McFadzean, who lived in the Cregagh area, was posthumously awarded the country's highest honour for gallantry, after he sacrificed himself to save his comrades.
On 01 July 1916, as the men of the 14th Battalion The Royal Irish Rifles prepared for the first assault of the Battle of the Somme, a box of grenades slipped into their crowded trench, dislodging two of the safety pins. McFadzean threw himself on top of the box, and was killed. Only one other man was injured. He is therefore regarded as the first soldier to be killed at the Somme.
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Plans have been drawn up for the placing of a commemorative stone on a piece of land adjacent to his family home.
The plans are part of a national initiative to install permanent memorials to 400 recipients of the Victoria Cross – including eight from Northern Ireland – across the United Kingdom.
(CD)
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