Latest news with #RoyalIrishRegiment
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
'Our job is to protect a fort - to be fair it hasn't been attacked lately'
Final preparations are underway for a celebration that will take a County Down village back in time. Royal Hillsborough will play host on Saturday to the warrant ceremony of 13 new members, bringing the United Kingdom's oldest and smallest private army back up to its full complement. The Hillsborough Fort Guard was formed by Colonel Arthur Hill, he built the fort in 1660. But its members have only a ceremonial role. "Our job is to protect the fort and to be fair, it hasn't been attacked recently," Simon Walker, a corporal in the guard, told BBC News NI. The guard has a centuries-long history, although it has not always been well populated. During the Plantation of Ulster, King Charles II granted a Royal Charter to have 20 soldiers to protect Hillsborough Fort. Since that time, Mr Walker says, sometimes only one man has kept the guard going. "But the tradition has never ended," he says. The Investiture of Warrants ceremony is a rare historical moment as Hillsborough Fort Guard welcomes its first full complement of 20 warders since the late Victorian period. Dressed in their new bespoke uniforms, the warders will parade up Park Street, onto Dromore Road and down Main Street to Hillsborough Parish Church to music by the band of the Royal Irish Regiment. "The last time that it had 20 men, my great grandfather was one of the warders," Mr Walker said. The Guard takes pride in the village and strives to improve community spirit and increase tourism. Warder Trevor Hill said: "We are very much centrally based within the community, we do various walking tours and presentations, and we also run bingo nights, which is great for getting the community together." "I think will be brilliant for the village, the whole district, and just a wonderful experience, a once in a lifetime opportunity," he said. Arthur Nicholas Hill, 9th Marquess of Downshire leads the Guard, he said this will be the first time in living memory that they will be at full strength. "There is nearly 400 years of history in this Guard," he said. Mr Hill selects who becomes a warder, and they must be from County Down. "The large majority of them have all done some public service, not necessarily be in the army as some have been in the fire service or the police or the prison service." The future is bright for the regiment as the quota will be filled. "We haven't yet got our first lady member, but we have one in our sights. So that could be exciting as well that would be a new part of history."
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
'Our job is to protect a fort - to be fair it hasn't been attacked lately'
Final preparations are underway for a celebration that will take a County Down village back in time. Royal Hillsborough will play host on Saturday to the warrant ceremony of 13 new members, bringing the United Kingdom's oldest and smallest private army back up to its full complement. The Hillsborough Fort Guard was formed by Colonel Arthur Hill, he built the fort in 1660. But its members have only a ceremonial role. "Our job is to protect the fort and to be fair, it hasn't been attacked recently," Simon Walker, a corporal in the guard, told BBC News NI. The guard has a centuries-long history, although it has not always been well populated. During the Plantation of Ulster, King Charles II granted a Royal Charter to have 20 soldiers to protect Hillsborough Fort. Since that time, Mr Walker says, sometimes only one man has kept the guard going. "But the tradition has never ended," he says. The Investiture of Warrants ceremony is a rare historical moment as Hillsborough Fort Guard welcomes its first full complement of 20 warders since the late Victorian period. Dressed in their new bespoke uniforms, the warders will parade up Park Street, onto Dromore Road and down Main Street to Hillsborough Parish Church to music by the band of the Royal Irish Regiment. "The last time that it had 20 men, my great grandfather was one of the warders," Mr Walker said. The Guard takes pride in the village and strives to improve community spirit and increase tourism. Warder Trevor Hill said: "We are very much centrally based within the community, we do various walking tours and presentations, and we also run bingo nights, which is great for getting the community together." "I think will be brilliant for the village, the whole district, and just a wonderful experience, a once in a lifetime opportunity," he said. Arthur Nicholas Hill, 9th Marquess of Downshire leads the Guard, he said this will be the first time in living memory that they will be at full strength. "There is nearly 400 years of history in this Guard," he said. Mr Hill selects who becomes a warder, and they must be from County Down. "The large majority of them have all done some public service, not necessarily be in the army as some have been in the fire service or the police or the prison service." The future is bright for the regiment as the quota will be filled. "We haven't yet got our first lady member, but we have one in our sights. So that could be exciting as well that would be a new part of history."
