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Dun Laoghaire remembers the Leinster

Friday, 20 June 2008

With over 500 people dead and missing the sinking of the RMS Leinster in October 1918 was the largest ever loss of life in the Irish Sea.
No passenger list survived, making it difficult to trace the descendants of many of those who were on board.
Speaking at the launch of a new 55c 'RMS Leinster' stamp in County Hall, Dun Laoghaire, recently, Philip Lecane, author of 'Torpedoed! The RMS Leinster Disaster' issued an appeal for relatives to come forward in time for the 90th anniversary commemoration later this year that will be celebrated with an ecumenical mass in St Michael's Church, Marine Road, Dun Laoghaire, at noon on Friday, October 10.
"We know very little about the identity of who was on board because no passenger list survived,” Mr Lecane said. “We would appeal for people to come forward who had a relative on the RMS Leinster so that they can rightfully participate in the anniversary ceremonies.”
Mary Hanafin TD, Minister for Social and Family Affairs, officially launched the stamp at an event attended by the relatives of some of those who lost their lives and several Irish and Holyhead-based maritime groups with a particular interest in the Leinster.
"I am very familiar with the tragic story of the RMS Leinster,” Minister Hanafin said. “I am reminded of it each time I see the Leinster’s anchor facing Carlisle Pier in Dún Laoghaire Harbour. It was a disaster of truly international proportions. People from Ireland, Wales, England, Scotland, USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand lost their lives that day."
Mr Lecane outlined the story of the disaster, noting the remarkable escape of Michael Joyce MP who survived his fifth sinking, and the Leinster's Captain, 61-year-old William Birch, who had wives in both Monkstown and Holyhead.
Josephine Carr, a 19-year-old girl from Cork was a member of the Women's Royal Naval Service who became the first member of the force to be killed in action.
Captain Ernest Lee was a doctor who joined the army for the duration of the war - his family had a drapery business in George's Street (his relative, Michael Let, an RTE cameraman, was on hand to film the launch of the new stamp).
Stoke William Maher was awarded the Silver Medal of the Royal Humane Society for saving the lives of Dorothy and Louise Toppin from Dalkey. Father and son crewmembers Philip and Tom Connolly, from Tivoli Terrace, survived. In later life Tom had a shop on Patrick Street which had a model of the Leinster in the window.
Among the ships which raced to the scene of the disaster was the 'Helga' which, two years earlier had shelled central Dublin during the 1916 Rising.

Disaster
Of the 22 post office staff working in the sorting office aboard the Leinster only one - John Joseph Higgins of 17 Prospect Square, Glasnevin - survived. The first torpedo to hit struck the Leinster in the area of the post office.
The deaths of the postal works was movingly recalled by cathaoirleach Denis O'Callaghan, himself an An Post employee and a long-time supporter of moves to have the disaster properly commemorated.
By far the greatest number of deaths were of military personnel returning from leave or hospital to their regiments - in the following days 144 military casualties were buried in Grangegorman Military Cemetery on Blackhorse Avenue.
The Leinster's nemesis, UB-123, captained by Robert Ramm (27) had a crew of 35, mostly aged 18 and 19. The submarine was lost in a minefield on her way back to Germany.
On the day of the sinking Germany had sent peace proposals to America's President Wilson, and it was common knowledge throughout Europe that the war was very nearly at an end.
Accompanying the Irish Independent's report on the disaster was an advertisement for submarine insurance, while another, much larger and on the same page read: ‘Their Blood Is On Your Hands - you unthinking men who have not only deserted your soldiers but have detained in this country troops by whose presence in the field Germany would have been beaten before she committed these murders. Redeem your Faul now! Join up today. Up Ireland!’
Designed by Irish illustrator Vincent Killowry, with typography and layout by Steve Simpson, the new stamp features an original drawing of the camouflaged RMS Leinster with one of her anchors in the foreground. Over 310,000 of the new stamps are on sale.
Further details on the sinking and contact information can be found at rmsleinster.com

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