Memories of war recalled in Ronnie’s book

The former Drumgor Primary School head is publishing his historical book ‘Where the Brave Will Live Forever’.

The 320-page tome records the history of all the major battles and cemeteries in the European theatre of conflict from 1914-18. It records battles from the Somme where so many Lurgan soldiers perished in 1916, to Fromelles (Pheasant Wood), the mass grave discovered only in 2010. Just five years ago, 250 of The Fallen (mainly Australian and British) were discovered, and each was given an individual grave.

In between, Mr Harkness has been to them all – the Thiepval Memorial, Acre, Arras, Vimy Ridge, Messines, Passchendaele, Wimereux... And he has become one of the leading Northern Ireland experts on the battle sites and the cemeteries where so many paid the supreme sacrifice in what was supposed to be the war to end all wars.

Mr Harkness, who was also principal of Annaghmore and Bocombra primary schools, said his thirst for WW1 knowledge was prompted by the pupils circa 1991, the 75th anniversary of The Somme.

He said, “I was on a school trip some 25 years ago and sadly I’d never heard of The Somme, Tyne Cot, Passchendaele or any others. But he has more than caught up since then

“The children kept throwing questions at me, and I simply didn’t have a clue how to answer them. So when I got home, I started reading them up and it developed into a great passion of mine. I’ve been across at least 30 times since then.”

As well as building up an encyclopaedic knowledge, he concentrated on Portadown with many local heroes profiled. And having been a council member at Craigavon – and with the approach of the centenary of the outbreak of WW1 - he admitted the hobby had become a fanaticism.

For example, he loves the story of Wimereux being the resting place of Lt Col John McCrae, author of ‘In Flanders Field’. And a relative of Ronnie’s wife Lesley, Pte F.W. Beaumont (Northumberland Fusiliers), is also buried there.

Stories abound about local heroes, with so many buried at Beaumont, close to the Ulster Tower, and so many names on the Thiepval Monument – there are so many gems in ‘Where the Brave Will Live Forever’.

The book will be available from this weekend, and initial copies, priced £10, are available direct from the author at 71 Breagh Lodge, Portadown – phone 3833 4652 or 07879 436 566.