An Cosantóir

www.military.ie the defence forces magazine | 29 Southern Com- mand troops and Cork City LDF in Cork. September 15th: 2nd Division com- mences return march to Dublin. September 19th and 20th: Fourth exer- cise - cavalry versus LDF in Co Wicklow. September 26th: Fifth ex- ercise - attack on Dublin by 2nd Division. September 27th: Parade in Dublin of 2nd Division, Eastern Command troops and Dublin LDF units. Tragically, four members of the Defence Forces lost their lives to the Blackwater. On the evening of Tuesday 1st September, Cpl Charles O'Donoghue from Killarney drowned at Cappoquin, Co Waterford, and 20 miles away, at Fermoy, Pte Peter McGovern from Windy Arbour, Dublin, got into difficul- ties and was swept away by treacherous currents. Both were bathing while off duty and the accidents were uncon- nected with the exercises. On the following Sunday, 6th September, Lt Thomas Ryan from Cashel, Co Tipperary, and Sgt John McElligott from Listowel, Co Kerry, drowned in full view of hundreds of hor- rified military personnel and civilians near Fermoy Bridge while attempting to cross the river while on manoeuvres. The military parade held in Cork on Sunday, 13th September 1942, took near- ly three hours to pass An Taoiseach and other VIPs on the reviewing platform on South Mall. Marching eight abreast and led by Gen McKenna, they comprised the largest-ever military parade held in the state. The Cork Examiner reported: 'At precisely three o'clock was heard the drone of aeroplanes and into view came a formation from the Army Air Corps. There was no end to the variety of the spectacle. Long lines of infantry, presenting an appearance of a forest of bayonets, were broken periodically by the mechanised sections, which included motor-cycle contingents, armoured cars, light artillery units, Bren-gun carriers, cyclists, troop-carrying lorries, and radio vans. Later in the procession came the 47th and 48th Battalions of the Lo- cal Defence Force, whose magnificent appearance more than earned the spontaneous applause, which greeted their march past. Equally favoured were two sections of the Coastal Defence, the Marine Service and its volunteer arm, the Maritime Inscription. These, in their dis- tinctive uniforms, made a most impres- sive display. The entire proceedings were enlivened by no fewer than 23 bands – twenty provided by the Army, two by the LDF, and one by the Marine Service. They played stirring marches en route. Last, but by no means least, were the Red Cross members, male and female.' The lessons learnt during the ex- ercises of the autumn of 1942 were considered most valuable by the army's top brass. Significant lacunae were manifested, particularly in the area of air cover and support, which, however, due to fiscal restraints, would largely remain unresolved for the duration of the Emergency. The six weeks of exercises provided the participants with countless anecdotes with which to regale their families and friends for years to come. One such was recalled in Donal MacCarron's excel- lent book on the period, Step Together. A battery commander and two of his officers from the Dubs' Redland Army (the 'baddies') were taken prisoner by the wiley Corkies of Blueland and brought to their HQ in Fermoy for interrogation. Soon the 'battle' raged again, and the trio was quickly shunted out of the way up a side lane. In the confusion, their guard momentarily left them on their own. In a flash, they seized their opportunity: "We weren't going to be left out of the fun," one of the trio recalled, "so we scaled the wall of the local cinema where a friendly projectionist helped us inside. We told him to hire a taxi and when it arrived we covered ourselves with blankets, lay down in the back, and told him where to head for. He was stopped very quickly at a Blueland road- block, but we had him primed to say, 'Clear the way, urgent maternity case for the hospital!' and we were soon back with our unit. I am sure the umpires would have approved!" Photos are from the Hanley Collection in Military Archives.

• Cover