BELFAST RB BOOKLET 2020 - Flipbook - Page 52
Ci t y of Belf ast Grand Bl ack Chapt er - Dem onst rat i on Bookl et 2020
T H E C L O C K H AN D S O F M E S N I L
Mystery of the Clock Hands Is recalled in an Interesting Ceremony.
During the Great War, in the little village of Mesnil, situated about
six and a half kilometres north of Albert, stood an old grey church
which, to the casual glance, appeared no different to any of the
other places of worship, found in almost every other village
throughout France. Indeed, but for its clock tower, it would by this
period in time be as much forgotten, demolished by German shellfire, just as the fate of many other such buildings during WWI.
This particular clock however, was village. (pictured)
instrumental in redeeming that wee church
But eight years after
from such mediocrity simply by its peculiar the war ended, a
behaviour during the defence of Mesnil by moving ceremony was
the14th Battalion of the Royal Irish Rifles.
held on the spot where
During their time in the village, the the old church had
soldiers noticed that the clock's hands kept stood, during which the
moving at very irregular intervals and, in clock hands were presented back to the village
some mysterious way, appeared to do so, folk.
only when the some relief for the
On July 13th, in 1927 a party of former
ensconced troops was at hand.
soldiers from the Battalion travelled back
Whether or not the movements were to the battlefields of France with the sole
controlled by a spy, who was using them to purpose of handing them over to the local
signal the enemy or whether the occasional Mayor Monsieur MA Maguier.
reverberation of an exploding shell, shook
Specifically erected on the background of a
them from their orderly movement was never shield, the hands were symbolically set to rest
discovered. However a cautious officer at the hour of eleven; the actual time of
ordered their removal and retained the metal Armistice hour, in November 1918. On their
hands for safe-keeping within their right, the crossed flags of Britain and France;
encampment.
whilst to the left, was affixed the Regimental
As if by chance, soon afterwards the old badge of the Royal Irish Rifles and the motto ..
church itself, as well as the tower, was 'Quis Separabit.'
completely demolished by an onslaught of
Beneath the flags is attached the ribbon
German bombs that rained down on the of the Croix de Guerre, which was
presented to the Commune by the French
Government. Finally, a short history of the
clock hands is embossed in ivory on each
side of the shield, both in French and
English.
The Mayor was also presented with an
individual gold mounted Regimental swagger
cane.
Whilst making the presentation on behalf
of the 14th Royal Irish Rifles, Major J A
Mulholland MC, spoke passionately when
he said ..
IN MEMORY OF THE FALLEN - 50 - AND THE FUTURE OF THE LIVING