Today We Remember ...

Today we remember those from Sligo who died on August 16th during The Great War 1914 - 1918.

  • 1915: Alexander G. Cricjton, Castleconnor, Co.Sligo

  • 1915 Francis Gordon, 41 Barrack St., Sligo

  • 1915 George F. Robb, Sligo ‘unknown’ & Dublin

  • 1915 Patrick Towey, Sligo ‘unknown’

  • 1917:  Thomas Casey, Kilmacowen, Co.Sligo

  • 1917 John Fleming, Tourlestrane, Co.Sligo

  • 1917 Cecil C. Hamilton, Sligo Grammar School & Ballina Co.Mayo

  • 1917 Arthur B. Henry, Ballinafad, Co.Sligo & Cork

  • 1917 Edward Kilduff, Sligo ‘unknown’

  • 1917 Thomas Killoran, Tubbercurry, Co.Sligo

  • 1917 Thomas Murphy, Sligo ‘unknown’

  • 1917 James Murray, Collooney, Co.Sligo

  • 1917 John Scanlon, 32 Barrack St., Sligo

  • 1918: Edward Rock, Armstrong’s Row, Sligo

All of these men will be named and remembered under their Town-Land / Parish of Origin on the eight sentinel stones of the County Sligo Great War Memorial Garden. Where the Town-Land - parish of origin is “Unknown” they will be named and remembered under Sligo Borough on the memorial stones.

Today We Remember ...

Today we remember those from Sligo who died on August 9th during The Great War 1914 - 1918.

  • 1915 Thomas Flynn, New St., Sligo & Govan, Scotland

  • 1915 Hugh McDermott, Monasteraden, Co.Sligo

Thomas will be remembered under Sligo and Hugh will be named for Monasteraden on the eight sentinel stones of the County Sligo Great War Memorial Garden.

Today We Remember ...

Today we remember those from Sligo who died on August 8th during The Great War 1914 - 1918.

  • 1915: Thomas Parsons, Bellaghy, Co.Sligo

  • 1918: Edward Monds, Drumcliffe & Canada

Thomas will be remembered under Bellaghy and Edward will be named for Drumcliffe on the eight sentinel stones of the County Sligo Great War Memorial Garden.

Today We Remember ...

Today we remember those from Sligo who died on August 7th during The Great War 1914 - 1918.

  • 1915: John Kelly, Keash, Co.Sligo

  • 1915 Thomas Kennedy, Ballymote, Co.Sligo 

  • 1915 Michael Lavelle, Drumcliffe & Australia

  • 1916: James Scanlon, Collooney & Glasgow

John will be remembered under Keash, Thomas under Ballymote, Michael will be named for Drumcliffe and James for Collooney on the eight sentinel stones of the County Sligo Great War Memorial Garden.

Today We Remember ...

Today we remember those from Sligo who died on August 6th during The Great War 1914 - 1918.

  • 1917: Bernard Duffy, Sligo & York UK

  • 1917 Joseph  Leyden, Grange Co.Sligo  

Bernard will be remembered under Sligo and Joseph will be remembered under Grange on the eight sentinel stones of the County Sligo Great War Memorial Garden.

Today We Remember ...

Today we remember those from Sligo who died on August 4th during The Great War 1914 - 1918.

  • 1915: Peter Ward, Ballisodare, Co.Sligo

  • 1916: William Brown, Ballisodare, Co.Sligo 

Both Peter and William will be remembered under Ballisodare on the eight sentinel stones of the County Sligo Great War Memorial Garden.

Today We Remember ...

Today we remember those from Sligo who died on August 3rd during The Great War 1914 - 1918.

  • 1915: Matthew Sherlock, Gurteen, Co.Sligo 

  • 1916: Thomas Cawley, Bunninadden & Edinburgh 

  • 1917: Laurence Mullaney, Gurteen, Co.Sligo

Matthew and Laurence will be remembered under Gurteen, and Thomas will be named for Bunniadden on the eight sentinel stones of the County Sligo Great War Memorial Garden.

Today We Remember ...

Today we remember those from Sligo who died on August 1st during the five years of the Great War 1914 - 1918.

  • 1915: Michael Burke, Sligo 

  • 1916: James Dooney, Dromard, Co.Sligo 

  • 1917: Peter Henry, Temple St., Sligo

Michael and Peter will be remembered under Sligo, and James will be named for Skreen/Dromad on the eight sentinel stones of the County Sligo Great War Memorial Garden.

