Heroic Holywood son remembered
At noon on Monday 26 June 2017, Holywood parish welcomed members of the Dunville family who had travelled from Canada and England to attend a centenary service commemorating the valour of their relative, Second Lieutenant John Spencer Dunville VC.
It was on 26 June 1917 that Second Lieutenant John Dunville of the 1st (Royal) Dragoons died from his wounds after leading a party of soldiers to cut the barbed wire near the German lines near Epehy, France. Although wounded, he remained between the enemy’s fire and the engineers cutting the wire so that the mission was successfully completed. He was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross which his father received from King George V at Buckingham Palace in August 1917.
The rector, Canon Gareth Harron, welcomed Her Majesty’s Lord Lieutenant, those associated with Second Lieutenant Dunville’s regiment and the many representatives from the civic and political world, community groups, residents and friends of Holywood.
Paul Young of the Blues and Royals Association gave a moving tribute to John S Dunville VC and Christoper Dunville and the Mayor of Ards and North Down Borough Council, Councillor Robert Adair read the lessons. The Mayor and Paul Young also unveiled a memorial stone.
Beginning his address, the Revd Alex Bennett,CF, Deputy Assistant Chaplain General of 38 (Irish) Brigade, said: “We are here today to commemorate the life and sacrifice of one particular person, but in doing so, we remember the sacrifice of the many: of a whole generation who lost their lives on the battlefields of the First World War, and the many who were wounded in body, mind or spirit.
“As an Englishman in Northern Ireland I have come to respect with great humility the story of the First World War for the whole of our country, but in particular for the people of Northern Ireland – and for the sacrifice of its sons in the First World War.”
Revd Bennett continued: “Over time the grief subsides, and today with the lens of one hundred years we are well to remember the words of the Lord Jesus: ‘Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.’
“For in the heat of battle, a brave man fights not for the flag or the sovereign, but for the brother on his left and his right.
“Today we remember that death is but a little thing compared to the man who was Second Lieutenant John Spencer Dunville VC, a soldier of the First World War, a hero, a son and a brave man.”
As part of the act of commemoration wreaths were laid on behalf of the Parish, Ards and North Down Borough Council, the Royal British Legion and the Blues and Royals Association.
Following the service, the Council hosted a buffet lunch in the parish centre where guests were able to speak to members of the Dunville family and exchange memories of Redburn. Also on view were interpretative panels on John Dunville VC and his family as well as replicas of his VC and other memorabilia.
With thanks to Betty McLaughlin