September 1915

Seagoe parish Æmgasme.
S E P T E M B E R , 1915,

Moffett] [Photographer.
P r iv a te J o h n G irv a n .

is t B att. Royal Irish F usiliers.
Private John Girvan has been on Active Service

in France and Flanders since August, 1914, when the
present war began. He has taken part in 8 Battles,
and in 8 Bayonet Charges, and has been constantly
on duty in the Trenches. The photograph was taken
last July when he was visiting his home in Tarson,
having obtained a week’s leave of absence. His rifle,
trench axe, bandolier, water bottle, etc., are the
equipment which he brought with him from the
trenches. He has happily escaped wounds and
sickness, though many around him have fallen.

New R e c to r o f P o rtad ow n .
On behalf of the Parish of Seagoe we extend a

hearty welcome to the Rev. Canon Moeran, the newly
appointed Rector of Portadown. He comes amongst
us with a most honourable record of Christian work,
and we pray that in his new and larger sphere of
labour in Portadown the Divine blessing may rest
upon all his efforts. Portadown has a larger
proportion of Church "members than any other parish
in Ireland, and the duty of ministering to so great
a population is a task and a privilege which may well
test the capabilities of even the most experienced and
active of our clergy. We welcome also Mrs. Moeran,
the daughter of an Irish Bishop, and the sister of an
Indian Bishop who comes of a family most dis­
tinguished in the records of church work in Ireland.

R e v . G e o rg e B lo o m e r.
Much regret has been expressed in Seagoe at the

approaching departure from the Parish of the Rev.
G. Bloomer who has laboured very faithfully here
for almost four years. Our regret is softened to a
certain extent by the fact that he is not going very
far away. Portadown is not very far from Seagoe,
but when you cross the Bridge at Portadown you
pass from the Diocese of Dromore into the Areh-
Diocese of Armagh so that the change is greater
than one might imagine. However we shall often
have the pleasure of seeing and meeting Mr. Bloomer
even though he be no longer Curate of Seagoe, and
we are sure that all our readers will unite in wishing
him much blessing and happiness in his work in St.
Mark’s Parish. We believe this is the first occasion
on which a Curate of Seagoe has become Curate of
Portadown, and we congratulate Canon Moeran on
having secured so diligent and faithful a worker in
the cause of Christ and the Church. Mr. Bloomer
hopes to enter upon his duties in St. Mark’s at the
end of October. ---------

The A n n u a l R e p o rt,
The Annual Report for the Parish up to Easter,

1915, is now in the hands of the Parishioners. We
hope they will read it carefully. The Hon Treas.,
Mr. W. R. Atkinson, writes an important Prefatory
Note on the importance of keeping up the Sustenta­
tion Fund at a higher level. The Glebe Purchase
Scheme has made good progress although only £17
was placed to its credit this year from the Sustenta­
tion Fund. I t has now reached the substantial total
of £708. The sum required is £957. A slight effort
on the part of all the Parishioners would soon
complete the amount aimed at. We are glad to
notice that the Missionary contributions are larger
than in any previous year amounting to some Í68.
The Report is very neatly and clearly printed and
reflects credit on the “Portadown News” Office, which
published it.



SEAGOE PARISH MAGAZINE.

possess an excellent likeness of Mr. Gracey in the
photograph which we print in this issue of the
magazine.

The D eath o f P te . J . M a lc o m s o n .
9th August, 1915.

Dear Mrs. Malcomson—Having only recently
joined this Company I did not know your son Joseph,
but on receipt of your letter I caused enquiries to be
made, and found that he was killed near Hooge on
June 16th. A shell burst in the midst of a party
killing nine of them outright. I deeply sympathise
with you in your sad loss ; everyone spoke so highly
of your boy ; they all lost a brave and cheerful
comrade. I sincerely hope the war will soon be over,
and your son in the 1st Battalion spared to return to
you. Your boy was buried at Hooge, in a little
Cemetery there, by our Chaplain the same evening,
and a little Cross with his name inscribed marks his
last resting-place. May God comfort you at this
time is my earnest prayer.— Yours sincerely,

T. H. I v e y , Lieut.
O.C. B. Co. 2/R.I.R.

P ro te s ta n t O rp h an C a rd s .
The following Cards and amounts have been

received towards the funds of the Protestant Orphan
Society—H enrietta Porter, 9/- ; James M‘Donald,
6/3 ; Joseph Kelly, 1/1 ; Moses M'Kerr, 1/6 ; Albert
Best, 1/- ; Isabella Best, 8/- ; May Hynes, 12/8 ; Miss
Rhoda Guy, 9/6. Total, £2 9s Od.

