" Quis Separabit " Who Shall Seperate Us
Shure a little bit of heaven fell out of the sky one day
And nestled on the ocean, in a spot so far away.
And when the Angels found it, shure it looked so sweet and fair
They said " suppose we leave it, for it looks so peaceful there "
So they sprinkled it with star dust just to make the shamrocks grow
"Tis the only place you'll find them, no matter where you go
Then they dotted it with silver, to make its lakes so grand
And when they had it finished, they called 'Ireland '.
And nestled on the ocean, in a spot so far away.
And when the Angels found it, shure it looked so sweet and fair
They said " suppose we leave it, for it looks so peaceful there "
So they sprinkled it with star dust just to make the shamrocks grow
"Tis the only place you'll find them, no matter where you go
Then they dotted it with silver, to make its lakes so grand
And when they had it finished, they called 'Ireland '.
Building this website gives me so much pleasure and makes me feel so proud of who i am. I dont know when it will ever be finished as there is a life times amount of material to add to it. But i hope one day it will be the most comprehensive website on Irish History and Irish Regiments. Who knows maybe this year i might start writing a book. On days when i dont feel so motivated, and we all have them, my spirits will suddenly be picked up when i receive a message or a telephone call from people like Tom and Ron (below )' friendship means a lot to me' as do values and ideals which no longer seem to exist today.I met Tom at a show last year. The Irish Harp was seen on my GS beret and that was it, a friendship was formed. He even sings down the telephone to me now! and we have the ' Craic '....
Ron sent me a message through the website and his messages ever since have always been full of encouragement and ' wisdom ' . I was brought up in an era when respect was an important and essentail part of life. So i have dedicated this page to my old ' soldier ' friends , in order to tell you a little about them..both Tom and Ron are collectors they are also honoury members of our ' little group '
Ron sent me a message through the website and his messages ever since have always been full of encouragement and ' wisdom ' . I was brought up in an era when respect was an important and essentail part of life. So i have dedicated this page to my old ' soldier ' friends , in order to tell you a little about them..both Tom and Ron are collectors they are also honoury members of our ' little group '
Fusilier Tom Blevins, born in Belfast
1st Battalion Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers
1st Battalion Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers
Toms Grandfather fought with the Royal Irish Rifles during the Great War. His father Thomas George Blevins was with the 2nd Battalion Royal Ulster Rifles at Dunkirk. His father then transferred to the London Irish Rifles where he saw action in Italy and was wounded at Anzio. Tom recently found out that his father was a member of a mysterious group of soldiers called the ' shadows '
which all sounds very interesting and worked behind enemy lines. Tom was a regular and joined the Inniskilling Fusiliers in 1954. He also owns a lovely 1943 WW2 jeep and is seen here proudly wearing the uniform of the London Irish Rifles...more to come about this Irish rogue!!
which all sounds very interesting and worked behind enemy lines. Tom was a regular and joined the Inniskilling Fusiliers in 1954. He also owns a lovely 1943 WW2 jeep and is seen here proudly wearing the uniform of the London Irish Rifles...more to come about this Irish rogue!!
Below, Ron at Arnhem Bridge with his World War 2 jeep
22905038 Fusilier Ron Worth
National Service
National Service
Below and right, some of Rons own private collection
" I got my rail warrant and was ordered to report to Seaforth Barracks Liverpool no later than 1500 hrs on the 5th August 1953. I duly arrived there in company with a few more 'teddy' boys from the smoke. It was all shouting right from the word go. We were all issued with a knife, fork and spoon and told to go to the mess and get a meal. Being a well brought up lad i laid my place at the table and went to .....
Ron, one week into his service with the Royal Irish Fusilers, and right in Belfast in 1954.
..get my meal. On returning to my place i found someone had stolen my eating irons. Lesson one was learned! Later at dusk a coach took us to Liverpool Docks and we had to board a boat. None of us had any idea where we were heading for, and no one was telling us either. After a very restless night on the deck we arrived in a port which turned out to be Belfast. Once the boat tied up then the shouting really started. Looking over the side i saw a site i shall never forget. There were four drill sergeants and a Regimenta Sergeant Major lined up. All of them looked as if they were dressed in cardborad. Their creases were so sharp you could have cut yourself on them. Their boots you could see your face in. I wondered what they were there for. We soon found out. We were taken to Gough Barracks , Armagh.
The gates closed behind us and stayed like that for 12 weeks. During that time we did our basic training and got beaten into shape as fighting soldiers. Unfortunately for me i let it be known very early that i was a barber in civvy street so i got collard to work in the camp barbers shop. Not a job i relished. During our initial training our Company drill sergeant was called Brown. There were times when i could have willingly murdered that man. Now after all this time i realize just what he did for me in developing my character. The other man that had a big influence on me was the Regimental Sergeant Major. His name was Robinson. A man to be feared if you put a foot wrong. He saw to it we soon learned not to! I came to admire and respect him. All my mates were sent to Korea, but due to my being a barber i was kept in camp. Fed up after 18 months in Gough Barracks, i got myself fit and volunteered for entry into the Parachute Regiment. I duly went to Aldershot (P Coy) for selection and from there to Raf Abingdon jump school. After a grueling 8 weeks training which included 10 jumps i qualified for my 'red beret ' and wings . I came home on leave from there a very proud man. On returning to Abingdon after a weeks leave i was expecting to be posted to the 3rd Battalion with my mates and from there to Aden. No luck i had to stay behind and work in the camp barber shop. Fate had again taken a hand . I didn't mind, as it was a convenient place to be as i was from Ealing in West London, easy hitch hiking distance from home. I was demobbed after doing my two years and three years territorial service, from Dibgate camp, Shorncliff. Although i was still on reserve and got my standby orders to go to the Cyprus emergency i never got the order to return to camp. Phew that had me worried. Looking back after all these years i now realize the dept of gratitude i owe the Army for making me what i am today.
The gates closed behind us and stayed like that for 12 weeks. During that time we did our basic training and got beaten into shape as fighting soldiers. Unfortunately for me i let it be known very early that i was a barber in civvy street so i got collard to work in the camp barbers shop. Not a job i relished. During our initial training our Company drill sergeant was called Brown. There were times when i could have willingly murdered that man. Now after all this time i realize just what he did for me in developing my character. The other man that had a big influence on me was the Regimental Sergeant Major. His name was Robinson. A man to be feared if you put a foot wrong. He saw to it we soon learned not to! I came to admire and respect him. All my mates were sent to Korea, but due to my being a barber i was kept in camp. Fed up after 18 months in Gough Barracks, i got myself fit and volunteered for entry into the Parachute Regiment. I duly went to Aldershot (P Coy) for selection and from there to Raf Abingdon jump school. After a grueling 8 weeks training which included 10 jumps i qualified for my 'red beret ' and wings . I came home on leave from there a very proud man. On returning to Abingdon after a weeks leave i was expecting to be posted to the 3rd Battalion with my mates and from there to Aden. No luck i had to stay behind and work in the camp barber shop. Fate had again taken a hand . I didn't mind, as it was a convenient place to be as i was from Ealing in West London, easy hitch hiking distance from home. I was demobbed after doing my two years and three years territorial service, from Dibgate camp, Shorncliff. Although i was still on reserve and got my standby orders to go to the Cyprus emergency i never got the order to return to camp. Phew that had me worried. Looking back after all these years i now realize the dept of gratitude i owe the Army for making me what i am today.
Faugh-A-Ballagh
