life.
To mark this year’s Remembrance Sunday the Royal British Legion Rep. of Ireland produced a remembrance video.
We will remember them.
Michael D. Higgins arriving at St. Patrick’s Cathedral. (Image: Royal British Legion Rep. of Ireland)
In honour of Ireland’s fallen, President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins, insisted on attending the service at St. Patrick’s.
President Higgins lays a wreath and pays his respects at St. Patrick’s Cathedral. (Photo: Royal British Legion Rep. of Ireland)
Meanwhile Taoiseach Micheál Martin joined Northern Ireland’s First Minister Arlene Foster at a socially-distanced Remembrance Day service in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh. The Taiseach laid a wreath at the war memorial and took part in a minute’s silence to remember those who fought and died in service becoming the first Fianna Fáil leader to do so on Remembrance Sunday.
I was honoured to represent the Government and lay a wreath at the Remembrance Day ceremonies in Enniskillen earlier today. A deeply moving event. It is hard to believe that the atrocity at Enniskillen was 33 years ago. pic.twitter.com/ZaXUYZg4Xe
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.
International Commemoration of the 75th Anniversary of VJ Day
Pipers, Buglers, Trumpeters, Cornet Players, Town Criers and Churches around the world took part in the important commemoration of the 75th anniversary of Victory over Japan Day, better known as VJ Day: the day the war not only ended in the Pacific, but also the day the Second World War ended. Organised by Pagentmaster Bruno Peek LVO OBE OPR and his dedicated team, the celebrations ensured this anniversary was commemorated. The past and present veterans of VJ Days along with their families will never be forgotten, even in the difficult times the world is currently going through due to the virus affecting us all.
Bruno Peek said: ;While we must remember and commemorate those who gave their lives or were gravely wounded during years of war, I believe VJ Day 75 is also an opportunity to celebrate the peace that came to us all at the end of the Far East campaign and of WW II. VJ Veterans and families have always felt they were the ‘forgotten army’ so I felt it important we let them know, and show them, that they are not and never will be forgotten,’.
Commemorations Worldwide
As the day dawned around the world, hundreds of Pipers will played Battle’s O’er, from safe locations of their choice. This traditional march played at the end of a battle officially started VJ Day commemorations. The first pipes sounded in New Zealand and ended 22 hours later across the Pacific on the Island of O’ahu, Hawaii. The pipes rang out on the hour as the clock strikes 06:00am local time from Nepal to Brazil and Ireland to South Africa. Aligning with national events in Australia, pipers there were asked to pipe at memorials at 09:30. Two pipers played at the highest war memorial in England, the summit of Scafell Pike. Pipers Robert R. Procter – lead piper of VJ Day 75 and Corporal Robert Cunningham, Royal Marines, with the generous support from Lakeland Mountain Guides, headed up Scafell Pike through the night to arrive at the top just before the sunrises when the time the pipes sounded across these islands.
At 10:58am around the United Kingdom, Channel Islands, the Isle of Man and Ireland hundreds of buglers, trumpeters and cornet players played the Last Post from safe locations of their choice. This concluded with a two-minute silence at 11:00am, a wreath laying and Reveille.
At 11:10 75 Town Criers, one for each of the 75 years since VJ Day will undertook the ‘Cry for Peace Around the World’ from safe locations of their choice in memory of the millions of those at home and abroad that lost and gave so much to enable us to share and enjoy the freedom we have today. This was followed by the ringing of the ‘Cry for Peace’ from church bells.
The day of remembrance was concluded at 20:18pm with the sounding of ‘Sunset’.
Commemorations in Ireland
Sunrise at Islandbridge. (Photographs by John O’Byrne)
The Irish contribution to VJ Day 75 was devised and planned by the Royal British Legion Republic of Ireland. Brian Duffy, Chairman of the Royal British Legion in the Republic of Ireland, said: ‘Many thousands of Irish men and women fought with the Allies in WW II, including in the Far East so it’s both wonderful and right that we here in Ireland contribute to the commemoration and celebration of VJ Day 75 being embraced by so many around the world’.