P u b lic L e c tu re .
A Lecture with lantern illustrations will (d .v .) be

given in Edenderry Parochial Hall, on Monday,
September 18th, at 8 o’clock, by the Rev W. D.
Abbott, Deputation Secretary of the >Society for
Promoting Christian Knowledge. Tickets of
Admission, 3d each, are on sale. There will be no
collection. Mr. Abbott is a most interesting lecturer
and will give details of the wonderful and varied work
carried on all over the world by the S.P.C.K.

O u r W ounded S o ld ie rs .
P rivate David Porter, 5th Battalion Royal Irish

Fusiliers, of James Street, has been wounded in the
right hand at the Dardanelles. He took part in the
famous landing at Suvla Bay at 5 a.m., on August
6th, and had only been two hours on shore when he
was wounded at 7 a,m. He is in a Cottage Hospital
near Alexandria, and we are glad to learn is making
a good recovery. The bullet passed through the
“ heel ” of his hand at the base of the thumb.

* * *

P rivate Sam uel Gaddell, of the Transport, 5th
Battalion, Royal Irish Fusiliers, of James Street, has
also been wounded at the Dardanelles, but particulars
as to the nature of his wounds have not yet been
received.

D eath o f M r . R o b e rt G ra c e y »
We record with much sorrow the death of Mr.

Robert Gracey which occurred on Tuesday August
17th, Mr. Gracey had been in weak health for some
time, but the end came unexpectedly. By his death
we have lost from our midst a vigorous personality—
a man upright and downright, who filled a large
space in the life of the Parish. He had been for
many years a member of the Select Vestry, and also
a Collector of the Sustentation Fund, He was ever

ready to help in every possible way the work of the
Church and no worthy cause appealed to him in vain.
His funeral—so very largely attended was a fine
proof of the respect and esteem in which he was held
The Interm ent took place in the Family Burying
Ground at Shankill graveyard. The service at the
graveside was taken by the Rector of Seagoe. We
offer our sincere sympathy to his family in their
bereavement. Many of our readers will be glad to



SEAGOE PA RISH MAGAZINE.

In C am p at S e a fo r dim
The Rector visited the Camp at Seaford on

Tuesday, August 3rd, and had the pleasure of
spending several hours amongst the men from Seagoe
and Portadown. Seaford village is a quiet old-world
town with an ancient Parish Church jutting out into
the narrow, straggling street which runs down from
the station towards the sea, but a new Seaford has, in
recent years,arisen along the shore with high houses and
spacious hotels. There is also a fine Promenade
almost a mile in length, and there, every afternoon
from 5 o’clock, Ulster is in possession. The broad
asphalted space is crowded with lads from Edenderry
and Edgarstown as well as from the Shankill Road
and Ballymacarrett.

The South Camp where our 9th Bafct. have been
stationed is distant about a mile from Seaford. The
road to it is very dusty and sandy, being cut up by
the constant and heavy traffic. On the way we pass
the Golf Links. The sentry at the gate is very
particular, and rightly so, for spies abound, however
the Rector of Seagoe, after some conversation, was
allowed to enter accompanied by a Sergeant. On the
left of the entrance there is a wide unoccupied space
used as a Parade Ground, and on the right the huts
stretch away well up on the shoulder of Seaford
Down. The Seagoe Companies are on high and
healthy ground. The Rifle Ranges are on the
summit of the Down near the sea. On the day when
the Rector visited the Camp most of the Seagoe men
were manoeuvring in the level meadows along the
banks of the tidal river Cuckmere which flows into
the sea at the back of Seaford Down. The pretty
village of Alfreston is seen in the distance. There is
a farm house, with its outbuildings, almost in the
middle of the Camp. The Rector visited all the huts
occupied by the Saagoe men, and spoke to as many as
he could meet. All seemed very happy and in high
spirits. The strong sun and sea breezes have tanned
their faces, and all look very healthy and strong.
The men seemed to have greatly appreciated the
service held by the Lord Primate in a hollow in the
Downs near the Camp on a recent Sunday.

