The smallest artefact can grow into an extremely long trail and important story.
This Ulster Volunteer Force lapel badge from 1913 belonged to the husband of the cook for Lord and Lady Smiley of Drumalis in Larne.
He farmed a local farm known as Droagh Farm near Larne and he was the Quarter Master for the 2nd Bn Central Antrim Volunteers.
Earlier he had married Lizzie from Ballycraigy Larne and went on to have three sons who served in the Great War.
Sadly two of the sons died at sea.
The first being killed in action Petty Officer Stoker James Murphy McVeigh who was trapped in the engine room of his ship H.M.S. P.26 as it sank in the English Channel after hitting a mine on the 10th April 1917 he was aged 25.
He had also saw action and survived the battle of Jutland whilst serving on board H.M.S. Benbow.
The second also killed in action was Able Seaman William Alfred McVeigh Mercantile Marine R.N.R. on the 7th July 1918 aged 24.
He was serving on board the SS Ben Lomond it was a 2,814grt defensively armed British merchant ship which was built in 1906.
On the 7th July 1918 approximately 30 miles south east from Daunts Rock, Ireland it was torpedoed without warning and sunk by a German submarine U-92 when on route from Seville to Ardrpssan carrying a cargo of coal.
22 other souls were lost in the sinking.
The third son Sapper John McVeigh Royal Engineers arrived in France 18th December1915 in time for Christmas at the front he did not have it easy either after losing two brothers it hit him hard awaiting confirmation on some other information I have uncovered which will help explain that he didn’t want to return home and emigrated to the U.S. after the war.
Tune in or why not pay us a visit and learn from the collection as we and others do the story grows day by day.
It is amazing what can be learned from listening to an ole veteran hearing his families story and then researching the information given and finding the truth in among the snippets of tangible real history.
A big thank you to Mel for helping me with this story I can’t wait till he returns to hear more of his story and give him the information we have learned another cracking local story and artefacts to add to the collection.
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