Touched by the Great War: Remembering Sam Neill

On 13 July, New Zealander and distinguished actor Sam Neill died of pneumonia at age 78.  Over a highly acclaimed half-century, Neill played numerous memorable roles, including a dinosaur chaser in Jurassic Park,  a Soviet naval officer in the Hunt for Red October, and the Anti-Christ in Omen III.  I suspect, however, that most of our readers remember him best as Reilly: Ace of Spies from the 1980s TV series, which featured a lot of  action from the run-up to World War One and post-revolutionary Russia. Mysteriously, the series’ chronology of episodes left out the 1914-1917 war years when Reilly was quite active here in the United States and (according to some legends) operating behind lines on the Western Front.  But, even with these gaps in the timeline and—shall we say—some dubious historical stretchings and speculations, the 12-episode series was stupendously entertaining for history enthusiasts.  Sam just “killed” the role of Reilly and he was strongly supported by a top-notch cast playing familiar historical figures, excellent scripts, evocative music, and bevy of  enchanting and sometimes dangerous lady companions for our hero.

Sam Neill Visits His Grandfather’s Grave at Lijssenthoek Cemetery, Flanders

You could watch that whole television series and most of Sam’s movies, however, and never learn he played a major part in his nation’s remembrance of its achievements and sacrifices during the struggles of 1914–1918. Multiple members of his family were casualties in the war. His grandfather,  Lieutenant Colonel Robert John Fitzgerald Ingham, Royal Garrison Artillery,  was killed at Messines in 1917. This was an absence that deeply affected Neill’s grandmother and left a permanent mark on his family. He also lost a great-uncle and his grandfather’s cousin, Lt. Guy Bridgeman, MC, of the New Zealand Field Artillery, who died from illness back home after being badly injured in action.

⇒  Read the entire article on the Roads to the Great War website here:

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