Cookstown High School remembers sacrifice of Second Lieutenant Charles Cooney

The event took place on Friday (November 11) at the school war memorial and was attended by pupils, governors and staff.

At the short service, led by Rev Malcolm Patterson, wreaths were laid by Mrs Lynne Dripps, Chairman of the Board of Governors and on behalf of the Former Pupils’ Association, and the head boy and head girl on behalf of the school.

Head girl, Claudia Hill, read the poem ‘The Crosses’ by Bill Mitton while Mrs Dripps read from Romans Chapter 8 v 31 - 39.

Following the laying of the wreaths, the head boy, Nick Griggs, gave The Exhortation, taken from those famous words of Laurence Binyon which begin, “They shall grow not old as we that are left grow old.”

The school string group played ‘Benedictus’ by Karl Jenkins, and the Last Post and Reveille were sounded by Louise Boden. Jay Morton gave the ‘Kohima Epitaph’, and Ewan Mitchell played the Lament. ‘We shall keep the Faith’ by Moina Michael was read by Reuben Hamilton.

In a short address at the start of the ceremony, Principal Miss Gwyneth Evans recalled the life of Second Lieutenant Charles Richard Cooney who served in the 7th Battalion Royal Dublin Fusiliers. Charles Cooney was a native of Moneymore and was deployed to France with the 2nd Royal Irish Rifles. He left a secure and respected professional position to face the trials and dangers of combat in the theatre of war because he believed in his country and the cause of freedom.

Second Lieutenant Cooney had been serving at the front for less than three months when he was killed by a shell on October 9, 1916. He has no grave and is commemorated on panel 16-C of the Thiepval Memorial in France.

Writing to his family his chaplain said: “When the final call came to him, he was found ready. He gave up his life in a noble cause, the cause of liberty and right, he died that we may live.”