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Memorial details

Memorial type
Obelisk
District
Belfast City Council
Town
Belfast
County
Antrim
Country
Northern Ireland
Commemoration
Korean War (1950-1953)
Lost
Not lost
WM Reference
6601

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Current location

On lawn on west side of City Hall
City Hall
Donegal Square West
Belfast
Belfast City Council
Antrim
BT1 5GS
Northern Ireland

OS Grid Ref: NW 46240 29558
Denomination: Undefined

View location on Google Maps
Previous locations
  • ST PATRICKS BARRACKS
    Ballymena
    Ballymena
    Antrim
    Northern Ireland

    OS Grid Ref: Undefined
    Denomination: Undefined
Description
A tapering obelisk of pink/grey polished granite, with a plinth of Ballymagrehan granite which stands on a base of Portland limestone. A bronze plaque is attached to the front face of the plinth.
Inscription
6 O'Clock Face: IN MEMORY OF/ THE OFFICERS AND MEN/ OF/ THE 1ST BATTALION/ THE ROYAL ULSTER RIFLES/WHO LOST THEIR LIVES/IN/ KOREA/ AND ESPECIALLY THOSE WHO WERE KILLED/ NEAR THIS PLACE/ ON/ 3RD - 4TH JANUARY 1951/ 83RD 86TH (either side of woman and coat of arms of Ireland) 9 O'Clock Face: THE PEOPLE/ THAT WALKED/ IN DARKNESS/ HAVE SEEN/ A GREAT LIGHT/ (...) 12 O'Clock Face: IN MEMORY OF THE OFFICERS AND MEN OF/ THE 45TH FIELD REGIMENT AND THE/ 170TH MORTAR BATTERY/ THE ROYAL ARTILLERY/ WHO LOST THEIR LIVES/ IN/ KOREA/ AND ESPECIALLY THOSE WHO DIED/ NEAR THIS PLACE/ on/ 3rd - 4th JANUARY 1951 Gold lettering on the plaque in front of the plinth reads: “MEN FROM MANY PARTS OF THE BRITISH ISLES, BUT PREDOMINANTLY FROM EVERY COMMUNITY AND PART OF IRELAND FOUGHT WITH THE RIR IN THE "HAPPY VALLEY" BATTLE IN DEFENCE OF SEOUL CAPITAL OF SOUTH KOREA. / THE MEMORIAL ABOVE WAS CARVED BY A KOREAN MASON DURING THE SUCCEEDING BATTLES BEFORE BEING ERECTED ON 3 JULY 1951 OVERLOOKING THE BATTLEFIELD./ AS SEOUL EXPANDED THE MEMORIAL HAD TO BE MOVED AND WAS REPATRIATED TO THE DEPOT OF THE ROYAL ULSTER RIFLES AT ST PATRICK'S BARRACKS BALLYMENA./ IT WAS MOVED TO THIS FINAL RESTING PLACE ON 24 MAY 2008 WITH THE GRACIOUS PERMISSION OF BELFAST CITY COUNCIL./ THIS RELOCATION WAS MADE POSSIBLE BY GENEROUS DONATIOS FROM THE REGIMENTS AND VETERANS WHO FOUGHT IN THE BATTLE, INDIVIDUALS, TRUSTS, THE KOREAN GIOVERNMENT AND SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS. As Seoul expanded the memorial had to be moved and was repatriated to the depot of the Royal Ulster Rifles at St Patricks Barracks, Ballymena. It was moved to this final resting place on 24 May 2008 with the gracious permission of Belfast City Council. This relocation was made possible by generous donations from the regiments and veterans who fought in the battle, individuals, trusts, the Korean government and Samsung Electronics "
Inscription legible?
yes
Commemorations
  • Korean War (1950-1953)
    Total names on memorial: 0
    Served and returned: 0
    Died: 0
    Exact count: no
    Information shown: Undefined
    Order of information: Undefined
Components
  • Obelisk
    Measurements: Undefined
    Materials: granite- pink/grey
Condition
History
In the 1960s, Seoul was expanding towards the site of the memorial and the British Ambassador recommended that, as the memorial could no longer be properly protected, it should be repatriated to the UK and was brought home on the HMS Belfast in 1962.It was re-erected in the depot in Ballymena NI 1964. In 2008, The War Memorials Trust gave a grant of £2500 to support the restoration and removal of the memorial following the closure of St. Patrick's barracks, Ballymena. Attention has been particularly on preserving the original carving on the memorial done by the Korean Mason. The lettering and badges have been blackened again and the gold crosses regilded. A bronze plaque was added to the upper plinth telling the story of the memorial.
Trust fund/Scholarship
No
Purpose: Unknown or N/A
Reference

This record comprises all information held by IWM’s War Memorials Register for this memorial. Where we hold a names list for the memorial, this information will be displayed on the memorial record. Please check back as we are adding more names to the database.

This information is made available under a Creative Commons BY-NC licence.

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© WMR-6601

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