WEDDED BLISS… Dean Kenneth Hall oversees the wartime wedding of Amanda Finch and Gavin McQuaid
Local people took a step into the past as part of Fermanagh’s Living History Weekend.
The Jolly Sandwich Bar, Headhunters Barbers Shop and Railway Museum played their part long with members of the Wartime Living History Association and South West Regional College to recreate moments in June 1944 when American GIs left Enniskillen railway station on special steam trains bound for Belfast and onwards to Normandy.
Over a third would be killed or badly injured.
Many GIs had already wed local girls and time was running out to say final farewells to their sweethearts.
During hourly performances Military Police in WWII Jeeps arrived at the Jolly Sandwich to break the sad news to GI’s and to re-enact their final moments here.
Special thanks on the day were reserved for Hazel Johnston and all the staff at The Jolly Sandwich for their support with the event.
Thanks also went to Amanda Finch from the Performance Arts Department of SWRC, narrator Alan Devers, The Wartime Living History Association, particularly Gavin McQuaid and Michael Gilmore for their starring roles and Brendan McKenna and Liam Wallace for the WWII Jeeps.
The organisers also thanked the Reverend Kenneth Hall, who gave permission to recreate a wedding scene at St McCartan’s Cathedral and to Fr David Donnelly and the newly wed couple at St Michael’s who enjoyed having their photos taken with the American GIs on their special day.
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