BBC News
3 days ago
- General
- BBC News
'Our job is to protect a fort - to be fair it hasn't been attacked lately'
Final preparations are underway for a celebration that will take a County Down village back in Hillsborough will play host on Saturday to the warrant ceremony of 13 new members, bringing the United Kingdom's oldest and smallest private army back up to its full Hillsborough Fort Guard was formed by Colonel Arthur Hill, he built the fort in its members have only a ceremonial role."Our job is to protect the fort and to be fair, it hasn't been attacked recently," Simon Walker, a corporal in the guard, told BBC News NI. The guard has a centuries-long history, although it has not always been well the Plantation of Ulster, King Charles II granted a Royal Charter to have 20 soldiers to protect Hillsborough that time, Mr Walker says, sometimes only one man has kept the guard going."But the tradition has never ended," he Investiture of Warrants ceremony is a rare historical moment as Hillsborough Fort Guard welcomes its first full complement of 20 warders since the late Victorian in their new bespoke uniforms, the warders will parade up Park Street, onto Dromore Road and down Main Street to Hillsborough Parish Church to music by the band of the Royal Irish Regiment."The last time that it had 20 men, my great grandfather was one of the warders," Mr Walker said. The Guard takes pride in the village and strives to improve community spirit and increase Trevor Hill said: "We are very much centrally based within the community, we do various walking tours and presentations, and we also run bingo nights, which is great for getting the community together.""I think will be brilliant for the village, the whole district, and just a wonderful experience, a once in a lifetime opportunity," he Nicholas Hill, 9th Marquess of Downshire leads the Guard, he said this will be the first time in living memory that they will be at full strength."There is nearly 400 years of history in this Guard," he Hill selects who becomes a warder, and they must be from County Down."The large majority of them have all done some public service, not necessarily be in the army as some have been in the fire service or the police or the prison service."The future is bright for the regiment as the quota will be filled."We haven't yet got our first lady member, but we have one in our sights. So that could be exciting as well that would be a new part of history."
BBC News
05-03-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
New museum hopes to tell heritage of Irish in the British Army
A new museum hoping to tell the 350-year history of Irish soldiers and their families in the British Army has been awarded £13.6 million from the National Lottery Heritage The Museum has unveiled plans to create state-of-the-art centres across two sites in Belfast and Belfast galleries are set to open in the summer of 2027 in the restored listed linen warehouse at 28 Bedford Street in Belfast. A second phase will focus on redeveloping the existing galleries at Enniskillen Castle. Artefacts which are currently housed across six individual collections, including two Victoria Crosses, will now be consolidated as part of the include the Inniskillings Museum, Royal Irish Fusiliers Museum, Royal Ulster Rifles Museum, Royal Irish Regiment Museum, Collections and Archives of the Royal Irish Regiment, and Collections and Archives of the North Irish regiments from what is now the Republic of Ireland will also be included in the the Heritage Fund support, Hugh Crossey, chairman of UNTOLD: The Museum said it would "hopefully inspire people to see things differently and make meaningful connections across generations"."Education will be at the heart of all the exhibitions, offering our visitors the chance to explore the lives of the Irish men and women who rose above divisions of class, politics and religion and overcame extremes of hardship to make an indelible mark on our history," he said. 'Explore what we have in common' Dr Laura Patrick, the regimental heritage officer of the Royal Irish Regiment, said she and her colleagues wanted to "address a difficult conversation" and look at the "human experiences behind the often facelessness of the British Army"."What did the soldiers sign up for, why did they sign up, what did they do, and what did they come home to because that wasn't always the most pleasant experience for a lot of them especially in the south," Dr Patrick said."We want to create a space with people for people – a safe space for them to come and debate and explore this fascinating and difficult story."It's just about using that rather unique heritage to explore what we have in common as opposed to what separates us for a change which is always an issue here in Northern Ireland. "It's about education and it's about preserving that heritage for future generations." The museum's main objective is to encourage conversations and "make a new and significant social contribution by healing divisions within the community and fostering intra- and inter-community bonds"."Though this is an all-island story, historically, not all communities engage with this shared heritage," a museum spokesperson said.
