The Binnian Tunnel - Can you help?

Can you name them?

6th December 1950. Click on picture to view a larger version

On that day in 1950 when the two squads of men finally met in the middle there was much celebration and sense of history in the tunnel. A group photograph was taken. Although it remained lost for the better part of fifty years, you helped us find the picture on the left. When it was first put on the website we then asked if you could name any of the men. You have now put names to most of them. Click on the photo to see a much larger interactive version revealing the names of the men you named for us. A few of the men in this photograph remain unnamed. Perhaps you can name one?

on 7th Feb 2002 we received the following email from Robert Newell:
I remember my father telling me that he and three of my uncles worked in the tunnel and left home in Ballykeel at 4.30am each morning to cycle 4 miles to the "valley" gates. They were all on the day shift, so for six months per year the only time they saw daylight was a Sunday. I believe the man smoking the pipe in the centre of the main photograph when the tunnelers met is my dad, Robert and the man with Arthur McCarten and Jimmy Wallace is my uncle Richard.

On Jan 23rd 2002 Your Place & mine received the following email from Eugene Killen in Chicago, IL USA - formerly of Glasdrumman, Annalong "Regarding the picture of the three men standing at the face of the tunnel, I believe that the man on the far left is Arthur McCartan of Glasdrumman, Annalong, Co. Down. The man in the centre, as far as I can determine, is Jimmy Wallace of The Parks, Glasdrumman. The third man is unknown to me."

We asked you if anyone could name the third man...

On Feb 1st 2002 Robert Davey named the third man as Jimmy McComb.

• Sandy Heaney was a shift boss in the Silent Valley heading and we're told that he and Bill Henry Nugent held the shift record for cutting 160 feet of tunnel in one week. We asked you if you knew where Sandy was. Thanks to your feedback we have located and met with him. His part of the Binnian Story will be appearing on "The Tunnellers" section of this site soon.
  
  
• Robert Stevenson emigrated to Australia almost 50 years ago and has never returned home since. We asked you if anyone could put us in touch with him. On 22nd August 2002 we finally caught up with Robert in Melbourne Australia. He spoke to an A.B.C. reporter and the video of that interview will appear in "The Tunnellers" section of this site shortly.
  
  
• William McStay .. was a mechanical shovel driver inside the tunnel. We asked if anyone knew where he is now. William was found in Annalong and attended the your place and mine Reunion on 28th August 2002.
  
  

  We still need your help:

• Jim Wallace - his father worked on the tunnel and we think Jim may have some photographs taken during the works. Please do get in touch with us.

If you know anything about any of the above people or perhaps have names of others we've not uncovered, please do get in touch - we want to hear from you.

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