Spring 2012 Edition Part Two
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
The Noble Society of Celts, is an hereditary society of persons with Celtic roots and interests, who are of noble title and gentle birth, and who have come together in a search for, and celebration of, things Celtic. Spring 2012 Edition Part Two VALE: COLONEL SIR LEE MACMAHON KtB Reflections on the Life of Colonel Sir Lee Dennis MacMahon KtB by General Bailey McCune of Coll-Earn and Elphinstone Baron of Elphinstone Honorary Chieftain of The Noble Society of Celts It is with great sadness I announce the passing of my dear friend, Colonel Sir Lee MacMahon, KtB of Bellflower California; he passed from this mortal world on Saint Patrick’s Day, 17 March 2012. Sir Lee has served me faithfully as Chief Herald of my baronial house for well over half a century. He is survived by his loving wife of many years, Lady Lea MacMahon, his son Brian, and his granddaughter Cody, who he raised as his own. Sir Lee MacMahon immersed himself in a life-long passion for Irish and Scottish history and heraldry. He descended from an Irish prince, and was granted arms by the Chief Herald of Ireland. The MacMahons of Thomond originated in the province of Munster, in County Claire; and descend from the founder of the O’Brien dynasty, Brian Boru, through his son Teige, d. 1023, his son Turlough, d. 1086, his son Murtagh More, d. 1119, and his son Mahone ‘a quo MacMahons of Corcabaskin’ d. 1129. The MacMahons became lords of the Corca Bhaschind or Corcavaskin area of south-west Clare which comprised the baronies of Moyarta and Clonderlaw, displacing the local O’Donnells and O’Baiscinn. The motto of the Thomond sept of the McMahons is “Sic Nos Sic Sacra Tuemur” which means “Thus We Defend Our Sacred Rights.” After a short stint serving with Britain’s Royal Air Force, Sir Lee studied heraldry in London and then, prior to the outbreak of the Korean War, he joined the 40th Infantry Division of the California National Guard. I first met Sir Lee far from home in the mud and blood of the battlefield front-lines during that savage conflict to halt the onslaught of Russian and Chinese communism in north Asia; when, as two warriors of Celtic heritage, we recognized the blood of our ancestors had carried us and our forebears together on battlefields for a thousand years. Sir Lee chose to put himself under my command and remained there for sixty years. At the conclusion of the war in Korea he married his lovely Lady Lea and continued with his life-long passion of heraldic art. Sir Lee became the Pursuivant to that gallant political casualty of World War II, His Majesty King Peter II of Yugoslavia. Sir Lee was given a Royal appointment by Peter II, which included responsibility for all heraldic matters of the Royal Yugoslav Order of St. John, the Royal Yugoslav Knights Bachelor Association, etc etc. His Majesty King Peter II of Yugoslavia created him Knight Bachelor, and appointed Sir Lee to the Order of St. Sava. He was also Pursuivant to His Majesty Padishah Mohammed Zahir Shah, the last King of Afghanistan. Sir Lee did such an enormous amount of heraldic work of great distinction and quality that he has been recognized and honored internationally. For every chivalric order of knighthood with which I was honoured, Sir Lee was included as Herald and did outstanding work. His superior eye for design went beyond heraldry, and his artistic brilliance touched many areas. He designed the Justice Cross (Noble) for several orders of knighthood. Sir Lee created manuals of uniform and dress for several orders of chivalry; also designing their medals and insignia, and establishing protocols for how they should be worn. In the State Military and National Guard he did double duty: because of his exacting attention to detail and his military background, I appointed him as my Chief of Staff in the California Medical Reserve and the 1st Medical Brigade, both of which I commanded; and he was on my staff when I acted as Assistant Surgeon General. The world is most certainly a much poorer and duller place with his passing. Sir Lee MacMahon will be greatly missed by all who knew him. THE OLDEST SCOTS JACOBITE ‘Auld Dubrach’ Many people will have read about the Scottish Jacobite Rising of 1745 - the victories at Falkirk and Prestonpans, the defeat at Culloden, and its terrible aftermath. Again, many people will be familiar with the names of those who led the Scottish Jacobites into battle. But what about the ordinary foot-soldiers? The unsung heroes who played their part in the ’45? There is one man who richly deserves his place in history, but very few people know much about