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When I decided to research our ancestors the first decision I had to make was where to start. The four families I was researching were, Porter, Love, Sherrard, Hogg.
I decided to begin with my wifes' Grandfather John Love. John died in the First World War so the first port of call was the Commonwealth Graves Commission Website. I discovered he had been killed in action on November 19th 1916 and was buried in Pond Farm Cemetary in Belguim.
John Love joined the 10th Battalion Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers
in 1915. He was not, as many of those who joined up from Ireland, a member of the UVF or the Irish Volunteers, he in fact joined with most of the members of The Hamilton Flute Band which became the Regimental Band. The Battallion became famously known as 'The Derry's' and upon their amalgamation as part of The 36th Ulster Division took part in the Battle of the 'Somme'. They suffered 75% losses on the first day, July 1st. 1916.
As a bandsman John Love was not involved in the first push on that fateful July day but he and the other bandsmen were given the more onerous task of stretcher bearers, dodging German machine gun and artillery fire trying to bring their badly injured colleagues back to the very ill-eqipped medical stations, knowing that most of them would die. John, though, survived the harrowing early days of the Somme and, with the remnants of the 36th Ulsters,redeployed to Wulverghem,a small town 6km from Ypres in Belguim.Though things were relativly quiet in this part of Belguim, the men of the 36th Ulsters were formed into snatch squads. They made covert attacks behind German lines bringing back prisoners and arms, John Love was part of one of these squads.
I have the war diaries for Sunday 19th November 1916 the day John died, though he is not mentioned by name there was only one man killed by Trench Mortars on that day. Ironically, the Battle of the Somme officially ended on 18th November 1916.
Mary Love, at home in Wapping Lane in Londonderry with their two young children William and Evelyn, received the telegram informing her of her husbands death on December 19th 1916, one month after his death,one week before Christmas.
In September 2001 my daughter Gillian and I went to Belguim. We found the small Pond Farm Cemetary and though it was raining heavily we spent some time there. We recorded the visit on video and we took a lot of photographs but somehow we were unable to capture the feeling of peace, immense pride and sorrow we felt as we stood in the presence of all those brave young men who had suffered and died for freedom.
William Love, John Love's son, inherited his Fathers musical talent. He taught many flute bands in the Londonderry area, both Protestant and Catholic, and also wrote many of the tunes played by the present day Hamilton Flute Band and other Flute bands in the city of Londonderry the most famous of which was 'Moore Street' written for the Hamilton Band because that was where the Band Hut was.
During the 1950's many of his compositions were played on Radio. My wife Sandra has cuttings from the Radio Times of Saturday afternoon programmes which have included music by William Love. A diary of Williams' includes addresses of many famous musical artists of the forties and fifties with whom he corresponded.
So far, my research has indicated that the Love family home was in Legaghory in Londonderry. The area has two large housing estates Tullyally and Curryneiran built there now.
The Porter family is proving difficult but I am awaiting some information from the General Registers Office in Scotland as that is where my Father was born. His Mother and Father actually came originally from Northern Ireland but to get information about them I have to access some information about my Father.
I am at present working on the Sherrards. Two famous ancestors, though only here in Northern Ireland, are Daniel and Robert Sherrard who were two of the Thirteen Apprentice Boys who shut th
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