A selection of images from the service in Islandbridge to commemorate VJ Day 75. (Photographs by John O’Byrne)
Commemorations in Ireland centered around the Irish War Memorial Gardens Islandbridge, Dublin. At 06:00am piper Anthony Byrne of the Royal British Legion played from the Great Cross while a piper of the 2nd Battalion Royal Irish Regiment played at Hillsborough Castle in Northern Ireland. Following the two minute silence and Northern Ireland Chairman John Stewart recited the Kohima Epitaph, which in turn was followed by the ‘Cry for Peace Around the World’ by Ciaran Crone: ‘Éistigí! éistigí! éistigí’. The VJ 75 peal from Ireland’s National Cathedral of St. Patrick’s in Dublin commenced at 11.12am.
Sunset at Islandbridge: Bugler Bill Powderly, Standard Bearer Geoff Barry and Chairman Brian Duffy. (Photograph by Wesley Bourke)
That evening ‘Sunset’ was sounded by Bill Powderly.
In a virtual ceremony on 24 July, the United States Congress,
awarded the Congressional Gold Medal, its highest honour, to all living and
dead crew members of the USS Indianapolis (CL/CA-35); which was sunk by
Japanese torpedoes 75 years ago on 30 July 1945. The ceremony was broadcast on Thursday
30 July at 11 a.m. EDT.
A good portion of the crew were Irish American with the crew
list dotted with surnames such as Sullivan, Kelly, Murphy, O’Donnell, Moran,
Conway, Kennedy and many more. It is claimed the Captain, Charles Butler McVay
was also of Irish descent.
The USS Indianapolis(CA-35) off the Mare Island Naval Shipyard, California (USA), on 10 July 1945, after her final overhaul and repair of combat damage. (Photograph from the Bureau of Ships Collection in the U.S. National Archives.)
The USS Indianapolis was a Portland-class heavy
cruiser of the United States Navy. Launched in 1931, the vessel served as the
flagship for the commander of Scouting Force 1 for eight years, then as
flagship for Admiral Raymond Spruance in 1943 and 1944 while he commanded the
Fifth Fleet in the Central Pacific during World War II. In July 1945 the ship
was engaged on a secret mission, delivering enriched uranium to the island of
Tinian; the silver-grey metal was badly needed for the ‘Little Boy’ atomic bomb
that would later be dropped on Hiroshima. On 30 July, four days after
completing her mission she was attacked by Japanese submarine I-58; two torpedoes
sank her in 12 minutes. The secrecy of the mission and the suddenness of the
attack meant few life rafts could be deployed and the disaster was compounded
by failures at various operational levels. For five days in the Philippine Sea,
the survivors – many suffering burns – were stranded in open ocean with few
lifeboats, no food or water, and dehydration. Many died from shark attacks.
The ship became globally famous in the 1970’s when its story
played a major role in one of the characters from the movie Jaws. In a famous
scene during the movie Quint (Robert Shaw) sitting on the Orca drinking
with Brody (Roy Scheider) and Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss) told them about his
traumatic experience surviving the sinking of the Indianapolis, and
bobbing in the sea for three days while his crew mates were picked off by
sharks or drowned.
Of the 1,196-man crew, 880 escaped the sinking ship into the
water, just 321 men were rescued and only 317 ultimately survived the ordeal.
It was and remains the worst naval disaster in United States history.
On 19 August 2017, Microsoft cofounder Paul Allen led a team
which found the USS Indianapolis. The exact location remains classified
because it is an official war grave at sea and is the property of the U.S.
government.
The Gold Medal will be displayed at the Indiana War Memorial
Museum in Indianapolis.