him. His name was Peter Grant – he was the last surviving Jacobite soldier of the ‘45. Peter was born a crofter's son the year before the 1715 Jacobite Rising in his father's croft at ‘Dubrach’ (the place on a hillock of wild ferns), near to the village of Braemar. Peter grew up to take on the trade of a tailor. In 1745 Prince Charles Edward Stuart arrived on the shores of Glenfinnan on Loch Shiel in an attempt to put a King Stuart back on the throne. Charles Edward Stuart Bonnie Prince Charlie Many highlanders were sympathetic to the Stuart cause, and Peter Grant was one of them. He joined the Monaltrie's and Balmoral regiment of the Scottish Jacobite Army as a Sergeant Major, took part in various engagements and was decorated for bravery at the Battle of Prestonpans. Battle of Prestonpans The Jacobites first victory over British forces, 21st September 1745 He also took part in the Battle of Culloden, a battle that to this day sends a shiver down the spine, such was the brutality by the British forces under the command of the ‘Butcher’ Cumberland. Peter survived the battle only to be taken prisoner to Carlisle Castle, where his fate could have been hanging, deportation to the colonies (if he survived the journey), or death due to the inhumane conditions that the Jacobites prisoners had to endure. Battle of Culloden On a windswept Highland moor four miles to the east of Inverness came the decisive blow that brought an end to the final attempt to restore the Catholic House of Stuart to the thrones of Scotland, Ireland, and England. That blow came on 16 April 1746 when a British government force commanded by the English King’s son, William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, fell upon the tired and disorganised Jacobite army of rebellion. The confrontation on Culloden Moor was both quick and brutal. Within an hour it was all over. After a failed Highland charge against the government Captain of ‘Mere Irish’ Kern (light infantry), circa 1594 regalia of the ‘Queen's Kern’ (a hybrid combination of English & Irish dress) army, the Scottish Jacobite army – together with several company-size detachments of professional French infantry and cavalry (from their ‘Wild Geese’ Irish Brigade) - was routed and driven from the field. But Peter managed to somehow escape. He travelled north, back to the highlands of Scotland. This was an incredible feat in itself, as he would have had no food, no money and very little clothing. There was, of course, a price on his head for his capture. The British Hanoverian troops were at that time scouring the towns, villages, hills and glens of the highlands looking for Jacobite soldiers, in their wake murdering families, raping women, and inflicting terrible brutality on the people of the Highlands. The British troops committed acts of genocide which have never been forgotten - or forgiven. But Peter was determined to go back, no matter what the cost. He is mentioned in the book "No Quarter Given" which lists all known members of the Jacobite army during the '45', thus: "Sgt Major Grant Peter, Dubrach, Braemar, Taken, escaped, died 1824". British troops ‘hunting’ for escaped Jacobite Rebels, following Culloden Peter had to lie low for many years, and there was no record of him being recaptured, even though he had a price on his head. He even managed to return to his former trade as a tailor. This says a lot about the people of the Braemar area, not all of whom had Jacobite sympathies. Whatever side they had supported, they looked after their own. In later years he married a girl, many years his junior, from the village of Braemar. Her name was Mary Cummings, and apparently Peter made her christening bonnet after her birth! She bore him a son and a daughter. Scottish Crofter’s Cottage In the summer of 1820 two wealthy gentlemen were walking the Glen Lethnot hills when they met Peter by chance. By then he was known as ‘Auld Dubrach’, after the croft in which he resided. They were astonished to find out that he had fought in the ’45 Rising, and was in exceptional health for his age. He invited the gentlemen into his cottage and recalled the events and experiences of being a soldier in the Jacobite army for them. He even showed them how to use the broadsword! The two men were so taken aback at the exploits of ‘Auld Dubrach’ they decided to do something to comfort him in his advancing years. A petition was raised and he was presented to England’s King George IV (a German) in Edinburgh. When he was introduced to King George, the ruling Monarch exclaimed "Ah, Grant, you are my oldest friend", to which ‘Auld Dubrach’ replied: "Na, na, your majesty, I'm your auldest enemy".