Photograph taken from 'River Clyde' early on 25th April 1915; dead and wounded in foreground and on the lighter; Royal Dublin Fusliers sheltering behind the bank on the beach edge (left half of middle ground). Is Sam or Jack in this photograph?
Photograph taken from 'River Clyde' early on 25th April 1915; dead and wounded in foreground and on the lighter; Royal Dublin Fusliers sheltering behind the bank on the beach edge (left half of middle ground). Is Sam or Jack in this photograph?
Enlarged photograph of 'River Clyde' early on 25th April 1915 during the attack; dead and wounded in the water, and men running along the gangway on the starboard side of ship; the word 'Clyde' is clearly visible on the bow - enlarge as necessary to view; Is Sam or Jack in this photograph?
The 'River Clyde' from the air (left foreground)
The Mallaghan family received this small scroll from the British government in 1915 following the death of their son Sam. One was sent for Jack as well. It reads: He whom this scroll commemorates was numbered among those who, at the call of King and Country, left all that was dear to them, endured hardness, faced danger and finally passed out of the sight of men by the path of duty and self-sacrifice, giving up their own lives that others might live in freedom.Let those who come after see to it that his name be not forgotten. Pte Samuel Mallaghan, Royal Dublin Fusiliers. The scroll was purportedly signed by King George V despite the fact that millions of them must have been issued. Six years later, my great-grandparents received two requests, each for the sum of three shillings and nine pence, to have their sons' names carved on their headstones in Turkey. Not being forgotten came at a price which for a working-class family was a substantial sum
Special thanks to Bertie and Esther Mallaghan for making access to these sad momentoes possible.
View a short video of 'V'-beach and its cliffs taken from the sea. (Imperial War Museum site - needs QuickTime)Diary entries made by men who landed on V-Beach
