Unexploded shells from World War 1 Today we have the last of Fr Doyle’s narratives from his letters home to his father in August 1917, less than a week before his death. In this entry in his letter we see his close brush with death in the form of a shell landing very close to him. Close beside us I had found the remains of a dug-out which had been …
WWI
August 11, 2011
Ecce Homo: Behold the Man We return today to Fr Doyle’s narrative, and get some glimpse of the horror of war, and the comfort that the presence of a priest can bring to the dying. Of particular note is his reference to Pontius Pilate presenting Jesus to the crowd after the scourging with the words: “Ecce homo” (Behold the Man)… These events occurred on this day in 1917. A sad …
August 10, 2011
Continuing our narrative today, it is hard not to be struck by the extraordinary good humour of Fr Doyle. The “cathedral” to which he refers was, of course, just another dug out or shell hole somewhere in a battlefield. His final comment about being glad not to be asked to say the rosary with bombs falling around him is classic Irish wit. It is important to remember that these letters …
August 8, 2011
A German gas attack seen from the air Today’s account, from 7 August 1917, gives us some small insight into the horrors of the war, especially when it involved the use of poisoned gas. Of note also is the way in which Fr Doyle accepts spending extra days at the front to cover for a priest who never showed up to relieve him. He doesn’t grumble or complain, and in …
August 7, 2011
World War 1 First Aid station The events of August 6 1917 in Fr Doyle’s own words. In particular today we note Fr Doyle’s devotion to the Mass. The following morning, though the Colonel and other officers pressed me very much to remain with them on the ground that I would be more comfortable, I felt I could do better work at the advanced dressing-station, or rather aid-post, and went …
August 6, 2011
A flooded shell hole We once again resume Fr Doyle’s narrative of the events at the Battle of Passchendaele. This is his account of the events of August 5, 1917. In a particular way, his confidence in God’s providence is evident today. All day I have been busy hearing the men’s confessions, and giving batch after batch Holy Communion. A consolation surely to see them crowding to the Sacraments, but …
August 5, 2011
Fr Francis Browne SJ We have no more reports from Fr Doyle until August 5th, and we shall take up his narrative once again on that date. What we do know about these days is that Fr Doyle and his men had a few days rest before facing the trauma of battle once again. This might be an appropriate place to give the following excerpt from O’Rahilly’s biography which includes …
August 2, 2011
1st August Feast of St Alphonsus Liguori, Doctor of the Church We continue today with Fr Doyle’s narrative of events in the days leading up to his death. Today’s account is somewhat shorter than that of other days. Even if the events of this day are less dramatic than what is to come, we can still glimpse some of the suffering Fr Doyle and the men had to endure, as …
August 1, 2011
July 31st The feast of St Ignatius Loyola, Founder of the Jesuits. We continue Fr Doyle’s account of July 31, 1917 directly after he left off yesterday. Again what is most noticeable is Fr Doyle’s good humour and cheerfulness, even in the midst of this awful war. It was 1.30 a.m. when our first halting place was reached, and as we march again at three, little time was wasted getting …
July 31, 2011
"When one has put in a long day of hard work…the prospect of a stiff march is not too pleasant". From the last letter of Fr Doyle to his father describing the events of July 30, 1917, 94 years ago today: For the past week we have been moving steadily up to the Front once more to face the hardships and horrors of another big push, which report says is …
July 30, 2011