Bernard McQuirt

Bernard McQuirt VC (1829- 5 October 1888) was born in Donaghcloney near Lurgan, County Armagh and was an Irish recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.

Details

He was about 29 years old, and a private in the 95th (Derbyshire) Regiment of Foot (later The Sherwood Foresters (The Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regiment) ), British Army during the Indian Mutiny when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC.

On 6 January 1858 at the capture of the town of Rowa, India, Private McQuirt was dangerously wounded in a hand-to-hand fight with three men, of whom he killed one and wounded another. He himself was wounded by five sabre-cuts and a musket-shot.

Further information

Bernard McQuirt's Gravestone In "Irish Winners of the VC 1846 to 1945" a photograph of a memorial gravestone is recorded in the photographic section between pages 128 & 129. The inscription on the stone states:

:Sacred to the memory of Private Bernard McQuirt VC 95th "The Derbyshire Regiment" who won the regiment's first VC at ROWA CENTRAL INDIA 6th January 1858 he died 5 October 1888 "NINETY - FIVE"

This memorial stone, was erected in 1995 in an Anglican graveyard in Donacloney, where Bernard McQuirt was born in a small village some 30 miles south of Belfast. But his remains are not in this graveyard. Bernard McQuirt died in Erney Street off the Shankill Road, Belfast, 5 October 1888, and no one knew were he was buried.

In 1993 while working for the Belfast City Council (City Cemetery) Robert Burns found Bernard McQuirt's registration and burial site in a Catholic plot of the City Cemetery, Belfast. As there was no gravestone Robert contacted the Sherwood Foresters Museum in England and they proposed to pay for a stone. When Robert asked for permission to erect the stone in the graveyard the Catholic Church refused him permission as the plot was a poor plot with many other remains in the grave.

Robert then approached the City Council for permission to erect the memorial stone on a wall in Erney Street (off Shankill Road) were Bernard McQuirt VC died in 1888. This was also rejected. Then Robert approached locals from Donacloney to erect the memorial stone in the local village square beside the World War I and World War II war memorial. This was also rejected. Finally a local Anglican (Church of Ireland) Minister offered Robert Burns access to the local Donacloney Church graveyard to erect the memorial stone. In 2000 a British Army colour party from a regiment based in Northern Ireland finally dedicated the stone in memory of Bernard McQuirt VC.

References

Listed in order of publication year
*The Register of the Victoria Cross (1981, 1988 and 1997)
*The Irish Sword (Brian Clarke 1986)
*Irelands VCs ISBN 1-899243-00-3 (Dept of Economic Development 1995)
*Monuments to Courage (David Harvey, 1999)
*Irish Winners of the Victoria Cross (Richard Doherty & David Truesdale, 2000)

External links

* [http://www.homeusers.prestel.co.uk/stewart/nireland.htm Location of grave and VC medal] "(Belfast, Northern Ireland)"