The recent very sad and tragic death of a brave young Royal Marine Robert McKibben really brought home to everyone in the Westport area the stark reality of war. Robert’s parents, sisters, brother, his girlfriend, relations and friends were truly devastated, as were his comrades in arms from the Royal Marines and indeed his former comrades from the Irish Defence Force. All who knew him were deeply shocked and numbed by his death. It is fair to say that the whole region was saddened by the news of his tragic death and it was no surprise that St Mary’s Church in Westport was packed for the funeral, or that it brought the town of Westport to a standstill as the cortege moved through the town in what was one of the saddest funerals on record.
The sorrow and anguish of his loved ones was clearly evident. I again extend my heartfelt sympathy to them at this time.
I had published a book entitled Remembering Mayo’s Fallen Heroes just a few weeks previously: it recorded the names of Mayo soldiers who were killed in the world wars of the last century. The book has a huge amount of material about the Westport area, thanks largely to a wonderful lady named Gerardine Cusack, formerly Gerardine Hopkins. She kept a magnificent record of her life and times in London during World War 2. She recorded details about all the people she knew and grew up with who served or died. The town of Westport really did lose a huge number of men in both of those wars, as did every other town and village in Mayo.
Grief-stricken
The families of those who died were equally grief-stricken at the deaths of their fathers, brothers, sisters, uncles, relation and friends, but the difference was that they received no sympathy in the Ireland of the time. There was no funeral, after they had nobody to bury as soldiers were often blown to bits on the battlefields of the world, and those who were found were often buried where they fell. Their families were forced to endure their grief in silence, because those who were killed were portrayed unkindly as people who fought in other countries’ wars. Well, all I can say is we should thank God for them and the great courage they showed in going out to fight against the greatest evils known to mankind, to ensure peace and safety for subsequent generations. We might all have gone to the concentration camps had Aldof Hitler and the tyrannical Nazi Party taken over Europe, as many misguided people in Ireland were hoping would happen.
In World War One over 1,060 Mayo men and women were killed in action. I have recorded them in my book. There were also a huge number killed in World War 2 and the strange thing is we are only learning about them now and the list is growing day by day. We lost people in Spain, Korea, Vietnam, and also in the Lebanon whilst serving with the Irish Defence Forces on United Nations peacekeeping pperations, and sadly we have a new war to add in Afghanistan, and a young Mayo man killed in it.
Those who know me realise that I have worked for many years to give respect and dignity back to the families of our forgotten fallen heroes and indeed to those heroes who survived the wars, those who were injured and damaged for life as a result of their harrowing experiences.
