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By this time he was in Jamaica, in charge of the British Military Hospital there.
My mother, who was 10 when her father died, had few insights to offer on her father’s wartime experiences. She had her own war stories but they were all from WWII, when she was on the medical staff of St. Mary’s Hospital, London. Most memorable for her was working with Alexander Fleming, the Scottish scientist who disc...
My own insights into WWI come from books: British writer Sebastian Faulk’s Birdsong (1994) – so descriptive that 20 years after reading, I shiver at the images the author conjured up of the lice that lived in the dank wool of the men’s uniforms. The Irish writer Sebastian Barry’s book A Long Long Way (2005), also struc...
Both of these books made me think more deeply about my grandfather’s life and I wanted to know more.
Before he died, my Uncle Billy gave me an old photo album of his father’s, and, as the saying goes, a picture paints a thousand words. Here were photographs of my grandfather as a young doctor at the Waterford Infirmary before he enlisted in the Army. Pictures of his life in India, before and after the war; my mother a...
There are also many happy photographs of the family in Jamaica.
I keep returning to the photo of my grandfather on the boat to Gallipoli. He looks happy. He clearly didn’t know what was coming.
Intending to secure the capital of Constantinople (now Istanbul) on the northern bank of the Dardanelles, a strait that provided a sea route to the Russian Empire (one of the Allied powers during the war), Britain and France launched a naval attack followed by an amphibious landing on the peninsula.
The naval attack was repelled and after eight months’ fighting, with thousands of casualties on both sides, the land campaign also failed and the invasion force was withdrawn to Egypt.
My grandfather was invalided out of Alexandria, and two months later he was back at the front where he would stay until close to the end of the war.
“One sometimes got downhearted at appalling casualties in obtaining what, in our hearts we knew were meagre results.
“It was always sad, after big pushes, to see bad cases, such as abdominals, put on one side to die, in order to give those less badly wounded the chance of recovery. . . . One abdomen, one laparotomy, means a whole hour devoted to an altogether uncertain result; it means, at most, half a chance of saving one man. An ho...
Also from the journal of the 44th Field Ambulance is this account of the Battle Arras: “An event which greatly impressed itself upon the minds of the nursing orderlies occurred on 2nd April, at about 8 a.m. A crowd of men walked in, and said that a gas shell had dropped in their billet. They were put on stretchers and ...
Following his funeral my grandmother brought my mother and her two siblings back to Ireland. They never went back.
From not having had a strong appreciation for my grandfather, I’ve come to admire him, and to treasure each photograph, and the “Waiting for the Wounded” sketch.
On being asked to write an introductory note to the record of the 44th Field Ambulance, many thoughts assail me. In the first place, the assurance of our Reunion gatherings, which has made the publication of the book possible, is foremost in my mind. We have now tided over four years of post-war struggle – a struggle i...
In the following pages a general survey of the life of the unit, from its formation to its demobilization, is most excellently produced by the Committee, and I heartily congratulate them on their success.
Situated many thousands of miles from the scenes where these achievements were enacted, I can picture some of them as vividly as when they occurred. The mud and drudgery of the ‘Salient’ are almost forgotten; but memory still clings to the football matches we won and the races we pulled off.
Who can forget that memorable day at Ecquedecques, when the Ambulance was broken up, and the cadre moved off, leaving those who stayed behind with lumps in their throats and tears in their eyes, unable to do more than wave a sad good-bye to their departing comrades? With what joy we all met again at Bournonville, a few...
In September, 2013, I visited my grandfather’s grave, located on what is now a Jamaican Defence Force facility. A young officer helped me to locate the spot and once there, he gave my grandfather a military salute, as my friends and I stood to attention. It was an emotional visit. I was struck by how young my grandfath...
This, and many of the other images found in this article can also be found on noelharty.net, the website of Noel Harty, William Egan’s grandson and the author’s brother.
Click here to see more photos and read the full article on IrishAmerica.com.
Before Miranda Rojas came to the United States to study from Costa Rica, she had done little traveling in North or South America.
She never used public transportation. She never met a Muslim.
But both her parents had been international students, and they encouraged her to study abroad. Her mother earned her master’s degree at Marymount University in Virginia. Her father earned his undergraduate degree at Cornell University in New York state and his master’s from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphi...