In this July 10, 1945, photo provided by U.S. Navy media content operations, USS Indianapolis (CA 35) is shown off the Mare Island Navy Yard, in northern California, after her final overhaul and repair of combat damage. (U.S. Navy via AP)
On this Day
Lt Thomas Conway U.S. Navy Chaplain – USS Indianapolis
Updated on 2 August 2020
Father Thomas Conway, (Photo: Diocese of Buffalo Archives)
Fr. Conway was born on 5 April 1908 and died 2 August 1945. He
was the oldest of three children born to Irish immigrants, Thomas F. Conway and
Margaret Conway (Meade) in Waterbury, Connecticut.
Fr. Conway attended Lasalette Junior Seminary, in Hartford, Connecticut.
In 1928, he enrolled at Niagara University (New York) and received an A.B.
degree in 1930. On 8 June 1931, Conway enrolled in Our Lady of Angels Seminary,
on the campus of Niagara University and on 26 May 1934, he was ordained to the
priesthood for the diocese of Buffalo, New York, in St. Michael’s Cathedral,
Springfield, Massachusetts.
On 17 September 1942, Fr. Conway enlisted in the U.S. Navy; subsequently
commissioned a chaplain. He served at naval stations along the East Coast and
in 1943 was transferred to the Pacific. For several months he served on the USS
Medusa and on 25 August 1944, Fr. Conway was assigned to the USS
Indianapolis.
The Chaplain was a popular member of the crew amongst all
faiths and was kept busy with prayer and counselling services for the men. The Indianapolis was sent on a secret
mission to deliver components of the atomic bomb ‘Little Boy’ to the island of
Tinian. After discharging its top-secret cargo, the ship left for Guam and then
Leyte in the Philippines. It was to join the American invasion fleet bound for
Japan. It was struck by two torpedoes from Japanese Submarine I-58. Over
four days later when rescued there was only 316 crewmen left. Sharks killed
many of the men. Fr. Conway stayed in the water for three days before he died.
Survivors have credited Fr. Conway with directly saving 67 men’s lives.
One survivor Frank J. Centazzo wrote: ‘Father Conway was in
every way a messenger of our Lord. He loved his work no matter what the
challenge. He was respected and loved by all his shipmates. I was in the group
with Father Conway. … I saw him go from one small group to another. Getting the
shipmates to join in prayer and asking them not to give up hope of being
rescued. He kept working until he was exhausted. I remember on the third day
late in the afternoon when he approached me and Paul McGiness. He was thrashing
the water and Paul and I held him so he could rest a few hours. Later, he
managed to get away from us and we never saw him again. Father Conway was
successful in his mission to provide spiritual strength to all of us. He made
us believe that we would be rescued. He gave us hope and the will to endure.
His work was exhausting, he finally succumbed in the evening of the third day.
He will be remembered by all of the survivors for all of his work while on
board the ‘Indy’ and especially three days in the ocean.’
Fr. M. Thomas Conway was the last chaplain to die in combat
in World War II. He was awarded the Purple Heart posthumously. The city of
Buffalo, New York was, and remains the location of veteran and citizen attempts
to preserve the memory of the heroic, compassionate and selfless ministry of
Fr. Conway. A park was named in his honour in the city.
There is also a campaign by a veteran’s group in Waterbury
with the support of some U.S. Senators to have Fr. Conway awarded the Navy
Cross for his heroism in saving so many of his crewmates in the water.
You can read a detailed account of this amazing Irish American’s life in Bill Milhomme’s blog post here.
Annual Ceremony of Commemoration and Wreath-laying
Photographs by John O’Byrne and Niall Keating
The Annual Ceremony of Commemoration and Wreath-laying took place today at the Irish National War Memorial Gardens at Islandbridge. Due to Covid 19, restrictions were in place and a smaller ceremony was held in the Rose Garden.The event was arranged and led by the Royal British Legion Republic of Ireland District with the co-operation and assistance of the OPW – Office of Public Works. The ceremony corresponds with the anniversary of the Battle of the Somme and commemorates those who lost their lives in the two World Wars, in particular the estimated 60,000 Irish men and women from all parts of the Ireland who served and died in those conflicts.
