Sergeant Robert Quigg VC Bushmills Co Antrim
This is the excellent sculpture statue of Bushmills World War 1 VC winning hero, Sergeant Robert Quigg (1885-1955 ), of the Royal Irish Rifles.
28 June 2016
;When the newly-crowned Queen visited Northern Ireland in 1953 she met one of Ulster’s greatest First World War heroes, Sgt Robert Quigg VC.
Today, 63 years on, she unveiled a life-size bronze statue of Sgt Quigg in his home of Bushmills, Co Antrim, and met relatives of the soldier, who died in 1955.
Sgt Quigg was awarded the Victoria Cross in July 1916 after spending seven hours making forays into no man’s land to bring back wounded comrades during the Battle of the Somme.
A Private with 12th Bn The Royal Irish Rifles at the time, he had taken part in three successive attempts to reach the German trenches during the course of July 1, each of which failed as men were mown down by machine gun fire.
Early the next day, after hearing a rumour that his platoon commander was lying out wounded, he went out seven times to look for him, each time bringing back a wounded man, including one who he dragged back from within a few yards of the enemy wire. He only gave up at nightfall when the surviving members of his Battalion were ordered back from the trenches.
The statue, unveiled days before the official centenary commemorations of the Somme, stands rigidly to attention looking up a street towards the village war memorial where Sgt Quigg's fallen comrades are commemorated, on a plinth of seven hexagonal stones, representing each of the seven wounded soldiers he rescued.
Mr Quigg’s great-nephew Leonard Quigg, a retired schoolteacher who spoke to the Queen, said: She thought it was a wonderful piece. She was very impressed. She actually was able to say to me when she arrived that she had shaken the hand of Robert Quigg in 1953 when she visited Coleraine train station.
She was very gracious. It was a tremendous occasion.
Sgt Quigg was given his VC by the Queen’s grandfather, George V, at York Cottage, Sandringham. After the war Sgt Quigg remained in the Army, and died, aged 70, in 1955.
Leonard Quigg added: When he came back after receiving his medal in January 1917 he got a fortnight's leave and there were celebrations around Bushmills.
There was a huge celebration and he was the centre of attention but at the end he wouldn't speak. He was too shy and his father had to speak for him.
So, that tells you the sort of man he was.
The labourer from Bushmills was 29 when he signed up to fight in the First World War and was 31 when his heroics on the first day at the Battle of the Somme earned him the highest honour for gallantry.
Mr Quigg said his great uncle would have been quietly pleased by the statue but may have found the pomp and ceremony of the occasion somewhat overwhelming.
Underneath he would have been very proud but openly he would have been very embarrassed by it all, he added.
He would have been mortified because he was so shy and unassuming.
Crowds gathered in Bushmills to watch the Queen unveil statue to VC hero Robert Quigg
Copyright belongs to Clipstorm/ The Belfast Telegraph
By Kirsten Elder
Queen and Duke of Edinburgh travelled to Bushmills to commemorate local soldier Robert Quigg, as part of her 90th birthday tour of Northern Ireland's scenic north coast.
He won a Victoria Cross for bravery during the Battle of the Somme.
Sgt Quigg was given the highest military award for valour after going out into the line of fire to search for his commanding officer.
The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh unveiled a statue of the soldier as well as a commemorative stone.
His grandnephew, Leonard Quigg, also gave a short address.
SEEING QUEEN ELIZABETH IN BUSHMILLS 28/6/16(12)
The Queen was in Bushmills Northern Ireland today. She wad unveiling the statue of Sergeant Robert Quigg VC who was from Bushmills. He entered No Mans land 7 times and each time he returned he had a wounded soldier with him. He was given the Royal Victoria Cross so he is remembered as Northern Irelands hero.
R.I.P Robert Quigg
SEEING QUEEN ELIZABETH IN BUSHMILLS 28/6/16(11)
The Queen was in Bushmills Northern Ireland today. She wad unveiling the statue of Sergeant Robert Quigg VC who was from Bushmills. He entered No Mans land 7 times and each time he returned he had a wounded soldier with him. He was given the Royal Victoria Cross so he is remembered as Northern Irelands hero.
R.I.P Robert Quigg
Robert Quigg - Heroes of the Somme
Courtesy of the BBC
Queen unveils statue to Victoria Cross-winning soldier
The Queen unveils a statue to Robert Quigg, who was awarded the Victoria Cross for bravery during the Battle of the Somme in 1916, as she continues her visit to Northern Ireland.
