He pointed out that 1916 did not mean the Easter Rising in Dublin but the heroism of the Ulster Division at the Battle of the Somme.
O’Neill, who was speaking at the annual meeting of the Fermanagh Unionist Association, said that over the past few weeks journalists from around the world have visited him and asked him what 1916 meant to him. And he said that was the answer he gave them
He continued: “We in the Unionist Party are loyal British subjects, and this year 1966 has a very solemn significance for us. On July 1, fifty years ago, the men of the 36th (Ulster) Division attacked the Germans in the Thiepval area of France in the great Battle of the Somme. They won undying fame for their feats of courage, but their losses were terrible and there was hardly a family in Ulster that was not bereaved.
“It was indeed one of the greatest acts of statesmanship that Ulster has. The volunteers who had been trained, if need be, to fight against the British government, actually fought for their king and their country and gained undying fame.
“Today a tower stands at Thiepval in memory of our fallen men at the Somme, and on 1 July this year I look forward with pride and pleasure to leading a group of pilgrims – many of them survivors of the battle – at a commemoration ceremony there.
“Each year, the Somme ceremony is celebrated at the Hôtel de Ville. This year it will be at the Royal Balmoral. I hope as many of you will flock to this great occasion as HM The Queen and HRH The Duke of Edinburgh will be there to help us celebrate the 50th anniversary. This way you can show both your loyalty to the Crown and also your pride in the valiant men who made the ultimate sacrifice.
Bakery chef hints at more expensive bread
Sir Archibald Forbes, chairman of the Spillers Flour and Baking Group, suggested during that week in 1966 that if bakers’ wages rose again, the price of bread would also rise.
In its annual report to shareholders, it says keeping the price of bread unchanged during the Price and Income Commission’s inquiry report in January meant “a considerable financial sacrifice” for the company.
Recalling that a third report from the board of directors on the wage situation was awaited – the January report had resulted in a provisional settlement of wages and an increase in the price of a penny a loaf – Sir Archibald warned: “It is clear that the bakery industry where the return on capital is accepted by the board of directors as being abnormally low, it cannot be expected to continue to face cost increases without a measure reasonable recovery of the price.
Regarding the upward trend in world wheat prices, Sir Archibald said that the dominant factor in 1965 was strong demand from the West.
“Russia’s harvest in 1965 is thought to have been only a little better than the disastrous one in 1963, when China is constantly on the hunt for whatever it can afford. Drought and continued population increase have greatly increased India’s requirements compared to 1964.”