S e a g o e a t S e a fo rd .
A L etter from the Camp.

We are indebted to two of our Campers of the 9th
Batt. for the following notes from the Camp :—

Just a few lines to let you know how some of the
old Seagoe boys are doing in their new quarters. We
like Seaford well, but, of course, all the boys think
there is no place like Ireland, and that is only
natural.

The Camp is near the famous holiday resorts of
Eastbourne and Brighton, both of which we often
visit. I t is a very large Camp — about 20,000 soldiers—■
m uch larger than Newtownards. We were inspected
by^Lord_Kitchener who was well pleased with the
steadiness and physique of the men from Ulster.

Sir Edward Carson paid us a visit a few weeks ago ;
he came around our huts and chatted with a good
many of the men. Poor Joseph Topley was drowned
when bathing in the river here ; everyone was sorry,
for he was very well liked. The funeral was most
impressive. When the “ Last Post ” was sounded
you could have heard a pin drop.

In the recent firing our 9th Batt. came out second
in the whole Division, and only lost top place by
about one-fifth of a point.

There is a Cup offered for best shooting unit in the
Division. Of course we will do our best to bring the
trophy to our Battalion. We were also exercised in
the Bayonet F ighting by the Inspector of Infantry a
few weeKs ago, and he was pleased with our
performance. Just now the Aeroplanes are humming
overhead. Evidently they are going to give the
German airships no chance of paying us a surprise
visit.

P A R IS H R E G IS T E R F O R A U G U S T .

B a p t is m s .
Baptized on Saturday, August 7th, 1915.

Coulter—Joseph, son of John and Anne Coulter of
Edenderry.

Sponsors—John Coulter, Anne Coulter.
McCormick— Sarah, daughter of George and

Margaret McCormick of Levaghery.
Sponsors—Mary Anne Greer, Margaret McCormick.

M a r r ia g e .
Ruddell and Q uaile—September 2nd, 1915, Thomas

Clarke Ruddell of Lisniskey, to Sarah Jane
Quaile of Balteagh.

B u r ia ls .
W ilson —August 2nd, William Wilson, Town Clerk

of Portadown, aged 44 years.
Reid— August 13th, William Robert Reid of Upper

Seagoe, aged 7 years.
G racey—August 19th, Robert Gracey of Balteagh,

aged 70 years.
B row n—August 28th, Joseph Brown of Ballinacor»

aged 87 years.
Kane— August 29th, Edward Ivane of Belfast, aged

47 years.
M cDonald—August 31st. James McDonald of Eden­

derry, aged 75 years.
W ebb— September 1st, Florence Webb of Knock-

mena, aged 16 years.

O ffe rto r ie s fo r A u g u s t.
“ It is more blessed to give than to receive.”
Sundays—Mornings, £5 8 7

Evenings, ... 2 £ 5
Week Evenings 0 7 7

Total, £8 1 7



SEAGOE PA EISH MAGAZINE.

IT E M S .
The graveyard extension at Seagoe has been cleared

of a great growth of weeds. We hope the Rural
Council will carefully keep the ground in order. The
first grave in the new portion is that of Mr. John
Walker, Petty Sessions Clerk of Portadown. The
ground is set apart for a very sacred purpose — the
burial of the dead—and should be cared for in a
very special way.

* * *
Much regret has been expressed at the death of Mr.

William Wilson, Town Clerk of Portadown. Mr.
Wilson was a native of Lisniskey, in Seagoe Parish.

