Rev James Douglas
In 1942 a former curate, of Magheralin Parish, the Rev.
James Douglas, joined the Forces as a Padre. Sadly, he was killed
during the battle for Mont Pincon(1), on August 5
1944, following
the Normandy landings, and was later mentioned in
dispatches, having been in the front line with his men.
Mr.
Douglas was appointed curate of Magheralin in August 1933 and
remained there for five years before moving to Colebrook as Rector
in February, 1938 and later joining the army as a padre. The
resilient and complete faith in God which had characterised Mr.
Douglas' ministry in Magheralin was the gift he took with him to the
field of battle. That he was able to share God's saving grace with
so many young men, and urge them to place their trust in God was
indeed a special calling for Mr. Douglas. He felt honoured that God
had called him to do this business and he answered that call
faithfully to the end. A Padre leading his men in prayer in the
fleeting minutes before battle is a sobering moment.
The Rev.
James Douglas was born in Waterford and educated in Wesley College
and Trinity College, Dublin. When he first came to Magheralin, he
lodged at first in the `Wilderness' with the Gilpin family(2). Later in
1935 he married and moved to the curate's house at no. 19 Avenue
Road. This was formerly a Police Barracks and retained a cell in the
basement! One night, Mrs. Douglas was startled to hear banging on
the door. Upon opening it, she discovered that a man, pursued by a
crowd for some misdemeanour was seeking police protection! Mrs.
Douglas played the organ in Dollingstown for some time.
Today, half a century later, (circa 1991) Mr. Douglas is survived by
three children and his wife. One daughter lives in Helen's Bay,
while his son is the well-known
Dr. James Douglas, often referred to as
`the kidney man' at Belfast City Hospital. Mr. Douglas' eldest
daughter Anne, now lives in the area and is a parishioner of the
church where her father once served. A teacher, she married in 1962 Dr. William
Miller, who is a local GP. Mrs. Douglas, although frail and unable
to attend the church where she has so many happy memories, is still
a frequent visitor to the area(3).
James Douglas's (Chaplain 4th Class, No. 244123) death was reported in
the 19 August 1944 edition of the *County Down Spectator*, with a death
notice also appearing in the 17 August 1944 edition of the *Belfast
News-Letter*.
Born on 9 March 1910 at 12 South Parade,
Waterford, James was the second son of John and Kathleen Douglas (née
Walshe, sometimes Walsh), who married on 10 August 1904 in Trinity
Church of Ireland Cathedral, Waterford. John Douglas, born in County
Antrim and residing at 14 Beresford Street, Waterford, was a teacher and
the son of John Douglas, a Superintendent of Fishery. Kathleen Walshe,
born in Dublin and living at 32 William Street, Waterford, was a teacher
and the daughter of William Walshe, a commercial traveler. The Douglas
family resided at 12 South Parade, Waterford, and consisted of three
children:
- John Henry (born 10 July 1905)
- James (born 9
March 1910)
- Kenneth Malcolm (born 11 June 1914; died of enteritis
29 August 1914)
James received his education at Newtown School in
Waterford, Wesley College Dublin, and Trinity College Dublin, where he
studied Theology. During his time at Trinity, he enjoyed swimming, water
polo, and rugby, representing the College on the rugby field.
In
1932, James obtained a BA degree from Trinity College Dublin and entered
Holy Orders. He served as a Curate in Magheralin Parish Church of
Ireland Church, Co. Armagh, from 1933 until 1938, before moving to
Colebrook Parish Church as Curate-in-Charge.
On 25 April 1935,
James Douglas married Annie Hildegarde (Hilda) Harte in Wesley Centenary
Methodist Church, Hamilton Road, Bangor. Hilda Harte, born on 12 April
1907 in South Circular Road, Dublin, was the daughter of Rev. Frederick
Edward Harte MA and Annie Humphreys Harte (née Guard). The Rev.
Frederick Edward Harte was a Methodist Minister and a former President
of the Irish Methodist Conference, while Annie Guard was the daughter of
Wesley Guard, also a Methodist Minister. Hilda's five aunts founded
Glenlola School in Bangor in 1897.
