Scheduled Saturday Tour Dates from March to June 2023 (inclusive) are now available to book online.
Private Tours can be arranged on other days and times by getting in touch with me.
Category: Latest News
The Yanks Are Coming!
During 2022, I plan to share a few posts on my Facebook Page about what was happening in Northern Ireland 80 years ago, specifically in relation to the arrival of the US military.
#OTD1942
By way of background:
Plans had been developed as early as April 1941 for the United States of America to send troops to the UK, should the USA enter the Second World War.
In June of that year, 350 civilian workers from G.A. Fuller-Merritt Chapman Corporation (an American firm) arrived in Northern Ireland to begin building naval bases at Londonderry (Base No.1) for the refueling and repair of destroyers and submarines, and Lough Erne for PBY Catalina flying boats.
in July, members of the Special Observer Group made a first visit to Northern Ireland, looking at existing infrastructure and making recommendations about potential sites for US military sites. The Group submitted its first report in September, recommending that a depot be established at Langford Lodge to carry out maintenance repairs for American aircraft.
The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941, and the subsequent declaration of war on the USA by Germany a few days later, brought America into the war.
On 17 Dec, Major General James E. Chaney submitted a report on his review of the situation following American entry into the war, and specifically referenced a plan to send 33,421 American troops to Northern Ireland.
This cohort of troops will be designated by the codename MAGNET Force.
The friendly “invasion” of Northern Ireland is imminent!
Follow the Tour’s Facebook Page for regular updates on the 80th anniversary of key events.
Image: Washington County Free Library Photo WCRH018. Part of the General Russell P Hartle Collection. American troops from 34th Infantry Division en route to Northern Ireland on board the British troop ship HMTS Strathaid. Photo taken in February 1942. Copyright United States Signal Corps.
Lead the Way Tour receives grant of £3,000 from the Heritage Recovery Fund to help recover from the COVID-19 pandemic
Lead The Way Tour has been awarded £3,000 to help recover from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The National Lottery Heritage Fund announced grants to help 50 organisations and 41 individuals adapt, recover and re-open following the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Heritage Recovery Fund is being distributed by The National Lottery Heritage Fund on behalf of the Department for Communities. The fund is part of the £29million Executive allocation to support the arts, culture, heritage and language sectors in Northern Ireland.
Grants from the Heritage Recovery Fund were awarded to a wide range of organisations and individuals in the heritage sector, from historic sites, attractions and landscapes, to tour guides and specialist heritage conservators. The grant will enable Lead The Way Tour to invest in developing the experience and cover lost income as a result of not being able to conduct guided walking tours in 2020.
Lead The Way Tour owner, Adrian Hack, said “I’m really grateful to the Department for Communities and The National Lottery Heritage Fund for providing this funding. Thanks to this grant, I can continue to develop the tour content, acquire more exhibits to share with tour guests, convert the tour content into a presentation which can be delivered in schools, community groups and other settings, examine opportunities to offer virtual tours online, and ensure my guided walking tours are safe and ready for guests when tours can re-start again.”
Adrian added, “My tour concentrates on the transformation Carrickfergus went through during the Second World War: it’s factories were converted to make goods needed for the war effort; civic buildings re-purposed to help civilians protect themselves from potential attack; army camps built on surrounding land for British, American and Belgian troops; and the civilian population endured rationing, air raid precautions and the blackout.
“It is ironic that in the year we commemorated the 75th anniversary of the ending of the Second World War, the globe was once again engulfed in a worldwide event. The COVID-19 Pandemic greatly restricted my tours during 2020, but with the assistance of this grant I am much more positive about 2021.”