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#OnThisDay 1968 US Army Specialist Five Michael Faherty, from Galway, died from a malarial disease he contracted in Vietnam. Michael Noel Faherty, a native of County Galway, Ireland, immigrated to the United States and joined the army from Boston April 20, 1966 to take his basic training at Fort Dix, New Jersey. He took his Advanced Individual Training in Motion Picture Photography in the Fort Monmouth School Brigade from 28 July until 19 December 1966 when he took leave before going to Vietnam. He arrived in Vietnam 4 Feb 1967 and was assigned to Headquarters Company, United States Army, Vietnam.. During his service in Vietnam, he contracted blackwater fever, a complication of malaria. He went home to Galway on compassionate leave to be with his widowed mother when he was diagnosed with malaria & shortly passed away. He is buried in St Josephs Cemetery, Galway City.

#OnThisDay 1922 Cathal Brugha, though surrounded & outmanned, attacked Free State forces with his pistol. Brugha, who had been wounded multiple times during the Easter Rising & survived, ran out of the hotel that the Anti-Treaty forces were holed up in on to what is now Cathal Brugha Street, and was hit in the leg creating a four inch hole & died two days later.

Linda Kearns held his severed artery in between her fingers while they transported Brugha to hospital. Her medical care temporarily saved his life.

#OnThisDay 1916 The Rev. Donal Vincent O’Sullivan, a professor of Theology from Killarney, was killed in action during the attack on Bouzincourt at the Somme, He was killed by a shell, which exploded beside him as he as a Chaplain was giving the Last Rites to a wounded soldier (who survived the war). Rev C.T. McGuinness of the 76th Ambulance Brigade wrote that Fr O’Sullivan was quite fearless and would face any danger to give the sacraments to the wounded and dying. O’Sullivan was the chaplain to 1st Battalion Royal Irish Rifles but seconded to the Loyal North Lancastrian Regiment at time of death. Half of the chaplains that went to war never came back.

#OnThisDay 1922 Free State begin shelling Millmount Fort, Drogheda using 18 pounder guns that were previously used against the Four Courts in Dublin. The Fort took heavy damage & after several hours of bombardment the Anti – Treaty garrison surrendered. The tower was destroyed and the Anti Treaty forces were routed. This was the last attack in history by artillery on a castle or Fort in Ireland or Britain.

#OnThisDay 1916 Captain Oswald Brooke Webb 11th Royal Irish Rifles, died of wounds on the 3rd (CWGC says 4th) July 1916 from abdominal wounds received in 1st July – the record says he was hit ‘the very moment our men slipped over parapet.’  He was taken to the Casualty Clearing Station and an officer there who knew him wrote to his brother and said,  ‘I saw him when he was brought into hospital, and thought he looked pretty bad, but he was quite conscious, and not suffering any pain. I was talking to him for a few minutes and he told me he got hit before he got past our wire. He was very pleased with the way his men went forward, and seemed quite cheerful’.

He was born on the 23 June 1880 and the son of late Charles James Webb, Old Bleach Linen Company, Randalstown and his wife Charlotte Ellen Brooke.  The couple had married in 1869.

Oswald Webb was married and he and his wife Kathleen had a 12 year old son. Captain Webb had written to him at boarding school from Martinsart on 30th June. He said, ‘My Dear Patrick, Just a line to let you know I am all right … I hope you are getting on well at school … Write good long letters to your mother, your ever loving father.’

He is buried in Warloy Baillon Communal Cemetery Extension, Somme.