After Many Decades, A Tintown Chaplain’s WWII Cross Will Be Gifted To The Curragh Military Museum

Friday, 17 May 2024 14:44

By Martin Osborne

The story begins during the tumultuous era of World War II when Irish men were interned in a camp known as Tintown at the Curragh Army base.

A lost piece of history has found its way back home.

The story begins during the tumultuous era of World War II when Irish men were interned in a camp known as Tintown at the Curragh Army base.

Amidst the hardships of war, a newly ordained priest named Fr. Anthony Bones served as chaplain in the camp before being dispatched to Australia as the conflict drew to a close.

It was in 1944, as Fr. Bones prepared to depart, that a significant token of camaraderie and faith emerged.

Patrick Dalton, one of the interned individuals, crafted a Celtic cross and presented it to Fr. Bones.

This cross, a symbol of resilience and solidarity, bore witness to the trials and tribulations of those confined in Tintown.

Fast forward fifty years, and on the milestone of his ordination anniversary, Fr. Bones passed the cross to his niece, who had travelled from New York to celebrate the occasion.

She has since resolved that its rightful place lay in Ireland, the land where it was forged amidst the trials of war.

Seeking a suitable home for the cross, Patrick Philips, the man who contacted Kfm, reached out to the Military Museum at Curragh, contacting Curator Donal McAllister.

His enthusiastic response paved the way for the cross's return to its place of origin.

Patricia Lloyd, a relative of the priest, will undertake the responsibility of transporting the cross to Ireland from Cleveland, where it will be officially presented to Donal McAllister on the 29th of May.

Despite efforts to locate any surviving relatives of Patrick Dalton, success remained elusive.

Patrick said the return of the Celtic cross represents more than a mere relic; it embodies the intertwined narratives of past and present, weaving a tapestry of remembrance and reverence for the sacrifices of generations gone by.