Representation from all parts and traditions of the Island of Ireland is a key feature.The ceremony commenced at 12.30 pm. Unfortunately, due to restrictions there was no colourful parade of standards this year. An ecumenical service of remembrance, recitals and music and the laying of official wreaths by members of the government and civic leaders from Ireland and Northern Ireland, members of the Diplomatic Corps, Service and veterans’ representatives.Music was provided by Óglaigh na hÉireann / Irish Defence Forces and the Royal Irish Regiment.
The event was attended by Minister of State at the Department of Finance with responsibility for Financial Services, Credit Unions & Insurance, Jack Chambers TD, DCOS Support Major General Seán Clancy, British Ambassador to Ireland HE Mr. Robin Barnett CMG.German, Ambassador to Ireland HE Ambassador Deike Potzel, New Zealand Ambassador to Ireland HE Brad Burgess, French Ambassador to Ireland HE Mr Stéphane Crouzat, First Secretary Embassy of Australia Mr Rober Owen-Jones, The President The Royal British Legion, Republic of Ireland, Lt. Col. Ken Martin,The President, The Royal British Legion, Northern Ireland, Major Philip J. Morrison MBE BEM.
The service was given by the Church of Ireland Rector of Kindle Rev Peter Rutherford.
On 14 May 1945 HMS Hesperus, HMCS Theford Mines, and USS Paine escorted 8 German U-boats – under the command ofOberleutnant zur See Klaus Hilgendorf – sailed into Lough Foyle, en route to Londonderry. While such a sight a few months earlier would have sparked warning sirens this day was one of joy. These 8 deadly vessels were officially surrendering to Admiral Sir Max Horton, commander of the Western Approaches.
This silent footage from British Pathé shows the surrender of German U-boat submarines at a port in Lisahally, Northern Ireland, May 1945.
The Battle of the Atlantic
The Battle of the Atlantic, and the war against the Kriegsmarine, was the longest battle of World War II. Germany attempted – as it had in the Great War – to cut the island nation of Great Britain off from the outside world in a naval blockade. Beginning on 3 September 1939 with the sinking of the liner Athenia off the northwest coast of Ireland, the battle did not end until just hours before the final surrender. On May 7–8. U-320 was sunk by an RAF Catalina becoming the last U-boat to be sunk; while the Norwegian minesweeper NYMS 382 and the freighters Sneland I and Avondale Park were torpedoed in separate incidents, just hours before the German surrender.
The losses were heavy on both sides. In all, more than 100,000 individuals lost their lives in the Battle of the Atlantic. Some 3,500 merchant ships and 175 Allied warships were sunk with the loss of 36,200 sailors and 36,000 merchant seamen killed. 783 U-boats and 47 German surface warships were sunk. The U-boat fleet lost almost 32,000 men killed, with 5,000 captured. Their death toll was a frightening 82% of personnel.
The only thing that really frightened me during the war was the U-boat peril. I was even more anxious about this battle than I had been about the glorious air fight called the ‘Battle of Britain’.
Prime Minister Winston Churchill
Although neutral, the Irish Free State or Éire, did not avoid the Battle of the Atlantic. As an island nation it was by default caught up in the war resulting from its close proximity to Great Britain and of course – Northern Ireland.
It entered the war with a very depleted Merchant Navy and with no Navy at all. In total Ireland entered the war with 56 merchant ships on the Irish registry, none were ocean going. In order to supply the island nation, Irish Shipping was established in 1941, and 15 ocean-going dry cargo vessels were purchased or chartered. In a period known as ‘the Emergency’ or the ‘Long Watch’ by the Irish Merchant Navy, no more than 800 were serving in the Irish Merchant fleet at any time. During the period 1939 – 1945, 136 merchantmen were killed onboard 16 ships that were lost. In addition 14 fishermen were killed aboard two fishing trawlers.
