As published in An Cosantóir in December/January 2014
By Sgt Wayne Fitzgerald – Photos by Sgt Mick Burke

On Tuesday 21st October 2014, students and teachers from the Patrician Primary School in Newbridge, Co Kildare held a World War One re-enactment parade from the Bord na Móna HQ (the old British Army Barracks) on Main St. Newbridge to the train station on the outskirts of the town – to re-enact the troops leaving Newbridge to head for ‘The Front’ in 1914.

Hundreds gathered outside the Bord na Móna HQ, as an introduction to events and the roll call of those 26 Newbridge men who had fallen in ‘The Great War’, were 26 students dressed up in their WWI uniform and gave a full description of the person they were representing.

Like student John Crofton: “William Willmot, Irish Guards, 1st Battalion. Killed in action France on 26th March 1916, age 24. Born Brownstown. Son of George and Kate Wilmot, Linden House, Athgarvan, Newbridge.”

This idea of organising the re-enactment stemmed from School Principal John O’Donovan, to celebrate the centenary of the school titled ‘100 years of Education in Newbridge’ and to tie it in with the anniversary of World War One.

The school used many a military connection to put replica uniforms and equipment together, and to their credit they were of great quality and exemplary turned out as soldiers of 1914. Other school children were dressed in civilian clothing of that period and were accompanied by the school band – which to everyone’s delight played exceptionally well. More pupils were holding up placards with the fallen family names on and with recruitment posters from that period. The other teachers dressed up were Frank Kirke and Cormac O’Shea.

The parade of 70+ students and teachers followed by a hundred or more townspeople marched out towards the train station. Upon their arrival a pair of cavalry vehicles greeted them, a Scorpion CVRT and Mowag Piranha MkIII under the command of Lt Donacha Lenihan, 1 ACS, DFTC.

Before entering the platform the pupils were given a farewell salute by an honour guard drawn from 1 Mech Coy, DFTC and under the command of Sgt Gary O’Brien, whilst Military Piper CQMS Davy Usher (Ord Sch) played a lament.

The students in return put on a fine display of military drill, accompanied by their band and followed by the applause of everyone watching. It truly was a great spectacle especially the rendition of the ‘Minstrel Boy’ by both military piper and teacher Frank Kirke on the drum.

The students then took the 11.48am train to Dublin – Heuston to simulate the soldiers going “off to war”. They did in fact take a museum tour of Collins Barracks, Dublin. The real finish was that they did eventually take the train on the Thursday that took them on their journey to visit the battlefields of Europe including Ypres and the Somme.

The School gladly thanked all those who had helped make this celebration one to remember, and especially thanked: Manguard Plus, An Post, Irish Rail, Bord na Móna and the Defence Forces including: Chief of Staff, Lt Gen Conor O’Boyle, Tomás Caulfield, John O’Brien, Padraig Murray, Martin Sweeney and Seoirse Devlin.