Today We Remember ...

Today we remember those from Sligo who died on July 31st during the Great War 1914 - 1918.

  • 1917: Robert A. Burke, 24yrs, Sligo Grammar School

    1917: Michael Herity, 23yrs, Urlar, Co.Sligo

    1917: Edward McGlone, 20yrs, Castleconnor, Co.Sligo

    1917: John McGowan, 34yrs, Easkey Co.Sligo

    1917: Joseph Reilly, 32yrs, 7, Armstrong’s Row, Sligo

    1917: Ernest Scallan, Sligo unknown

    1917: Denis Waters, Drumcliffe, Co.Sligo

Robert will be remembered under Sligo Grammar School, Edwardl (McGlone) will be named under Castleconnor. John will be named for Easkey, Denis for Drumcliffe, with Michael (Herity), Joseph and Ernest remembered under Sligo on the eight sentinel stones of the County Sligo Great War Memorial Garden.

Today We Remember ...

Today we remember those from Sligo who died on July 26th during the Great War 1914 - 1918.

  • 1916: Charles Noble, 23yrs, Templeboy, Co.Sligo

  • 1917: John Roche, Sligo Town-land unknown

  • 1917: Andrew Mahon, 33yrs, Easkey, Co.Sligo

Charles will be remembered under Templeboy, John under Sligo and Andrew will be named for Easkey on the eight sentinel stones of the County Sligo Great War Memorial Garden.

Sligo Stories of World War I - Compassion and the Sligo Ambulance

In Sligo Stories of World War I this week we delve a into a remarkable story of Sligo’s compassion and generosity from 1915, after our attention was drawn to a social media post by a friend of Lest Sligo Forgets, Gerard Whelan.

Original social media post reads -

“Sligo, on the west coast of Ireland, was nearly a thousand miles away from the World War 1 battlefield in France. In 1915 a group of Sligonians decided to send an ambulance to the front. They raised 458 pounds and dispatched the ambulance, together with 2 local women drivers to France. One lady was Kathleen (related to Wood-Martin), the other I don’t know the name. As a Belgian, I can only be grateful for the generosity (458 pounds was a lot of money at the time)”

The post is credited to the wonderful Sligo History and Heritage group, but we could only find it posted on the Facebook page of The Dublin Central Branch, The Royal British Legion.

We do not know who the Belgian person is who created the post but would welcome any additional information.

Following the prompt from Gerard Whelan we thought we’d share a little more information on this striking act of charity by Sligo people for those who were injured on the battlefields of France and Belgium.

It is courtesy of an article in The Sligo Independent dated March 13th 1915.

The people of Sligo came together in 1914 & 1915 to deliver this ambulance to the front lines of World War I, to play a part in easing the suffering of those who were injured.

Emulate the community spirit of that time today by helping Lest Sligo Forgets create a fitting Memorial Garden to those from County Sligo who lost their lives during the conflict .

The Story of the Ambulance, which the generosity of Sligo People sent to the front during World War I

The text on the article is faded and difficult to read so we have retyped it in full here.

Sligo Independent Article 13th March 1915 reads

“We reproduce the above facsimile of the magnificent ambulance supplied by the people of this town and county for the conveyance of our wounded soldiers from the battlefield on the European Continent to the nearest base hospital. While Sligo has nobly done its part since the outbreak of the present war perhaps there is nothing which will indicate so truly the Christian spirit of its people as this magnificent gift for the succour of the wounded.

It is the gift of all. It has not been presented by any one section or class. All the people of the town and county, rich and poor may claim a share in the benevolent work. From pence to shillings, and from shillings to pounds, the contributions poured in until £483 was realised, and this, be it remembered, at a time when pressure was being keenly felt on the resources of every-day life.

But when the appeal of suffering humanity is sounded, the people of Sligo are never found wanting. Let that appeal come from home or from abroad, a deaf ear is not turned to it. And the link which binds Sligo with the continent today, by reason of the number of her men now on the plains of France and Belgium, was forged still stronger by this benevolent act on the part of the people. It is one of the grandest testimonies of their spirit. It shows that those who were unable to take an active part on the field of battle themselves, were conscious of the sacrifices of others, and were prepared, in a particular way, to show their sympathy with those who were risking their lives for our protection and peace.

This beautiful plate, which is being presented through the medium of the Sligo Independent, of 13th March, 1915, by the Sligo Ambulance Committee, will act as a souvenir to those who have subscribed to the ambulance, and remind them of the part they played, even at home, in one of the greatest wars of the world history.”

