The Widow's Penny
There are no exact figures available of the number of Irishmen involved in the Great War but most experts agree that there were at least 300,000, thus giving Ireland one of the highest per capita percentages of volunteers of any of the Allied nations. It is a sad fact however, that there were at least 50,000 Irish casualities, the lost generation.
In the battlefields of Europe, Africa, The Middle East, and in countries and oceans from Chile to Hong Kong lie the remains of over 1,000 WW 1 Limerick causalities, for which death was the ultimate price. Over 420 of these have no known graves and are commemorated on a variety of memorials, which are spread across the World.
Each of the Cemeteries and Memorial sites recorded in this book, contain the name of those Limerick causalities interred or commemorated therein. By looking up the registers, it is difficult to believe that there was not a town or village anywhere in Limerick that did not, at sometime, mourn and pray for a fallen loved one.
Anyone who has ever visited these Cemeteries and Memorials cannot fail to be moved by the row after row of headstones laid out in near perfect symmetry. Every headstone marks the final resting place of someone's husband, father, uncle, brother, son, sister or daughter.
The ages of Limerick war dead, ranged from 16 years upwards. In Bethune Town Cemetery, Pas de Calais, France, you will find the grave of Lance Corporal John Nash, 9 John St., Limerick. John was a member of the 2nd Battalion Royal Munster Fusiliers and died of wounds on Sunday, 29th September 1918. He was just 16 years old. He could not even legitimately be described as an adult, he was just a lad.
Reviews
"I consider this work to be a magnum opus in the area of peace and reconciliation. It is a book that was waiting to be written."
Michael Shannon,
Chairman
Irish Peace Institute
University of Limerick.
"The book is a model of a local record of World War I. Patrick McNamara has performed a noble task in making a fitting record for the families of the fallen and military historians."
Clare Champion book review.
"Patrick J.McNamara with this book has significantly enhanced the historical record of Limerick and its people. In particular, his work honours those who gave their lives in circumstances that would be unendurable in the context of our comfortable 21st century lives."
Limerick Leader book review.
"The Widow’s Penny is a significant contribution to local history in Limerick and contains some 'absolute pearls'. It is a monument to Patrick McNamara’s patience and diligence."
Lt. Gen. Gerry McMahon DSM
Former Chief of Staff
Irish Defence Forces.
"It’s a terrific publication and I do congratulate you on your work and the treatment you have given to the Limerick VCs."
Mrs. D. Grahame, MVO,
The Victoria Cross and George Cross Association,
Whitehall,
London.
"It has been a monumental labour of duty and local pride, outstanding in its moral integrity and its scholarly labour. The result is a work like none other. Not merely does it shed an extraordinary light on Limerick, and what Limerick endured and Limerick lost, but also, by reflection, it illuminates the suffering and the sorrowing of so many communities throughout Ireland."
Kevin Myers,
Irish Times.
"This is the only book ever written about the Limerick casualties of WW 1and as such is considered to be an authoritative and authentic account of the period. It should also appeal to those with an interest in military history of the period."
Clare Champion.
"We are most grateful to receive your publication, and I have made arrangements to have it placed in our reference library, where it will be a valuable resource."
Mrs. Julie Somay
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
Maidenhead,
England.
"I found your book interesting, entertaining and superbly put together. Please accept that it is an important and moving account of the Men of Limerick. We will keep it here in the Embassy as a reference and a record."
Colonel PBG Cummings
Defence Attaché
The British Embassy
Dublin
