George Fleming, former submariner and author of Magennis VC, welcomed the stated intention of east Belfast loyalists to build a replica submarine in honour of Falls Road man James Magennis VC.
The replica is to be placed in Clonduff, a Protestant estate in east Belfast where Magennis lived before departing to England. George applauds these efforts to highlight the bravery of a Catholic submariner and Victoria Cross winner during the Second World War. He suggests a similar memorial be sited at James Magennis's old St Finnian's School near Falls Road Swimming Baths, were Magennis learned skills that made his daring feat possible.
From his Midget four-man submarine XE3, Magennis swam to place limpet mines on the Japanese 10,000-ton cruiser Takao and became the only Northern Ireland Second World War VC.
He was also the only naval rating VC to survive the war and the only person in naval history to leave a submarine under water, complete a military operation and return to his submarine.
Yet despite decoration with Britain's highest award for valour, Magennis was refused freedom of Belfast by the City Council while a lack of enthusiasm was evident in west Belfast.
After a two-year campaign by George Fleming, Castlereagh council agreed to place a plaque on Magennis's former home in Clonduff while Belfast City council sited a memorial in front of the City Hall. The latter was on October 8 1999, 13 years after James Magennis died in obscurity in England.
George points to curious links between another Irishman, British submarines, and indirectly, with James Magennis. The first Royal Navy submarine, Holland 1, was launched at Barrow-in-Furness in 1901. The name 'Holland' harks back to John P Holland, a member of the Fenian Movement who was born at Liscannor, Co Clare in 1841.
Holland had been rejected by the Merchant Marines before he joined the Christian Brothers to teach in Limerick while engaging in scientific experiments.
Due to ill health he left the Christian Brothers, followed his mother and brothers to Boston and worked for a US engineering firm before he returned to teaching. By 1859 Holland drafted his first submarine design, one that was never radically altered.
He was convinced that submarines would prove essential in naval warfare and persisted with his dream of a viable metal submarine. He duly submitted his design to the US Naval authorities but they rejected it as "fantastic".
Meanwhile, John's brother Michael introduced him to the Fenian Movement and with their help he continued working on a submarine for use against the British Navy.
It would carry three men and be small enough to be accommodated on a merchant ship and released under water against British ships.
Because of Fenian help Holland could devote more time to developing his midget submarine, which was called Fenian Ram. However the Fenians stopped backing his efforts and he severed his links with them.
In 1896 he won a US naval authorities competition for a submarine design and established The John Holland Torpedo Boat Company. But, because of frustrating interference from US naval professionals, who insisted on changes that undermined the submarine's potential, the project was temporarily wound up.
John Holland's sixth and best design was also rejected by the US authorities and he was left virtually bankrupt. In desperation he accepted a buy-out of his company, which became the Electric Boat Company.
The US government bought Holland No 6 for $150,000 in 1900 and soon designs and submarines were sold to Japan and Britain.
The Royal Navy's first five submarines were Holland boats built at Barrow-in-Furness.
Despite this there was still scant recognition of Holland's contribution even though by 1951 submarine design returned to the shape of his prototype and reached the speed his Fenian Ram had reached 50 years previously.
Loyalists in east Belfast hope former Belfast shipyard workers will build a replica submarine in memory of Magennis for Clonduff estate. Michael Copeland, an UUP MLA and Clonduff Community activist Jamie Leitch are applying to Barrow-in-Furness where the first British Holland Boats were built for the design, and also to the British and Irish governments for funding.
Both Holland and Magennis died in poor circumstances. To make amends, perhaps two replica submarines should be built in their joint memory – one for east and one for west Belfast – tributes to men whose achievements have been undervalued. Surely enough goodwill can be found to use this to mark an end to some of the futile squabbling over a heritage that is intermingled if not entirely shared. Presbyterians gave birth to the United Irishmen and only our mutual enmity hides the fact that – underneath the surface – we have more in common than most people dream of.
