Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers

On the 10th May, 1958, the Golden Jubilee of the Territorial Army in Northern Ireland, a Review was performed by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother at RAF Sydenham (now Belfast City Airport).

The 5th Battalion, Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, was raised in 1947.

It is descended directly from the Royal Tyrone Regiment, the Fermanagh Regiment and the Donegal Regiment.

These historic regiments first saw active service in the '98 Rebellion, the Tyrones actually fighting at Vinegar Hill under their Colonel, the (1st) Marquess of Abercorn.

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The GHQ of the 5th Battalion has been at Omagh in County Tyrone, with Companies based at Londonderry, Magherafelt, Omagh, Enniskillen and Dungannon.

The Colonel-in-Chief of Royal Inniskillings, in 1958, was Field Marshal His Royal Highness The Duke of Gloucester, Earl of Ulster, KG KT KP GCB GCMG GCVO.

The Colonel of the Regiment was Brigadier E E J Moore DSO; Honorary Colonel, Colonel J M Blakiston-Houston DL; Commanding Officer, Lieutenant-Colonel R T C Waters.

First published in June, 2010.

661 (Ulster) Field Regiment

On the 10th May, 1958, the Golden Jubilee of the Territorial Army in Northern Ireland, A Review was performed by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother at the RAF Sydenham, Belfast (now Belfast City Airport).

The Order of Parade included massed bands playing from 1.30pm; arrival of HM at 3pm; the Inspection at 3.05pm; March Past at 3.20pm; and departure of HM at 3.45pm.

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661 (Ulster) Field Regiment, Royal Artillery was the first field regiment to be raised in Northern Ireland.

In 1958 its Honorary Colonel was Colonel the Right Honourable the Lord MacDermott MC PC.

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591 (Antrim) Field Squadron, Royal Engineers, was formed in 1937 as the Antrim Fortress Company.

The present name dates from 1940.

In 1958 its Honorary Colonel was Colonel A H Glendinning OBE TD.

Prince Andrew in Portrush

The Duke of York, Patron, Royal Portrush Golf Club, and Past Captain, the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews, yesterday attended the Open Championship at Royal Portrush Golf Club, Dunluce Road, Portrush, County Antrim.

His Royal Highness was received by Her Majesty's Lord-Lieutenant of County Londonderry, Mrs Alison Millar.

TA: NI History

On the 10th May, 1958, the golden jubilee of the Territorial Army in Northern Ireland, a Review was performed by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother at RAF Sydenham (the site is now occupied by Belfast City Airport).

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The Order of Parade included massed bands playing from 1.30pm; the arrival of Her Majesty at 3pm; the Inspection at 3.05pm; a March Past at 3.20pm; and the departure of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother at 3.45pm.

First published in May, 2010.

Edgington's Windbreaker

The "Windbreaker" is a useful bit of kit.

It's been in use by my family since the 1960s.

This sun, wind, and beach shelter is made, I think, from canvas, with a wooden framework and metal supports.

The company that manufactured it was called Benjamin Edgington, a well-known tent manufacturer which was taken over by Black's in 1967, and is now part of the J D Sports chain, I gather.

I brought it along with me yesterday, in fact, when I motored down the coast to Helen's Bay.

Helen's Bay, in County Down, is a small village situated on the coast four miles west of Bangor. 

It is named after Helen, Lady Dufferin (née Sheridan), mother of Frederick, 5th Baron Dufferin and Claneboye and 1st Marquess of Dufferin and Ava, owner of the Clandeboye Estate outside Bangor. 

Helen’s Bay is a planned village which derived from the building of the Belfast and County Down Railway (BCDR) in the mid-19th century. 

Lord Dufferin, the landowner, had aspirations to develop the area as a luxury holiday resort.

Having loaded the Windbreaker, a portable chair, Much Obliged, Jeeves, and some orange juice in the boot, I stopped en route at a petrol station for some sandwiches (chicken and stuffing), and carried on for another ten or twelve minutes to the car park at Helen's Bay.

Grey Point fort and Helen's Bay golf club are here, too.

I didn't wish to be too far from home because the men's tennis final at Wimbledon was being shown on television at about 2pm.

The beach is a mere hop, skip and jump away from the car park; down a gently-inclined tarmac path adjacent to the golf club.

I had arrived early enough to witness an intrepid group of swimmers entering the water.

By the time I was leaving, early in the afternoon, the car park was almost full.

TA Series

I have come across a fascinating pamphlet in the attic at home.

My late father, Major Thomas Ferres TD, was Officer Commanding of a TA unit at Kinnegar, Holywood, County Down, during the 1960s.

