Remembering the ‘Forgotten Irish’ – Ceremony & Plaque
My Irish ‘Nana’ Gladys Killmurray – was born a ‘free woman’ in 1918, during the turbulent Revolutionary times that marked the beginning of the formation of what would become the ‘Republic of Ireland’. She came to the UK to assist in the war against Nazi Germany because she disagreed with the Catholic Church telling its practitioners to support fascism. She is one of the ‘forgotten Irish’ in the UK who will soon receive ‘official’ recognition for their hard-work and sacrifice to keep this country ‘free’.
My paternal grandmother – Gladys Killmurray (1918-1992) – originally came from Ballynacargy (Baile na Carraige) in County Westmeath, (near Mullingar) – and was born a free Citizen of a Revolutionary Ireland (Eire). She came to the UK during WWII to work as a nurse – where she met my paternal grandfather – Alfred Wyles. She spent the rest of her life in the UK – passing away in Tiverton, Devon in 1992.