Bandon War Memorial Committee

Bandon War Memorial, dedicated to the soldiers of Bandon and district who died during World War 1 & 2. 

The committee's aim is to commemorate and endeavour to keep alive the names and the tradition of those from the Bandon area who fought and those who died in the two World Conflicts.

It is to promote a wider awareness of the forgotten Irish men and women who served, fought and died in the Great War 1914-1918. We believe that a better understanding of the shared heritage of sacrifice now will help to reconcile the two major traditions on the whole of this island . The volunteers came from every class, religion and location .Their reasons for enlisting were as varied as we are different. Irish history show that over 210,000 Irish soldiers took part in the First World War 1914-1918. 35,000 were killed never to return to Irish soil. Also Irish women served as nurses in field hospitals close to the battlefields. Up to 200 Bandon & District soldiers that we have researched are buried on foreign soil and long forgotten at home in Ireland.  

When the war began in August 1914, Ireland was on the brink of a civil war between two private armies. The Irish Volunteers were organised to support Home Rule in response to the armed opposition of the Ulster Volunteers who wished to maintain the Union.With Home Rule deferred until the end of the war, the great majority of both organisations enlisted in the new armies being raised to fight Germany. Conscription did not apply to Ireland . The scale of the Irish involvement in the Great War makes it likely that most people living in Ireland have a deceased relative or former neighbour who enlisted in the army or navy or who took an opposing view and campaigned against the war. We, the committee, were formed to promote a greater awareness of the individuals from the district and social class of  Bandon who were involved in the great tragedy of the 2 World Wars. 

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