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Please Note: Included in this section are the verbatim English translation from War Diary's of U-Boats involved in the sinking of the Leukos, Clonlara, Kyleclare and Irish Pine. A comparison with other publications will indicate that some authors may have embellished their own material ?  A paragraph from the original German War Diary of U 456 Commanded by Kapitan Leutnant Max Teichert dated 23rd February 1943 relating to the sinking of the Kyleclare would appear to have been deliberately erased. Mr A Murphy a Fireman aged 56 years from Main Street, Passage West in Cork was not a member of the crew of the SS Ardmore when she sailed for Fishguard on Monday 11th of November 1940. His name has erroneously been included in some bibliography and on the National Seamens Memorial located at City Quay, Dublin. There were no survivors from the SS Ardmore sunk on the 12th of November 1940.  In deference to the seafarers lost on Irish vessels, we as relatives are entitled to an  expectation of authenticity when information is being published.

An executive member of the Maritime Institute of Ireland author of a letter (Irish Times Nov 24th, 2004) referring to Irish Shipping losses during World War Two implied inter alia that there is no fitting memorial to commemorate those who lost their lives. We beg to dissagree. The Irish Merchant Seamens National Memorial Committee ably chaired by a former highly decorated world war two merchant seaman and trade union official, Mr Paddy Launders (RIP), along with representatives from other organisations including the Maritime Institute of Ireland, families and friends succeeded after many years in having a superb memorial erected and located at City Quay in Dublin. This was subsequently unveiled by the President of Ireland Dr Patrick J Hillery on the 7th May 1990. The letter writer applauds the Department of Marine for its efforts but disparagingly notes that medal presentations to the families were of a private nature. In 1998 research was made available to the Department of Marine so that they could initiate a process of presentations of Marine Valour Medals to enhance the dignity of our families. This they did publicly in Dublin Castle and elsewhere with admirable effort.

The Honorary President of the Maritime Institute of Ireland in their Journal of December 2004 also made reference mischieviously to the absence of a state funded memorial to our lost seafarers. It is outrageous and demeaning that those who purport to represent the Irish maritime consciousness should exploit the memory of our relatives in this way. Public funding for a national maritime museum owned and managed by the state should be argued on its merits....not on the backs of our families. The continual use of our deceased merchant seamen as an excuse to push through an agenda predicated on the private interests of the so called fitting memorial where and what it should be is objectionable to us. The Irish Merchant Seamens Memorial located at City Quay is a tribute to the dedication of the committee who struggled for years against all the odds to have it erected and a fitting and dignified reminder of our loved ones lost while serving on Irish vessels during the emergency 1939-46.

7th March 2007: It is regretted that the Creative Minds Production Men of the Irish Sea a filmed record of the National Commemoration for Seafarers held in November 2007 at City Quay Church, Dublin, has excluded in their roll of honour the names of Patricio McCarthy lost on the Leukos the only Argentinean lost on an Irish registered vessel during world war two and Mr Joseph Dalgarno lost on the SS Ardmore. We also note that Mr A Murphy a Fireman aged 56 years from Main Street, Passage West in Cork has been included in the roll of honour of this film. Mr Murphy was not a member of the crew of the SS Ardmore when she sailed for Fishguard on Monday 11th of November 1940. His name has also been erroneously included in some bibliography and on the National Seamens Memorial located at City Quay, Dublin. There were no survivors from the SS Ardmore sunk on the 12th of November 1940.  In deference to the seafarers lost on Irish vessels, we as relatives are entitled to an  expectation of authenticity when information is being published.

All the deceased crews recorded in this section were awarded posthumously the Irish Mercantile Valour Medal with 3 Bars Citation and Tunic Bar. This is the Irish Government's highest decoration for service during World War Two. As many of our crews would have had sea service on British and allied merchant vessels from 1939, next of kin may also be entitled to claim for medals awarded for service on British ships.

• Sponsored by the Irish Seamen's Relatives Association (1939-46), the Irish Merchant Navy Memorial Plaque and Plinth uniquely embossed with the Irish flag commemorating those crews lost on Irish registered vessels during world war two, is now on view in the British Merchant Navy Section of the National Memorial Arboretum in Alrewas, Staffordshire, England, which is currently managed by the Royal British Legion. An oak tree within the Merchant Navy Convoy oak wood  section which is located directly behind the plinth is also dedicated to their memory. In September 2007, a new memorial plaque was fixed to the front of the plinth, to record the names of the 5 Irish Born Merchant  Seamen captured while serving on British merchant vessels who lost their lives as a result of Gestapo ill-treatment in the Arbeitsertziehungslager located in Bremen-Farge 1943-45. The Irish Merchant Navy Memorial Plaque is listed in the official inventory of United Kingdom War Memorials.

© Peter Mulvany 1986-2010