Palmerston Residents Association Commemoration Campaign For William Homes Smiles and Gustav Wilhelm Wolff Founders of the Belfast Rope Works

William Homes Smiles, who founded the Belfast Rope Works in the early 1870s,was the son of Dr Samual Smiles,the author of the Victorian classic,Self Help. William Smiles lived at Westbank House on the Palmerston Road Sydenham Belfast Co Antrim Northern Ireland. Mrs Lucy Smiles was half sister to Mrs Beeton the Victorian cookery expert. The Smiles family had eleven children. William Smiles and Gustav Wolff of Harland and Wolff Belfast founded the Belfast Rope Works in the second World War one third of the ropes required by the war office (a quarter of a million tons were made at the Belfast Rope Works, in addition it manufactured 50,000 camouflage and cargo nets. The Smiles family give a lot to Northern Ireland they also give their two sons who were both killed in action 2nd Lieutenant Samuel Smiles1st Battalion Royal Irish Rifles. killed in Action 16th August 1917, aged 36 years, and Captain William Alan Smiles 2nd Battalion Royal Irish Rifles, killed in Action 9th July 1916 aged 34 years Lt-Col.Sir Walter Dorling Smiles CIE DSO ( 8 November 1883-31 January 1953) was a member of Parliament for Blackburn from1931 to 1945 Smiles was re-elected in 1935 but stood for Down Northern Ireland in the 1945 Westminister election as a Unionist. The constituency was split in 1950 into North and South Down. Smiles won North Down that year and remained its MP until his death in 1953. He lost his life in the sinking of the Princess Victoria of Larne Lough in the Great Storm. The Palmerston Residents Association wants to have this great family commemorated at the site where Westbank House once stood at Palmerston Road Sydenham before it was demolished to make way for a new development. The Palmerston Residents Association have made contact with Wesley Housing Association Ltd who now own the new development seeking their agreement to have some type of commemoration at the new site to enable our children and our visitors to see where this great family once lived and to mark their place in Northern Ireland History. At present we are at odds with Wesley Housing Association where we would like the commemoration placed, they feel it would be better on the inside of the building but we feel it should take its place on the outside of the building in the grounds to enable every one to veiw it. We will keep you updated on our campaign to have this family properly commemorated for the people of Sydenham and Ireland Northern and assuring their place in our history

Palmerston Residents Association Say Thank You To The Sydenham Methodist Church And East Belfast Community Development Agency And The Department Of So

The Palmerston Residents Association would like to thank The Sydenham Methodist Church for letting them erect the first community notice board in their car park. The residents association would also like to thank the East Belfast Community Development Agency and the Department of Social Development for sponsoring us. This board is one of three to be erected in the area, we would also like to thank the Church of Ireland on the Larkfield Road and the Victoria Park Primary School for agreeing to let us erect boards on their sites. The Residents Association decided to erect the notice boards to keep the local community updated on events taking place in the area and also to advertise local jobs we feel this will be community building and the boards are the first of their kind in the area

The Palmerston Residents Association Fears For The Trees At Victoria Park If Road Widening Takes Place On The A2 Sydenham Bypass

In widening the A2 Sydenham Bypass from a dual 2-lane carriageway to a 3 lane carriageway involves limited land take from Victoria Park we are concerned that trees that stand on this land will be lost, the Residents Association feels that if the trees are removed from the park it will change the whole concept of the park leaving it unprotected from any new motorway lane that is built. Victoria Park was first suggested by the Harbour Commissioner in 1854 and the Park was opened to the public in 1906 due to its rich variety of wildlife, the open water in Victoria Park is part of the Belfast Lough and is an area of special scientific Interest. Today Victoria Park is home to a range of water birds such as swans, geese, ducks, herons, and migrant waders,the main features to the park is the lake and its two islands which are home to some of the wildlife that live in the park. The park is ideal for walking and covers approximate 1mile to walk round its river with the tree planting that has taken place over the years, it has many pleasant tree lined walks which also give shelter for many small birds.

Victoria Park also sits beside Harland and Wolff and the Shorts Aircraft Building where you can get some great photo shots of the Harland and Wolff cranes Samson and Goliath. The park also has two bowling greens and pavilion one of which is under threat if the A2 widening takes place it also has Football Playing Fields, car parking,cycle/bmx tracks,flower beds,model boat lake, rose beds, tennis pitch, children's play area and band stand,we have watched this great park fall into decline over the past few years we have seen one of its great islands being washed away without being rebuilt and protected. We have seen our children's play area fall into decline and the lakes becoming overgrown by weeds and grass.

