The initial response of Port Erin to the outbreak of the First World War in 1914 was typically patriotic. Local people were eager to do what they could to support the troops at the front. Early in the war, the Port Erin Needlework Guild soldiers and sailors fund was established to provide comforts for local men on active service and in October 1914 the Guild held a public meeting at which Miss Effie Fayle sang patriotic verses, whilst two recently wounded soldiers described their experiences in battle.Those at home in Port Erin were to be hit hard by the war, with the village being almost entirely dependent upon summer visitors for its income. With almost every boarding house

empty, so many local people faced financial hardship that by 1915 the Commissioners were lobbying hard for troops to be billeted there by the government. However one member of the Commissioners caused widespread indignation across the Island, by stating that he did not want to ‘stoop’ to providing accommodation for soldiers.Fishing continued from Port Erin in a small way throughout the war, with most of the crews being men too old for active service. There was further controversy in 1915 however when a Government Order forbade the use of pleasure boats from Port Erin. Before the war, this had been one of the chief attractions of the village and this was another blow for its tourist economy. Insult was added to injury by the fact that Douglas, Peel and Ramsey

Port E rin in the Great War

Rushen Parish Commemorative Plaque, Kirk Christ Holy Trinity ChurchRobert E. Quine Robert C. Christian

Castletown Roll of Honour - Queen Street, Memorial Roll

Castletown in the First World War

Frank Hodson Thomas McGrattan

Perhaps no other settlement in theIsle of Man was so deeply affected by the First World War as was Castletown.At one end of the spectrum, the response of the town was strongly supportive of the war. Some 55 names are recorded on the Queen Street Roll of Honour, compiled during the confl ict, and this little street of humble fi shermen’s cottages was hailed in the press at the time as the ‘most patriotic’ on the Isle of Man. The Castletown Roll of Honour was unveiled in December 1916, and was originally located on a wall adjacent to the entrance

to Castle Rushen. At that time it contained the names of 316 men who were serving and eighteen of those who had fallen. More than seventy men and women are listed on the Castletown Royal British Legion war memorial panel, and they include not just soldiers, but merchant sailors, Royal Navy personnel, airmen and a nurse who gave their lives in the First World War. The war claimed the lives of a son of the High Bailiff and that of a lowly fi sherman, as well as many in between. In addition to the British Army, the natives of Castletown were to be found in the armies of Australia, New Zealand, Canada

and South Africa, so far and wide had they spread before the outbreak of war. They fought in the earliest battles of the Western Front, at the Battle of the Somme, in the great naval battle at Jutland and they braved U-boats on the world’s oceans. At the same time, there were those who opposed the war, and with the introduction of conscription in 1916 at least two Castletonians appeared before a tribunal at Castle Rushen as conscientious objectors. One of these men received a term of imprisonment as a result, after declaring that no authority had the right to compel him to kill his fellow man.

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For the Fallen� ey shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old;Age shall not weary them,

nor the years condemn.At the going down of the sun and in the morning

We will remember them.

CASTLETOWN REMEMBERS -1914/18 and 2014/18, are artworks produced by children of the 4 schools in the area - Buchan, KWC, Castle Rushen and Victoria Road.

� ey are a daily reminder of the sacri� ces made by the men and women of Castletown during the Great War.

LIMITED EDITION .........../600345

For the FallenThey shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:Age shall not weary them,

nor the years condemn.At the going down of the sun and in the morning

We will remember them.

Limited edition .........../250

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The Isle of Man Stamps & Coins stamp images originate from Archibald Knox’s illuminated manuscript the Deer’s Cry, a masterpiece of lettering in watercolour and widely acknowledged as his greatest achievement…

The issue is produced in collaboration with Lloyds Bank and Manx National Heritage and to complement the landmark exhibition Celtic Style at the House of Manannan in Peel and open throughout 2014. iomstamps.com

Hosted by Manx Cancer Help Patron

Katie Melua

Proudly sponsored by Celton Manx

6th September 2014Ballannette Estate

This year, 2014, Braddan Parish Commissioners are celebrating the 150th anniversary of the birth of one its more famous parishioners, Archibald Knox.

Knox was born on 9th April 1864 in Cronkbourne Village in Braddan and was buried in Braddan Church in 1933.

His designs were synonymous with British Art Nouveau and he is regarded as being a prominent infl uence in the Arts and Crafts movement. His Celtic designs and calligraphy are world famous and iconic in the Isle of Man.

To commemorate their fi rst ever meeting on 16th October 1894, 120 years ago, the Commissioners have used Knox’s distinctive style to create a new logo and image which was launched on 1st January 2014.

They hope that its residents will accept this gift, unique to Braddan, to commemorate this special occasion.