They wanted Rojas and her sister to see the outside world, too, she said. Her father often told them how much he loved his experience, and how much it changed him.
Rojas wanted to attend a large school for her undergraduate studies, she said, thinking a big school would have international students and American students of different races and backgrounds. But her high school guidance counselor asked Rojas to consider a smaller college or university. In the end, in 2016 she chose R...
Roger Williams is a private, liberal arts university formed in 1956 in Bristol, Rhode Island. It is named after a prominent early leader in the 13 colonies that became the United States. He promoted “scholarship in language, theology and law, and fearless advocacy for freedom and tolerance,” according to the school web...
The school has about 4,800 students on a campus overlooking Mount Hope Bay, a sparkling body of water typical of the ocean and rivers around Rhode Island, the smallest of the United States.
Rojas said she was a little worried whether the student population at Roger Williams was diverse enough for her. The U.S Department of Education’s College Scorecard says 73 percent of the students are white. Rojas said she worried that as a foreigner and a Latina, people would treat her like an outsider.
But she quickly found friends at the Intercultural Center at the school that helps international students with their academic and social lives. The center offers study help and hosts special events, as well as being a place for international students to relax with friends.
Rojas said she made friends from all over the world, including people from countries like Rwanda and Saudi Arabia.
And while she first thought her race or nationality would separate her from American students, she could not have been more wrong, Rojas said. Americans are much less open to meeting strangers than people in Costa Rica, she said. But once her classmates learn she is an international student, they are happy to talk and ...
But for Roger Williams student Qiming Li, the language barrier made talk and communication difficult. It was difficult to make friends with Americans, and he struggled to be treated equally, he said.
Li first came to the United States in 2009 from Guangzhou, China. He graduated high school from the Darrow School, a private high school in New York state in 2012 that “offers a comprehensive, dynamic and supportive program for English language learners,” its website says.
A few months after graduation, having applied to several U.S. colleges and universities, he began his undergraduate studies in history at Roger Williams.
Even though he had lived in the United States for three years when he started at Roger Williams, Li says his English was still not strong. Classmates on a group project tried to do his share of the work, he says, thinking he could fulfill his part.
Ever since, Li said, proving himself has been important to him. He completed his undergraduate studies in spring 2016, and started a master’s degree program in historical preservation at Roger Williams the following fall.
Like Rojas, Li says he is grateful for the support he received from the Intercultural Center. He says students and staff he has met through the center never judge him. And while he has faced some difficulties dealing with American students, he still has learned a lot from them.
This is a view of Mount Vernon's Washington Monument, which will reopen to the public on July 4.
Baltimore police will be out in force for annual Fourth of July Celebration downtown.
Baltimore police — in uniform and plainclothes — will be out in force for Saturday's holiday celebrations that come amid federal warnings about potential terrorist threats and increased violence in the city since the death of Freddie Gray.
The city will host its annual Fourth of July Celebration at the Inner Harbor, the largest such event in the Baltimore region, which has drawn about 200,000 people in each of the past few years. Also Saturday, about 5,000 are expected to attend the Monumental Bicentennial event to celebrate the reopening of the Washingt...
They will be the city's first large-scale events downtown since the April 19 death of Gray, which touched off protests and riots and was followed by a surge in homicides and shootings. The city has recorded 144 homicides in the first half of the year, with more than half coming in the past two months.
Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said the city is ramping up security. She said she's aware of the federal call for heightened awareness but that she has not received specific information about threats to Baltimore.
The FBI and Department of Homeland Security have advised law enforcement officers nationwide to exercise increased caution because of recent extremist activity, said Brian Nadeau, FBI assistant special agent in charge of national security.
Nadeau said the FBI has "no specific credible intelligence to indicate any threat" against July Fourth celebrations and that the bulletin was a call for increased vigilance.
Baltimore Police Capt. Eric Kowalczyk said the department will have an increased presence this weekend beyond the "standard deployment."
Officers will be visible in marked patrol cars, on horseback, motorcycles, bicycles and on foot, police said in a statement. The department will also use technological resources, such as the city's network of CitiWatch cameras, to patrol the city.
The department will also ramp up its DUI enforcement and additional "traffic initiatives," the statement said.
