Following the centenary commemorations of the Battle of the Somme last week, we wanted share the experiences of East Belfast men caught up in the terrible conflict.
This moving documentary centres on the amazing discovery of 10 letters written in the trenches by soldiers from the parish of Dundela to their rector back home.
Entitled The Boys from East Belfast, it reveals how the correspondences were unearthed and explains their huge significance as the only surviving documents of their kind from this part of the city.
As the film’s narrator says: “At the bottom of an old tea chest on a former bishop’s house in Cavan, the lid was lifted on a piece of history from the First World War.”
The letters inside were written during Christmas 1917 at the Western front and sent to Reverend Arthur Barton, rector of Dundela during the war.
Rev Barton brought them with him when he became Bishop of Kilmore, County Cavan, in 1930.
The soldiers thank him and his parishioners for the parcels of supplies and treats they received which brought a little light into the darkness they inhabited every day.
One letter, from Ernest P. Palmer, addressed from the 109th Field Ambulance, British Expeditionary Force, reads: “We can only carry on, hoping this will be our last year out here, and that we will be home for next Christmas.”
Another correspondence from Robert Breuis says: “I often think of the many hours I had in the choir, and hope that (God willing) I shall one day return there and renew old acquaintances.”
Historian Jason Burke, from East Belfast & the Great War , studies the letters and reads many passages in the documentary.
He reveals that his goal now is to compile an online database containing the details of every serviceman and woman from East Belfast who served in the First World War.
As project co-ordinator Mr Burke says: “We are aiming to build what we hope will be the most comprehensive public record of East Belfast’s contribution to the First World War. We think the numbers of men and women that served will run into the thousands.”
Another key aim is to broaden community engagement with and understanding of East Belfast’s First World War heritage.
We hope you enjoy this excellent documentary, filmed and directed by Tim Hood.
Feel free to get in touch with your own thoughts in our comment section below and don’t forget to check out Old Belfast for many great historical images of the city.