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#OnThisDay 1915 John Condon from Waterford, serving with the Royal Irish Regiment died during a German chlorine attack on the Western Front at Shell Trap Farm in the latter stages of the Second Battle of Ypres (Battle of Bellewaarde). For a long time Condon was considered the youngest soldier to die in WW1 at 14 years of age. However, further research into this proved that he was most likely 18 y/o at death. Still too young.

#OnThisDay 1830 Col Anthony Durnford was born in Manorhamilton, Leitrim. An experienced officer in the Royal Engineers, Durnford fought and died at the Battle of Isandlwana in 1879 during the Anglo-Zulu War. He is often blamed for weakening the British defence, although his actions during the battle saw the left ‘horn’ of the attack stopped in its tracks until the British ammo supply ran dry. That and the sheer number of Zulus would have overwhelmed most forces that size under even the best leadership.

#OnThisDay 1941 Lt Lord Hugh Tristam de la Poer Beresford, from Waterford, died when the ship he was aboard, the HMS Kelly (captained by Lord Louis Mountbatten) was bombed & sunk by the Luftwaffe during the Battle of Crete despite shooting down three of the enemy aircraft.
Prior to the outbreak of war, Beresford had been communicating with Eamonn De Valera about how he could best help to rebuild the Irish Free State after the war. Beresford never got that chance. He is buried in El Alamein, Egypt.

#OnThisDay 1858 Lt Harry Lyster, from Blackrock Dublin, charged & broke a skirmishing square of the retreating enemy army, killing two or three sepoys singlehandedly and scattered the rest during the Indian Rebellion. For this, he received the Victoria Cross. Earlier in the conflict, the enemy commander and he charged each other in single combat with Lyster coming out on top. The death of the enemy commander caused his troops to flee.
Lyster’s nephew was also awarded the Victoria Cross during WW1.

#OnThisDay The 1798 Rebellion began with attacks on mail coaches organised by the United Irishmen. It aimed to establish an independent, sovereign, Irish republic. The authorities knew of the planned rebellion and had arrested hundreds of the UI leadership including Lord Edward Fitzgerald. Wolfe Tone, the new leader wanted, ‘to unite Catholic, Protestant & Dissenter under the common name of Irishman’.