The residents association fears further for the park if the decline is not stopped we need to see the entrance to the park made safer, the underpass between Sydenham and Victoria Park cleaned up and made safe by installing new lights and the gates to the park moved to the entrance of the underpass and gates erected on the slipways from the Sydenham Bypass. The under pass also needs a footpath for pedestrians, wheelchair users and young mothers. The Residents Association has been fighting for a year now to have the toilet block opened up again after it was closed 9 years ago, the need for toilets in the park is great and the need for disabled toilets is of even greater importance. The Residents Association feels that the Belfast City Council are missing a great opportunity in the park by not leasing out space to a coffee kiosk and newspaper kiosk to raise funds for the park it could also be used to hold outdoor events as it has rail links, airport links, road links,and is also sitting by The Connswater Community Greenway Project.

The Residents Association has also ask Translink to look at the reinstatement of Victoria Halt on the Bangor Track as this would enable passengers from all over Northern Ireland to use Victoria Park and the Greenway Project. The Residents Association feels Victoria Park could be and should be as good as central park in New York it is an asset that Belfast needs to go along side the Titanic Quarter also creating jobs for East Belfast the Residents Association ask all our residents to lobby your councillors and MLA's to put more funding into regenerating this great asset and stop its decline as the only danger victoria park faces is Vision and Funding

Gustav Wilhelm Wolff Home Still Under Threat Is The Northern Ireland Environment & Heritage Service Dragging Its Feet On This Issue Ask The Palmerston

We are sorry to report to our residents that we have no contact from the Northern Ireland Environment & Heritage Service, with regard to having the home where Gustav Wilhelm Wolff once lived listed as part of our Historic Buildings on behalf of the residents of East Belfast. The Northern Ireland Environment & Heritage Service contacted the residents association on the 28th March 2008 and since then we have had no contact with them, in that correspondence they stated that they hoped to be in a position to provide us with a substantive response to our correspondence in the next few weeks to date the residents association has not received any such response.
We feel this issue should have been dealt with long ago as this home is part of the history of Northern Ireland and our great shipbuilding history. Gustav Wilhelm Wolff one of the founders of Harland & Wolff also co founder of the Belfast Rope Works, was a resident of The Den Station Road Belfast Northern Ireland. He achieved great work for the people of East Belfast, he supported the Ulster Hospital for Sick Children he was also involved in the establishment of ballymacarret, although Gustav Wilhelm Wolff was born in Hamburg on the 10th October 1843 he was a true son of East Belfast
The Residents of East Belfast have nothing to commemorate this great man as he is buried at the Brompton Cemetery. Gustav Wilhelm Wolff received the freedom of the city of Belfast on the 18th February 1911 he died at 2.00am on 17th April,one day and one year after the sinking of the Titanic (Clara May's Diary Notes) out of respect to his memory, the flag at the City Hall was flown at half mast and a special meeting of the Belfast Corporation Committee a Resolution was passed expressing deep sympathy with the relatives and admiration for Mr Wolff's independence and nobility of character
The Residents Association feels that Sydenham was the home of Gustav Wilhelm Wolff and East Belfast Is the home of Harland & Wolff a ship from the H&W yard was a Belfast Boat,as affectionately referred to by the workforce. Gustav Wilhelm Wolff was referred to by the Belfast Corporation Committee as Nobility of Character. Dedication by Gustav Wolff and Sir Edward Harland and the great workforce went into each and every ship built in the yard this is Northern Irelands History and we should be proud of it WE ASK THE NORTHERN IRELAND ENVIRONMENT & HERITAGE SERVICE TO PROTECT OUR HISTORY AND OUR CHILDRENS HISTORY PROTECT THE DEN ON STATION ROAD AS PART OF THEIR HISTORY AND FOR THE MEN WHO LOST LIVES AND FOR THE MEN WHO WORKED IN THE BIGGEST SHIPYARD IN THE WORLD HARLAND AND WOLFF ALSO FOR THE PROUD PEOPLE OF SYDENHAM DISTRICT