Irish Regiments in the World Wars (OSPREY Elite 147)

CONTENTS

DR DAVID MURPHY was born in Dublin in 1968 and is a graduate of both University College Dublin and Trinity College Dublin. He is a contributor to the Dictionary of Irish Biography, and has published two books and numerous articles. In the course of his research he has visited many of the battlefields associated with famous Irish units. He is currently compiling a gazetteer of Irish regiments for the Military Heritage Trust of Ireland.

THE IRISH REGIMENTS IN 1914

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THE ULSTER VOLUNTEER FORCE & THE IRISH VOLUNTEERS

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THE IRISH REGIMENTS, 1914-18

8

• 1914-15: the Old Contemptibles and Gallipoli

THE IRISH DIVISIONS, 1914-18

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• 10th (Irish) Division • 16th (Irish) Division • 36th (Ulster) Division

OTHER UNITS, 1914-18

23

• The Irish Guards • Territorial & volunteer units: The London Irish Rifles The Tyneside Irish • Irish Colonial volunteer units: Australia - CanadaSouth Mrica

THE INTER-WAR YEARS

29

• Disbandments and survivals

THE IRISH REGIMENTS, 1939-45

GERRY EMBLETON has been a leading illustrator and researcher of historical costume since the 1970s, and has illustrated and written Osprey titles on a wide range of subjects over more than 20 years. He is an internationally respected authority on 15thand 18th-century costumes in particular. He lives in Switzerland, where since 1988 he has also become well known for designing and creating life-size historical figures for museums.

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• The Irish Guards • The Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers - The Royal Ulster Rifles The Royal Irish Fusiliers - 5th Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards - 8th King's Royal Irish Hussars • 38th (Irish) Infantry Brigade • Territorial & Reserve units: The Liverpool Irish The London Irish Rifles - The North Irish Horse • Irish Colonial units: Canada - South Mrica

IRELAND AND THE LEGACY OF THE WORLD WARS

53

SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY

54

PLATE COMMENTARIES

55

INDEX

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Elite • 147

Irish RegiIIlents in the World Wars

David Murphy · Illustrated by Gerry Embleton Consultant editor Martin Windrow

First published in Great Britain in 2007 by Osprey Publishing, Midland House, West Way, Botley, Oxford OX2 OPH, UK 443 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10016, USA Email: [email protected]

© 2007 Osprey Publishing Ltd.

Dedication Dedicated to my great-uncle, Sgt Christopher Reynolds, Royal Dublin Fusiliers (1914-18); to my uncle, Sgt John O'Neill, Bedfordshire & Hertfordshire Regt and Middle East Commando (1936-1945); and to the memory of the tens of thousands of Irishmen who served in both World Wars.

All rights reserved. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study, research, criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a

Acknowledgements

retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, electrical, chemical, mechanical, optical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the copyright owner. Enquiries should be addressed to the Publishers. ISBN 978 1 84603 015 4 Editor: Martin Windrow Page layout by Ken Vail Graphic Design, Cambridge, UK Typeset in Helvetica Neue and ITC New Baskerville Index by Glyn Sutcliffe Originated by Originated by PPS Grasmere, Leeds, UK Printed in China through World Print Ltd. 07 08 09 10

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library FOR A CATALOGUE OF ALL BOOKS PUBLISHED BY

My special thanks go to Tom Burke and Seamus Greene of the Royal Dublin Fusiliers Association for providing illustrative material. I am grateful to the Board of Trustees of the Imperial War Museum, London, and particularly to Sarah Martin, Yvonne Cooper and Joan Tabard of the IWM -' Photographic Section for their assistance. My thanks also to Major Denis Lucy, formerly Royal Ulster Rifles, and to Xavier Paturel of the Juno Beach Museum; lowe a special debt of gratitude to M.Michel Grimaux of Graye-sur-Mer, Normandy. The assistance of Dominic Kearney, RHO Irish Guards, is gratefully acknowledged; and I would like to thank Labhras Joye, Siobhan Pierce and the staff of the military exhibition at the National Museum of Ireland. Finally I would like to acknowledge the invaluable assistance of Martin Windrow and Kate Flintham of Osprey Publishing, and to thank Gerry Embleton for his splendid paintings.

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Editor's Note For clarity, we have in some cases simplified the exact form of regimental titles, e.g. the placing of parentheses within the title at particular dates. In a work of this length it seems unprofitable to take the space to explain that, for instance, the 4th Dragoon Guards were designated 4th (Royal Irish) Dragoon Guards before 1921, and 4th Royal Irish Dragoon Guards thereafter.

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IRISH REGIMENTS IN THE WORLD WARS 1914-45 THE IRISH REGIMENTS IN 1914