Officials are also asking that anyone attending fireworks not bring a bag, or to use a clear one.
Police declined to detail the number of officers who will be working at the events, citing department procedure.
"We'll have a lot of personnel that will be in the" Inner Harbor, he said. "We use a lot of plainclothes units that will be in the surrounding areas to make sure that people coming in and leaving are also safe."
Kowalczyk also declined to comment on the department's response to the federal terrorism bulletin but said: "We take every threat seriously.
"We want to make sure the public is assured that when we deploy appropriate resources, we're able to keep people safe," he said.
Last week, Homeland Security Secretary Jeh C. Johnson issued a statementcalling recent terrorist attacks in France, Kuwait and Tunisia "a reminder of the evolving global terrorist threats." He said federal agencies and local law enforcement would work together to ensure July Fourth safety.
"We are encouraging all law enforcement to be vigilant and prepared. We will also adjust security measures, seen and unseen, as necessary to protect the American people," he said.
Nadeau said revelers should be on the lookout for anything out of the ordinary.
"If it's 85 degrees on a Saturday and somebody is walking around with a heavy coat, that might be unusual," he said. "If you see a vehicle parked in an unusual area for a period of time and nobody's around it, if that seems unusual to you in your environment and you hadn't noticed it before, that could be something you...
It's unclear what effect the federal warning and recent uptick in city violence might have on attendance for the downtown celebrations.
Already, heightened tensions in the city have taken a toll on local attractions, such as the Maryland Science Center, which saw attendance drop by about 70 percent in the week after the rioting.
"It's hard to say what it'll be like for the Fourth of July," said Tom Noonan, president and CEO of Visit Baltimore.
He noted that the Preakness drew a record crowd to Pimlico Race Course in Northwest Baltimore in May. But he said the city still is adjusting to a "new normal" as it recovers from the unrest and millions of dollars in damages to businesses from rioting and looting on the day of Gray's funeral. Gray died a week after su...
"We saw great numbers at the Preakness, and hotels are doing better than I thought. All signs are pointing to recovery, so we may have a very normal-sized crowd, but it's all guesswork this summer," Noonan said.
State Comptroller Peter Franchot toured downtown businesses Thursday in an effort to promote the city before this weekend's festivities. He acknowledged the negative effect the riots and violence have had.
"No doubt the riots and ensuing crime wave have hurt the economy," Franchot said. "I can't make that go away. I hope everybody comes back, but that's a process and I'm a realist when I saw a lot of damage has been done to the reputation of the city. But is it still a diverse, vibrant wonderful place? Yes."
City Council President Bernard C. "Jack" Young said people should feel comfortable traveling to the city this weekend.
"We are all working around the clock to ensure that the festivities are safe and enjoyable for the scores of people who plan to visit Baltimore over the long holiday weekend," he said in a statement. "I expect an influx of visitors, in addition to the many residents who will be out enjoying the holiday."
Cathy Rosenbaum, organizer of the Monumental Bicentennial event, expects the same.
"We're really hoping that things will go smoothly, and we expect that they will," she said.
Several vendors who work in the Inner Harbor area said they are optimistic that authorities will keep the Fourth of July event safe.
"They take extra precautions every year," said Sandy Fleming, 33, an assistant regional manager at Color Inc. in Harborplace. "I've never felt unsafe. I think they do a really good job."
Ty Owens, 40, who manages an Uno Pizzeria and Grill overlooking the harbor, said there are so many people at the fireworks event every year that "you can't see the brick" on the sidewalk. He said he expects the same this year.
"Even though they put those warnings out, I think it's one of the safer places to be," he said. "It's just an awareness thing."
A Public Awards Celebration and Exhibit Opening will be at Rahr-West Art Museum this Friday.
MANITOWOC - Lakeshore Artists Guild excitedly premiered its grand idea last weekend with the inaugural Art Slam event.
By all standards, Art Slam was a great success. Leading up to and during the first day of Art Slam, interest was very high. And if Facebook is a measure of social "reach," Art Slam Manitowoc interacted with more than 14,000 people.
If it is true that “Art Transforms Communities,” transformations were in evidence in downtown Manitowoc.
