Ulster Tower Thiepval

The Ulster Tower is a memorial to the men of the 36th (Ulster) Division. The memorial was officially opened on November 19, 1921 and is a very close copy of Helen's Tower which stands in the grounds of the Clandeboye Estate, near Bangor, County Down in Northern Ireland. Many of the men of the Ulster Division trained in the estate before moving to England and then France early in 1916.

Location

It is located very near to the famous Schwaben Redoubt, which the Division attacked on July 1, 1916. The Schwaben Redoubt was a little to the north-east of where the tower stands, and was a triangle of trenches with a frontage of 300 yards, a fearsome strongpoint with commanding views. It is also located close to the Thiepval Memorial for the missing.

The front lines were at the edge of Thiepval Wood which lies to the south-west of the road between the Thiepval Memorial and the Ulster Tower. Troops of the 109th Brigade crossed about 400 yards of no man's land, and kept on going. They entered the Schwaben Redoubt, and advanced on towards Stuff Redoubt, gaining in all around a mile, though not without losses. To their left, the 108th Brigade were successful in advancing near Thiepval, but less so nearer the River Ancre.

The 107th Brigade supported them, but although men of the 36th Division held out for the day the Germans mounted counterattacks, and as their stocks of bombs and ammunition dwindled, many fell back with small parties remaining in the German front lines. The casualties suffered by the 36th Division on the 1st of July totalled over 5,000.

The tower (plus a small cafe nearby) is staffed by members of the Somme Association, which is based in Belfast.

Other memorials in the grounds

At the entrance to the tower is a plaque commemorating the names of the nine men of the Division who won the Victoria Cross during the Somme. There is also a memorial here commemorating the part played by members of the Orange Order during the battle. [Steven Moore, "The Irish on the Somme: A Battlefield Guide to the Irish Regiments in the Great War and the Monuments to their Memory", Belfast, 2005, p.110.] The inscription on this memorial reads::"This Memorial is Dedicated to the Men and Women of the Orange Institution Worldwide, 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 man 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 their names be not forgotten."

See also

* British 36th (Ulster) Division
* Island of Ireland Peace Park
* Irish National War Memorial Gardens

References

External links

* [http://www.1914-1918.net/sacredground/16Somme/thiepval.htm 1914-1918.net Sacred ground Somme Thiepval]
* [http://www.whitbyhs.cheshire.sch.uk/curric/history/trips/battlefields/battlefields2004/thiepval/thiepval.htm Historic Trips]
* [http://www.irishsoldier.org The Somme Association]
* [http://www.webmatters.net/france/ww1_ulster.htm Web matters France Ulster Tower]
* [http://www.ww1battlefields.co.uk/somme/thiepval.html WW1 Battle Fields Somme Thiepval]
* [http://www.luton-lambeg.org/culture/heritage/Somme90thAnniversaryUlsterTower/index.html Somme 90th Anniversary Pictures Ulster Tower]
* [http://www.irishsoldiers.com/ The Military Heritage of Ireland Trust]
* [http://www.todayisfree.com/360/vue_panoramique_ulster_tower_0.html 360° Panoramic View]
* [http://www.inniskilling.com/ Homepage of the Royal Innniskilling Fusiliers Association]
* [http://www.connaughtrangersassoc.com/ Homepage of the Connaught Ranger's Association]
* [http://www.royaldublinfusiliers.com/ Homepage of the Royal Dublin Fusiliers Association]
* [http://www.rmfa92.org/ Homepage of the Royal Munster Fusilier's Association]
* [http://www.bandonmemorial.com/ Homepage of the Bandon War Memorial Committee]