On the night of Remembrance Day, local military historian Mark Scott was joined by filmmaker and producer, Brian Henry Martin, to give us an insight into the life and photographs of Lance Corporal George Hackney.
They began their presentation by relating the discovery by Brian in the Ulster Museum collection, of George’s photos and diaries while he was looking for a human way into the tragedy of the First World War. George’s photos take us on the Rifles journey over to France by boat, across the French countryside to the Front Lines including 4 powerful images taken on the day of the infamous Battle of the Somme. Thephotographic album captures the war as seen through a soldier’s eyes and as they progress we see the reality of war setting in for these local men- as Brian remarked “their faces changes as the casualties come, as the death comes”.
The photos themselves are expertly taken, showing George’s skill in composition and artistic eye as well as his ability to use his camera- with images suggesting that he was able to used his camera as a periscope and for intelligence gathering. Indeed, it seems George photographed to gather information on German positions and defences, perhaps on the understanding that his personal war photography (which was illegal) would be tolerated by his commanding officers.
After the Somme, we see a rest hospital and some of the makeshift graves before the photos end abruptly. George’s war was over, as he was sent home to recover from ‘Shell shock’. He returned to Belfast and developed his photos, placing them in albums and creating an index of names of those he photographed. Local families could then come and look at the images and buy prints that contained loved ones who perhaps weren’t as lucky as George and never made it home from France. He settled in the Dundonald area and is buried in a simple grave in Comber Cemetery, the stone inscribed Hackney.
Through their research into George’s life and their journey following in his footsteps they created the wonderful documentary The Man who Shot the Great War (DoublebandFilms, 2014) and Mark’s fascinating book of the same name. Through their research and careful reading of the accompanying diaries they’ve been able to offer insights into George’s time in France; using the photos as primary sourcesto identify that he was most likely a sniper scout andpinpointing locations he photographed. Mark also discovered his own unlikely connection to the story with his grandfather Sergeant Jimmy Scott of the 14th Royal Irish Rifles appearing in a few of George’s photos.
Yet, despite all their research, Mark & Brian still have many questions about George’s life- where are his medals? Did George take any more photos after the war- if so, where are they now? Where is the first photographic album of training in Ireland? And perhaps most significantly, where is George’s diary that covered the Somme period- lost or perhaps destroyed?
All at Comber Historical Society would like to pass along their thanks to Mark and Brian on a fascinating presentation. Our next meeting is on Monday, December 9th at Smyth Hall, 2nd Comber Presbyterian. Our last meeting before Christmas will be festive themed, with Roddy Hegarty joining us to tell us about the historic origins of well-known Christmas Traditions in his talk Cooking the Goose: The truth about Christmas past. As usual, the evening starts at 8 p.m., and the entry fee includes tea, coffee as well as some Christmas treats!
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