By the end of World War One in 1918, 200,000 Irishmen were involved in the conflict, proportionately the greatest deployment of armed manpower in the history of Irish militarism. Irishmen had been awarded the Victoria Cross, awarded for valor in the presence of the enemy, since its creation in January 1856 by Queen Victoria. 30 Irish VCs were awarded in the Crimean War, 59 Irish VCs in the Indian Mutiny, 46 Irish VCs in numerous other British Empire campaigns between 1857 and 1914, 37 Irish VCs in World War I, and eight Irish VCs in World War II.
James Duffy, a native of Gweedore in Donegal, became one of the Irish recipients of the VC, the highest level of gallantry available to a soldier serving in the British Army. This is his story. Duffy was born on the 17th of November 1889 in the parish of Gaoth Dobhair in Donegal to his mother Catherine Doogan and father Peter Duffy.
Peter was working in Bonagee, Letterkenny, and the family joined him when James was just a few months old. James attended a local primary school in Drumlodge, near Letterkenny. His father was employed on a seasonal basis in the agricultural and fishing industries, picking up work wherever and whenever he could.
James would go on to try his hand at fishing but like so many of the young men in Ireland at that time it was not long before he crossed the water to Scotland to Glasgow. He quickly found work in the massive shipyards that lined the River Clyde working in the famous John Brown Shipyard in Clydebank.