W ORLD WAR I
A BOROUGH’S TRIBUTE CE NTE N ARY 1918-2018
PR O GRAMME OF COMMEMORATIVE EVENTS S EPTEMB ER - NOVEMBER 2018
MAYOR’S MESSAGE As first citizen of Antrim and Newtownabbey, I invite you to join me in ‘A Borough’s Tribute’ to all of those who gave their lives in the First World War, which ended 100 years ago on 11 November 1918. The First World War, World War I or the Great War, was a global war that lasted from 28 July 1914 to 11 November 1918. A staggering 70 million military personnel, including 60 million Europeans, were mobilised in one of the largest and bloodiest wars in history and many from our Borough were part of the millions who fought and sadly millions who also died. The Great War was one of the deadliest conflicts in history with its impact felt across the UK in towns and villages, including right here in Antrim and Newtownabbey, with husbands, fathers, brothers and sons never to return home and many more lives changed forever. The ‘There But Not There’ arts installation is one element of our programme which is particularly poignant, as it involves ghostly silhouettes being placed in the hearts of our communities, symbolic of the lives lost from those very communities.
to present a diverse programme of activities, events and symbolic remembrance from September through to November, which will ensure that this momentous anniversary is marked in a fitting way to show that we will never forget the sacrifice of the many lost in this war – men of our Borough who never returned. On Remembrance Sunday itself on 11 November, we as a Borough and community will join with communities across the UK in ‘Battles Over - A Nation’s Tribute’ when we will participate in a number of UK wide tributes, full details of which are contained within this brochure. The Council programme aims to educate and inform about this historical event and the impact it had for the people of our Borough. I invite all of our community to engage with the inclusive programme of events and activities, so that all of us have a deeper understanding of this momentous time in our shared history.
Councillor Paul Michael Mayor of Antrim and Newtownabbey
As we near the centenary of the end of this War, as Mayor of the Borough, I am pleased
Thank you
TO ALL WHO SERVED, SACRIFICED, AND CHANGED OUR WORLD. 1918 - 2018
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SOMME CENTENARY 1918 - 2018
BATTLES OVER - A NATIONS TRIBUTE 11 NOVEMBER 2018 Her Majesty the Queen’s Pageant Master is leading a nationwide commemoration to mark the centenary of the end of the Great War and 100 years of remembrance. The Council has committed to being part of this UK wide tribute and is participating in two special acts of commemoration.
6.55PM BATTLES OVER – THE LAST POST The Last Post will be played at many of the thousand’s of WWI Beacon sites across the United Kingdom, including the two sites in the Borough.
RINGING OUT FOR PEACE As Beacons blaze around the UK thousand’s of churches and cathedrals have been invited to ring out their bells in celebration of the end of the War. Many churches in the Borough who have bells will be joining the thousand’s across the UK bringing to a fitting conclusion a day of contemplation, commemoration and ultimately celebration as peace was restored once again 100 years ago. “March no more my soldier laddie, There is peace where there was once war. Sleep in peace my soldier laddie,
7.00PM BATTLES OVER – WWI BEACONS OF LIGHT
Sleep in peace, now the battle’s over.”
The Council will join with others across the UK to light two Beacons of Light, at the Motte Antrim Castle Gardens and Macedon Point Hazelbank.
LIGHT UP RED
This commemoration is a symbolic act to mark the end of the darkness that prevailed throughout the four years of the War.
ANTRIM AND NEWTOWNABBEY BOROUGH COUNCIL
In a further act of symbolic remembrance Ballyclare Town Hall, Mossley Mill and Antrim Civic Centre, will be lit up red from dusk on Sunday 11 November.
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COMMEMORATIVE TREE PLANTINGS There will be planting of specimen trees at each of the four Fields In Trust sites; Ypres Park, Whiteabbey, Ballyclare War Memorial Park, Lilian Bland Park and also at Sentry Hill Historic House. Events for schools will take
place alongside the tree planting at Ballyclare War Memorial Park, Lilian Bland Park and Antrim Castle Gardens with the planting of bulbs to create a commemorative ribbon of colour. For more information contact Lindsay Houston on 028 9034 0069.
RIBBON OF POPPIES The Council has signed up to participate in the 2018 Ribbon of Poppies Campaign- a project which aims to cover the UK in a carpet of crimson in 2018 to commemorate this centenary and in memory of all lost in service. The project has become international, including the Falkland Islands, Australia and New Zealand. The project encourages groups to get involved by planting poppy seeds on a pocket of land.
