Aileen McCorkell
Encyclopedia
Aileen Allen, Lady McCorkell OBE was the founder and first President of the British Red Cross branch in Derry
. It was, as part of a lifelong dedication to healing community strife in Northern Ireland, that she agreed to host, with her husband, Colonel Sir Michael
, at her family home in 1972 secret peace talks between the British Government and the Provisional IRA, whose delegation included Gerry Adams
.
, the second daughter of Lieutenant-Colonel E.B. Booth DSO
, RAMC, who was serving in India after the First World War (during which he had met and married Aileen’s mother, a nurse). Her obituary noted that “Aileen had no memories of India, but a lifelong fear of snakes was reliably attributed to an incident in her infancy when a cobra came up through the bath’s plughole, only to be quickly dispatched by a capable ayah with a meat cleaver”.
When she was two the family returned to Ireland to live at Darver Castle, Dundalk
, County Louth
. She was taught by a Governess
before being educated at Dundalk Grammar School and Westonbirt
. She was at a finishing school in Paris
in 1939 at the outbreak of war.
were rebuffed precisely because she came from southern Ireland. She was eventually accepted for the Women's Auxiliary Air Force
(the WAAF
) in 1941”, hiding her privileged upbringing in a castle from the other girls in the ranks.
She signed the Official Secrets Act and was trained, on the then highly Hush-Hush Radar, as a Filter Plotter at Leighton Buzzard and was eventually stationed near Nottingham, and later in Belfast
. “She was commissioned after four years in the ranks – an experience which left her with a lifelong distrust of women in authority – and posted to North of England Coastal Command”. She stayed in service until the end of 1946. After a brief spell as a school matron at Cheltenham
she returned to Ireland.
, she had never imbibed the political and religious intolerance of the North, realising instead that, by its principles of humanity, neutrality and impartiality, the Red Cross could play a vital role in Northern Ireland. Accordingly she steered the Derry branch down a middle way of absolute neutrality between two warring communities
Having broken her back hunting, she turned to voluntary work in 1961. She founded the Derry City Red Cross group in 1962, which became a fully-fledged branch in 1965, with her as its first President. She also became a member of the Northern Ireland Council of the British Red Cross
.
Her obituary noted that her early work focussed on establishing welfare services across the city of a kind now taken for granted but then notably absent; in areas of considerable poverty and dilapidation such as Catholic Bogside. In particular, the physically handicapped who were confined to homes wholly ill-suited to their needs and Lady McCorkell began a “Thursday Club” to bring together the disabled from across the city.
These early beginnings were to result, after victory in battles financial and political, in the building of the Glenbrook Day Centre. It was established on land accessible to all parts of the city, but originally denied them because it had been designated for Protestant housing.
Additionally, the Red Cross established services, such as Meals on Wheels
, this put Lady McCorkell into contact with other voluntary organisations working in Derry, notably the Order of Malta, “a connection which was to be vital when serious trouble began to engulf the city from October 1968 onwards”
It was to the Order of Malta First Aid Post, in Westland Street near the Bogside Inn, that she and her deputy made their way amid the ferocious fighting which followed the Apprentice Boys’
parade of August 12, 1969. Here she learnt quickly to lose her identity and to help treat, without judgement, the seriously injured casualties who were unwilling to go to hospital.
“She did not share the temporary euphoria that greeted the arrival of the British Army to protect the Catholic communities, and her foreboding was soon vindicated. As the Bogside
and Creggan
areas became “no go” areas to the security forces she developed a lifelong admiration and respect for the strength of character and unfailing good humour of the Derry people in the face of continual adversity”.
She would not take sides and “she was as prepared to take an army commander to task for exhibiting a red cross on an armoured vehicle which was clearly being used to block the advance of rioters, as she was to telephone the Bogside Committee to ask them to send someone down to stop looting of relief clothing and food from the Red Cross aid store. “A cheerful ruffian with a club was sent to stand guard”.
By the end of 1970, bombings took violence in Derry in a sinister new direction, and Lady McCorkell “found herself dealing with everything from finding accommodation for those made homeless by bombs to finding a wig for a girl shaved, tarred and feathered for going to the pub with soldiers. She was in the Bogside
on Bloody Sunday
and never forgot ferrying a distraught young priest back through the dark, fearful streets to the Creggan
. She would never be drawn on that terrible day, not being prepared to see beyond the stark tragedy of so many young people losing their lives”.