I think he commanded the REME 157 Field Company.

He was presented with a candelabra by the Officers' Mess of 245 (Ulster) Light Air Defence Regiment RA (TA), dated 1966.

The booklet provides us with a lot of information about the Territorial Army in Northern Ireland, its structure and personnel in 1958.

I am going to start a new series about the 107 (Ulster) Independent Infantry Brigade Group, raised in 1947 by Brigadier Nelson Russell CB DSO MC.

My first article will be a Historical Note, followed by the North Irish Horse, raised in 1902.

First published in May, 2010.

Donard Walk

Heaven knows how the poor dogsbody managed to retrieve provisions from Lord Annesley's ice-house.

This beehive-shaped stone structure was built in the late 1830s to serve Donard Lodge (probably by the 3rd Earl Annesley before he died in 1838).

It is built into the north side of Thomas’s Mountain, just above the tree-line, very close to the Glen River.

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The National Trust, which owns Slieve Donard, repaired it two decades ago, with a large section of the main dome rebuilt.

As I passed the ice-house on the other side of the river, I couldn't see any trace of a path leading to it.

I even checked a historic map of that era.

The weather forecast was good, and it had been many years since I last ascended Northern Ireland's highest mountain, Slieve Donard, so I packed the rucksack, found the trusty Swiss hiking boots, and motored in a southerly direction to Donard Park, Newcastle, County Down.

Slieve Donard is 2,790 feet high, incidentally.

This is the spot where the Mournes sweep down to the sea.

The Earls Annesley, of Castlewellan Castle, owned all the land from Slieve Donard to Slieve Croob, including Newcastle and Donard Park.

They had a holiday home, rather grandly known as a maritime residence, called Donard Lodge, which afforded a wonderful prospect of the whole area and the sea.

I parked carefully at the park, dressed appropriately, and began the ascent at 9.33am.

It wasn't very busy at this time of the day, so I made good progress.

I even asked another hiker to take my photograph at the spot close to where I thought the Mourne fell-walkers posed for the BBC "Oneness" theme.

En route I encountered many friendly people, including two lovely youngish ladies, one of whom admired my legs; and another my smile!

Eric Morecambe always used to tease Ernie Wise about his "short, fat, hairy legs."

I'm fairly fit for my age: I swim six miles a week, after all.

I reached the summit at about 11.20am, so it took me about one hour and forty-seven minutes.

There were about a dozen people there when I arrived, though many more arrived later.

Having eaten the banana sandwiches with a drink of water, it was time to make the descent.

Belmont the Conqueror, of Donard.

By the time I was leaving there was a constant stream of hikers, of all ages, making their way like a long queue of pilgrims.

The Mourne Mountains are the domain of the noble raven: I saw two today.

Back at Donard Park, it was heaving with cars; in fact there was a tailback into and out of Newcastle.

Despite the temptation to drive over to the Slieve Donard Hotel, I judged it best simply to motor home.

The Krazi Baker

The Ulster Fry is, to my mind, one of our most celebrated staples, renowned throughout the civilized world and long associated with our Province.

All right, perhaps there is a modicum (!) of hyperbole there, though why not?

We pride ourselves on the hearty Ulster Fry.

The Mad Hatter cafeteria in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, made a very good one.

My late father did not cook much at all, though, when he did stand over the old stove at my uncle's cottage in the Mourne Mountains, his speciality was the Ulster Fry.

Potato farls, soda farls, eggs, sausages, rashers were all essential ingredients.

Sometimes wild mushrooms were picked from the adjacent fields beside the little whitewashed cottage, which stood at Glassdrumman, close to Spence's River.

My uncle adored the Mourne Mountains; in fact, when he was a young man (he was 18 in 1946)  he cycled from Belfast to the cottage he rented from the Newells at weekends.

We knew the Newells, who lived at their homestead further down the lane, not far from the main road to Annalong.

Jack was a strong character, who bellowed at friends and strangers.

My uncle purchased his own cottage at the other side of Spence's River about 1978.

HAVING been in foreign climes for awhile, I fancy the said Ulster Fry; and who should come to mind?

None other than that celebrated County Down artisan baker himself, Mark Douglas, better known as the Krazi Baker.

The Krazi Baker has a stall at Newtownards market on Saturdays from at least 6am.

Mark told me, however, that they are there, baking those most excellent farls, scones, brioche rolls etc from four-fifteen!

Mark has a terrific website which tells his story to a greater extent than I need to elaborate on.

At the moment Ards market is the nearest place for Belfast customers, though I think he runs occasional stalls at other venues.