A5 MEMORIAL WEEKEND - CORK

11th to 13th February 2005

by Dave Barlow

It stared fairly innocuous. Dave and Fiona (Barlow) managed to arrive in Cork in Southern Ireland without too much problem on the Thursday evening.

However about 0530 Friday morning Glen Stevens and Bob Faragher got on the train at Barrow en route to Manchester Airport to pick up the morning flight to Cork. As they left the station they realised that something was definitely wrong with their navigation. They were going north! Bob being pretty switched on (the hip flask not being opened at that point) got out his mobile, contacted a colleague who lived adjacent to Askam station and demanded that he should be assisted in his journey to Cork. This guy took them in his car to Ulverston to meet up with Dudley ( Davenport ) just in time for the train to the Airport. Ask them for the big dit but they did eventually arrive in Cork in Southern Ireland in time for the dinner dance on Friday evening. And what a ‘do’. There must have been about 400 sitting down to dinner and most of them skimmers or their wives. We had a ball baiting them. All the speeches were over before dinner was served , it still came hot, and the advantage was that we could go for a leak any time we wanted. John H keep this one in mind for our dinners.

I was actually stood at the bar while the young Irish barman was asking a Lt Cdr off the skimmer (HMS Richmond) what his rings meant and suggested that he must be the boss. Getting a bit p****d off at not getting served I pointed out that the guy with three rings further along the bar was the boss, at which the Lt Cdr said in a rather squeaky voice, “yes, but I am the boss of my department”. The WO off the skimmer standing behind me retorted, “Ay when I let him.”

I hope Steve’s wife doesn’t read this but he was ‘trapped‘ at the dinner by an eighty year old lassie who wanted to take him home. I can say though that he declined albeit after swapping addresses.

So what was the whole weekend about?

This whole project started with an elderly lady in Cobh (previously Queenstown) who was interested in Local History. She came across the 6 graves, which were in a dilapidated condition. She then traced copies of articles - 16th, 17th and 18th February 1905 , from the Irish Times.

One of them contained an early photograph of the A5. She then approached the Urban District Council and the Royal Naval Association.

A local artist produced an oil painting of the boat from this photograph. A number of very fine quality prints were taken of it, and these were sold, in order to start the fund raising to enable this whole weekend to go ahead.

As the Centenary was some months away, Mr. John Gregory, chairman of the Cork RNA, and a ex submariner himself contacted the British Embassy in Dublin, who arranged for the frigate HMS Richmond to pay a courtesy call to Cork. The host ship was the Irish Naval vessel L. E. Eithne. This is when it started to snowball somewhat. The small commemoration became very much bigger!

The Dinner on Friday the 11th Feb in the Rochestown Park Hotel, was attended by some 400 people. The guests included the Aide de Camp of the Irish President, Mrs. Mary Macalleese, the British Ambassador, the Deputy Lord Mayor of Cork , Captains of the above vessels etc. Family descendants of the deceased crew members, who could be traced, were also invited to attend. The Submariners Association was represented by their National Chairman Dave Barlow and a large number of representatives from branches in England and Northern Ireland .

A painting of the A5 was raffled and won by a visitor. He actually was on the HMS Amethyst during the Yangtze incident.

On the Saturday Dave Barlow was entertained on HMS Richmond whilst Dudley, Bob and Steve visited the flesh pots of Cork and checked out the quality of the Guinness in the area. Apparently it is up to standard. Saturday concluded with an excellent run ashore in the Garda Club where we were assured we would not be arrested for after hours drinking. I am told that Gerry Haigh of the Northern Ireland Branch was seen to switch the lights off as he left about 3 ish in the morning.

Sunday 13th Feb. began with an Ecumenical Memorial Service at the Anglican Church at Christchurch , Cobh . The church was packed to capacity - some 400 in the congregation. The chaplain of the Irish Naval Service read the Gospel and relatives of those lost In A5 read the lessons. One of the most impressive moments, was during the singing of the first hymn, the standards - 16 in all, were brought forward, 8 up each aisle, to the North and South transepts of the church led by the Submariners Association National Standard carried by Andy Morgan. The other Submariners Association standards were from Barrow, Bristol and Northern Ireland . The sermon was given by the Reverend Daniel Owen, Rector of the Parish of Cobh and Glanmire. The service ended with a well known local Tenor, singing solo, the lament "Oh Danny Boy". That bit did bring tears to a few eyes.

The ceremony at the Old Clonmel graveyard, Cobh , (where the victims of the Lusitania are also interred,) was attended by even more dignitaries. The Mayor and Councillors of the Cobh Urban District Council, Flag Officer, of the Irish Naval Service, CO and Officers of HMS Richmond and the Irish Naval Service also attended the service at the cemetery. A conservative estimate has put it at well over 400.

There were two guards of Honour, one from the Eithne, and the other from H.M.S. Richmond, and for synchronisation, the Orders were given in Irish. Some of our lads now know the Irish for "Attention", "Stand at Ease", "On an Off Caps", unless alcohol has since obliterated it.

There was a minutes silence at both the Church service and at the gravesides, with representatives from an Irish Army Band from the Southern Command playing the Last Post and Reveille. The wreaths were laid by the relatives, the British Ambassador, Mayor of Cobh, Submariners Association and representatives of the Royal Naval Association. The Last Post and Reveille were then sounded. Standards were in line, at the head of the graves, as well as two flagpoles, with the White Ensign and the Irish Tricolour, with their attendant flag parties.

It should be mentioned that there was a very strong wind and the standard bearers are to be congratulated in the manner in which the standards were paraded in such conditions.

The Irish Naval Service provided the stone memorial base, and the Royal Naval Association, the brass plaque, with a commitment, that so long as there was a Royal Naval Association in Cork , their deceased comrades would not be forgotten.

On conclusion we were all invited back to the Irish naval vessel Eithne where a welcome cuppa was made available.

Postscript: Breaking news on our local radio station - Monday morning 14th Feb -

A naked, bearded man was seen bathing in the ornamental fountain on the Grand Parade in the centre of Cork city. ............. There was no Garda action taken................... so we are unable to ascertain whether it was one of ours or not, or just a coincidence. Dudley, are you going to own up? God help him - it was 2 degrees C, that night.

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