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STRABANE IN WORLD WAR 1 As reported in The Strabane Chronicle & The Strabane Weekly News July 1914 – November 1919 Thanks are due to all those who contributed to the compilation of material for this research project. The group painstakingly combed the microfilm copies of the Strabane Chronicle and Strabane Weekly news and selected material and these included John Rogan, James Johnston, Joseph O’Kane, Hugh McGarrigle, Kathleen Patton, Chris McDermott, Pat McGuigan, William Allen, Ronnie Johnston, Michael Kennedy and John Dooher. Thanks are also due to Ms Geraldine Casey for her assistance. The group is grateful to the staff of Strabane Library for their unfailing help and to Libraries N.I. for making the resources available. Photo on front cover shows a military parade at The Diamond, Lifford, in 1914. CONTENTS 1914 page 4 1915 page 34 1916 page 146 1917 page 240 1918 page 318 1919 page 416 1914 Strabane Chronicle 4th July 1914 RURAL LABOUR PROBLEM There has been for many years the report states a marked scarcity of agricultural labourers, which was becoming more and more acute. The increase in the cost of living and the increased prices which the farmers was getting for his produce had been mainly instrumental in bringing about increased wages. The wages however are still very low. The usual daily wage current in 1913 were for men 2s to 3s 6d, for women 1s 6d to 3s. RESERVES CALLED UP IMMEDIATELY At the start of WW1 58,000 Irishmen were already enlisted in the British Regular Army or Navy – 21,000 serving regular soldiers, 18,000 reservists, 12,000 in the Special Reserve, 5,000 Naval ratings and 2,000 officers.
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