47 O'Reilly Road,
Cork Road,
Waterford.

Dear Editor,

For the past year, the people of Ireland have been bombarded with some truths and half truths about the 1914-18 war. We were told that the Irish that fought on the side of the British, died for the freedom of small nations, that the Germans were trying to enslave all of Europe and to die in European battle fields was a glorious thing. People who died, we are told, made a sacrifice of their lives and did so willingly. no man dies willingly and in th at war, men were forced to die by gin soaked, arrogant, geriatric generals who sent their troops into suicidal conflicts, all to satisfy their undoubted blood lust and stupidity. They were products of the English public schools where they had been taught that they were a superior race and all other people were expendable and of very little value. Its about time that the true facts that led to this war was related and so, expose the manipulation of the facts of this conflict that wiped out an entire generation.

The facts are as follows: The war was caused by a quarrel between three first cousins, the Czar of Russia, the Keizer of Germany and the King of England. These three very greedy cousins fell out over territory and over status. These three idiots caused the estimated deaths of 15 million people, about 50,000 were our own countrymen who had been seduced by John Redmond, to, as he said, "Join the British Army and served your country." They believed him for he had promised freedom for our own land when the war would end. Live horse and you will get grass. There was no chance of the British granting freedom to its oldest colony, that would have destroyed its Empires for other lands under the control of the British would have looked for the same concessions. Redmond knew this and yet he became the chief recruiting officer for what was our enemy country. He betrayed his people to get the approval of the English ruling classes whom he admired and tried to copy in all his utterances.

I grew up in Waterford in the 1930's and saw for myself the wrecked survivors of this so called Great War. Men with arms missing, men with artificial legs, men blind from gas attacks and with shattered nerves from artillery bombardment stood around corners, principally in the Ballybricken area hoping for a hand-out from the people who had prospered from the war.

My father had five brothers, one of them believed Redmond and put on a British uniform, leaving his job to do so. He was promised his job if and when he returned. He survived the war and returned to find (1) His job was gone, taken by a henchman of Redmond and my uncle was deemed to be unsuitable for th e job because of his war disabilities. (2) He found that men wearing the same uniform that had worn, executed his countrymen in 1916 in Dublin, for the crime of fighting for the freedom of this small nation. Later as a "thank you" to the people of Ireland, the British sent us the murdering "Black and Tans" and the redundant army officers who bore the name of Auxiliaries. Their excesses will never be forgotten.

Recently, a campaign has been mounted to erect a monument to the youngest soldier of the 1914-1918 war to die in that conflict. He was 13 years old. His death was an example of the worst form of child abuse. Don't tell me that the Recruiting officer did not notice that he hadn't begun to shave, that the doctor that passed him fit did not notice that he was a child. We condemn other countries that use boy soldiers today and yet want to praise the people of the past here in Waterford that condoned this child abuse.

This Waterford child, John Condon, was given a rifle and told to kill men. Her was exposed to all forms of evil which is a feature of all combat troops. He was robbed of his childhood and the rulers of the day stand condemned of neglect and abuse of this Waterford child of 13 years of age. We should be ashamed that such a crime should happen in our city. Let this child rest in peace and use the money for the monument to assist abused children of the world.

Finally, we are all asked to wear a Poppy in November. Personally, as an Irish republican I have no objection to wearing a poppy - provided that, the wearers and sellers of the Poppy wear the Easter Lily which commemorates the men and women who fought and won us our freedom from British rule.

This is a great little country of which we can be proud of and we welcome all people to our shores. As a young Republic we are a success, so instead of looking back at the mistakes of the men that fought in 1914-18, let us concentrate on making our land fit for heroes. The poor foolish men that listened to Redmond have all gone to their reward. Let them rest in peace, for many of th em that I knew personally would agree with the views that I have expressed in this letter.

Thank you for giving me space to put the unvarnished facts of this bloodbath of 1914-1918 before the people younger than I am.

Yours etc.,
Jack O'Neill