{"id":19470,"date":"2021-07-01T14:11:17","date_gmt":"2021-07-01T13:11:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/?p=19470"},"modified":"2021-07-01T14:11:17","modified_gmt":"2021-07-01T13:11:17","slug":"leading-the-way-through-carricks-ww2-history","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/2021\/07\/leading-the-way-through-carricks-ww2-history\/","title":{"rendered":"Leading The Way through Carrick\u2019s WW2 History"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/a>
Adrian Hack of Lead The Way Tours\n\nPhoto by Kaja Choma \/ Excalibur Press on behalf of the Storify My Business programme for Mid & East Antrim Council.\n\nMore info contact Tina Calder, Excalibur Press, 07305354209, tina@excaliburpress.co.uk<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The rich and varied World War Two history of Carrickfergus is becoming ever more accessible thanks to the Lead The Way walking tours by Adrian Hack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Uncovering the history of the town\u2019s past in the 1940s Adrian reveals how a linen factory was converted to make parachutes, that tanks were built, how the iconic US Rangers regiment was formed and the role the town had in sheltering refugees from the Belfast Blitz. The tour name is taken from their motto \u2018Rangers Lead the Way\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhile everyone knows Carrick Castle not everyone is aware of the vital role the town played during the war,\u201d said Adrian. \u201cIt was home to the US Rangers, one of the key regiments on D-Day, storming 100ft cliffs to seize the Pointe De Hoc battery and all that began in Carrickfergus.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When Adrian, now 57, took early retirement from the civil service due to health reasons he realised he was the same age as when his father had passed away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI remember on my 55th birthday, thinking, \u2018I am now one day older than my dad ever got to be\u2019 and how fortunate I was,\u201d he explained. \u201cThat’s when the interest in finding out about my father’s life kicked in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat led me then, into finding out a bit more about the town itself where he grew up, and the history then of the Second World War in the town, that I didn’t know about. I lived a hundred yards away from the site of a major tank factory. I didn’t know it was there.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The rich history of the town is explored through a walking tour, of up to 30 people *subject to COVID guidance). Over the course of just over a mile, Adrian takes participants through air raid precautions, the tank factory, the local Ulster Home Guard, the creation of the US Rangers, the formation of a new post-war Belgian Army, and the racial segregation of the American military at that time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLast year we celebrated the 75th Anniversary of VE Day and interest in World War Two has never been higher,\u201d Adrian said. \u201cSo much history is in the bricks and streets around us that we simply haven\u2019t been aware of.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI hope that this tour will lift the veil and show the memories of our friends and families are entwined in our common history and ensure the efforts of those who lived through the Second World War endure, and are acknowledged by future generations.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As well as Adrian\u2019s Lead The Way tour he also gives talks in schools about the war and can provide more detailed private tours on request. Plans for the future include incorporating the town\u2019s remaining Nissen Hut, as well as providing A Day In Carrickfergus for cruise ships and other overseas tourists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tickets and Further Information can be found at: www.leadthewaytour.com<\/a>. <\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The rich and varied World War Two history of Carrickfergus is becoming ever more accessible thanks to the Lead The Way walking tours by Adrian Hack. Uncovering the history of the town\u2019s past in the 1940s Adrian reveals how a linen factory was converted to make parachutes, that tanks were built, how the iconic US … Continued<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19470"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19470"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19470\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19473,"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19470\/revisions\/19473"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19470"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19470"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19470"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}