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| Jack Duggan, George Duggan and W. Appleyard |
Three High School past pupils fell on August 16th, 1915, in Gallipoli: Jack Duggan, George Duggan (brothers) and Walter Appleyard.
Jack Duggan left behind a collection of letters, now stored at the National Archive, to his fiancé, Beatrice Seymour, which formed the basis of 'Jack Duggan's War', a documentary play by Colin Murphy, presented by ANU Productions, in association with the National Museum of Ireland. In the letters, Jack reveals himself to be a lively, impulsive young man, eager to participate in the 'adventure' of war. This clever play allows the audience to hear the voices of three friends, simultaneously, as if they are having a conversation in the room together. Its staging at Collins Barracks, which was where the men would have stayed before heading off to war, adds a whole other layer of poignancy to the play.
George Duggan, was the elder brother, a successful international sportsman, and the man who initiated 'Trinity Week'. He was a member of the Officer's Training Corps at Trinity College, where, in his student days, he was considered a brilliant scholar. He was fatally wounded on August 16th , 1915,in Gallipoli, and was taken aboard the hospital ship. His brother Jack was shot through his wrist, but refused to go to the hospital because all the other officers were dead, and he didn't want to leave the men without an officer. Before the night was over, he was dead.
One cannot help but wonder, if Jack had gone to the ship, and learnt that his brother lay dying, he might have thought twice about returning to the fray; for the loss of two sons in one night is more than any mother can bear.
Walter Appleyard was a married man of 31 years who enlisted in 1914. He was with three or four men in a small post without ammunition; the enemy were throwing bombs on them. It was while throwing back these bombs that he was shot through the heart, 16th August, 1915, on the ridge Kislagh Dagh. His brother George was also fighting in the war, but he survived and wrote to the War Office in 1919 for Walter's military medals, which he received.
To lean more about these men, click here:
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