Carrick fallen honouredduring Somme pilgrimage

Alderman May Beattie, Deputy Mayor John Stewart and Councillor Andrew Wilson were the three members nominated to attend this year’s commemoration .

The trip marks the 97th anniversary of the conflict that claimed the lives of 17 young men from the borough.

“We went to a lot of very interesting sites but the main part of the trip was visiting the Thiepval memorial and the Ulster Tower, where we laid a wreath in memory of the soldiers from the 36th Ulster Division ,” said Cllr Stewart, who is currently writing a book on the history of World War One. “It was my second time on the trip as I went last year as well; Carrick was very well represented and quite a few people from the town had travelled out. It’s coming up to the 100th anniversary so I’d say there are going to be even more people making the journey in the next few years.

“We also visited a town called Guillemont where there’s a memorial to the 16th Irish Division; the involvement of soldiers from the Irish Republic is sometimes forgotten about so that stop is relatively new addition to the trip.

“My great, great uncle Francis Robinson fought at the Somme along with five friends; Francis was the only one to return which says a lot about what the odds of survival were.”