SEEING QUEEN ELIZABETH IN BUSHMILLS 28/6/16(9)
The Queen was in Bushmills Northern Ireland today. She wad unveiling the statue of Sergeant Robert Quigg VC who was from Bushmills. He entered No Mans land 7 times and each time he returned he had a wounded soldier with him. He was given the Royal Victoria Cross so he is remembered as Northern Irelands hero.
R.I.P Robert Quigg
quigg
A tribute to Rifleman Robert Quigg VC one of four Ulstermen to receive a Victoria Cross on the the first morning of the Battle of the Somme, Saturday 1st July 1916.
Please leave your comments or send me a link to a video representing the Ulster VC awards or the 36th (Ulster) Division during the Great War.
*NOTE*
The music used in this video is not my own and I do not claim otherwise, it was added purely to enhance the experience.
Somme compilation. Trones Wood, Guillemont, Thiepval.
In August this year I paid another visit to the Great War Somme battlefield. I took my trusty drone to capture some footage of the various points of interest.
Now the land is part of a peaceful rural landscape with few visible scars to tell the story.
There are exceptions the most noticeable is the proliferation of Commonwealth War Grave cemetery's that mark sites of the heaviest fighting.
The Somme fighting covered five months from 1st of July to 15th of November 1916 but on this visit I concentrated on and followed the fortunes of the 16th (Irish) Div around the village of Guillemont and the 36th (Ulster) Div at Thiepval.
The video starts at Guillemont cemetery and shows the small area from Trones wood To the village, the open ground rises toward the village and can be walked at a steady pace in about 15 minutes. Trones wood fell on the 14th of July and the village (by now ground into brick dust) finally fell and was secured by the 3rd Sept.
VC's Guillemont Trones wood area.
Sgt William Boulter 6th Bn Northants Regt 14th July
CSM George Evans 18th Bn Manchester Regt 30th July
2Lt Gabriel Coury 3rd Bn South Lancs 8th Aug
Capt Noel Chavasse RAMC 9th Aug
Lt John Holland 3rd Bn Leinster Regt 3rd Sept
Sgt David Jones 12th Bn Kings Regt 3rd Sept
Pte Thomas Hughes 6th Bn Connaught Rangers 3rd Sept
Next scene is the windmill area just east of Pozieres where the Australian Divisions fought for the first time on the western front.
VC's Pozieres
Pte John Leak 9th Bn AIF 23rd July
2Lt Arthur Blackburn 10th Bn AIF 23rd July
Pte Thomas Cooke 8th Bn AIF 24/25 July
Sgt Claude Castleton Australian MGC 28/29 July
Pte Martin O'Meara 16th Bn AIF 9/12 Aug
Cpl Leo Clarke 2nd Bn CEF 9th Sept
Then I move to the area north of the village of Thiepval were the Ulster men broke into the Schwaben Redoubt, the story of which I would urge you to read. Mill Rd and Connaught cemetery's are sat in the middle of that battlefield.
Next is some footage of the Thiepval Memorial to the missing of the Somme which has the names of 72,336 servicemen or as is carved
Here are recorded names of officers and men
of the British Armies who fell on the Somme battlefields
July 1915-Febuary 1918 but to whom the fortune of
war denied the known and honoured burial given to
their comrades in death
The video closes at the Ulster memorial tower, where incidentally you can grab a nice cup of char.
VC's Thiepval area.
Capt Eric Bell 9th Bn Inniskilling Fusiliers 1st July
Rfn William McFadzean 14th Bn Royal Irish Rifles 1st July
Sgt Robert Quigg 12th Bn Royal Irish Rifles 1st July
Lt Geoffrey Cather 9th Bn Royal Irish Rifles 1st/2nd July
Cpl George Sanders 1/7th Bn West Yorkshire Regt 1st July
Pte Fredrick Edwards 12th Bn Middlesex Regt 26th Sept
Pte Robert Ryder 12th Bn Middlesex Regt 26th Sept
Lt Col Tom Adlam 7th Bn Bedfordshire Regt 27th Sept
I am hoping to return to France again early next year and would love to know if anyone out there would like a visit lets get together and make a plan.
Please forgive any errors would welcome corrections and comments.
I should credit the music used
Only remembered by Coope Boyes and Simpson.
All the best
I SAW THE QUEEN!!
