Orange Victims Day marked at Ballynafeigh Orange Hall

A wreath-laying service was held at Ballynafeigh Orange Hall in south Belfast on Orange Victims Day, September 1, 2026 to remember and honour three members of Ballynafeigh District who lost their lives during periods of conflict in Northern Ireland.

The service was led by District Chaplain Bro. Bobby Hanna with prayers from visiting Bro. Rev Jason Lingiah, Grand Chaplain of the Grand Orange Lodge of Scotland and centred around the memorial plaque within the hall, which records the names of Bro. Alexander Reid of L.O.L. No. 978 and R.B.P. No. 890, murdered on 30th November 1921; Bro. John Cochrane of L.O.L. No. 978, killed on 2nd November 1971; and Bro. Ernest Dowds of L.O.L. No. 990, killed on 10th October 1975.

The three men represent different generations of the local community, but all remain remembered within the institutions to which they belonged.

Bro. Alexander Reid was killed in Belfast in 1921 while on his way to work at the shipyard. Fifty years later, Bro. John Cochrane was among those killed when an IRA bomb exploded at the Red Lion public house on the Ormeau Road in November 1971. In October 1975, 21-year-old Bro. Ernest Dowds was shot dead on Haywood Avenue, close to his home.

The memorial carries the words from the Gospel of St John:

“I am the resurrection and the life, saith the Lord; he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.”

The laying of the wreath provided an opportunity for the Sir Knights, brethren and sisters to pause and reflect on the lives of those commemorated and on the families and friends who were left behind.

For those in Ballynafeigh District, remembering these brethren is an important part of preserving the history of the local community and ensuring that their names are not forgotten.