Valour of Belfast VC recipient marked at VJ Day 80th anniversary in city
A memorial to him stands in the grounds of Belfast City Hall.
It was the scene of a poignant wreath-laying ceremony on Friday to mark 80 years since Victory over Japan Day.
Lord Mayor of Belfast Tracy Kelly placed the wreath at the foot of the memorial, before the Last Post was played by bugler Louise Bell from the First Old Boys' Silver Band.
Those in attendance bowed their heads for a two-minute silence.
The wreath-laying came after a reflective event inside City Hall that included historical discussions about the conflict in the Far East and music from the City of Belfast Youth Orchestra.
One of those gathered at the memorial on Friday was Norman Leslie, 84, from Bangor, Co Down.
Mr Leslie, who served as a submariner in the Royal Navy during the Cold War, said he felt it was important to honour the memory of James Magennis.
He said the event acted as a 'timely reminder' to younger generations.
'To me it was just to let all the young ones know that there was stuff happening that probably their father or grandfather did during the war, and to let them know what was happening, because some maybe just don't know anything whatsoever about what happened,' he said.
Ms Kelly said it was a special occasion.
'It is important to keep on doing these things because it's something we should never forget, and especially the younger generation today, hopefully they will never go through what people in those days went through,' she said.
'But it's important to have a service of reflection, a service of remembrance.
'And to me, it's something that if you have people who are going to fight in a war, who are going to sacrifice and lose their life, and we don't know where some of those bodies went, there's no graves for quite a few people, to remember that and reflect on that, especially for the younger generation today, is very, very important.'
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11 hours ago
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Leading Seaman James Magennis was awarded the prestigious military honour for valour for his actions on July 31, 1945, when he exited his midget submarine in Singapore harbour to attach mines to the hull of a Japanese cruiser vessel, the Takao. A memorial to him stands in the grounds of Belfast City Hall. It was the scene of a poignant wreath-laying ceremony on Friday to mark 80 years since Victory over Japan Day. Lord Mayor of Belfast Tracy Kelly placed the wreath at the foot of the memorial, before the Last Post was played by bugler Louise Bell from the First Old Boys' Silver Band. Those in attendance bowed their heads for a two-minute silence. The wreath-laying came after a reflective event inside City Hall that included historical discussions about the conflict in the Far East and music from the City of Belfast Youth Orchestra. One of those gathered at the memorial on Friday was Norman Leslie, 84, from Bangor, Co Down. Mr Leslie, who served as a submariner in the Royal Navy during the Cold War, said he felt it was important to honour the memory of James Magennis. He said the event acted as a 'timely reminder' to younger generations. 'To me it was just to let all the young ones know that there was stuff happening that probably their father or grandfather did during the war, and to let them know what was happening, because some maybe just don't know anything whatsoever about what happened,' he said. Ms Kelly said it was a special occasion. 'It is important to keep on doing these things because it's something we should never forget, and especially the younger generation today, hopefully they will never go through what people in those days went through,' she said. 'But it's important to have a service of reflection, a service of remembrance. 'And to me, it's something that if you have people who are going to fight in a war, who are going to sacrifice and lose their life, and we don't know where some of those bodies went, there's no graves for quite a few people, to remember that and reflect on that, especially for the younger generation today, is very, very important.'
Glasgow Times
11 hours ago
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Leading Seaman James Magennis was awarded the prestigious military honour for valour for his actions on July 31, 1945, when he exited his midget submarine in Singapore harbour to attach mines to the hull of a Japanese cruiser vessel, the Takao. A memorial to him stands in the grounds of Belfast City Hall. (left to right) Father Colin Grant, Lord Mayor of Belfast Tracy Kelly, Lord Lieutenant Dame Fionnuala Jay-O'Boyle, bugler Louise Bell from the First Old Boys' Silver Band, and actor Dan Gordon at the wreath-laying at City Hall (Belfast City Council/PA) It was the scene of a poignant wreath-laying ceremony on Friday to mark 80 years since Victory over Japan Day. Lord Mayor of Belfast Tracy Kelly placed the wreath at the foot of the memorial, before the Last Post was played by bugler Louise Bell from the First Old Boys' Silver Band. Those in attendance bowed their heads for a two-minute silence. The wreath-laying came after a reflective event inside City Hall that included historical discussions about the conflict in the Far East and music from the City of Belfast Youth Orchestra. Norman Leslie outside Belfast City Hall (David Young/PA) One of those gathered at the memorial on Friday was Norman Leslie, 84, from Bangor, Co Down. Mr Leslie, who served as a submariner in the Royal Navy during the Cold War, said he felt it was important to honour the memory of James Magennis. He said the event acted as a 'timely reminder' to younger generations. 'To me it was just to let all the young ones know that there was stuff happening that probably their father or grandfather did during the war, and to let them know what was happening, because some maybe just don't know anything whatsoever about what happened,' he said. Ms Kelly said it was a special occasion. 'It is important to keep on doing these things because it's something we should never forget, and especially the younger generation today, hopefully they will never go through what people in those days went through,' she said. 'But it's important to have a service of reflection, a service of remembrance. 'And to me, it's something that if you have people who are going to fight in a war, who are going to sacrifice and lose their life, and we don't know where some of those bodies went, there's no graves for quite a few people, to remember that and reflect on that, especially for the younger generation today, is very, very important.'
