Thousands of Irish died at Gallipoli 100 years ago. We can’t hide that

We have managed to overlook this huge centenary of Irish sacrifice on the world stage, writes Victoria White

WHEN young James Morgan’s mother saw a vision of him in a doorway, she knew he was dead. There had been no official notification of his death. There was no body over which to grieve. No-one knew where the shattered remains of the 27-year-old lay and, to this day, no-one does. All we can say is that his was one of the 2,700 Irish lives lost in Gallipoli, 100 years ago, in the first three weeks of August, 1915.

It wasn’t only James Morgan’s body which remained hidden. His history, his sacrifice, and his identity lay hidden within his family for a generation, because of the supposed shame, and possible danger, of having a relation who had served in the British armed forces. Possibly the saddest part of this sad story is that when James Morgan’s war medal was sent to his family, they sent it back.