Yahoo
20-02-2025
- Yahoo
Dad killed in crash by soldier who had 'ten lagers'
A soldier who died when the car he was driving crashed into another vehicle, killing its driver, had drunk ten lagers plus shots of Sambuca before getting behind the wheel, an inquest heard. Witness statements revealed 27-year-old Lance Corporal Adam Milton, from Ballyclare in Northern Ireland, was more than three times the legal alcohol limit when he crashed on the A53 near Market Drayton in Shropshire last year. A forensic crash investigator estimated Mr Milton had been travelling at more than 100 miles an hour, and said he was "wholly responsible" for the events. The other man killed was Wayne Neville, a 42-year-old father-of-two from Market Drayton. He too died at the scene. Mr Milton served with the Royal Irish Regiment and was based at Clive Barracks in Tern Hill, Shropshire. A passenger in his car on the night in question, Mervin Young, was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. He was an infantry soldier who lived in the same corridor as Mr Milton at Clive Barracks, and provided to the hearing details of their intoxication. He said the pair started drinking at about 19:00 BST on 6 September, and estimated that they had consumed "about ten lagers each" and "shots of Sambuca from the bottle". He told the court he could not "remember getting into the car with Adam", and aside from momentary memories of his "good friend" driving, he could not "recall anything else until [he] woke up in hospital". Mr Young apologised to the families of both men for not being able to remember more. The inquest heard the two cars - a silver Volkswagen Passat driven by Mr Milton, and a Nissan Almira driven by Mr Neville - crashed head on at 23:57 BST that day. The busy stretch of the A53 where the crash happened, between the Tern Hill and Muller roundabouts, has a speed limit of 60mph. A toxicology report for Mr Milton - a father of two - stated his blood alcohol content was 260mg/dl, with the legal limit being 80mg/dl. Forensic pathologists determined his primary cause of death to be "multiple traumatic injuries", with "acute alcohol intoxication" a secondary cause. Mr Neville's cause of death was confirmed to be "multiple traumatic injuries". Another witness, farmer David Swinnerton, told the inquest he was travelling on the A41 between Newport and Tern Hill when Mr Milton's silver Volkswagen Passat overtook him, cutting in behind the car in front "at speed". Mr Swinnerton remarked that he "was amazed [the Volkswagen] didn't hit the car", and noticed the vehicle doing another overtake up ahead. Anthony Higginson, his sister Louise Taylor, and their father were dropping off family in Market Drayton when they encountered Mr Milton's car, the court heard. "Behind me I could hear the squealing of tyres," Mr Higginson recalled, adding that he saw the Volkswagen "hit the grass verge" as it overtook them. "I remember saying out loud 'look at this idiot'," he added. Ms Taylor said she remembered thinking that it was "an accident waiting to happen", as the driver "didn't seem to have control". Mr Higginson added that after a short time, he heard "a loud bang", soon encountering "debris and glass on the road". Discovering the crash, the family then called the emergency services. A forensic collision investigator for West Mercia Police stated that both cars' speedometers were frozen by the crash, meaning the speed at which they were travelling could be estimated. Mr Neville was travelling between 30 and 35mph, he said, while Mr Milton was driving at a speed of between 102 and 104mph. The court heard that examinations found Mr Neville had applied his car's brakes, but Mr Milton had not. The investigator concluded that Mr Milton's Volkswagen "made no attempt to avoid collision", which occurred due to a "combination of excess alcohol, excess speed, and the Volkswagen being on the wrong side of the road". "The driver of the Volkswagen [Mr Milton] was wholly responsible for the collision," he stated. Speaking to Mr Neville's family and friends - ten of whom had packed out the small court room - the coroner said it was "a testament to Wayne that you are all here". In September 2024, Mrs Neville paid tribute to her husband - known as "Nevdog" to those close to him. "Our hearts are broken, and we all miss him terribly," she said, adding that "he was a loving and devoted husband, a thoughtful brother and son, and an amazing and caring father to Morgan and Ruby." "I love you more, the end, I win - your Mrs Nevdog." Concluding the proceedings, coroner John Ellery recorded that both men had died due to a road traffic collision. Mr Ellery acknowledged that while his "role isn't to apportion blame", he agreed with investigators' statements that Mr Milton was "wholly responsible" for the crash. Follow BBC Shropshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram. Wife's tribute to devoted husband after fatal crash Both drivers dead in two-car crash on major road Victim's family fight killer's open prison move