No country had ever been more effectively blockaded because of the activities of belligerents and our lack of ships …
Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Éamon de Valera, Saint Patrick’s Day address 17 March 1940
The Surrender
By May 1945, the war in Europe was all but over; the Allies had defeated Nazi Germany. Following Hitler’s suicide on 30 April, Grand Admiral Karl Dönitz became Head of State and Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces. With most of Nazi Germany now occupied, Dönitz did not have much in terms of military capable of continuing the war. Only the Kriegsmarine’s U-Boat Arm was capable of continuing operations. By this time there were some 170 operational U-boats, mainly operating from occupied Norway. There were a further 200 boats under construction, in or in training based in German Baltic ports. Dönitz had hoped not to surrender the Kriegsmarine; he hoped to save their honour by scuttling the fleet. Code-named ‘Regenbogen’ only ships that would be needed for fishing, transport and mine clearance after the war should remain intact.
All of this was taking place in the midst of negotiations and the fast paced drive of Allied forces. Admiral Hans-Georg von Friedeburg had succeeded Dönitz as commander-in-chief of the Kriegsmarine. On 4 May – the day Regenbogen was due to be ordered – the German surrender at Lüneburg Heath took place.
Dönitz issued an order to all U-boats to cease combat operations and return to port or surrender to Allied naval vessels.
‘U-boat men! Undefeated and spotless you lay down your arms after a heroic battle without equal. We remember in deep respect our fallen comrades, who have sealed with their death their loyalty to the Führer and Fatherland. Comrades! Preserve your U-boat spirit, with which you have fought courageously, stubbornly and imperturbably through the years for the good of the Fatherland. Long live Germany!’
Grand Admiral Karl Dönitz message to all U-boat commanders across the globe.
U-1009 entering Loch Eriboll on 10 May 1945.
At 08:45 on 10 May at Loch Eriboll on the far north Sutherland coast, the first German U-boat – a Type Vll/C41 U-1009 – entered a British base to surrender. In command of the U-boat was Oberleutnant Klaus Hilgendorf, a career Kriegsmarine officer; his war, however, was not over just yet as he was placed in command of a small flotilla of U-boats that would surrender in Northern Ireland four days later.
Klaus Hilgendorf (U-boat.net)
As U-boats began to surrender it was decided to hold an official ceremony; Lisahally on Loch Foyle, Londonderry was chosen. It was fitting for the surrender to take place in Loch Foyle and Londonderry as it had played a pinnacle role in the Battle of the Atlantic. At a peak, 139 Allied ships had their home base at Lisahally or Londonderry; while Royal Air Force and Royal Navy aircraft patrolled the Atlantic from several airfields in the area.
After mooring Oberleutnant Klaus Hilgendorf formally surrendered to Admiral Sir Max Horton – he himself a Great War submarine hunter. Horton was joined by the Prime Minister of Northern Ireland Sir Basil Brook and Colonel Dan Bryan of the Irish Free State’s Director of Military Intelligence G2. The ceremony was watched by hundreds of airmen, soldiers, sailors and locals.
Armed guard watching over some of the moored U-boats. One is causing bubbles in the water during battery charging. (Image Imperial War Museum)
AP Archive footage of German submarines surrendering and brought into ports around Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
This footage from the archives of Critical Past shows two German U-boats surrendering in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of the United States, Cape May, New Jersey.
On Monday 7 May 1945, General Alfred Jodl, Adolf Hitler’s military advisor, controller of German High Command and Chief of the Operations Staff, signed the surrender of all German forces in in Allied General Dwight D. Eisenhower’s headquarters, Rheims, France. A radio broadcast instructed the nation to stand by for an important announcement at 1600hrs. No announcement came. At 1500hrs on Tuesday 8 May, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill’s announced the surrender of Nazi Germany. The day is marked in many western countries every year to remember the sacrifice made to bring peace to Europe. Several states such as the Russian Federation mark the day on 9 May.
