Press Release

Opening of the Gates at the Diamond War Memorial

Monday 22 October

The Diamond War Memorial Project has welcomed news that the War Memorial in the Diamond is to open to the public on a one month trial basis during November to encourage people from both sides of the political and religious divide to take time to visit the site and read the names on the plinths.

The Mayor Alderman Drew Thompson pictured at the War Memorial with, from left, Kathleen Hughes, city ranger; Mary McElhinney, co-ordinator of the Diamond War Memorial Project; Ciaran McCartie, Derry City Council; Trevor Temple, Diamond War Memorial Project and Hugh Kennedy, city ranger.

The Diamond War Memorial Project, which is supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund, is based in Holywell Trust in Bishop Street, and is aimed at investigating the stories of the local people whose names are on the Memorial as well as those, associated with the city, who died as result of The Great War (1914-1918).

The co-ordinator of the project, Mary McElhinney, said she was delighted that Derry City Council, who are responsible for the upkeep of the Memorial, have agreed to facilitate their request to have the cenotaph open during November.

“I am delighted that the memorial will be accessible to the public during this time. I have been working closely with local historical researcher, Trevor Temple, in attempt to discover and dispel the many myths associated with the cenotaph in the Diamond. To date, Trevor has discovered that almost 48% of the 756 names on the memorial belong to members of the Nationalist/Catholic community. He has also found the names of nearly 400 more people whose names have been omitted for various reasons.”

“Trevor is also in the process of uncovering many interesting facts and stories of those who perished in the horrific conflict of The Great War. We are currently having a Commemorative Diary published and this will include 1100+ names and personal stories of some of the 1st World War Dead who were associated with our city. The Diary will commemorate the 90th Anniversary of the end of World War 1 (11.11.2008). People must realise that the Diamond War Memorial belongs to all the people of the city and that we have a shared history. For example, young men from both the Catholic/Nationalist 16th Irish Division and the Protestant/Unionist 36th Ulster Division fought and died side by side as one unit in the battle for Messines Ridge in Belgium on the 7th June 1917.”

The Mayor, Alderman Drew Thompson said he fully supported the work being done by the Holywell Trust in encouraging people from all backgrounds in the city to take ownership of the War Memorial and to honour and respect the memory of those who died. “I hope that the provision of better access to the Memorial, will encourage more people to visit the site and pay their respects,” he said.

The Diamond War Memorial was commissioned on Friday 7th February 1919 and paid for by public subscriptions. It was designed and built by the renowned architect and sculptor, Vernon March and was unveiled on 23rd June 1927 when ownership was handed over to the Londonderry Corporation. The purpose of the erection of the Memorial was to honour those who died as a result of The Great War (1914-1918). Unfortunately, for many years the names have been illegible as the gates and railings prevented the public from getting close to the plinths. But thanks to the support of local and interested community groups, the City Council and the City Centre Initiative, this problem has been resolved.

“The opening of the gates will hopefully lead to an opening of minds and hearts. If our children are to have a promising shared future we must all move on and learn to live together, to respect and celebrate our differences and to appreciate diversity. Through education and tolerance we are trying to identify common ground so that, finally, the people, who are honoured on the Diamond War Memorial, will be respected and remembered for all the right reasons and not because of some mythical perceptions that have inadvertently been passed on from one generation to another,” Mary McElhinney added.

The City Centre Rangers, Hugh Kennedy and Kathleen Hughes, will open and close the gates at 9.30 am and 4.30 pm respectively, from Monday to Saturday.

Ends

Further details on the Diamond War Memorial Project can be obtained by contacting Mary McElhinney at the Holywell Trust, Tel. 71 261941.

For additional information contact:

Press Office

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