D

The author's great-uncle, Cpl (later Sgt) Christopher Reynolds, Royal Dublin Fusiliers, photographed with his wife Rose while on leave in Dublin. Reynolds served in Salonika, France and Flanders. (Author's collection)

uring the numerous wars of the 17th and 18th centuries, Irish soldiers established an enviable reputation as fighting men. Successive generations of political and economic exiles served in the armies of France and Spain, and in the 19th century Irish emigrants flocked to North America and the colonies. One can find accounts of Irish regiments serving in many wars and in the names of diverse causes, including the campaigns of the Seven Years' War, the War of the Spanish Succession, the Napoleonic Wars and the American Civil War. At some battles, such as Fontenoy (1745) and Fredericksburg (1862), Irish regiments were present on both sides. While it remains for some an unpalatable truth, it can be shown that the largest Irish contingent was always that serving in the British Army; and by the mid 19th century perhaps 30-35 per cent of the British Army was composed of Irish soldiers. Despite the fact that parts of Ireland were periodically in a state of open rebellion against the Crown, many different factors drove Irishmen to enlist - most commonly, simple economic necessity, as was the case with many English, Scottish and Welsh recruits. Contemporary accounts of Irish soldiers also make reference to a desire for travel and adventure, and to maintaining family traditions. At the outbreak of World War I the majority of the Irish regiments in the British Army could trace their origins back to the 17th and 18th centuries. A number of them had been raised in the 1680-90s, before or during King William Ill's campaign against the Stuart monarchJames II; one - the future 4th Royal Irish Dragoon Guards - had even been raised by James, but had defected to William's army. Many Irish soldiers also served far away in the armies of the Honourable East India Company, and these units subsequently became battalions in Irish-titled regiments of the British Line. These former HEIC regiments included the Royal Dublin Fusiliers and the Royal Munster Fusiliers (see commentaries to Plates Al and El).

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The recruiting areas for the Irish infantry regiments in 1914; the cavalry maintained depots in barracks around the country and recruited nationwide. A modern anachronism on this map is that the cap badge in the centre is that of the Royal Irish Rangers (1968-92). (Courtesy National Museum of Ireland)

Irish Infantry Regiments of the Line Regular British Army (1881-1922)

The Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers

The Connaught Rangers

"

The Prince of Wales's Leinster Regiment (Royal Canadians)

The Royal Munster Fusiliers

The Royal Irish Rifles

The Royal Irish Fusiliers (Princess Victo,ria's)

The Royal Dublin Fusiliers

The Royal Irish Regiment

Irish regiments had served with some distinction during the Peninsular War, and the various Victorian wars against the Sikhs and Mghans, in the Crimea and the Indian Mutiny.l The regiments of MajGen Fitzroy Hart's Irish Brigade had achieved such prominence in the Second Anglo-Boer War that it was decided in 1900 to create a new Irish regiment within the Brigade of Guards, and this resulted in the foundation of the Irish Guards. In 1914 the Irish Guards was therefore the youngest Irish regiment in a tradition that stretched back some 230 years. In battle, the Irish soldier displayed a number of distinct characteristics. In his history The Irish Guards in the Great War (1923), Rudyard Kipling summed up the character of the Irish soldier on campaign: 'Here the Irish rank and file by temperament excelled. They had all their race's delight in the drama of things; and, whatever the pinch - whether ambushed warfare or hand-to-hand shock, or an insolently perfect parade after long divorce from the decencies - could be depended upon to advance the regimental honour.' When handled 1

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See Men-at-Arms 382, Wellington's Peninsula Regiments (2) The Irish; MAAs 193, 196, 198 & 201, The British . .4rmy on Campaign (1) 1816-53, (2) 1854-56, (3) 1856-81 & (4) 1882-1902; MAA 268, British Troops in the Indian Mutiny 1857-59

sympathetically - even indulgently - by their officers, Irish soldiers established a fearsome reputation for ferocious elan in the assault and mulish obstinacy in defence. During both World Wars, their soldierly qualities would be tested to the full.

*** At the outbreak of World War I the Irish regiments in the British Army were as follows (pre-1881 numbers in the Line in brackets): Irish Guards 4th Royal Irish Dragoon Guards 5th Royal Irish Lancers 6th Inniskilling Dragoons 8th King's Royal Irish Hussars Royal Irish Regiment (18th) Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers (27th & 108th) Royal Irish Rifles (83rd & 86th) Royal Irish Fusiliers (Princess Victoria's) (87th & 89th) * Connaught Rangers (88th & 94th) Prince of Wales's Leinster Regiment (Royal Canadians) (100th & 109th) Royal Munster Fusiliers (101st & 104th) Royal Dublin Fusiliers (102nd & 103rd) (* The official title from 1881 to 1920 was reversed, but we use this form throughout for consistency of style.) Further Reserve and Territorial units also existed in Ireland and England. While the terms of the Territorial Act did not include Ireland, following the Cardwell reforms of 1881 existing Militia units had been re-designated as Militia or Reserve battalions of the Irish Regular infantry regiments; for example, in 1881 the Armagh Militia was redesignated as 3rd Bn, Royal Irish Fusiliers. In 1902 two cavalry regiments were raised as part of the Special Reserve - the North Irish Horse and South Irish Horse. In England, there were also two Territorial units with Irish titles: 8th (Irish) Bn, King's (Liverpool) Regt, and 18th (County of London) Bn, London Regt (London Irish Rifles). (

An unusual subject - the string band of the 1st Bn, Royal Dublin Fusiliers, pre-1914. They wear the red bandsman's tunic with blue facings and laced shoulder wings. (Courtesy Royal Dublin Fusiliers Association)

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The 5th Bn, Connaught Rangers in training at Basingstoke, Hampshire, in 1915. This 'K1' volunteer battalion, raised in Dublin in August 1914, served first with 29th (Regular) Div at Gallipoli, attached to the ANZAC Corps; later with 10th (Irish) Div at Salonika and in Egypt; and from July 1918, with 66th (E.Lancs) Div in France, when that formation was rebuilt after the German spring offensive. (Imperial War Museum Q55087)

(Throughout this text, overseas readers should bear in mind that in the British Army the infantry 'regiment' provides a traditional designation but has no tactical role at all. A regiment might raise any number of tactical 'battalions', numbered as part of the regiment whose historical lineage, cap badge and other traditional distinctions and customs they shared; but these battalions were tactically grouped into numbered 'brigades' - until early 1918, of four battalions each; after that date, of three battalions. Three such brigades served together in a numbered infantry division. It was rare for sister battalions of the same regiment to serve together in the same brigade, and they might well be deployed in different theatres of war.)

