Council considers plans for Whitehead airfield memorial

by Gráinne Connolly

Mid and East Antrim Borough Council is considering plans to install a permanent memorial marking the significance of a Whitehead airfield during the Great War.

A proposal was brought to Council’s Operational Committee, seeking the installation of a commemorative marker in Diamond Jubilee Wood.

If successful, the initiative could also lead to a pop-up museum in the area.
 

The Bentra Aerodrome was home to the first military aviation facility in Ireland.

Royal Naval Air Service airships based there patrolled the water between Ireland and Scotland, protecting both from German U-boat attacks.
 

Mayor of Mid and East Antrim, Councillor Paul Reid said:

“The Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust exists to preserve Britain’s former airfields that deserve recognition as heritage sites.

“Whitehead’s role in the Great War cannot be underestimated and this would be a fitting tribute to all our brave service personnel who risked so much to protect our communities. 

“The placing of a marker at Diamond Jubilee Wood would form an important part of our Council’s commitment to this historical site and I have no doubt would draw visitors from across Northern Ireland and further afield.

“They have had an airfield marker programme running since 2009 and hope to install 400 by 2030.

“The locating of an airfield market would recognise this important contribution to Bentra’s maritime history and it is hoped will form part of a proposed wider application to the Heritage Lottery Fund.”
 

The proposal will be brought to Full Council to be considered by Elected Members.

Earlier this month it was announced a number of ‘Ghost Tommies’ will be erected in Mid and East Antrim to commemorate the centenary of the end of the Great War.

The poignant sculptures will be placed in Ballymena, Larne and Carrickfergus in memory of all those who lost their lives in the conflict.

The ‘Tommies’ will also support a new charity called Remembered. Its aim is to raise £15million for Armed Forces and mental health charities to help heal those suffering from the hidden wounds of post-traumatic stress disorder and other lasting legacies of combat, by raising funds for our beneficiary charities.

Battle’s Over Beacons will also be lit across Mid and East Antrim to mark the 100th anniversary of the Armistice.

One thousand beacons will be illuminated throughout the UK, the Channel Islands, Isle of Man and UK overseas territories, to commemorate and remember all those who lost their lives or were injured during the Great War.

The event, due to take place at 7pm on 11 November 2018, will also honour the huge army of men and women on the home front who, often in dangerous and exhausting conditions, underpinned the war effort.