Somme hero's 'lost' medals go on display
PRESTIGIOUS medals awarded to a high-ranking officer at the Battle of the Somme have been put on public display at an Ulster military museum.
On the eve of the 94th anniversary of the First World War battle, which will be commemorated today in the province, honours bestowed on General Sir Oliver Nugent - and which at one stage were thought to have been lost forever - were formally presented to the Museums of The Royal Irish Regiment.
Gen Nugent, originally from Co Cavan, commanded the 36th (Ulster) Division for most of the First World War and remains an iconic figure in military circles.
The collection of medals - including a Distinguished Service Order - were presented to officials at the Royal Irish Fusiliers Museum in Armagh by Gen Nugent's granddaughter, Pheffania Everett.
The medals - valued at 27,000 - have been purchased in a joint initiative between the Co Armagh facility, the Inniskillings Museum, the Royal Ulster Rifles Museum and the Royal Irish Regiment Museum. Grant aid was provided from the Northern Ireland Museums Council and the Northern Ireland War Memorial Trust.
Remarkably, it was thought the pristine collection had been lost forever when Gen Nugent's daughter, Alison Hirschberg, was involved in a serious car accident.
However, following her death, the medals were found at her house in Co Cavan last October - among a box of records.
Amanda Moreno, head of collections at the Armagh museum, described the find as a "bit of a miracle".
"She (Ms Hirschberg) had a bad car accident in the 1970s and for some reason she actually had her father's medals in the car," she said.
"The car was written off and she actually thought the medals were crushed in the accident.
"Our trustee was going through the house and found an old tatty cardboard box and he almost threw it out without looking at it. But when he opened it, the full set of medals were in it and it is quite a set."
As well as recognition for his military service, including spells in India and South Africa prior to the Great War, the collection also contains a silver medal reputed to have been given to Gen Nugent by the then pope for severely punishing men of the 36th Division who ransacked chapels in France.
Mrs Moreno said: "Regardless of the man and General Nugent's history with the 36th Ulster Division, it is an impressive set of medals with the Distinguished Service Order being the most senior. He was mentioned in Despatches three times for campaigns previous to the First World War, so he had a long and distinguished career in the Army.”
Although British military casualties were severe at the Somme, historians claim Nugent’s “innovation in strategy” led to the 36th Division going “over the top” 20 minutes before Zero Hour, allowing the soldiers to get the advantage and capture the main objective of the Schwaben Redoubt.
In comparison, the rest of the line of the attack faltered causing the ultimate withdrawal of the Ulster soldiers.
Mrs Moreno revealed the medal presentation was deliberately timed to coincide with this year’s Somme anniversary.
“I couldn’t think of a more appropriate time. On June 30, General Nugent had every man with him that he had trained in preparation for that battle. By lunchtime on 1 July, he had lost most of them.”
She added: “He was a fantastic military strategist and a military innovator - and really should have went much higher than he did.”
Museum trustees were joined at yesterday’s event by Gen Nugent’s biographer Nick Perry, the Deputy Lieutenant of Co Armagh Henry Armstrong, and local political representatives.
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Sunday 12 February 2012
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