THE ULSTER VOLUNTEER FORCE & THE IRISH VOLUNTEERS

6

The volatile political situation in Ireland in 1914 created a unique set of circumstances that ultimately facilitated the plans of the General Staff. In 1912 the Asquith government introduced its third Government of Ireland Bill (usually referred to as the third Home Rule Bill). Under the terms of the Parliament Act of 1911, this bill could only be delayed by the House of Lords for a maximum of two years. In 1914, therefore, Ireland would gain self-government in domestic affairs. The large Unionist community in Ulster - Northern Ireland responded to this unwelcome prospect with a mixture of political and military activity. In January 1913 the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) was founded, and by the end of that year was about 85,000 strong. In April 1914 the UVF landed a large consignment of weapons, consisting of 35,000 rifles and some 5 million rounds of ammunition. The UVF also benefited from a number of experienced officers within its command structure; and by 1914 it had developed quite a sophisticated organization that included motorcycle, medical and communications units. In the South, the Nationalist community responded by forming the Irish Volunteers in November 1913. By the middle of 1914 this numbered about 150,000 men and had imported some arms from Germany, landing a consignment of 1,500 rifles and 45,000 rounds. Although the Irish Volunteers were much less well armed than the UVF, civil war seemed to be inevitable upon the passing of the Home Rule Bill. This situation had been exacerbated when officers in the Regular

Army based at the Curragh let it be known that they would not act to disarm the UVF if ordered to do so - an incident which became known as the 'Curragh Mutiny'. Ironically, the wholly unexpected outbreak of World War I in August 1914 postponed conflict in Ireland, as the Home Rule Bill was shelved for the duration. In London, however, Army chiefs - faced with commitment to a continental war and with a relatively tiny peacetime Regular army - viewed the UVF and Irish Volunteers greedily, recognizing a huge potential source of manpower. After a series of negotiations, Unionist leaders such as Sir Edward Carson encouraged the men of the UVF to join the British Army; in the initial phase of enlistment some 24,000 UVF and 4,000 Reservists associated with the UVF joined up, forming the basis of 36th Ulster Division. In the South, John Redmond, leader of the Irish Parliamentary Party, did likewise; but this caused a split in the ranks of the Irish Volunteers, which by their peak in September 1914 numbered around 191,000 members. Some 180,000 of these followed Redmond's lead, and renamed themselves the Irish National Volunteers. The remaining 11,000 or so retained the original title and remained in Ireland; it was these men who would later fight in the Easter Rebellion of 1916. Of the Irish National Volunteers, it is estimated that at least 24,000 men enlisted in the British Army in 1914, while another 7,500 Reservists associated with the force also returned to the colours. There was a certain grim irony in these political manoeuvrings, since both Unionist and Nationalist leaders had agreed to encourage their volunteers to enlist in order to extract government pledges of support for their two mutually contradictory causes. In London the new Secretary of State for War, Lord Kitchener, initially wanted to funnel this manpower into existing battalions; however, continued pressure from Irish political leaders resulted in these UVF and INV volunteers forming numbered service battalions in the existing Irish regiments, and these would serve in three distinct Irish divisions. It should be pointed out that not all enlistment in 1914 was politically motivated. Economic hardship, particularly severe in the years leading up to the war, had already led many Irishmen to enlist; and in 1914 Ireland was no exception to the general war mania that gripped Europe. Many young men left their jobs, universities and families in the rush to join in the war effort. As a result, the Irishmen who enlisted in 1914 represented a much wider cross section of the country's society than the traditional sources of recruitment. Students, sportsmen and men of the professional classes would serve alongside manual labourers; even four sitting Irish Members of Parliment joined up, including William Redmond, younger brother of the leader of the Irish Parliamentary Party. Ireland had her own soldier-poets in Francis Ledwidge and T.M. 'Tom' Kettle, neither of whom would survive the war~ Excluding the enlistments from the UVF and INV, it is estimated that another 134,000 Irishmen joined the Army in the course of the war, while a further 6,000 joined the Royal Navy and 4,000 the Royal Flying Corps/Royal Air Force; 3,700 men obtained direct commissions in the Army or Navy. This total contingent of over 200,000 men represented the largest Irish contribution to any armed conflict in history.