Yes it is true I saw the Queen, I ventured out to get a glimpse of the Queen as she boarded the Steam Train In Colraine train station. It was a once in a life time thing and there where sniffer dogs and police everywhere. She started her day at the Giants Causeway, then Headed to Bushmills to reveal the war memorial. She then went to the Golf Course for something to eat, and made her way to the Coleraine Train Station to board the Steam Train, the train took her to Ballerina Station so she could open the new station.
It was a crazy day for me as I went to Portrush to catch the bus to Bushmills, I arrived and well they where cancelled so I jumped on the train and headed down to Coleraine where I waited for 3 hrs to see the Queen!!!
I hope you enjoy this one it was crazy but fun!!
ENJOY & S U B S C R I B E!
Vlog #68 June 28th 2016
100 Years - The Battle of the Somme 1916 - 2016
A very poignant tribute by the Royal British Legion, Ruislip Branch, to the thousands of soldiers who died at the Battle of the Somme, 1916 – 2016. The service was held at St. Martin’s Church, Ruislip 8pm, 1st July 2016 to a ‘full church’, followed by a reception at the the Royal British Legion's base in Ruislip, Middlesex.
Somme 100 Parade Manchester Part 1
NEW ZEALAND:QUEEN PORTRAIT UNVEILED
William and Kate unveiled the portrait of Queen during a state reception in Wellington New Zealand. To License This Clip, Click Here:
Vintage Irish World War I Posters
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Across the globe, countries at war created posters that would encourage young men to volunteer for battle. Some of these posters cultivated a sense of national pride; others attempted to demonize opponents. From 1914 to 1918, thousands of different posters were created, and only some of these survive today. Look back to the early 1900s and see what everyday citizens saw posted on street corners, on buildings, and sometimes, in their homes. These classic prints are timeless pieces of Irish history. Their bold colors and strong imagery reveal life in a time long past, but the ideals of these posters remain a part of our common history.
100 years on: Researching your ancestors at the Battle of the Somme | Ancestry
Do you have ancestors who fought at the Battle of the Somme? Sir Tony Robinson and Ancestry ProGenealogist, Simon Pearce, discuss how to find them in Ancestry's WWI records.
All images copyright The National Archives.
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100 years on: Researching your ancestors at the Battle of the Somme | Ancestry
BGSB Assembly - Somme 100 Years
Somme 100
Full Montage of 19 Ulster VC s Won in The Great War
This poster has been recently published by the Ulster Scots Agency Gordon Street Belfast. It is painted by remowned local artist Philip Armstrong. Using old photographs he accurately poses each Ulster hero, school photograph style, side by side with other V C winners.
Belfast Somme 100
Copyright belongs to Clipstorm/ The Belfast Telegraph
By Kirsten Elder
Belfast Somme 100 is a fun filled 141-day programme with events happening across the city, focusing on stories and personal connections that the Somme and events of 1916 have had on Northern Ireland.
Film screenings, talks, debates, walks, exhibitions, family fun activities and much more will take place in venues across Belfast.
Historian and Belfast Somme 100 Advisory Panel Member, Philip Orr said:“The Somme was one of the most costly and brutal campaigns out of many which were fought in the First World War. Thousands of Irishmen fought and died as the battle raged from July to November 1916 but it is for Ulster's Unionists and Loyalists that the Somme holds the most powerful memories. On the opening day, 1st July 1916, the attack of the 36th (Ulster) Division at Thiepval involved massive casualties and a display of great courage. The events of that day soon became a founding story about loyalty and sacrifice for the newly created state of Northern Ireland.”
Belfast’s Lord Mayor Brian Kingston said: “Belfast City Council is delighted to be supporting the Somme 100 programme of events being run by History Hub Ulster. The support for Somme 100 is part of our wider Decade of Centenaries programme this year in which we are marking what is one of the most significant years in the whole Decade. The Council has its own civic programme of activities which is ongoing throughout the year, as well as our “Belfast; Reflections on 1916” exhibition which will be in the East Entrance of City Hall until the end of August. However, the Somme 100 programme offers the opportunity for us in Council to be able to support programmes, events and activities within local neighbourhoods and I pay tribute to History Hub Ulster and their Advisory group for the fantastic and engaging programme that they have put together”
Belfast Somme 100 is funded by Belfast City Council and run by History Hub Ulster with an Advisory Panel made up of experts in the period and community leader.
For more information on events and booking visit belfastsomme100.com or check Twitter @belfastsomme100.