To make Art Slam a reality, a year of planning was required. Numerous connections were established with local business owners, community leaders, media outlets, public spaces such as Manitowoc Public Library, Manitowoc Farmers' Market and Rahr-West Art Museum.
Local businesses rose to the challenge of hosting an event such as Art Slam, which could not have happened without their financial support.
The city embraced Art Slam and made it a civic event.
Aspire Real Estate Group, LLC, made its building at Eighth and Quay Art Slam headquarters, with goodwill Art Slam ambassadors available during the event to answer questions, sell Bonus Buttons and direct foot traffic to single events.
Kathie’s Stage Door Pub hosted Art Slam — Poetry Slam, which was standing-room-only. Moore’s Irish Pub Half-Way to St. Paddy’s Day Street Party kept the artists on Ninth and Jay entertained early, while live music played into the evening.
Each active member of Lakeshore Artists Guild worked to make Art Slam appeal to the widest audience by encouraging more involvement in the event.
And, Manitowoc now has a new public mural thanks to the efforts of a design team, many community and local business members, students of Silver Lake College and everyone who stopped by to help paint the mural. This is truly a public work of art, which is beautiful to look at while engaging people and bringing them out ...
A total of 29 individual artists submitted art at the end of the weekend. An early sampling of work entered into the upcoming exhibition at Rahr-West Art Museum represented both two- and three-dimensional works.
Considering the works submitted must be created within a two-day period, what had come in within the first hour was impressive. A total of 46 pieces of art will be exhibited and judged at the Public Awards Celebration and Exhibit Opening at Rahr-West Art Museum (or “The After Party”) from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, with votin...
In its history, Manitowoc has had a lively art scene, which revolved around Courthouse Square Art Show, sponsored by the “Little Gallery” group of artists founded by Ron and Dolly Stokes. Among the members was a beginning art patron named Ruth West and the birth of a collection came into being. Today, Manitowoc has Rah...
Things change in a community, people move and older traditions sometimes end. When fresh faces with fresh ideas move to an area and meet with other enthusiastic citizens, new ideas are implemented, new traditions are born. Lakeshore Artists Guild hopes to keep creating art in Manitowoc as well as inspiring others to cr...
Art Slam takeaways: Our local businesses rock! Lakeshore Artists Guild wants to thank each one of its supporters who helped carry this idea to fruition. Without you, there would be no downtown to inspire us — so thank you to all who were involved even in the smallest ways for helping to make Art Slam the event it was.
With that, watch this space for the next exciting exhibition and event announcements and see you Friday at the celebration.
After months of rumors and speculation, Apple is finally unveiling its plans to take on Hollywood and the news business.
Why it matters: Apple's efforts to get into content have had mixed success to date. But with iPhone sales tapering off, the company aims to make more money from software services, which include news and entertainment as well as storage and payments.
What to expect: For months, rumors have swirled that Apple was set on building a direct Netflix competitor — a digital streaming services filled with hundreds of titles to get users hooked on Apple's TV app, instead of Netflix's. But Recode's Peter Kafka reported Thursday that this won't be the case.
Video: Apple plans to sell subscriptions to cable networks, such as Starz, HBO and Showtime, similar to what Amazon currently offers via Amazon Prime. Apple still plans to take a significant cut — likely 30%, according to CNBC.
Apple plans to sell those subscriptions for $9.99 each, according to a new report Sunday from the Wall Street Journal. That content will live alongside some of its original programming, which users may also have to pay for, per the Journal.
Originals: According to several reports, original programming will not be the crux of Apple's TV app. Rather, the point of Apple spending roughly $1 billion on original content is to lure people to buy into its bundle of services or to sell that content individually.
So far, Apple has struck deals with big-name producers like Steven Spielberg, Oprah Winfrey, and J.J. Abrams. The company is expected to debut clips from some of that programming at the top of its show tomorrow.
News: Apple also plans to debut its controversial news subscription business at the event for $9.99, per WSJ. While the app may be new, it didn't start from scratch. Apple bought Texture, a "Netflix of magazines" like subscription service last year, that gave it access to hundreds of magazine titles.
Earlier reports suggested that some big-name subscription publishers, like The New York Times and Washington Post, are balking at Apple's terms, which reportedly take half the revenue from each subscription sold.

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