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The Old Gunner and His Medals is the repayment of a long-outstanding debt to a character who returned to my Tipperary village from WW1, shellshocked and wounded. Many nights, he ran shouting through the village, endeavouring to escape his war nightmares.
Gunner Dan’s experiences placed him apart from other villagers. One of the few who had travelled, he spoke a little French. And, like Goldsmith’s battered warrior, he entertained many a fireside group with stories of his escapades and near-misses at places such as Mons and Ypres. That was the debt I owed Dan, that and a wish to right a wrong.
The Gunner’s zest for life and love of nature enabled him to endure ostracisation until saner times returned. He never lost hope of retrieving his decorations and finally shared his 30-year old secret with a local schoolboy who organised a more professional search.
He became a village celebrity when they found his decorations; ‘Children who had mocked his limp and threadbare clothes now followed in the wake of his pipe smoke. He was interviewed by the local newspaper correspondent. A meitheal of locals repainted his house and replaced his battered delph and saucepans.’
Researching and writing The Gunner took one and a half years. As well as studying contemporary media and war accounts, it involved many visits to Toomevara and speaking to the few people who still remembered him. Defying sodden grass and suspicious cattle, I climbed repeatedly to the hill above his house and walked and mapped every inch of the rath which overlooks the village. I never found any of the reputed buried treasure – the happy conclusion to the Gunner’s quest was more than enough reward!