Capt Standish Smithwick, Royal Dublin Fusiliers, who served during the war with both 1st and 2nd Battalions; he is photographed here in his pre-war blue 'patrols', displaying the regimental cap and collar badges, but no obvious rank insignia. {Courtesy Royal Dublin Fusiliers Association}

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THE IRISH REGIMENTS, 1914-18

October 1914: a column probably from the 5th Royal Irish Lancers on the march near Wytschaete in Flanders. The fact that some troopers lead spare horses suggests that this unit had recently lost men in action. The 5th Lancers served with the 3rd Cavalry Bde of the BEF's Cavalry Division in 1914. (IWM Q56316)

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On the morning of 22 August 1914, C Squadron of the 4th Royal Irish Dragoon Guards, commanded by Maj Tom Bridges, was on patrol between the villages of Maisieres and Casteau on the main Mons-toBrussels road in Belgium. German cavalry (from Cuirassier Regt No.4) were noticed approaching, and Bridges deployed half his men in ambush positions while the remainder prepared to pursue any fleeing Germans. Sensing a trap, the Cuirassiers halted, and the British troops opened fire; the Irish Dragoons then pursued the Germans for some distance towards Soignies and, in the melee that followed, killed several and captured five of them. This was the first encounter between British and German troops in the war, and Cpl Edward Thomas was later credited with firing the first shots. The involvement of the Irish soldiers in the Great War has usually been associated with the three wartime divisions that were raised in Ireland. At the outbreak, however, the Irish regiments contributed battalions of pre-war Regulars to the British Expeditionary Force (and many Irishmen were also serving in English and Scottish regiments). The BEF that went to France in summer 1914 - the 'Old Contemptibles' - contained the following Irish units and part-units: 4th Royal Irish Dragoon Guards (2nd Cavalry Brigade) 5th Royal Irish Lancers (3rd Cav Bde) B Sqn, South Irish Horse A & C Sqns, North Irish Horse 2nd Bn, Royal Munster Fusiliers (1st Guards Bde, 1st Division) 1st Bn, Irish Guards (4th Gds Bde, 2nd Div) 2nd Bn, Connaught Rangers (5th Inf Bde, 2nd Div) 2nd Bn, Royal Irish Rifles (7th Inf Bde, 3rd Div) 2nd Bn, Royal Irish Regiment (8th Inf Bde, 3rd Div) 1st Bn, Royal Irish Fusiliers (10th Inf Bde, 4th Div) 2nd Bn, Royal Dublin Fusiliers (10th Inf Bde, 4th Div) 2nd Bn, Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers (12th Inf Bde, 4th Div) 2nd Bn, Leinster Regiment (17th Inf Bde, 6th Div)

During the initial months of the war these units participated in actions too numerous to describe here, among them Mons, Le Cateau, the Marne, the Aisne, La Bassee and First Ypres, during the desperate resistance to the German offensive through Belgium into France. During 1915 the Irish battalions fought at Aubers Ridge, Festubert, Second Ypres and Loos - all attempts to break the stalemate of trench warfare which gripped the front from the winter of 1914-15. Irish battalions also served outside Europe in the first two years of the war. During the 1915 Gallipoli campaign in the Dardanelles, the Regulars of the 1st Royal Iniskilling Fusiliers, 1st Royal Munster Fusiliers and 1st Royal Dublin Fusiliers served with 29th Division. On 25 April the Royal Munster Fusiliers and Royal Dublin Fusiliers, alongside men of the 2nd Hampshires, took part in the ill-conceived landings on V Beach. Under a hail of Turkish fire they tried to disembark from the beached collier River Clyde into barges opposite the strong enemy positions at Sedd el-Bahr. The two Irish battalions suffered such heavy casualties that they were later amalgamated into a temporary unit known as the 'Dubsters', with just 8 officers and some 400 men. At X Beach the 1st Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers landed in the face of only light opposition; but casualties mounted during the months of shortrange trench warfare that followed, punctuated by costly assaults and Turkish counter-attacks. By the end of the campaign the Inniskillings had lost 428 dead, the Munsters 397 and the Dublins 569 killed, from battalion establishments ofjust over 1,000 all Fanks. In many ways the Gallipoli campaign typifies the way in which the battalions of the old Regular Army were thrown into impossible attacks only to wither away. By the time that units from the new Irish divisions began to arrive in the Dardanelles and on the Western Front in 1915 and 1916 the original Irish contingent of Regulars, like their comrades from the other parts of Great Britain, had been more than decimated they were well on their way to being wiped out. While World War I is not generally regarded as a 'cavalry war', it must be pointed out that Irish cavalry regiments saw much service in France and Flanders; indeed, the North and South Irish Horse had the distinction of being the first formed units of Irish volunteers in the field. While the mounted units were usually held in reserve in expectation of the decisive breakthrough that did not come until summer 1918, several fought in dismounted actions, and also sent dismounted squadrons for front-line duty. Throughout the war various new units were raised in Ireland. 2 Five cavalry regiments - the 1st, 2nd, 6th, 8th & 10th Reserve Cavalry Regts - were raised in Dublin and at the Curragh, providing drafts of replacements for cavalry regiments in France. The Royal Irish Rifles fielded no fewer than 21 battalions in the course of the war. Officers Training Corps detachments were based at several educational 2

For a complete listing of all battalions and squadrons formed by Irish regiments in the Great War, see Brig E.AJames, British Regiments 1914-1918 (1978), which provides an exhaustive list of all service, reserve and garrison units raised.