Following an explosion of violence, in June 1972, in which hundreds had been killed, Colonel Sir Michael
and Lady McCorkell agreed to host, at the family home near the Derry/Donegal border, clandestine peace talks between the British government and the Provisional IRA, whose delegation included a young Gerry Adams
. It was their clear-sighted impartiality and pragmatism, which led to the McCorkells agreeing to host the secret peace talks. Beyond “greeting the parties, and providing a chocolate cake, the McCorkells left the negotiators alone to get on with it”.
“The truce which followed was short-lived and within a month members of the North Derry Pony Club, who were having their annual camp on the McCorkell farm, woke to find soldiers had arrived secretly in the night and were shaving out of their horses’ feed buckets”. This was the build-up to Operation Motorman
and the “re-occupation” of the no-go areas. Thus Lady McCorkell embarked on further tortuous negotiations, this time with soldiers, about the free movement of Meals on Wheels
and the return of the temporarily impounded Order of Malta ambulance. “Long years of violence and bitterness were to follow, during which the Derry City Red Cross, led by its indefatigable president, gave unstinting and impartial service. Lady McCorkell was fond of saying that the Red Cross is neutral ‘even in Northern Ireland’”
For her work during the Troubles she was awarded, in 1972, the Red Cross Badge of Honour for Distinguished Service. In 1975 she was appointed OBE. She always recalled having her hair done for Buckingham Palace next to a girl who was having hers done ‘to visit her man in the H Blocks in Long Kesh
’. She represented Northern Ireland on the London Council of the British Red Cross and when she was subsequently awarded the coveted Queen’s Badge of Honour of the Red Cross, the Countess of Limerick
reminded the audience of Lady McCorkell’s invariable habit of urging the Council to stop worrying whether there should be two or three buttons on the sleeve of their uniform, and get on with doing something useful. There are only 30 holders of the Badge at any one time, the last Northern Ireland recipient, before her, being the Duchess of Abercorn
, who had been such a support and encouragement to Lady McCorkell in the early years of the Derry Red Cross.
Her experiences during the Troubles were recorded in a short memoir, A Red Cross in My Pocket, published in 1992, and parts of it were made into an anthology in 1995 in I Owe My Life: A Celebration of 125 Years of the British Red Cross.
, from a long standing Derry family which had run a well-known sailing fleet in the 18th and 19th century; the McCorkell Line
. In 1975 he became Lord Lieutenant of Londonderry
a role that he fulfilled for 25 years. In 1994 was appointed KCVO
in the very personal gift of the Queen. Another notable member of the McCorkell family was Sir Dudley McCorkell
. Her elder sister Joan married Ronald Colville, Lord Clydesmuir
.
Lady McCorkell’s husband predeceased her in 2006 and she is survived by three sons, a daughter, grandchildren and great grandchildren.
Derry
Derry or Londonderry is the second-biggest city in Northern Ireland and the fourth-biggest city on the island of Ireland. The name Derry is an anglicisation of the Irish name Doire or Doire Cholmcille meaning "oak-wood of Colmcille"...
. It was, as part of a lifelong dedication to healing community strife in Northern Ireland, that she agreed to host, with her husband, Colonel Sir Michael
Michael McCorkell
Colonel Sir Michael McCorkell, KCVO, OBE, TD, JP, DL was an Northern Irish soldier and British public servant, emulating the high level of British public service of successive generations of the McCorkell family, being Lord Lieutenant of County Londonderry for 25 years...
, at her family home in 1972 secret peace talks between the British Government and the Provisional IRA, whose delegation included Gerry Adams
Gerry Adams
Gerry Adams is an Irish republican politician and Teachta Dála for the constituency of Louth. From 1983 to 1992 and from 1997 to 2011, he was an abstentionist Westminster Member of Parliament for Belfast West. He is the president of Sinn Féin, the second largest political party in Northern...
.
Early life
McCorkell was born on September 18, 1921 in the Indian hill station of OotacamundOotacamund
Ootacamund , is a town, a municipality and the district capital of the Nilgiris district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Ootacamund is a popular hill station located in the Nilgiri Hills...
, the second daughter of Lieutenant-Colonel E.B. Booth DSO
DSO
DSO may refer to:Decorations* Distinguished Service Order refers to a number of decorationsMusic* Dallas Symphony Orchestra* Dark Star Orchestra* Deathspell Omega, a French black metal band* Detroit Symphony Orchestra...