THERE BUT NOT THERE ART INSTALLATION ‘There But Not There’ is the 2018 Armistice project for the charity Remembered which aims to commemorate the Fallen and to educate all generations to understand why soldiers made this ultimate sacrifice. The charity also raises substantial funds to help heal those suffering from the hidden wounds of war through sale of commemorative ‘Tommies’. As seen around the UK at the Giant’s Causeway, Hearts FC, The Big Pit in Wales and The Tower of London, the 6ft version of the There But Not There sculpture is a poignant
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Council has given its commitment to the project by promoting participation to schools and groups and providing seeds to schools for planting at sites around the Borough.
and affecting image which embodies the ‘There But Not There’ message. One of these ‘Tommies’ will be placed in Antrim Castle Gardens and one at the entrance to the Mossley Mill Replica Trench from September to November. In addition, 13 bench ‘Tommy’ silhouettes will be in place throughout November in different locations across the Borough. These silhouettes are both a reminder of the many who were lost and a way for communities left behind to remember those individuals whose absence is still most keenly felt.
SOMME CENTENARY 1918 - 2018
HERITAGE
ALEXANDER IRVINE DAYS POGUES ENTRY HISTORICAL COTTAGE SAT 8 & SUN 9 SEPT 11AM – 4PM Admission: Free 100 years on from Dr Alexander Irvine’s mission to France as Chief Morale Officer among the troops, Exhibits and Living History displays at Pogues Entry will bring to life aspects of his time there. Readings from his 1918 diary throughout both days will illustrate how close he got to the action and the contribution he made to the war effort. There will also be opportunities to participate in drop-in workshops to make poppies and WW1 style postcards and view a specially commissioned commemorative garden. Alexander Irvine 1918 Diary With the War dragging on, morale amongst the troops was very low in 1917, so the British Prime Minister, Lloyd George, called on Dr Alexander Irvine and appointed him to the role of Chief Morale Officer, posted at the Western Front. He arrived in France on 19 February 1918 and up until the Armistice on 11 November he continuously worked among the troops in such war torn places as Peronne, Clastres, Ham, Harboniers, Amiens, Abancourt, Abbeville, Etaples, Rouen, Montreuil, Flixecourt, Boulogne, and Azelot on the Somme where he was when the Armistice was announced. We will be retracing his steps, and many close shaves with death, by posting corresponding extracts from his 1918 diary throughout September - November. @ANBorough
ANTRIM AND NEWTOWNABBEY BOROUGH COUNCIL
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HERITAGE
MOSSLEY MILL REPLICA TRENCH CAMPBELL MEMORIAL GARDEN
The Mossley Mill site was one of the training areas for both the South and Central Antrim Volunteers prior to the outbreak of war. Both the 11th & 12th Battalions of the 36th Ulster Division were formed from these volunteer forces. The trenches were the front lines, the most dangerous of places. Behind them were a mass of supply lines, training establishments, stores, workshops, headquarters and all the other elements of the 1914-1918 system of war.
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As part of the First World War commemorations, a replica Front Line Trench has been constructed a short distance from Museum at The Mill, near the entrance to the Newtownabbey Way.
The trench is open to the public each day from 9am to 6pm. If you require further information please contact Mossley Mill Reception on 028 9034 0000.
SOMME CENTENARY 1918 - 2018
TOM
DRAMA
THEATRE AT THE MILL FRI 14 & SAT 15 SEPT Time: 7.45pm Performed in the round with unreserved seating
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Tickets: £12 & £10 (Concession) Group Discount Available
By the Edwardian era, the McKinney’s wellappointed house, Sentry Hill, was evidence of the prosperity and social status they attained through their successful farming in South Antrim. The McKinney’s could not have foreseen the flood of carnage and destruction that would sweep across the European continent in 1914. It was a tide of effects that would be felt across the island of Ireland and the rest of the world. Sentry Hill would not escape untouched as young Tom McKinney, the heir to the farm, joined the Royal Fusiliers in 1914 and died on 19 July 1916 as a result of his injuries at the Battle of the Somme. The play Tom is his story, based on his letters and journals.
Box Office T: 028 9034 0202 Online: theatreatthemill.com
ANTRIM AND NEWTOWNABBEY BOROUGH COUNCIL
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DRAMA
DRAMA
NOT ABOUT HEROES THEATRE AT THE MILL WED 24 OCT Time: 7.45pm Tickets: £14 & £12 (Concession) Group Discount Available Stephen MacDonald’s Fringe First winning play about the unique friendship between celebrated World War One poets Wilfred Owen and Siegfried Sassoon. They met at Craiglockhart Hospital in 1917, and bonded over a mutual hatred of war and love of poetry.
