Wreath for one of first soldiers killed in 1916

One of the first British soldiers to die in the Easter Rising has been remembered with a short wreath-laying ceremony in a Glasgow cemetery where his name is inscribed on his grandmother's gravestone.
By The Newsroom
Published 28th Apr 2016, 15:49 BST
Updated 28th Apr 2016, 16:59 BST
There were local people actively involved at home and in Dublin around the time of the Easter Rising.There were local people actively involved at home and in Dublin around the time of the Easter Rising.
There were local people actively involved at home and in Dublin around the time of the Easter Rising.

Captain Frederick Dietrichsen of the Sherwood Foresters was honoured at Old Eastwood Cemetery in the city.

The gravestone, sadly toppled and broken in two, was spotted by local man Ernie Edgar who then conducted research into Capt Dietrichsen.

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The family had roots in Glasgow’s Pollokshaws area where his father was successful in the corset-making industry before Frederick Dietrichsen became a lawyer based in Nottingham.

His wife, Beatrice, was a native Dubliner and she moved with her children to what were considered the safer environs of Dublin following Zeppelin raids on Britain.

The 2nd Battalion of the Sherwood Foresters were quickly mobilised and sent to Dublin when the Rising began, despite three-quarters of the men having only three months of training under their belts.

As the Sherwoods marched into Dublin through Blackrock, Beatrice and her children, aged two and five, spotted Frederick and he broke ranks to embrace them.

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A few hours later Captain Dietrichsen would be one of the first British Army officers to die in the Rising as he and his men were ambushed at Mount Street bridge as they marched into the city.

After researching Captain Dietrichsen’s story Mr Edgar, a member of LOL 69 Hutchesontown True Blues in Glasgow, arranged for a short act of commemoration.

A dozen Orangemen took part in the wreath-laying event, with local band Pollok Young Loyalists playing Abide With Me to mark the 100th anniversary of the death.

The ceremony was closed with a reading of the 23rd Psalm.

Related topics:WreathGlasgow