, RAMC, who was serving in India after the First World War (during which he had met and married Aileen’s mother, a nurse). Her obituary noted that “Aileen had no memories of India, but a lifelong fear of snakes was reliably attributed to an incident in her infancy when a cobra came up through the bath’s plughole, only to be quickly dispatched by a capable ayah with a meat cleaver”.
When she was two the family returned to Ireland to live at Darver Castle, Dundalk
Dundalk
Dundalk is the county town of County Louth in Ireland. It is situated where the Castletown River flows into Dundalk Bay. The town is close to the border with Northern Ireland and equi-distant from Dublin and Belfast. The town's name, which was historically written as Dundalgan, has associations...
, County Louth
County Louth
County Louth is a county of Ireland. It is part of the Border Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Louth. Louth County Council is the local authority for the county...
. She was taught by a Governess
Governess
A governess is a girl or woman employed to teach and train children in a private household. In contrast to a nanny or a babysitter, she concentrates on teaching children, not on meeting their physical needs...
before being educated at Dundalk Grammar School and Westonbirt
Westonbirt
Things named Westonbirt include:*Westonbirt House, a country house in Gloucestershire, England.*Westonbirt School, which now occupies the house.*Westonbirt Arboretum, which is nearby....
. She was at a finishing school in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
in 1939 at the outbreak of war.
War Experiences
“In an Anglo-Irish society in which those “who did not go” to the war were long remembered, it never occurred to her that she should not do her bit, but ironically her early attempts to join the Wrens in BelfastBelfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
were rebuffed precisely because she came from southern Ireland. She was eventually accepted for the Women's Auxiliary Air Force
Women's Auxiliary Air Force
The Women's Auxiliary Air Force , whose members were invariably referred to as Waafs , was the female auxiliary of the Royal Air Force during World War II, established in 1939. At its peak strength, in 1943, WAAF numbers exceeded 180,000, with over 2,000 women enlisting per week.A Women's Royal Air...
(the WAAF
WAAF
WAAF may refer to:*Women's Auxiliary Air Force, a British military service in World War II**Waaf, a member of the service*WAAF , a radio station licensed to Westborough, Massachusetts, United States...
) in 1941”, hiding her privileged upbringing in a castle from the other girls in the ranks.
She signed the Official Secrets Act and was trained, on the then highly Hush-Hush Radar, as a Filter Plotter at Leighton Buzzard and was eventually stationed near Nottingham, and later in Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
. “She was commissioned after four years in the ranks – an experience which left her with a lifelong distrust of women in authority – and posted to North of England Coastal Command”. She stayed in service until the end of 1946. After a brief spell as a school matron at Cheltenham
Cheltenham College
Cheltenham College is a co-educational independent school, located in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England.One of the public schools of the Victorian period, it was opened in July 1841. An Anglican foundation, it is known for its classical, military and sporting traditions.The 1893 book Great...
she returned to Ireland.
The Troubles
“Brought up in the Irish Republic before World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, she had never imbibed the political and religious intolerance of the North, realising instead that, by its principles of humanity, neutrality and impartiality, the Red Cross could play a vital role in Northern Ireland. Accordingly she steered the Derry branch down a middle way of absolute neutrality between two warring communities
Having broken her back hunting, she turned to voluntary work in 1961. She founded the Derry City Red Cross group in 1962, which became a fully-fledged branch in 1965, with her as its first President. She also became a member of the Northern Ireland Council of the British Red Cross
British Red Cross
The British Red Cross Society is the United Kingdom branch of the worldwide impartial humanitarian organisation the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. The society was formed in 1870, and is a registered charity with over 31,000 volunteers and 2,600 staff. At the heart of their work...
.
Her obituary noted that her early work focussed on establishing welfare services across the city of a kind now taken for granted but then notably absent; in areas of considerable poverty and dilapidation such as Catholic Bogside. In particular, the physically handicapped who were confined to homes wholly ill-suited to their needs and Lady McCorkell began a “Thursday Club” to bring together the disabled from across the city.
These early beginnings were to result, after victory in battles financial and political, in the building of the Glenbrook Day Centre. It was established on land accessible to all parts of the city, but originally denied them because it had been designated for Protestant housing.
Additionally, the Red Cross established services, such as Meals on Wheels
Meals on Wheels
Meals on Wheels are programs that deliver meals to individuals at home who are unable to purchase or prepare their own meals. The name is often used generically to refer to home-delivered meals programs, not all of which are actually named "Meals on Wheels"...
