Stradbally Strand, County Kerry, Ireland

I remember my Great Uncle Leon showing us pictures in a scrapbook and telling stories, wonderful, dreadful, fascinating stories of our relatives through history.  But, it was not until I reached out on facebook to family and friends that I knew had been to Ireland for their must see recommendations and my cousin mentioned the name, that I remembered.

Before the US entered WWI there was a tragic torpedo sinking of a ship, that carried Americans, on May 7, 1915 off the southern coast of Ireland ~ The Lusitania.

But before the sinking of the Lusitania there was another torpedo sinking of a ship with 104 killed, among them one American, a 31 year old mining engineer from Massachusetts, Leon Chester Thresher.  In the US Media it became known as the Thrasher Incident (his name was misspelled).  His body washed ashore at Stradbally Strand Ireland on July 11, 1915 after having been in the water 106 days, initially he was thought to be one of the Lusitania victims and was assigned Body #248.  Strabally Strand is well over 100 miles from where the RMS Falaba was sunk in St. George's Channel between Ireland and Wales. His body was quickly buried in the cemetery in Stradbally Strand.  His body was identified in part by the buttons on his suit.

My Great Uncle Leon, the one that told us the stories?  He was named after his great Uncle Leon Chester Thresher who perished on the Falaba.  Several of my relatives through the years have also gotten a chance to visit the cemetery and the gravesite.  I knew that if it were anywhere near our planned itinerary I'd add it to our trip.  Our travel companions asked for directions or coordinates for the GPS, I didn't have either, but I had a town name and I'd recently seen a picture online in my research.  As we traveled toward Castlegregory we saw a sign for Stradbally Strand and a sign for a cemetery.  We turned down the road and there it was!  I love history and going to historical places, it makes history so much more real.  And then for it to be family history, so cool!

Prior to our trip I read several books about Ireland and a couple about the Submarine warfare of WWI.  The Thrasher Incident was mentioned in both, _Dead Wake_ by Erik Larson and _Into the Danger Zone_ by Tad Finch and Michael Poirier, both were also excellent reads.

I think that if one had to be buried far from home there is not a more lovely place, nor one with more hospitable people.