This production won a Best Actor accolade at the Wales Theatre Awards for Daniel Llewelyn Williams, who reprises his role here as Sassoon alongside Owain Gwynnas Owen. The show is on the first part of a world tour commemorating the centenary of both the meeting depicted in the play, and of the Armistice. “Recreates the Great War as tangibly as if the theatre had filled with the smoke and stench of the battlefield. Compelling and superbly performed.” British Theatre Guide “Tim Baker’s production creates an engaging delineation between two entirely different personalities united by a common vocation and some truly hellish experiences.” The Guardian www.notaboutheroes.info Directed by Tim Baker | Designed by Oliver Harman | Lighting by Kevin Heyes | Sound by Dyfan Jones
Box Office T: 028 9034 0202 Online: theatreatthemill.com
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SOMME CENTENARY 1918 - 2018
DRAMA
ANTHEM FOR A DOOMED YOUTH THE COURTYARD THEATRE WED 31 OCT Time: 8pm Tickets: £12 & £10 (Concession) Group Discount Available
A powerful compendium of the finest stories and poems of the trenches of the Great War from both sides of no-mans land. From our greatest war poets Wilfred Owen, Rupert Brooke, Siegfried Sassoon and excerpts from Erich Maria Remarque’s All Quiet on the Western Front and the now mythical Christmas truce. Globally renowned, multi-award winning solo-performer, Guy Masterson (Under Milk Wood, Animal Farm) brings the WW1 trenches to life in a powerfully moving tour de force.
“Passion & heart” British Theatre Guide “Timeless and harrowing” The Big Issue
Box Office T: 028 9034 0202 Online: thecourtyardtheatre.com
ANTRIM AND NEWTOWNABBEY BOROUGH COUNCIL
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CONCERT
THE COURTYARD COMMUNITY CHOIR IN COMMEMORATION THE COURTYARD THEATRE WED 7 NOV Time: 8pm Tickets: £11 & £9 (Concession) Group Discount Available In this very special performance The Courtyard Community Choir commemorate this 100th anniversary of the end of the Great War in an evening of music, memory and songs. This moving, poignant and at times comedic tribute celebrates the lives of all the brave men who made the ultimate sacrifice, their families and the remarkable women who worked with equal courage and determination awaiting their safe return. We are delighted to welcome The Courtyard Community Choir back to the Courtyard Theatre.
Box Office T: 028 9034 0202 Online: thecourtyardtheatre.com
SOMME CENTENARY 1918 - 2018
EXHIBITION
ANTRIM ART CLUB GREAT WAR EXHIBITION THE FLAX GALLERY, MOSSLEY MILL THURS 1 NOV – WED 14 NOV THE GARDEN HERITAGE ROOM, ANTRIM CASTLE GARDENS SAT 17 NOV – SUN 2 DEC Admission: Free A chance to view an award winning exhibition of paintings commemorating the Great War including The Battle of The Somme.
ANTRIM AND NEWTOWNABBEY BOROUGH COUNCIL
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HISTORICAL TALKS SERIES Free Admission No Booking required THE ROLE OF WOMEN IN THE FIRST WORLD WAR MON 8 OCT, 7pm Speaker: Carol Walker The Somme Association Venue: The Barron Hall, 230 Antrim Road, Newtownabbey, BT36 7QX
1893, he was heir to the 110 acre farm in Carnmoney. That all changed however with the outbreak of the First World War. In September 1914, Tom enrolled in the Public Schools and Universities Mens’ Force, based in the south of England. Tom was wounded at the Battle of the Somme on 3 July 1916, dying just over two weeks later at the age of 23. Not just a personal tragedy for the McKinney family, it also spelt the beginning of the end of the farm. This illustrated talk tells the story of Tom McKinney at Sentry Hill and his life in the First World War.