At the onset of the Second
World War, Rev. James Douglas was serving as Curate-in-Charge in
Colebrook (Aghalurcher) Parish Church of Ireland Church (St. Ronan’s),
Co. Fermanagh. In September 1942, he joined the Army Chaplains’
Department, undergoing initial training in Omagh followed by Padre
Training in England. In June 1944, he was deployed to France with the
Royal Army Chaplains’ Department (RACD) attached to the 5th Battalion
Wiltshire Regiment in the 129th Brigade of the 43rd Division.
Chaplain 4th Class James Douglas arrived in Normandy two weeks after the
D-Day Landings on 6 June 1944 (Operation Neptune) and ministered to
soldiers during the heavy fighting in the Battle of Normandy (Operation
Overlord). Tragically, at age 34, he was killed by shellfire around
10.00 pm on Saturday 5 August 1944 while his Regiment was preparing to
advance on Mont Pinçon, the highest point in Calvados, Normandy. He was
climbing out of a truck at a newly established Regimental Aid Post (RAP)
near a crossroads close to Duval when the truck was hit directly,
killing him instantly.
James's father had died on 27 July 1944
in Clones, Co. Cavan, and James could have taken compassionate leave but
chose to remain with the soldiers who needed his spiritual support, as
expressed in a letter to his wife Hilda on 3 August 1944, just days
before his death.
Rev. James Douglas left behind a widow and
three young children
• Anne (aged 8) and twins
• James and Mary
(aged 5)—who were residing in Sheridan Lodge, Helen’s Bay, Co. Down.
The Rev. Ivan Neill (Senior Army Chaplain) described James as "a
hero and a saint" in a letter to Hilda.
James Douglas's
distinguished service was acknowledged in the Battalion Field Obituary,
Regimental Histories, and a mention in despatches in the London Gazette
on 22 March 1945.
Chaplain 4th Class James Douglas was initially
buried in an orchard on a farm near the crossroads where he was killed
(CWGC map reference: "Near Duval, France, Sheet 7F/3, 1/50,000, grid
reference 795449"). Later, his body was exhumed and reinterred in
Tilly-sur-Seulles War Cemetery, Calvados, France (Grave VII. C. 3), with
an inscription on his CWGC headstone.
Chaplain 4th Class James Douglas (No. 244123) is commemorated in the Museum of Army Chaplaincy, Amport House, Andover, Hampshire; in Wesley College Dublin; in Trinity College Dublin; in Colebrook (Aghalurcher) Parish Church of Ireland Church (St. Ronan’s) and on the Douglas family grave headstone in Clones Graveyard, Co. Cavan.
Notes:
1. Some historians claim that the battle of the XXX
Corps on Mont Pinçon was one of the hardest of the whole campaign in Normandy.
The moral of the 7th Armoured Division was very low as in the previous operation
Goodwood the unit had suffered heavy losses and had little time to regroup.
Despite this, the division began on the morning of August 6, to advance from
Villers-Bocage until Aunay-sur-Odon. The division advanced through the pines and
chestnut trees at the foot of the mountain, 1100 meters high. In the night
between 6 and 7 August, the British conquered the woods less than 2 km from La
Vallée (crossroads between Auney and Caen, and between Villers-Bocage and Conde)
directed towards Les Trois Maries, on the plain behind the woods of Mont Pinçon.
The top of the mountain was very well defended and the British were able to
reach only with the help of artillery. On August 7, the armoured squadrons of the
Royal Guard and advanced toward Les Grands Bonfaits The Busq. The 2nd Squadron
of the 2nd Armored Battalion Irish Guards stood on the nearby ridge when he was
attacked by three German Panzer IV and artillery that forced the British to
abandon their positions. Always August 7 wagons of the 7th Armoured Division and
infantry Division “Wessex” reached the top of the mountain. At 12:00, however,
already some 14 tanks and other vehicles were destroyed. Only after August 9
Aunay between the crest and La Vallée was completely in Allied hands.
2. Anthony Capper Gilpin married Eirene Claire
Douglas, daughter of Sinton Douglas and Anne Elizabeth Chapman. They
may, or may not, be of the same family. Anthony worked for the United
nations, probably in Geneva.
3. Anne died 28th November 2023.
Any contributions will be
gratefully accepted
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