The Men

The Men

Friday 17 January 2014

Telling Their Stories - Remembering the High School Past Pupils Who Died in The Great War

Some sixty-nine past pupils of The High School lost their lives in The First World War.  Their names have long graced the walls of our school, celebrated and commemorated on a handsome plaque next to a beautiful, stained-glass memorial window.

In this, the centenary year of the beginning of WWI, our aim is to gather together information on the men who bravely gave their lives and answered a call of duty, in the most selfless way.  If you have any information pertaining to the men listed here, please do not hesitate to get in touch.

An Irish Airman Foresees His Death

I know that I shall meet my fate
Somewhere among the clouds above;
Those that I fight I do not hate,
Those that I guard I do not love;
My country is Kiltartan Cross,
My countrymen Kiltartan's poor,
No likely end could bring them loss
Or leave them happier than before.
Nor law, nor duty bade me fight,
Nor public men, nor cheering crowds,
A lonely impulse of delight
Drove to this tumult in the clouds;
I balanced all, brought all to mind,
The years to come seemed waste of breath,
A waste of breath the years behind
In balance with this life, this death.

William Butler Yeats
(High School Past Pupil)

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