Jim Leckey

"I said to myself, there he goes, holder of the Victoria Cross and four of my mother's sodas."

The Story

Jim remembers his brother coming back from the Royal Navy after the war with his friend (James Magennis) who had won the Victoria Cross.

Jim's mother Rachel certainly knew how to make soda bread. She won the Belfast Soda Farl Queen competition (around 1950) and was so embarrassed when her photograph, complete with a crown, appeared in the Northern Whig newspaper, that she never entered it again.

The story continues...

James Magennis was forced to sell his V.C. a few years later in Smithfield market in Belfast. He got £87 for it. In 1950 however, a local businessman heard about James, and kindly bought it back for him. The V.C. was sold yet again, in 1984, after James's death. We are told it was sold at Sotheby's for £27,000!

Experineces of the Second World War have been a reccurring theme since the inception of Days Like This.

Here are some more stories, which like Jim's deal with local people's memories of the great conflict

To go to Ruth McCart's story click here

To go to John Edmundson's story click here

To go to Lois McKee's story click here

To go to Patricia Curry's story click here

Comments

Name: David Lauro
Date: 23/11/2007
Comment: kavanaghs is the name of the shop that reunited james with his victoria cross

Name: Hannah Hoy (Jamison)
Date: 23/01/2008
Comment: Browsing your side ,brought back memories of Ravensdale street.
Regards Hannah

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