1917: two Victoria Cross winners with Irish connections, who illustrate the fact that not all Irishmen served in Irish regiments, and that not all who served in such regiments were Irish. (Left) Pte Michael James O'Rourke, born in Limerick, who won the supreme decoration for valour while serving with 7th Bn, British Columbia Regt, Canadian Expeditionary Force. Beside him is Sgt James Ockenden, a Hampshire man born in Portsmouth, who nevertheless served with 1st Bn, Royal Dublin Fusiliers. Both men already wear the ribbon of the Military Medal for earlier acts of bravery. During the war more than 30 VCs were awarded to servicemen born in Ireland, and another 15 to men born elsewhere but serving with Irish regiments. One of the first two VCs of the war was awarded posthumously to Lt Maurice Dease, a Westmeath man who - with Pte Frank Godley of his unit, 4th Bn Royal Fusiliers - made a heroic stand with one of the battalion's two Maxim guns on the railway bridge at Nimy, Mons, on 23 August 1914. The wounded Pte Godley survived to receive his VC. (IWM Q54252)

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institutions including Trinity College, Dublin, Queen's University, Belfast, the Royal Veterinary College of Ireland and Cork Grammar School. From Trinity College alone, 3,079 staff and students (including 27 women) served in the war, while a further 450 men attended OTC courses there. 3 During the war many auxiliary hospitals were established in Ireland, and many Irish women served with these and also abroad in the various women's services. The involvement of Irish women in organizations such as the Women's Legion, the Voluntary Aid Detachments and the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry is a topic that remains largely unexamined by Irish historians. By 1918, however, recruitment for the war effort had dropped off - in the aftermath of the 1916 Rebellion, and in light of the huge casualty lists that were constantly appearing in the press. Conscription was not introduced in Ireland, for obvious political reasons; but various stratagems were used to try to attract more recruits. These included the recruiting tour of a Canadian Irish battalion in 1916; and the abortive 'Hay Plan', which envisaged recruitment of Irish soldiers directly into the French Army.

THE IRISH DIVISIONS, 1914-18 A recruiting poster of 1916. After the Easter Rebellion of that year, coming on top of the heavy casualties suffered at Gallipoli and on the Western Front, the previously healthy flow of voluntary enlistments fell away. (Author's collection)

10th (IRISH) DIVISION

The 10th Irish Div was authorized on 21 August 1914 as one of the first 'New Army' divisions. It was composed of a number of 'K1' battalions (i.e. formed from Kitchener's 'first hundred thousand' new volunteers), whose composition reflected the diversity of these first contingents. One of its most unusual elements was D Coy, 7th Bn Royal Dublin Fusiliers, a 'Pals' unit raised from among Dublin's rugby clubs. The division included battalions from the various provinces of Ireland; its 30th Bde maintained a depot in the South and 31st Bde in the North. Due to the fact that so many Irishmen were enlisting in UVF or INV battalions recruiting was slow, especially in Ulster, where most recruits joined up under the auspices of the UVF and were therefore destined for the 36th Division. By the end of August 1914 the 5th and 6th Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers numbered only 103 men collectively. Depot companies in Ireland were stripped of men, and drafts from England and Wales w~re ~sed to make up the numbers. In 1915 a draft of 1,200 men who were originally destined for 16th (Irish) Div were also absorbed by the 10th. On formation the division's order of battle was as follows: 3

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Of the entire Trinity College contingent, 454 were killed in action or died on active service, and a further 343 were wounded. They won 102 DSOs, 293 MCs and 390 MiD citations. The Trinity College OTC was also called out during the 1916 Rebellion - becoming the only OTC unit that ever had to defend its own college.

29th Brigade 5th Bn, Royal Irish Regiment* 6th Bn, Royal Irish Rifles 5th Bn, Connaught Rangers 6th Bn, Leinster Regiment 30th Brigade 6th Bn, Royal Munster Fusiliers 7th Bn, Royal Munster Fusiliers 6th Bn, Royal Dublin Fusiliers 7th Bn, Royal Dublin Fusileirs 31st Brigade 5th Bn, Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers 6th Bn, Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers 5th Bn, Royal Irish Fusiliers 6th Bn, Royal Irish Fusiliers (* In March 1915 the 5th Bn Royal Irish Regt became the divisional Pioneer battalion, and 10th Bn, Hampshire Regt joined 29th Brigade.) The officer appointed to command the division was LtGen Sir Bryan T.Mahon. Born in Belville, Co Galway in 1862, he had served in a Militia battalion of the Connaught Rangers before joining the Regular Army in 1883. He had had a long career with the 8th King's Royal Irish Hussars, seeing service in Egypt, the Sudan, South Mrica and India. Mahon cultivated a flamboyant air, and was well liked by his troops. Gallipoli

The 10th Div was the most travelled of the Irish formations. Mter lengthy training in Ireland and England it was sent East in July 1915, to join the British and Anzac (Australian/New Zealand) forces on the Gallipoli peninsula. It was assigned to take part in a series of landings at Suvla Bay in August 1915, in the hope of restarting the stalled offensive by getting behind the Turkish defenders and relieving the pressure on the troops engaged in the Cape Helles and Anzac beachheads. For this purpose it joined the landing force alongside the 11 th (Northern), 13th (Western), 53rd (Welsh) and 54th (East Anglian) divisions. The Suvla landings were ultimately marred by a fatal indecisiveness on the part of the commander, LtGen Sir Frederick Stopford. Even before these landings Lord Granard, commanding the 5th Royal Irish Regt, wrote: 'The way this campaign is being run is an absolute disgrace. I wish somebody was sent out to pull things together. Otherwise it mig1).t run on for any length of time' (Johnstone, pp.98-99). The landings, on 6-7 August by about 2,500 men, were initially opposed only by some 1,500 men under Maj Willmer, a Bavarian officer attached to the Turkish Army. Disorganization and a lack of urgency combined to throw away any chance of success, allowing the Turks to reinforce; the whole expedition later descended into the same kind of deadly stalemate as that which ruled at Helles and Anzac.