Following the invasion of Nazi Germany and the fall of Berlin, Nazi leader Adolf Hitler, committed suicide on 30 April. His successor, Reichspräsident Karl Dönitz. The administration headed by Dönitz was known as the Flensburg Government. The act of military surrender was first signed at 02:41 on 7 May in Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force at Reims, and a slightly modified document, considered the definitive German Instrument of Surrender, was signed on 8 May in Karlshorst, Berlin at 21:20 local time. German Instrument of Surrender, Article 2 stated: “The German High Command will at once issue orders to all German military, naval and air authorities and to all forces under German control to cease active operations at 23.01 hours Central European time on 8 May 1945.” Hostilities would end at 0001hrs on 9th May 1945.
General Alfred Jodl (1890 – 1946) (centre), signs the document of surrender (German Capitulation) of the German armed forces at Reims. He is joined by Major Wilhelm Oxenius (left) and Hans Georg von Friedeburg, Admiral of the Fleet (right). (Photo by Keystone/Getty Images)
The day marked the end the Second World War in Europe; the most devastating global conflict in the human history with an estimate of between 70 – 85 million deaths. In Europe the war had lasted almost six year. As word spread of the unconditional surrender the following day, 8 May, was officially known Victory in Europe Day. Villages, towns, and cites, erupted in celebrations throughout Western Europe. In the United States flags remained at half-mast in respect of 30 days morning for President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who had died on 12 April. The war was not over and fighting continued in the Pacific theatre until 15 August 1945.
In neutral Éire (official name for southern Ireland at the time) censorship was very strict. However, the Irish times broke the story. On the outbreak of war an Emergency had been declared in Ireland. Even with the wars end the Emergency continued for another year.
Cover page of Irish Times 8 May 1945.
How many Irish served in the Second World War is not clear. Historian Richard Doherty, Irish Men and Women in the Second World War, puts the figure of Irish personnel in the British forces as 78,826 from Éire and 52,174 from Northern Ireland. He calculated that 4,468 service personnel from the island of Ireland were killed in the war. How many Irish served in the other forces such as the United States is unclear, but due to the high emigration at the time, the figure is no doubt in its thousands.
Belfast Telegraph: A street party in Donegall Square North, Belfast, Co. Antrim to celebrate Victory in Europe or VE Day on 8 May 1945.
In 2009 a roll of honour listing 7,507 Irish men and women who died while serving in the British, Commonwealth and Dominion Forces 1939 – 1945 was presented to Trinity College library. It comprised 3,617 names from the Republic of Ireland and 3,890 from Northern Ireland.
Thankfully there are still several veterans on the island of Ireland who served in the Second World War with us. We have been honoured to have met many of them. While they cannot travel to the curtailed commemorations due to Covid-19 please remember them today and thank them for their sacrifice and service.
Sr Kate McCarthy (family archives, courtesy of Catherine Fleming)
Liberation of Sr Kate McCarthy – 75th Anniversary
The 75th anniversary of World War II brought out thousands of stories from veterans, those that lived through it, and family descendants. A heroine nun from Cork is not the story you would expect to hear when talking about the French Resistance. Sr. Kate McCarthy, was born near Drimoleague, Cork, in 1895. Aged 18, she joined the Franciscans in Cork and was transferred to Béthune, a beautiful French town. When the Great War broke out, Béthune became a major hospital centre. For four years, Kate nursed Allied, and some German, wounded. Spending the interwar years in the United States, she returned to her former posting just prior to the outbreak of the next world war.
Nazi German forces occupied France in 1940. Along with two other women, Kate selflessly risked her life with the early resistance group in northern France saving over 200 British airmen and soldiers. In 1941 disaster struck and Kate was betrayed. She was arrested by the Gestapo and sent to solitary confinement for a year. She was later given the death sentence. Then she disappeared into the night and fog moving from prison to prison each one harsher than the next. Kate was then sent to the notorious Ravensbruck Concentration Camp, 90km north of Berlin. It’s estimated 130,000 women and children were imprisoned there between 1939 and 1945, where they were forced to hard labour. Surviving beatings, little food and Typhus she avoided selection for the Gas Chamber 4 times. On 25 April 1945 Kate was rescued by the white bus rescue mission from Sweden.
