COLONEL
NOEL NEWMAN LOMBARD CRAIG, 1884 - 1968
THE ROYAL MUNSTER FUSILIERS |
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BACKGROUND
Nicknamed 'Bungo'
by his elder brother, Noel's most mischevious childhood prank was
to put the cat into the toilet. He graduated from Trinity College,
Dublin with a B.A. in Politics in 1905.
Awarded the Sword of Honour for excellence in military training,
Noel enlisted into the Cameron Highlanders, but later transferred
to the Royal Munster Fusiliers, serving in India until 1913.
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One night in 1917, Noel took shelter in a farmhouse and found a Sacred
Heart medal on a pillow. He pinned the medal to his shirt, fell asleep
and awoke to find himself thrown clear of the farmhouse by a German
shell. His fellow officers were killed. |
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Noel at Wytschaete, June 1917.
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During World War
II, Noel was posted to Norway, Finland and Spain as Military Attaché.
In Denmark, his efforts to assist many Jews to escape earned him a
place on a Nazi blacklist. Taken prisoner, Noel was almost shot. His
children also had a miraculous escape due to a rare Gestapo error.
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Noel is on the extreme right at a Supreme War Council meeting
at Versailles, November 11, 1918.
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Retiring from the
British diplomatic service in 1954, he became a Barrister at King's
Inn, London. He published several novels and over fifty short stories.
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Trinity College Officer. Training Corps, 1905.
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Noel's many awards include the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) and
the French Légion d'honneur. |
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