, this put Lady McCorkell into contact with other voluntary organisations working in Derry, notably the Order of Malta, “a connection which was to be vital when serious trouble began to engulf the city from October 1968 onwards”
It was to the Order of Malta First Aid Post, in Westland Street near the Bogside Inn, that she and her deputy made their way amid the ferocious fighting which followed the Apprentice Boys’
Apprentice Boys of Derry
The Apprentice Boys of Derry is a Protestant fraternal society with a worldwide membership of over 80,000, founded in 1814. They are based in the city of Derry, Northern Ireland. However, there are Clubs and branches across Ireland, Great Britain and further afield...
parade of August 12, 1969. Here she learnt quickly to lose her identity and to help treat, without judgement, the seriously injured casualties who were unwilling to go to hospital.
“She did not share the temporary euphoria that greeted the arrival of the British Army to protect the Catholic communities, and her foreboding was soon vindicated. As the Bogside
Bogside
The Bogside is a neighbourhood outside the city walls of Derry, Northern Ireland. The area has been a focus point for many of the events of The Troubles, from the Battle of the Bogside and Bloody Sunday in the 1960s and 1970s...
and Creggan
Creggan, Derry
Creggan is a large housing estate in Derry in Northern Ireland. It was the first housing estate built in Derry specifically to provide housing for the Catholic majority. It is situated on the outskirts of the city and is built on a hill. The name Creggan is derived from the Gaelic word creagán...
areas became “no go” areas to the security forces she developed a lifelong admiration and respect for the strength of character and unfailing good humour of the Derry people in the face of continual adversity”.
She would not take sides and “she was as prepared to take an army commander to task for exhibiting a red cross on an armoured vehicle which was clearly being used to block the advance of rioters, as she was to telephone the Bogside Committee to ask them to send someone down to stop looting of relief clothing and food from the Red Cross aid store. “A cheerful ruffian with a club was sent to stand guard”.
By the end of 1970, bombings took violence in Derry in a sinister new direction, and Lady McCorkell “found herself dealing with everything from finding accommodation for those made homeless by bombs to finding a wig for a girl shaved, tarred and feathered for going to the pub with soldiers. She was in the Bogside
Bogside
The Bogside is a neighbourhood outside the city walls of Derry, Northern Ireland. The area has been a focus point for many of the events of The Troubles, from the Battle of the Bogside and Bloody Sunday in the 1960s and 1970s...
on Bloody Sunday
Bloody Sunday
-Events :* Bloody Sunday , a demonstration in London, England against British repression in Ireland* Bloody Sunday , a day of high casualties in the Second Boer War, South Africa...
and never forgot ferrying a distraught young priest back through the dark, fearful streets to the Creggan
Creggan, Derry
Creggan is a large housing estate in Derry in Northern Ireland. It was the first housing estate built in Derry specifically to provide housing for the Catholic majority. It is situated on the outskirts of the city and is built on a hill. The name Creggan is derived from the Gaelic word creagán...
. She would never be drawn on that terrible day, not being prepared to see beyond the stark tragedy of so many young people losing their lives”.
Following an explosion of violence, in June 1972, in which hundreds had been killed, Colonel Sir Michael
Michael McCorkell
Colonel Sir Michael McCorkell, KCVO, OBE, TD, JP, DL was an Northern Irish soldier and British public servant, emulating the high level of British public service of successive generations of the McCorkell family, being Lord Lieutenant of County Londonderry for 25 years...
and Lady McCorkell agreed to host, at the family home near the Derry/Donegal border, clandestine peace talks between the British government and the Provisional IRA, whose delegation included a young Gerry Adams
Gerry Adams
Gerry Adams is an Irish republican politician and Teachta Dála for the constituency of Louth. From 1983 to 1992 and from 1997 to 2011, he was an abstentionist Westminster Member of Parliament for Belfast West. He is the president of Sinn Féin, the second largest political party in Northern...
. It was their clear-sighted impartiality and pragmatism, which led to the McCorkells agreeing to host the secret peace talks. Beyond “greeting the parties, and providing a chocolate cake, the McCorkells left the negotiators alone to get on with it”.
