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Orangemen have played a noble part in Britain's wars and
emergencies since the United Irishmen's Rebellion of 1798,
right until the present day when members of the Orange Order
serve in the ranks of the British Army in Iraq.
The Orange service in the armies of the Crown - Canada, Australia,
New Zealand and other Commonwealth nations, as well as the
United Kingdom - has often been overlooked or downplayed.
The new book, 'Battles Beyond the Boyne', edited by Dr David
Hume, corrects the balance and will go a long way towards
honouring the memory of those from the Orange 'Family' who
fought for Britain and the Empire.
There was a very large percentage of Orangemen who served
in the Yeomanry during the 1798 Rebellion, and British generals
and senior officers valued the contribution of the Yeomanry
in defeating the United Irishmen in Antrim and Down, and also
in the much more bloodier conflict in Wexford.
Perhaps the earliest leading Orange military figurehead was
the famous Colonel William Blacker, who had been at the Diamond
on September 21, 1795 when the local Protestants defeated
The Defenders, leading to the formation of the first Orange
lodges.
Portadown man Blacker was the first member of the gentry
to join the Orange Order, as the new book points out. He was
studying at Trinity College, Dublin, in 1796 when he was summoned
to Dublin Castle and asked if he could raise a company among
his Orange brethren at Seagoe, in his home town.
Blacker agreed, and was "sent with all despatch to Charlemont
Fort to be issued with the necessary arms and equipment".
Blacker was the first commanding officer of the Seagoe Yeomanry
Corps.
Similarly, Thomas Verner, the first Grand Master of Ireland,
raised the Churchill Yeomanry from among the Orange brethren
on his estate, on the borders of Armagh and Tyrone.
The high-profile performance of the Orange-dominated Orange
Yeomanry in the 1798 Rebellion led to the formation of military
lodges, and marching warrants, and this led to the formation
of lodges in England and Scotland.
The spread of the British Empire throughout the world resulted
in Orangemen serving in the Army during some of the most famous
battles of the 19th century.
The name Verner came to the fore again, when Sir William
Verner won fame and glory at the Battle of Waterloo. Serving
under the Duke of Wellington, Sir William led his men into
battle and fame.
His horse was shot under him, and Sir William seized a riderless
horse, jumped on her back and continued to lead his section
in a battle which established Britain's supremacy in Europe.
Verner survived that conflict, and he and his faithful mare,
which he named Constantia, travelled mile after mile to the
English Channel. From there, presumably, on to Dublin and
then riding home to his home on the banks of the River Blackwater.
As the book points out, Orangemen figured in the battles
of the Crimea War, and they were a significant force in the
South African, or Boer War, from 1899 to 1902.
Sir James Craig, later Lord Craigavon, fought in that war
with the Royal Irish Rifles. Taken prisoner, he insisted on
walking with his men to a prisoner-of-war camp rather than
ride with the other officers.
It was the Great War, or First World War as it is now better
known, which caused the greatest casualties in the history
of the British and Empire armies.
The total British and Empire dead exceeded one million, and
the Orange Order suffered grievous losses. This was not only
in the ranks of the Irish, English and Scottish Orders, but
also in the Canadian, Australian, New Zealand, South African,
and United States Orders.
Before the Great War the Canadian Order had been immensely
strong, and it was estimated that one in four Canadian Protestant
males belonged to the Orange Order.
Canadian Orangemen were among the heroes of their nations,
and thousands made the supreme sacrifice. It was a noble as
well as heroic sacrifice, but the outcome was that the Orange
Order in Canada was never as strong again.
It was the same in the North of England, especially in places
like Whitehaven and Barrow-on-Furness.
The Order held its strength in Liverpool, in Scotland, and
in Ulster, but the effects of the Great War on all branches
of Orangeism cannot be minimised.
Orangemen were awarded three Victoria Crosses during the
Great War - Ulsterman Robert Quigg, for heroism on July 1,
1916, Abraham Acton, of Whitehaven, Cumberland, killed in
action on May 16, 1915, at Festubert, and Canadian, Bill Hanna,
born in Kilkeel, who emigrated to Canada at the age of 18.
He was awarded his VC for gallantry at Lens, France, in September,
1917.
The Second World War also saw a huge influx of Orangemen
into the Forces, and many Ulster Orangemen saw action in all
theatres of war. There are a number of interesting stories
in the new book relating to Orange brethren who served during
the war.
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