Following liberation Sr Kate McCarthy became Mother Superior of the Honan Home in Cork. She died suddenly on 21 June 1971 and is buried in St Finbarr’s Cemetery.
The inspirational story of Sr Kate McCarthy is currently being researched by historian Catherine Fleming. Myles Dungan will be speaking to Catherine about Sr Kate McCarthy at 6.05pm on The History Show, RTÉ Radio 1. Make sure and tune in for the full story on this remarkable women.
Surviving female prisoners gathered when the Red Cross arrived at Ravensbrück in April 1945. The white paint camp crosses show they were prisoners, not civilians. (Swedish Red Cross)
Cork’s Arnhem Victoria Cross Flight Lieutenant David Lord
Flight Lieutenant David Lord. (Image: Royal Air Force)
75 years ago, Allied forces in Europe launched Operation Market Garden: an air and land operation derived to drive a 103km salient in German occupied Netherlands and establish a bridgehead over the River Rhine. Market Garden consisted of two sub-operations: Market – an airborne assault to seize key bridges, and; Garden – a ground attack moving over the seized bridges creating the salient. The airborne part of the operation was undertaken by the First Allied Airborne Army while the land operation by was undertaken by XXX Corps of the British Second Army. Market Garden was the largest airborne operation up to that point in World War II.
Amongst the British Army contingent were several Irish units including: 2nd Battalion, Royal Ulster Rifles; 8th King’s Royal Irish Hussars; 2nd Armoured Battalion, Irish Guards; and 3rd Battalion, Irish Guards. This does not account for the unknown number of Irishmen or of Irish descent in other Allied units: a possible figure of several thousand. Many were recognised for their bravery; one such man was Flight Lieutenant David Lord.
David Lord
David Samuel Anthony Lord was born on 18 October 1913 in Cork, Ireland, one of three sons of Samuel (a Warrant Officer in the Royal Welsh Fusiliers) and Mary Lord (née Miller). Following the Great War, the family were posted to British India and Lord attended Lucknow Convent School. The family then moved to Wrexham after his father retired from service. David then attended St Mary’s College, Aberystwyth, and then went on to the University of Wales. Later, he attended the English College, Valladolid, Spain to study for the priesthood. This was not for his however, and he returned and moved to London.
Royal Air Force
Lord enlisted in the Royal Air Force on 6 August 1936. After reaching the rank of corporal in August 1938, he applied to become a pilot, which he began in October 1938. Successfully gaining his pilot’s wings, he became a sergeant pilot in April 1939, and was posted to No. 31 Squadron RAF, based in Lahore, India. In 1941, No. 31 Squadron was the first unit to receive the Douglas DC-2 which was followed by both the Douglas DC-3 and Dakota transports. That year he was promoted to flight sergeant and then warrant officer. He flew in North Africa in support of troops in Libya and Egypt for four months, before being posted back to India. He was commissioned a pilot officer in May 1942, and went on to fly supply missions over Burma.
Lord was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) in July 1943, and was promoted to flight lieutenant shortly afterwards. By January 1944, he was with No. 271 Squadron (based at RAF Down Ampney, Gloucestershire) and began training as part of preparations for the invasion of Europe. On D-Day, Lord carried paratroopers into France and his aircraft was hit by flak, and returned to base without flaps.