* * *
The very bright star which has been such a con­

spicuous object in the southern heavens during July
and August is Sirius, often called the Dog-star.
Though one of the brightest of the stars it is so very
far distant from us that if at any time it were ex­
tinguished its light would continue to be seen by
us for twenty years.

* * *
A rumour reaches us that the Ulster Division is

about to be moved to Aldershot or its immediate
neighbourhood to complete there, its instruction in
musketry.

* 5fC *

Sir John French has informed Mrs. Malcomson of
Joseph Street, that her third and now only surviving
son has been transferred from the firing line to the
transport. This concession has been made with great
readiness and sympathy by the Commander in Chief,
and is much appreciated.

* * *
In this m onth’s issue we insert a two page leaflet on

the “ Needs of Belgium.” Please read it carefully
and if you can, send a trifle to help those who have
so self-sacrificingly helped us in this war.

* * *

The Lord Primate intends (D.V.) to Institute the
Rev. Canon Moeran, as Eector of Portadown, at a
Service, on Monday, September 6th, at 8 p.m. in St.
M ark’s Church.

* * *

Seagoe Choir is at present busily engaged in
practising the Anthem “ The Lord our God hath
blessed us,” for the Harvest Thanksgiving Services
which will be held (d .v .) in the Parish Church, on
Thursday, October 7th, and on Sunday, October 10th.

* * *
The Rev. F. J. Halahan will preach in Seagoe

Church on Sunday evening, September 5th.

* * *

Rumours are current that Private David Dunlop,
of James Street, 5th Battalion R.I.F., fell in the
recent fighting at Suvla Bay. We hope the news is
not true. No official intimation has yet been
received.

The Select Vestry, at a meeting held at the Rectory
this week, passed a Resolution of sympathy with the
relatives of the late, Mr. Robert Gracey, of Balteagh,

* * *

Isaiah Shanks has left Seagoe for Flanders to
undertake Munition Work. He will be much missed
from the Edenderry Men’s Bible Class, where he had
attended 8J years without missing a single Sunday.

* * *

Herbert Murray, Maxwell Stoops, and Edward
Marshall joined the 3rd Canadian Contingent.

* * *

Jam es Tedford, R.I.F., has returned home, having
been wounded in the ankle in Flanders.

* * *
The Ulster Division removed this week from

Seaford Camp to Borden Camp 15 miles from Aider-
shot.

H a rv e s t at H a c k n a h a y »
The Annual Harvest Services will ( d .v ,) be held in

Hacknahay School on Sunday, September 26th, at
3-30 p.m., and on Monday, September 27th, at 7-30
p.m. The Offerings at the Sunday Service will be in
aid of Hacknahay Sunday School, and the Monday
service for Foreign Missions.

O ld S e a g o e N otes.
A Portadow n Bank N ote.—A One Pound Bank

Note has come into our hands issued on July 1st,
1846, by the Portadown Branch of the Ulster Bank,
then occupying premises in Edenderry opposite the
end of Railway Street. The note is in good preser­
vation, and has the name “ Portadown ” printed on
three sides of the border. I t contains the words, “ I
promise to pay the Bearer on Demand One Pound
British at Portadown,” and is signed “ John Henry.”
The number of the note is B16012.

Local Seagoe W ills, 1 7 1 5 — 1768.—The follow­
ing Wills, among many others, from Seagoe Parish,
are to seen at the Record Office, Dublin—Robert
Saunders, Drumgor, 1715 ; Richard Scott, Crossma-
caghily, 1716 ; James Sinckler, Knockbridge, 1718 ;
Judith Stevenson, 1758 ; Richard Timmons, Sego,
1735 ; Owen Sheills, Drumnagoon, 1768.

H istorical Sketch of Lurgan, 1873.—A
parishioner possesses a copy of quaint verses, dated
Lurgan, January, 1873, describing the town of
Lurgan, and its history. The verses are by Wm.
Lavery. One on the Parish C urch runs as
follows :

“ The Church got too small
For the worshippers all,
And in seventeen-seventy-five,
The new Church was raised,
Which then was much praised,
Then Lnrgan did afterwards thrive.”


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