One of the men buried at Aix-Noulette Communal Cemetery Extension is Lieutenant Michael Aloysius HIGGINS, 2nd Leinster Regiment, who was killed in action near Vimy Ridge on the 31st March 1917. He was one of sixteen children born to Dr. Thomas Higgins and Ann Sullivan. His brother, Kevin Christopher O’Higgins, is referred to in the […]
Archive | April, 2015
“Who or what was the South African Irish Horse?” – Arras North – Page 30
That was a question that came up during the editing of ‘Arras North’. It was also one that had been nagging me for some time. The entry in the CWGC register for Private James Chalmers EDMOND, 2nd South African Regiment, refers to his previous service with the ‘South African Irish Horse’ during the German South-West […]
“A sea of troubles for Major Burns” – Arras North – Page 297
In February 2011, I spent several days visiting a number of cemeteries near Arras as part of my research. Although the weather was cold and dry with a heavy frost on the ground, conditions were actually quite good for visiting the battlefields. At Écoivres Military Cemetery I came across a row of men from the […]
“There’s something rather odd about Augustus”- Arras North – Page 245
That was the title of one of three songs written by lyricist, C.H. BOVILL for Jerome Kern’s 1908 show, ‘Fluffy Ruffles’, which was played on Broadway in 1908. When I came across Bovill’s grave at Duisans British Cemetery I knew nothing of his career as a successful writer for stage musicals, or of his close […]
“A true son of Empire” – Arras North – Page 295
One of the men featured in ‘Arras North’ is Lieutenant Colonel Michael Frederic ‘Fred’ Beauchamp DENNIS, DSO & Bar. In a sense, his military career started when he was seven years old. He would often stand guard at the foot of the stairs leading to the nursery at Newacott, the family home in Devon. Dressed […]