Operation Market Garden and Victoria Cross
A German photograph of a supply drop over Arnhem. (Image: Bundesarchiv)
During operation Market Garden in September 1944, the British 1st Airborne Division and Polish 1st Independent Parachute Brigade were tasked with securing bridges across the Lower Rhine, the final objectives of the operation. However, the airborne forces that dropped on 17 September were not aware that the 9th SS and 10th SS Panzer Divisions were near Arnhem for rest and refit. The Allies suffered heavily against the unexpected Panzergrenadiers, tanks and self-propelled guns. Only a small force held one end of the Arnhem road bridge before being overrun on 21 September. The rest of the division became trapped in a small pocket west of the bridge and had to be evacuated on 25 September.
During the battle for Arnhem, No. 271 Squadron, was tasked with resupplying the trapped airborne troops. On 19 September Lord’s Douglas Dakota III ‘KG374’ encountered intense enemy anti-aircraft fire and was twice hit, with one engine burning. Lord managed to drop his supplies, but at the end of the run found that he had two containers remaining. Although he knew that one of his wings might collapse at any moment, he nevertheless made a second run to drop the last supplies, he then ordered his crew to bail out. A few seconds later, the Dakota crashed in flames with its pilot and six crew members. Only the navigator, Flying Officer Harold King, survived, becoming a prisoner of war. It was only on his release in mid-1945, as well as the release of several paratroopers from the 10th Parachute Battalion, that the story of Lord’s action became known and he was awarded a posthumous Victoria Cross.
Victoria Cross citation Lord’s VC appeared in a supplement to the London Gazette on 9 November 1945, reading:
Air Ministry, 13 November 1945.
The KING has been graciously pleased to confer the VICTORIA CROSS on the undermentioned officer in recognition of most conspicuous bravery:—
Flight Lieutenant David Samuel Anthony LORD, D.F.C. (49149), R.A.F., 271 Sqn. (deceased).
Flight Lieutenant Lord was pilot and captain of a Dakota aircraft detailed to drop supplies at Arnhem on the afternoon of 19 September 1944. Our airborne troops had been surrounded and were being pressed into a small area defended by a large number of anti-aircraft guns. Air crews were warned that intense opposition would be met over the dropping zone. To ensure accuracy they were ordered to fly at 900 feet when dropping their containers.
While flying at 1,500 feet near Arnhem the starboard wing of Flight Lieutenant Lord’s aircraft was twice hit by anti-aircraft fire. The starboard engine was set on fire. He would have been justified in leaving the main stream of supply aircraft and continuing at the same height or even abandoning his aircraft. But on learning that his crew were uninjured and that the dropping zone would be reached in three minutes he said he would complete his mission, as the troops were in dire need of supplies.
By now the starboard engine was burning furiously. Flight Lieutenant Lord came down to 900 feet, where he was singled out for the concentrated fire of all the anti-aircraft guns. On reaching the dropping zone he kept the aircraft on a straight, and level course while supplies were dropped. At the end of the run, he was told that two containers remained.
Although he must have known that the collapse of the starboard wing could not be long delayed, Flight Lieutenant Lord circled, rejoined the stream of aircraft and made a second run to drop the remaining supplies. These manoeuvres took eight minutes in all, the aircraft being continuously under heavy anti-aircraft fire.
His task completed, Flight Lieutenant Lord ordered his crew to abandon the Dakota, making no attempt himself to leave the aircraft, which was down to 500 feet. A few seconds later, the starboard wing collapsed and the aircraft fell in flames. There was only one survivor, who was flung out while assisting other members of the crew to put on their parachutes.
By continuing his mission in a damaged and burning aircraft, descending to drop the supplies accurately, returning to the dropping zone a second time and, finally, remaining at the controls to give his crew a chance of escape, Flight Lieutenant Lord displayed supreme valour and self-sacrifice.
Lord’s Victoria Cross was presented to his parents at Buckingham Palace in December 1945. In 1997, Lord’s VC, along with his other decorations and medals, were sold at auction by Spinks to Lord Ashcroft. As of 2014, the medal group was on display at the Imperial War Museum.
You can read more on Flight Lieutenant Lord: Flight Lieutenant David Lord, Victoria Cross: an Arnhem Hero, by James Patrick Hynes.