The landing area of the 10th (Irish) Div at Suvla Bay on the Gallipoli peninsula. The ridge line of Kiretch Tepe to the north was the focus of successive assaults. (Author's collection)

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ABOVE The converted collier 55 River Clyde, run aground on V Beach, Gallipoli, on the morning of 25 April 1915. The photo was taken later, when the causeway

of barges had been constructed linking ship to shore. On the morning of 25 April the 1st Royal Munster Fusiliers took appalling casualties as they tried to clamber out of the sally ports cut in the sides - the dark holes visible here - and into the landing barges, under relentless Turkish fire. Reportedly, the water turned red for 50 yards out from the beach.

RIGHT Men of 5th Bn, Royal

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Irish Fusiliers serving with 31st Bde, 10th (Irish) Div in the trenches above 5uvla Bay, summer 1915. Unlike the subject of Plate B2, these men have now been issued khaki drill tropical uniforms; one baits Turkish snipers with his Wolseley sun helmet. Under magnification, the shoulder straps can be seen to bear the brass fusilier 'bomb' above the 'RDF' title. (IWM Q13447)

In this, its first action, 10th Div was committed piecemeal. The 30th and 31st Bdes were landed at Suvla on 7 August - but on the wrong beaches, far to the south of their objective, the Kiretch Tepe ridge line; much confusion followed. The 29th Bde was sent to Anzac to take part in a planned offensive there. The only success of these new landings was the taking of Chocolate Hill on the evening of 7 August; all initiative was lost, and no guidance or sense of urgency were provided by Stopford, who remained aboard his ship. During the general attack on 9 August the division's assault up the difficult slopes of Kiretch Tepe stalled and they were forced to dig in. As soldiers began to entrench all over Suvla, Stopford was replaced on 15 August by MajGen de Lisle. This resulted in another crisis in the British command, as MajGen Mahon ot 10th Div was technically De Lisle's superior; he reacted badly, and refused to serve under that officer. Extraordinarily, he left his division and departed for Imbros just as the 10th Irish were making another attempt on the heights of Kiretch Tepe. (Mahon seems to have enjoyed continued popularity among his men,

December 1915, near Kosturino on the Salonika front: LtCol Jourdain (left) and Capt Massey outside the Battalion HQ tent of 5th Bn, Connaught Rangers, serving with 29th Bde, 10th (Irish) Division. Note the highly visible cuff ranking still worn by officers at this date. (IWM Q55142)

and the circumstances of his departure are still debated, but it cannot bejudged as other than irresponsible at this critical moment.) The 10th Div took part in the unsuccessful attack on Hill 60 on 21 August, and in a later attempt on Hill 10. On 8 December the evacuation of Suvla was ordered by Gen Sir Charles Monro, who had replaced Gen Sir Ian Hamilton in overall command at Gallipoli. The evacuation was carried out on 19-20 December 1915, but by then the 10th Div was already in action on another front. During the course of the Gallipoli campaign more than 2,000 men of the division were killed or died of wounds (i.e. about 11 per cent of its establishment). Salonika

The division were evacuated to Mudros, where it was decided that they would join the Allied forces at Salonika in Greece, to take part in the campaign in Serbia against the combined Bulgarian, Austrian and German forces. Borrowing ammunition and equipment from other divisions, the 10th's advance elements arrived at Salonika on 5 October 1915. They relieved a French division at Lake Dorian at the end of that month, before moving into new positions at Kosturino. During the severe winter of 1915-16 more than 1,600 of all ranks were medically evacuated suffering from frostbite and various other ailments. Nevertheless, on 6-8 December the division successfully halted determined Bulgarian attacks on the ridge at Kosturino, before being forced to join the retreat of Allied forces from Serbia into Greece. Back at Salonika, the 10th Irish joined four other divisions in the defence of the perimeter. In May 1916 Gen Mahon was replaced by Cen Milne; the latter succumbed to sunstroke almost immediately, to be replaced in his turn by MajGenJ.R.Longley. During summer 1916 the men of the 10th endured the soaring heat of the Struma Valley, many coming down with malaria. The division took part in the Karajakois campaign and the capture of Yenikoi in 1916, before being ordered to Egypt in August 1917.

13

Palestine

In late October 1917 the division formed part of Gen Allenby's forces during the battle of the Beersheba-Gaza Line (Third Gaza). As part of XXX Corps it was one of the first divisions to enter Jerusalem following the success of the night attacks of 7-8 December; it then helped defend the city against the Turkish night counter-attack of 26/27 December. During early 1918 the division took part in a number of hard-fought actions, but from April onwards it underwent a process of'Indianization' as its Irish battalions were withdrawn for service in France and Flanders. This process was completed by June, when only three Irish battalions remained: 1st Leinsters (29th Bde), 1st Royal Irish Regt (30th Bde) and 2nd Royal Irish Fusiliers (31 st Brigade). By the time of the victorious battle of Meggido in September 1918 the division had been re-designated simply as 10th Div, and was largely composed of Indian battalions such as the 1/54th Sikhs, 38th Dogras and 74th Punjabis. Total casualties of the 10th (Irish) Division in the Great War were 9,363 killed, wounded and missing - some 51 per cent of original establishment. 16th (IRISH) DIVISION

