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Our Committee is raising funds to create a lasting legacy telling the story of Lemnos' link to Gallipoli and Australia's Anzac story. Our projects include the Lemnos Gallipoli Memorial in Albert Park, the publication of a major new historical and pictorial publication and more. To make a donation you can also deposit directly by direct debit into the Committee's bank account: Account Name: Lemnos Gallipoli Commemorative Committee Inc; Bank: Bendigo Bank; Account No: 188010037; BSB No: 633000; Include your surname in the reference section. For further information on our legacy projects or to make a donation please contact either Lee Tarlamis 0411553009 or Jim Claven 0409402388M

Wednesday 7 October 2015

Lemnos and Imbros filmed in 1921


There is footage of the Island of Lemnos amongst a film made by the Canadian WW1 veteran, Lieutenant Colonel Father Thomas Nangle (picture above), the former Padre of the Newfoundland Regiment.
After the war, ather nangle was appointed the Newfoundland representatibe on the Imperial war Graves Commission. in this capacity he visited Gallipoli in 1921. While there he made a short film of the Gallipili penimsial, as well as short moving images of both Mudros and Imbros.
This is an amazing piece of historical footage, espcially as it captires Lemnos and Imbros in the aftermath of WW1.
You can view the footage by clicking here.
Thanks to our good friend and support John Irwin for finding this film at the Australian War Memorial. 
  
The Newfoundland Regiment and Lemnos
Newfoundland (now a province of Canada) was in 1915 a British Dominion. In WW1 the Newfoundland Regiment served at part of the British 29th Division during the Gallipoli campaign - along with other Newfoundlanders and Canadians, including the 70 nurses who served on Lemnos with the 1st an 3rd Canadian Stationary Hospitals.
Over 1,000 members of the Newfoundland Regiment fought at Gallipoli.
Amongst the 7 Newfoundlanders buried on Lemnos, 5 served in the Newfoundland Regiment:
  • Private 1312 Ignatius Furey
  • Private 99 John Myrick
  • Private 271 George Clark
  • Private 407 Walter Murphy
  • Lance Corporal 276 Rupert Watts
Lieutenant Thomas Nangle
Below is a short biography of Father Thomas Nangle:
Thomas Matthew Mary Nangle was born in St John’s, Newfoundland, in 1889 and educated at St. Bonaventure College. He attended the seminary in Ireland, All Hallows, Dublin, and St. Patrick’s College in Carlow, and was ordained a priest at the Roman Catholic Basilica of St. John’s the Baptist in St. John’s in 1913.
After his ordination, Revered Father Nangle took up his priestly ministry in St. Thomas of Villa Nova parish, Topsail. From there he served at the Cathedral of St. John’s the Baptist parish in St. John’s, and at St. Michael’s parish on Bell Island. After leaving Bell Island, Father Nangle served from 1914-1916 at St. Patrick’s Parish, in Riverhead, St. John’s. This was to be his last parish before the drums of war called him overseas to the Newfoundland Regiment.
In July 1916, he enlisted in the Newfoundland Regiment and went overseas where he became part of the Royal Army Chaplain’s Department. He was subsequently attached to the 88th Brigade Field Ambulance, British Expeditionary Force and in October of 1916 was appointed chaplain to the First Battalion, Newfoundland Regiment.
As chaplain of the Regiment in the Great War, he played a major role working in the trenches, burying the dead, consoling the wounded, comforting families and motivating the troops. Padre Nangle received a wound to his shoulder on April 24, 1917.
After the cessation of hostilities, Padre Nangle was appointed Director of War Graves, Registration, Enquiries and Memorials, and was further appointed by Newfoundland Prime Minister Sir Richard Squires as Newfoundland’s Representative to the Imperial War Graves Commission of Britain.
As Director of War Graves, he personally supervised the exhumation of known graves, the construction of Newfoundland’s 15 war graveyards in Europe and Gallipoli, the building of five caribou memorials ( 4 in France, 1 in Belgium) and the construction and unveiling of the National War Memorial in St. John’s at King’s Beach.
In 1926, after reaching all of his personal goals in relation to the Newfoundland graveyards and memorials, and after leaving the priesthood, he emigrated to Rhodesia, South Africa, where be became a farmer, entered politics and married Thelma Watkinson. The couple had dour children: Timothy, Hugh, Rory and Mavourneen. 
Thomas Nangle died in Rhodesia ( now Zimbabwe ) on January 4, 1972, at age 83. Known as Tim to Family and friends, he was predeceased by his wife, Thelma, and survived by his children: Timothy, Hugh, Rory, and Mavourneen. Today, in St. John’s, Newfoundland, where he was born and raised, there’s a street named in his honour- Padre Nangle Place. Many people, however, may not be aware that the man the street is named after, the man buried next to his wife in a foreign country thousands of miles from his native land was the beloved Roman Catholic chaplain of the Newfoundland Regiment during the First World War.

For further information see -  Browne, Gary and McGrath, Darrin. Soldier Priest: In the Killing Fields of Europe. Padre Thomas Nangle: Chaplain to the Newfoundland Regiment WWI. DRC Publishing, St. John's, 2006.
Source:  http://www.newfoundlandandthesomme.com/commemoration/biography_of_thomas_nangle.htm

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