Wartime Personnel
Nine of the old wartime ships were still operating in the immediate post-war years. Some of the ships' Officers who served during the war subsequently came ashore and worked in the office such as Marine Engineers, Pat Walker and Nicholas Healy and, Deck Officer Captain Patrick A. Brennan, who was Master of the famous wartime schooner, Mary B. Mitchell, on her final ill-fated voyage across the Irish Sea in December, 1944. She was driven on to the rocky coast of Kircudbright Bay, Scotland and became a total wreck. Fortunately, Patrick Brennan and all of her crewmembers were rescued.
		Capt. Brennan often recalled his wartime experiences during his sojourn at Head Office in the post war era.One such story involved his association with his First Mate, Tom Birch, who was also well-known in Irish Shipping Limited in those days. Tom would not wish to be known as a Chief Officer. The story relates to a wartime voyage from Lisbon to Dublin and the ever-present danger of magnetic mines. As they prepared to sail from Lisbon some ten days before Christmas, Capt. Brennan suggested to Tom that it might be wise to take on Christmas fare in case they might be delayed on the homeward passage. Tom was adamant that they would be in Dublin well in time for the festive season so they sailed without the usual Christmas goodies. However, they received a warning message as they were off Wexford to the effect that mines had been laid along the coast. The result was that they were anchored offshore on Christmas Day waiting for the " all clear". Tom was reminded that they should have taken on the necessary turkeys, etc., at Lisbon to which Tom replied in explicit terms, and with appropriate embellishment, "maybe we should have taken on Easter eggs as well".
										Chief Engineer Nicholas Healy
Chief Engineer Pat Walker
Capt. E.C.G. Horne	Capt. Thomas Glanville			Capt. David Foley		Capt. John Poole			Capt. James P. Kelly
Other survivors of the war at sea and who served on company ships for varying periods after the war were Captains E.C.G. Horne, Thomas Glanville, and William Jeffers; all three from Co. Cork; Captains Tom Donohue and David Foley, both from Dungarvan, Co. Waterford; Capt. James Clarke from Belfast: Capt. John Poole of Killinick, Co.Wexford; Capt. James P. Kelly, Capt. James A. Caird and Capt. James S. Kerr, all of Dublin. Capt. Kerr was originally from Wexford but was subsequently, resident in Dublin. Captain Westrop Gore-Hickman, who was Master on the Irish Plane when that ship went aground near Ballycotton, Co. Cork in February, 1947, acted as relieving Officer on board Irish Shipping vessels at Irish ports for a number of years after the war. Capt. David Foley from Dungarvan, Co. Waterford, served on company ships for some time after the war ended in 1945. He served as Chief Officer on the maiden voyage of the first Irish Cedar in 1943 under the command of Capt. W. G. Hickman. Capt. John Poole was appointed first Commodore of the Irish Shipping Limited fleet in 1974. He had also served with Wexford Steamship Co. Ltd. during the war and made a famous transatlantic crossing to Boston on that company's tiny vessel Menapia in May, 1942. Later that same year, he joined Irish Shipping Limited and served on a number of company ships during the wartime years including the Irish Larch, Irish Ash, Irish Spruce and Irish Cedar.
Capt. James A.Caird			Capt. Matthew O'Neill		Capt. James S. Kerr			Capt. W. J. Henderson
The late Capt. James Caird, succeeded John Poole as the Commodore of the Irish Shipping fleet in May, 1978. Commodore Caird joined Irish Shipping Limited in May, 1943, when he was appointed Second Officer on the wartime Irish Elm. He subsequently served on the Irish Beech, Irish Plane, Irish Fir and Irish Larch of the wartime fleet. He was Chief Officer on the Irish Plane when she went aground at Ballycotton, Co. Cork, in February, 1947. He also served on the first Irish Hazel after she had been returned to the company by the British Ministry of War Transport after the war had ended. He was Master on the first Irish Larch prior to that vessel being handed over to her new Turkish owners in July, 1949. Commodore Caird retired in August, 1980, after thirty seven year's service with the company and he played a very active role in the events following the liquidation of Irish Shipping Limited in November, 1984. Pictured Below (from Left To Right): Capt. Frank Kelly, Capt. William Jeffares, Capt. Tom Walsh and Captain R. H. Green