Local soldier's World War One artefact to be returned to family
An historical artefact which was recently uncovered in Belgium during an archaeological dig, and is believed to belong to a soldier from Athlone who died in 1916, is in the process of being returned to his descendants, some of whom still live in the town.
The artefact, which appears to be a spoon that was re-fashioned into a scraper to remove mud from shoes and clothing, belonged to Pte George Hickman, 2nd Leinster, who died on March 16, 1916.
A photo of it was recently posted in a Prince of Wales's Leinster Regiment Facebook group which seeks to commemorate those who served.
Local history enthusiast John Dowling, who is distantly related to George Hickman through marriage, saw the post and is currently contacting family members with more direct links to come forward and claim the artefact.
“George was born on July 4, 1894, and was the son of John Hickman and a Mary Kane. He had a sister who was married to a first cousin of my father, so that’s where my connection comes in,” John told the Westmeath Independent.
“From my research there were eight children in the family, and that sister, Helen Lillian Hickman, married a John Dowling and there are still direct descendants of that family here in Athlone that go by the name of Dowling, McCarth and Daly.
“Helen died in 1935 and John died in 1949, and they are both buried in Cornamagh cemetery.
“A brother of George’s went to Canada, and someone from that family came home some years ago and I actually got to meet him, along with Dominic and Tony McCarth, so there’s a connection there too.
“I’m also in contact with a woman who moved to America, but is now living in England, who is the descendant of another of George’s brothers. That brother moved to Egypt after the war, and another sister of George’s married a British soldier by the name of Howe and they moved to Canada.”
George is buried in Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery in Belgium, which is 40km south-east of Dunkirk near the French border. A document found by John says that George left all his property and possessions to his father.
A Westmeath Independent report from March 25, 1916 shows the text of a letter from a Father Francis Newton received by George’s sister after his death, stating that he had died in hospital after receiving wounds to the head.
That same article states that before volunteering for the war, George was “very popular in Athlone” and was an apprentice blacksmith in the shop of Mr Sloane, St Mary’s Square.
Another article from the same date shows that council members extended their sympathy to the family of George after his passing, particularly as three of George’s brothers were also serving in the war at the time, two of whom were wounded in France at Christmas 1915.
“I wouldn’t be going to try claim the artefact, because there are other people who are closer to the bloodline,” John said.
John has spoken to the man who originally posted on Facebook about the finding of the artifact, Ian Lowe, who is in contact with the dig organisers in Belgium.
“Ian has said that the dig organisers are looking for the family of George to return the artifact to. He’s waiting for them to get back to him with more information, and I’m now looking for someone to claim it before we get back to them again.
“It’s nice to see people like George remembered after all these years, so hopefully the artifact can return to the family shortly,” John finished.