Tobermore - Notable People

Notable People

Captain James McDowell (1742-1815) - A USA revolutionary war captain, born in the townland of Clooney, outside Tobermore. Aged 16 he emigrated to the USA in 1758 settling in Chester County, Philadelphia. In 1775, after the start of the Revolutionary War in Massachusetts, McDowell organised a Chester County Militia company, the 4th Battalion of Chester County Associators, and joined with Washington's army in time to defend New York in 1776. In 1785, having served throughout the war, McDowell was appointed captain of a Light Horse Brigade in Chester County, a largely ceremonial role for duties such as escorting general/president Washington when he travelled through the area. McDowell died on Sep 12 1815 and is buried at New London Presbyterian Church cemetery, Chester County.

Dr. Adam Clarke (1762–1832) - A British Methodist theologian and celebrated Biblical scholar born in the townland of Moybeg north of Tobermore village.

Alexander Carson (1776–1844) - Prominent Irish Baptist, pastor of Tobermore Baptist Church and author of the classic Baptism, Its Mode and Subjects. In dedication to Alexander Carson, his church in Tobermore, founded in 1814, was named the Carson Memorial, and a housing estate opposite it named Carson Court.

Harry Gregg MBE (born 25 October 1932) - Former Manchester United and Northern Ireland goalkeeper. Harry Gregg was born in Tobermore though grew up in Coleraine.

Sir Hiram Shaw Wilkinson, JP, DL (1840–1926) - A leading British judge and diplomat, who served in China and Japan. He went to Japan in 1864 as as student interpreter in the British consular service. He served as Crown Advocate in Shanghai from 1881 to 1897. He was then appointed Judge of the British Court for Japan and then in 1900 Chief Justice of the British Supreme Court for China and Japan. In 1905 he retired after 40 years service in the East and moved to the townland of Moneyshanere, outside Tobermore. He died in September 1926 in the village.

Hiram Parkes Wilkinson, BCL, KC (1866–1935) - The son of Sir Hiram Shaw Wilkinson, who also served as a British judge and senior lawyer in the Far East. He was Crown Advocate in Shanghai from 1897 to 1925. He was Judge of the High Court of Weihaiwei from 1916 to 1925. Upon his retirement in 1925, Wilkinson moved to Moneyshanere. He founded the Tobermore Unionist Club, which later became a branch of the Ulster Volunteers, which itself became part of the 36th Ulster Division in WWI. Wilkinson became a King's Counsel in 1928. He returned to China in 1932 and died in Shanghai in 1935.

William Richardson (1866-1963) - Unionist representative for Magherafelt on Londonderry County Council until just after World War II. He was one of the first people in South Londonderry to sign the Ulster Covenant, and on the 50th anniversary of the covenant in 1962 was given a commemorative rosette for being one of the oldest surviving signatories at the age of 92. William Richardson was also a member of the Orange Order and the South Londonderry Unionist Association, as well as a founding member of Tobermore's Apprentice Boys of Derry club. As a Free Mason, he was: Past Senior Grand Warden of the Provincial Grand Lodge of Derry and Donegal; Past Master of Tobermore's Eureka Masonic Lodge 309; and Past King of Curran Royal Arch Chapter 532. On a religious level William Richardson was a member of Kilcronaghan parish church's Select Vestry, a parochial nominator, and held the office of treasurer. When electricity came to Tobermore, he solely financed it's installation in the local parish church. He was held in such high esteem that his funeral was one of the largest seen in Magherafelt district for years. Shortly after World War I, William's wife Mary, introduced the Poppy Appeal to Tobermore, having lost her brother in the Battle of the Somme.

Walter Lyle Richardson (1913-1990) - past president of the Magherafelt Royal British Legion, Bridge End United Football Club, and the Diamond Bar Darts Club. Like his father William Richardson he was treasurer to the local parish church's Select Vestry, a role he held for 40 years. During World War II he was a full-gunner in the 6th Light Anti-Aircraft Battery, Royal Artillery, also known as the "Coleraine Battery", seeing action throughout the Middle East and Europe, fighting in famous battles such as El Alamein and Monte Cassino, earning respect from his peers for his "exemplary courage". After the war he worked tirelessly for the welfare of his former comrades devoting his energy to the Royal British Legion, and on Remembrance Day would lead the Magherafelt parade, take part in the Maghera parade and then lead the tributes in Tobermore. For his services he was made president of the Magherafelt Royal British Legion upon the death of its previous president. In 1988 he was awarded the Freedom of the Borough of Coleraine for his services as part of the Coleraine Battery in WWII. His funeral was the largest seen in Tobermore for decades.

Annie Stockman - member of the Belgium resistance during World War II, performing non-combative duties, for which she and her comrades were acknowledged by the Red Cross. Born in Brussels, she met her future husband, Sergeant Harry Stockman from Tobermore, after the Liberation of Brussels. After the war they moved to Cookstown before settling down in Tobermore.

Desmond Watters - A funeral director who starred in the 2004 Northern Irish movie, Mickybo and Me. Having one of the only original 1970's hearses in the United Kingdom, the movie's production company contacted him for a loan of the hearse. While filming, the director asked Watters for tips on how parts of the scene should be conducted, and later gave him the role of the funeral director in the movie.