This second 'New Army' division was authorized under an Army Order of 11 September 1914. Its initial training in Ireland and England progressed slowly due to shortages of equipment. The original commander was LtGen Sir Lawrence Worthington Parsons, a native of Birr (then Parsonstown) in Co Offaly. He had served in Egypt and the Sudan, and during the Second Anglo-Boer War (hereafter, for brevity, simply the Boer War) he was present at a number of important actions including Colenso and Spion Kop. He commanded the division during its training, and in December 1915 handed over to another veteran of Egypt and South Mrica, MajGen William Bernard Hickie. Hickie, from Slievoyre in Co Tipperary, would command the 16th Div until 1918; all of his division's service would be on the Western Front. Its order of battle upon formation was as follows: 47th Brigade 6th Bn, Royal Irish Regiment 6thBn,ConnaughtRange~

7th Bn, Leinster Regiment 8th Bn, Royal Munster Fusiliers

14

A column of 1st Bn, Royal Irish Regt on the march in Palestine, 1917 (see Plate B1). Based in India at the outbreak of war, this Regular unit had initially served with 27th (Regular) Div before joining 10th (Irish) Div during 1917. In the baking heat they march at ease in unbuttoned shirts, their tunics slung on their packs. Most have 1908 webbing equipment, but the man at the far left has the 1914 leather set. (IWM Q32128)

48th Brigade 7th Bn, Royal Irish Rifles 9th Bn, Royal Munster Fusiliers 8th Bn, Royal Dublin Fusiliers 9th Bn, Royal Dublin Fusiliers 49th Brigade 7th Bn, Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers 8th Bn, Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers 7th Bn, Royal Irish Fusiliers 8th Bn, Royal Irish Fusiliers (The 11 th Bn, Hampshire Regt was later attached as the divisional Pioneer battalion. ) Loos

The division sailed for France in December 1915, joining the First Army in the Loos sector; during a phase of initiation into front line duty its brigades were attached to either I or IV Corps. Their true introduction to the horrors of modern warfare came on 27-29 April 1916, in the Hulluch sector of the front line, where the Germans launched a series of attacks under cover of poison gas. Intelligence reports had indicated the presence of gas cylinders in the German front lines, and these reports were supported by the swarms of rats which fled from the enemy trenches to escape from leaking gas. General Rickie ordered that wire defences be strengthened and Vermorel anti-gas sprayers and antigas blankets should be issued in the front-line trenches. Despite these measures the division suffered badly; Father Willie Doyle (see Plate D2), aJesuit chaplain serving with the 16th, described the dreadful feeling of trying to get his P-type gas helmet on in 'a thick green fog of poison gas ... I had never tried the helmet on and did not know if it were in working order. In theory, with the helmet on I was absolutely safe, but it was an anxious moment waiting for the scorching test, and to make things more horrible, I was absolutely alone' (O'Rahilly, p.408). In all, 338 men died of gas injuries while a further 922 were incapacitated. In some places the Germans managed to gain a foothold in the front-line trenches, but they were beaten back. On 29 April massing German troops were caught by their own gas due to a change in the wind direction - an event observed with grim satisfaction from the Irish trenches. While the 16th Irish Div were resisting these attacks, rebellion had broken out in Dublin. It was later noted that placards appeared in the German trenches, taunting the men of the division with news of the Easter Rising; a series of retaliatory raids were made to capture these.

Ensl ish Miles 2 3 ' ", , J

5f

The Somme valley, showing the British front line in summer 1916 as a 'castellated' line. Thiepval, Guillemont and Ginchy were the objectives for 16th (Irish) and 36th (Ulster) Divs on 1 July. (Author's collection)

15

The Somme

At the end of August 1916 the division were moved south from the Loos sector to the Somme, where the British Army's bloodiest battle in history had already been raging for two months. Here the units assembled for an attack on the village of Guillemont near Delville Wood, which commanded the high ground between Longueval and Combles. The 16th Div's assault began at 12:00hrs on 3 September, following a massive British artillery bombardment. The Irishmen left their trenches and, following close behind a creeping barrage, they were in the German front line before the defenders had time to react. The fierceness of the hand-to-hand fighting and 'bombing' contests with grenades that followed this break-in may be judged by the example of one 26-man bombing platoon from the 7th Leinsters: of these, one man was later awarded the Victoria Cross, two the Distinguished Conduct Medal and six the Military Medal, while one man, Pte John Ford, was recommended for a battlefield commission. Among the long list of difficult assaults during the four-month Somme campaign this attack by 16th Div was remarkable for its success. The 6th Royal Irish Regt were later reported to have attacked with the pipers playing 'Brian Boru'. By 12:55hrs on the 3rd the division had reached its objective and was in possession of North and South Streets in Guillemont; by the next day it had consolidated its gains and had repulsed German counter-attacks. However, the neighbouring 7th Div had failed in its attack on Ginchy, and on 9 September the 16th Irish were ordered to renew the attack on that position. Zero hour was set for 16:45hrs in the afternoon, but this was later changed and the start time was moved back by two minutes to allow a final intensification of the barrage. This change was not communicated to 48th Bde or to the neighbouring 168th Bde of 56th (London) Div, both of which went over the top at the original Zero Hour. Advancing through their own barrage, they caught the Germans unawares and carried the village that evening. The division's 47th Bde received the delay order, and were decimated when they advanced against defenders who had had that vital two minutes to get their machine guns up from shelter and into action. With reinforcements from the Guards Div, the positions were consolidated and a series of counter-attacks repelled.

16

A cheerful crowd of soldiers of 16th (Irish) Div - including many from the Royal Dublin Fusiliers battalions of 48th Bde - with German souvenirs and British rum jars following the capture of Wyteschaete in June 1917. Two months later, continual heavy rain would bury the Ypres battlefields under deep mud, making Passchendaele a byword for fighting under inhuman conditions. (IWM Q5628)

English Miles oI , .