SENTRY HILL AND THE GREAT WAR TOM’S STORY WED 24 OCT, 11am Speaker: Wesley Bonar, Museums and Heritage Officer, Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council Venue: Antrim Library, 10 Railway Street, Antrim, BT41 4AE
LOCAL CASUALTIES OF WORLD WAR ONE AND THEIR STORIES (Including video footage of the War) THURS 29 NOV, 7pm Speaker: Alderman Fraser Agnew MBE Venue: Antrim Castle Gardens, Randalstown Road, Antrim, BT41 4LH
Tom McKinney was the first grandson of William Fee McKinney of Sentry Hill. Born in
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SOMME CENTENARY 1918 - 2018
TEA DANCES THE OLD COURTHOUSE WED 14 NOV, 2pm – 4pm Tickets: £3 Box Office T: 028 9442 8331 Online: theoldcourthousetheatre.com BALLYCLARE TOWN HALL WED 21 NOV, 2pm – 4pm Tickets: £3 Tickets available in advance from Ballyclare Town Hall or pay at the door on the day subject to availability. Our regular monthly Tea Dance events will be themed on the two dates above to commemorate World War One. Join live band ‘Double Trouble’ for some great dancing tunes to mark this special occasion. Finger sandwiches, cupcakes and of course tea/coffee will be included. Enjoy our commemmorative decorations and come dressed to impress – small prize for best tie for the gents and best headwear for the ladies!
ANTRIM AND NEWTOWNABBEY BOROUGH COUNCIL
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USEFUL INFORMATION THE OLD COURTHOUSE
THEATRE AT THE MILL
Market Square, Antrim, BT41 4AW
Mossley Mill, Carnmoney Road North, Newtownabbey, BT36 5QA
The Old Courthouse is located at Market Square in the heart of Antrim town centre.
Opening Hours:
Our Box Office is located in the theatre behind Mossley Mill.
Mon-Sat: 10am-4.30pm
Opening Hours:
Opening hours will be extended for all evening events
Mon-Sat: 10am-5pm, Closed for lunch on Sat: 1-2pm
Tel: 028 9442 8331
Web: theoldcourthousetheatre.com
Facebook: Old Courthouse, Antrim
Before performances 5-8pm
Tel: 028 9034 0202
Web: theatreatthemill.com
Facebook: @theatreatthemillandthecourtyardtheatre
ANTRIM CASTLE GARDENS & CLOTWORTHY HOUSE Randalstown Road, Antrim, BT41 4LH
MUSEUM AT THE MILL & FLAX GALLERY
Tel:
Mossley Mill, Carnmoney Road North, Newtownabbey, BT36 5QA
028 9448 1338
Email: clotworthy.reception@ antrimandnewtownabbey.gov.uk
Opening Hours: Mon-Wed: 10am-5pm, Thur: 10am-5pm Fri: 10am-4pm, Sat: 10am-5pm Closed Sun and Public Holidays Free Admission
Tel: 028 9034 0129
Email: museums@antrimandnewtownabbey.gov.uk
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SOMME CENTENARY 1918 - 2018
585 Doagh Road, Newtownabbey, BT36 5RZ
SENTRY HILL HISTORIC HOUSE & VISITOR CENTRE
Our Box Office is located at Theatre at The Mill.
40 Ballycraigy Road, Newtownabbey, BT36 4SX
THE COURTYARD THEATRE
Opening Hours: Before performances 7-8pm
Tel: 028 9034 0202
Web: thecourtyardtheatre.com
Facebook: @theatreatthemillandthecourtyardtheatre
BALLYCLARE TOWN HALL
There is an admission charge for entry to Sentry Hill House. Please contact the museum for current prices. There is no charge for use of the gardens or café only.
Tel: 028 9083 2363
Web: sentryhill.net
Email: museums@antrimandnewtownabbey.gov.uk
The Square, Ballyclare, BT39 9BB
Opening hours:
Opening Hours:
Apr, May, June and Sept Tue-Sun: 2-5pm
Booking Enquiries: (Mon-Fri 9am-5pm)
Tel: 028 9335 2975
Email: artsandcultureadmin@ antrimandnewtownabbey.gov.uk
ANTRIM AND NEWTOWNABBEY BOROUGH COUNCIL
July and Aug Tue-Sat: 10.30am-5.30pm Sun: 2-5.30pm Visits by schools and groups of 10 or over are welcomed throughout the year. Booking in advance is essential. Please contact Sentry Hill for details.
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For the Fallen They went with songs to the battle, they were young. Straight of limb, true of eye, steady and aglow. They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted, They fell with their faces to the foe. They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old: Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning, We will remember them. They mingle not with their laughing comrades again; They sit no more at familiar tables of home; They have no lot in our labour of the day-time; They sleep beyond England’s foam. Laurence Binyon 1914
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www.antrimandnewtownabbey.gov.uk/aboroughstribute SOMME CENTENARY 1918 - 2018