“The truce which followed was short-lived and within a month members of the North Derry Pony Club, who were having their annual camp on the McCorkell farm, woke to find soldiers had arrived secretly in the night and were shaving out of their horses’ feed buckets”. This was the build-up to Operation Motorman
Operation Motorman
Operation Motorman was a large operation carried out by the British Army in Northern Ireland during the Troubles. The operation took place in the early hours of 31 July 1972 with the aim of retaking the "no-go areas" that had been established in Belfast, Derry and other large towns.-Background:The...
and the “re-occupation” of the no-go areas. Thus Lady McCorkell embarked on further tortuous negotiations, this time with soldiers, about the free movement of Meals on Wheels
Meals on Wheels
Meals on Wheels are programs that deliver meals to individuals at home who are unable to purchase or prepare their own meals. The name is often used generically to refer to home-delivered meals programs, not all of which are actually named "Meals on Wheels"...
and the return of the temporarily impounded Order of Malta ambulance. “Long years of violence and bitterness were to follow, during which the Derry City Red Cross, led by its indefatigable president, gave unstinting and impartial service. Lady McCorkell was fond of saying that the Red Cross is neutral ‘even in Northern Ireland’”
For her work during the Troubles she was awarded, in 1972, the Red Cross Badge of Honour for Distinguished Service. In 1975 she was appointed OBE. She always recalled having her hair done for Buckingham Palace next to a girl who was having hers done ‘to visit her man in the H Blocks in Long Kesh
Maze (HM Prison)
Her Majesty's Prison Maze was a prison in Northern Ireland that was used to house paramilitary prisoners during the Troubles from mid-1971 to mid-2000....
’. She represented Northern Ireland on the London Council of the British Red Cross and when she was subsequently awarded the coveted Queen’s Badge of Honour of the Red Cross, the Countess of Limerick
Earl of Limerick
Earl of Limerick is a title that has been created twice in the Peerage of Ireland. The earldom was created for the first time in 1686 for Sir William Dongan, 4th Baronet, with remainder, failing male issue of his own, to his brothers Robert, Michael and Thomas and the heirs male of their bodies...
reminded the audience of Lady McCorkell’s invariable habit of urging the Council to stop worrying whether there should be two or three buttons on the sleeve of their uniform, and get on with doing something useful. There are only 30 holders of the Badge at any one time, the last Northern Ireland recipient, before her, being the Duchess of Abercorn
Duke of Abercorn
The title Duke of Abercorn was created in the Peerage of Ireland in 1868 and bestowed upon James Hamilton, 2nd Marquess of Abercorn.This article also covers the Earls and Marquesses of Abercorn, all named after Abercorn, West Lothian, in Scotland.-History:...
, who had been such a support and encouragement to Lady McCorkell in the early years of the Derry Red Cross.
Her experiences during the Troubles were recorded in a short memoir, A Red Cross in My Pocket, published in 1992, and parts of it were made into an anthology in 1995 in I Owe My Life: A Celebration of 125 Years of the British Red Cross.
Family
After the war, when back in Ireland, she met, and in 1950 married, Colonel Sir Michael McCorkellMichael McCorkell
Colonel Sir Michael McCorkell, KCVO, OBE, TD, JP, DL was an Northern Irish soldier and British public servant, emulating the high level of British public service of successive generations of the McCorkell family, being Lord Lieutenant of County Londonderry for 25 years...
, from a long standing Derry family which had run a well-known sailing fleet in the 18th and 19th century; the McCorkell Line
McCorkell Line
The McCorkell Line was operated by Wm. McCorkell & Co. Ltd. from 1778, principally carrying passengers from Ireland, Scotland and England to the Americas...
. In 1975 he became Lord Lieutenant of Londonderry
Lord Lieutenant of Londonderry
Lord Lieutenant of Londonderry may refer to two different offices*Lord Lieutenant of County Londonderry*County of the City of Londonderry, later renamed County Borough of Londonderry...
a role that he fulfilled for 25 years. In 1994 was appointed KCVO
KCVO
KCVO may refer to:* Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order, a British honour* the ICAO identifier of Corvallis Municipal Airport in Corvallis, Oregon, United States* KCVO-FM, a radio station licensed to Camdenton, Missouri, United States...
in the very personal gift of the Queen. Another notable member of the McCorkell family was Sir Dudley McCorkell
Dudley McCorkell
Sir Dudley Evelyn Bruce McCorkell, MBE, DL, JP was a Mayor of Derry , Lord Lieutenant of County Londonderry and ex officio member of the Senate of Northern Ireland.-Career:...
. Her elder sister Joan married Ronald Colville, Lord Clydesmuir
Baron Clydesmuir
Baron Clydesmuir, of Braidwood in the County of Lanark, Scotland, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1948 for the Unioniste politician John Colville. He served as Secretary of State for Scotland from 1938 to 1940. His son, the second Baron, was Governor of the Bank...
.
Lady McCorkell’s husband predeceased her in 2006 and she is survived by three sons, a daughter, grandchildren and great grandchildren.