. The story of the Munsters at Etreux, Festubert, Rue du Bois and Hulloch . changed world for many of us. On the evening of Saturday, May8th, 1915, the 2nd Royal MunsterFusiliers, commanded by Colonel VictorRickard, were on their way to take 34 STORY OF THE MUNSTERS their place in the trenches in front ofRue du Bois ; with them was FatherFrancis Gleeson, whose name is knownthroughout the whole of Munster. Itwas a clear spring evening, dark undera green sky, the orchards throughthe country heavy with blossom, theirscent recalling manifold poplar trees, many of them shell-scarr
. The story of the Munsters at Etreux, Festubert, Rue du Bois and Hulloch . changed world for many of us. On the evening of Saturday, May8th, 1915, the 2nd Royal MunsterFusiliers, commanded by Colonel VictorRickard, were on their way to take 34 STORY OF THE MUNSTERS their place in the trenches in front ofRue du Bois ; with them was FatherFrancis Gleeson, whose name is knownthroughout the whole of Munster. Itwas a clear spring evening, dark undera green sky, the orchards throughthe country heavy with blossom, theirscent recalling manifold poplar trees, many of them shell-scarred and broken, were very still inthe windless twilight, dark spires againstthe clear clean sky. At the entranceto the Rue du Bois there stands abroken shrine, and within the shrineis a crucifix. When the Munsters came up theroad, Colonel Rickard halted the Bat-talion. The men were ranged in threesides of a square, their green flags,embroidered with the Irish harp andthe word Munster, a gift from LadyGordon, placed before each Gleeson mounted, Colonel Rick-. STORY OF THE MUNSTERS 35 ard and Captain Filgate, the Adjutanton their chargers, were in the centre,and in that wonderful twilight FatherGleeson gave a General Absolution. Tosome present, very certainly, the vitamceternam was intensely and beautifullymanifest, the day-spring of Eternityvery near. Miseratur vestri Omni-potens Deus, et dimissis peccatis vestris,perducat vos ad vitam sternam. Thewhole Regiment with their heads bared,sang the Te Deum, the great thanks-giving, the Sursum Corda of all theearth. There are many journeys and manystopping-places in the strange pilgrim-age we call life, but there is no othersuch journey in the world as the journeyup a road on the eve of battle, and nostopping-place more holy than a way-side shrine. The men who prayed there were,very few of them, the men of the 36 STORY OF THE MUNSTERS original Battalion. Gaps had been filledagain and again, and most of theMunsters who fo
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, bookidstoryofmunst, bookyear1918
