War Memorial at St Nicholas Church, Cork.

(Above) War Memorial from St. Nicholas’ Church, Cork

This war memorial was created in remembrance of the members of the local parish of St Nicholas’, in Cork City, who fought and died during the Great War. The church of St Nicholas (deconsecrated in the early 1990s) is located just south of the city centre and served the Church of Ireland community in the area. The building was built in 1850, to replace an earlier church on the site.

It is estimated that over 200,000 Irish men volunteered and served in the British Army during the Great War. Though the exact figure of those who died may never be known, it is believed that about 50,000 Irishmen lost their lives. While conscription was not mandatory in Ireland, Irish men readily enlisted for a variety of personal, social, political and economic reasons. As a result, memorials to those lost in the war can be found throughout the country, including Co. Cork. These monuments and how the public perceived them throughout the rest of the 20th century, highlight the difficult reality between reconciling Ireland’s imperial past with its aspirations as newly independent state. The Decade of Centenaries programme that has been running since 2013 has helped bring more attention to these memorials and the men they remember.

St. Nicholas’ memorial contains the names of twenty men whose had a direct, or a familial connection, with the parish of St. Nicolas. The ages of those memorialised range from 16 to 54 years old and represent all branches of the British Armed Services including army, navy and air force. Three quarters (15) of those mentioned on the memorial served in various regiments of the British Army, with five of those served in the Royal Munster Fusiliers. Three of the men served in the Royal Navy and one served in the Royal Air Force. The full list of the men memorialised is:

WILLIAM BERRY (Royal Munster Fusiliers - RMF) GEORGE G. BOLSTER (Royal Horse & Field Artillery)

PETER BLACKLOCK (Royal Navy – Mercantile) WILLIAM T. BOWMAN (RMF)

FREDERICK BOGAN (Royal Navy) BENJAMIN DALY (Royal Field Artillery)

RICHARD JAGO (Royal Navy) HERBERT DOYLE (Kings Royal Rifle Corps)

SAMUEL G. KELLER (?) R. T. OSMUND FLEETON (RAF)

CECIL MANSFIELD (RMF) CHARLES HARKNESS (Kings Royal Rifle Corps)

JAMES A. PARKER (Royal Irish Rifles) HERBERT E. HASSALL (Kings Royal Rifle Corps)

HENRY R. PERROTT (RMF) ROBERT LESLIE (Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers)

LEOPOLD RUSSELL (Kings African Rifles) JAMES PULLAR (RMF)

CORNELIUS WEST (Royal Dublin Fusiliers) WILLIAM WALPOLE (Royal Sussex Regiment)

The most prominent memorial to those who died during the Great War 1914-1918 is located at the Peace Park on the South Mall. Its unveiling on St. Patrick’s Day 1925 drew tens of thousands in attendance to remember over 4,000 men with connections to Cork who died during the war.

(Above) War Memorial from St. Nicholas’ Church, Cork

References

O’Callaghan, Antoin. The Churches of Cork City: An Illustrated History. The History Press, 2016.

An extensive list of the churches found within Cork City. This book discusses the descriptions and the histories of the various churches, including St Nicholas’ church.

St Nicholas’s Church, Cove Street, CORK CITY, Cork City, CORK - Buildings of Ireland. https://www.buildingsofireland.ie/buildings-search/building/20514598/st-nicholass-church-cove-street-cork-city-cork-city-cork.
Ireland’s Memorial Records | In Flanders Fields Museum. http://imr.inflandersfields.be/search.html

An archive from the In Flanders Field Museum of Irish soldiers who were enlisted within the British Forces during World War 1.

“Blink and You’ll Miss a Key Part of Our History.” Independent, Riegel, Ralph. May 13th, 2014. https://www.independent.ie/life/world-war-1/blink-and-youll-miss-a-key-part-of-our-history-30270564.html