Sligo Stories of World War I - After 100 years a US Naval Service Man finds his way home.

Last week we came to learn for the first time about a young Sligo sailor who died while in the service of the US Navy during World War I.

Through the efforts of his Grand Niece Mary Lehane The name of Francis (Frank) McLoughlin from Sooey - someone we didn’t have in our records - will now appear among the names on the County Sligo World War I Memorial Garden sentinel stones.

FRANCIS (FRANK) MCLOUGHLIN..jpg

Francis (Frank) McLoughlin, (pictured above) was born on 26th February, 1888, at Knocknagee, Sooey, Co. Sligo. He was the youngest of four children, born to John McLoughlin and Bridget McLoughlin nee Rooney. John McLoughlin had four older children born to he and his second wife, Bridget McLoughlin nee Glancy.  Francis (Frank) was baptised on 27th February, 1888, at Sooey, in the parish of Riverstown. 

Francis McLoughlin arrived in America on May 5th, 1909, aged 21, to live with his brother Bartholomew in Brooklyn.  He worked as an electrician and was enlisted in the USNRF, on April 25th, 1918. 

He died as a result of contracting the Spanish Flu, on October 26th, 1918.  Francis McLoughlin was buried at sea, but his brother Bartholomew erected a memorial headstone to him in Saint Peter's Cemetery, West New Brighton, Richmond County (Staten Island), New York, USA.

Francis McLoughlin never lost his love for his Native Sligo. Through the memory of his niece Frances Gethins-McLoughlin at age 91, and his grand Niece Mary Lehane we are privileged to bring you this short poem he composed

Mary Lehane , grand-niece of Francis McLoughlin writes

“This is a poem that Frances Gethins (McLoughlin) at the age of 91, set down from memory. It was written by Francis (Frank) McLoughlin (uncle of Frances) for his sister Bridget (Bea) Connolly McLoughlin, in New York, circa 1910.

Frances said that there was a copy of it sent home to Knocknagee, Co. Sligo and she remembers reading it often. Frances is my mother and she was named after her uncle Francis (Frank).

Unfortunately Frank McLoughlin never saw his beloved home again. Like so many others, he made the ultimate sacrifice in World War I.


POEM FOR BEA 


O sister dear, it is sad to think
that exiles we must roam -
here by the Hudson River
three thousand miles from home.
So far away from that dear spot
so dear to you and me,
our parents and our family, 
all friends in dear old Knocknagee.
Our childhood days were happy, 
as happy as could be.
But came the day, we had to leave
our home with bitter misery. 
The rolling hills and green fields
ghosted with our youthful play.
We left with heavy hearts
and sailed to Amerikay.
Dearest sister Bea, 
I whisper softly in your ear, 
I am not so lonely
now that you are here.
Morning mists over sweet Knocknagee, 
as we lift the latch and step inside,
to a welcome of loving arms, 
always waiting there for you and me.

Written by Francis (Frank) McLoughlin (1888 – 1918)

McLOUGHLIN, FRANK JOSEPH, Electrician, 2nd class, USNRF, (brother, Bartholomew McLoughlin, 431 West Forty-4th Street, New York, N Y; enlisted New York, N Y April 25, 1918), New York, N Y, Respiratory disease.  (World War 1 buried at Sea UNITED STATES NAVY and COAST GUARD CASUALTIES)

Francis (Frank) McLaughlins US Navy Registration Card.

Lest Sligo Forgets is most thankful to Mary Lehane for bringing Francis McLoughlin to our attention and for her help in putting todays Sligo Stories of World War I together.

We are delighted that we now have the opportunity to include Francis under the town-land of Sooey on one of the eight sentinel stones that will comprise the centrepiece of the County Sligo World War I Memorial Garden.

Our list of people lost to Sligo in World War I continues to evolve. From 605 commemorated names we had for Armistice Day 2018, our roll for the memorial garden is now approaching 620. If you are aware of someone from Sligo who died in World War I and they are not on our list please get in touch with us, with whatever information and details you may have.

It is through this process that we learned about Francis McLoughlin through his grand-niece Mary Lehane.

Addendum: Francis is remembered on this plaque in Hero Park, Staten Island New York.

Addendum: Francis is remembered on this plaque in Hero Park, Staten Island New York.

If the name you feel should be included is not on our list please use the form below to contact us.