During the actions to take Guillemont and Ginchy the 16th Div suffered casualties of 224 officers and 4,090 men; their success despite these very heavy losses gained the division a reputation as first-class shock troops.

~

t_,

Z '

J f

4 I

5 i

Messines Ridge south of Ypres; Wyteschaete was the objective of the successful attacks by 16th (Irish) and 36th (Ulster) Divs in June 1917. (Author's collection)

Ypres

During the successful battle of Messines in June 1917 the 16th Irish operated in concert with 36th (Ulster) Div in the attack on the village of Wytschaete. At 03:10hrs on 7June, 19 huge mines were detonated under the German trenches around Messines Ridge, their 600 tons of high explosive killing an estimated 10,000 enemy troops; the noise of the explosions was heard in London. Supported by tanks and led by a creeping barrage, the men of the two Irish divisions left their trenches soon after the mine detonations; however, although four of the mines had been blown opposite their positions, the 16th Div came under fire from enemy strongpoints north of Wytschaete Wood. The largest of these, known as L'Hospice, was surrounded by a containment force while the rest of the division pushed on to the village, where fierce handto-hand fighting ensued. By 08:00hrs the 16th Irish had reached their objectives beyond the St Eloi-Messines road; given the opposition, their casualties of less than 1,000 all ranks must be considered relatively light. The division were used again as assault infantry during the Third Battle ofYpres (Passchendaele), which began the following month. The 16th Div were deployed with the 36th (Ulster) Div for an attack on the village of Langemarck, but this time the preparations had been less than adequate. Both divisions were under strength, and the 16th Irish had suffered some 2,000 casualties in the two weeks before the attack. The 16th Div left their trenches at 04:45hrs on the morning of 16 August; they were expected to advance over soft ground under relentless rain, and the creeping barrage proved to be moving too fast, leaving them

17

Battle of Cambrai, November 1917: men of 11th Bn, Royal Iniskilling Fusiliers, 109th Bde, 36th (Ulster) Div in captured German trenches near Havincourt. Again, magnification shows the brass fusilier 'bomb' on the shoulder straps above the title 'Inniskilling' in an arc. (IWM Q3177)

behind to struggle through the mud. Tanks had been provided in support, but in the terrible terrain they too fell far behind. The assault failed in the face of formidable German strongpoints, including many reinforced concrete pillboxes. Enemy positions at Ibernian Farm and Delva Farm were taken, but the division could not take Hill 37, and as the attack stalled they stumbled back to their start lines, having suffered more than 2,100 casualties. On 20-21 November 1917 the 16th Irish were in action yet again during the battle of Cambrai, where they captured the German position at Tunnel Trench; this provided a boost to morale after the failure at Langemarck. In February 1918 Gen Hickie was replaced in command by MajGen C.P.A.Hull. The Kaiserschlacht

At the outbreak of the great German spring offensive in March 1918 the division were in the line in the 'Forward Zone' of the Ephey Salient. Over the next few days they fought a series of desperate defensive actions as one position after another was infiltrated and overrun; local counterattacks failed, and units fell back in confusion or were captured as their ammunition ran out. Some battalions fought to the bitter end: the 7th & 8th Inniskillings were all killed or captured in the defence of Ronnsoy. By 26 March the 16th Irish was just one of six weakened divisions holding a 13-mile front between Fransart and Frise on the Somme; it later defended against a series of German attacks on the Amiens Defence Line. It was a shattered division that was relieved from the line on the night of 3/4 April 1918, having suffered 7,149 casualties during the German spring offensive. These losses saw it reduced to cadre strength on 15 April, and its battalions were disbanded, amalgamated, and then posted to other formations - including the 63rd (Naval), 30th (New Army) and 50th (Northumbrian) divisions. Its total casualties in the Great War were 28,398 killed, wounded and missing - 1.56 times its original establishment. The 16th Div was later reorganized, but not as an Irish formation, having only one Irish battalion - 5th Royal Irish Fusiliers. 36th (ULSTER) DIVISION

18

This division was raised in September 1914 from the ranks of the Ulster Volunteer Force. It had a considerable advantage over the other two Irish divisions, since the UVF battalions had been officered by many

men with previous military experience and, with many more arms than their Irish Volunteer counterparts, had enjoyed a longer period of basic weapons training before the war began. The UVF men were used to form service battalions of the Royal Irish Rifles, Royal Irish Fusiliers and Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers; on the initial Army lists their battalions bore additional designations indicating their origins within the UVF organization. These local titles are included in the division's initial order of battle, as follows: 107th Brigade 8th Bn, Royal Irish Rifles (East Belfast Volunteers) 9th Bn, Royal Irish Rifles (W.Belfast Vols) 10th Bn, Royal Irish Rifles (S.Belfast Vols) 15th Bn, Royal Irish Rifles (N.Belfast Vols) 108th Brigade 11th Bn, Royal Irish Rifles (S.Antrim Vols) 12th Bn, Royal Irish Rifles (Central Antrim Vols) 13th Bn, Royal Irish Rifles (1st County Down Vols) 9th Bn, Royal Irish Fusiliers (Armagh, Monaghan & Cavan Vols) 109th Brigade 9th Bn, Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers (Tyrone Vols) 10th Bn, Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers (Derry Vols) 11th Bn, Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers (Donegal & Fermanagh Vols) 14th Bn, Royal Irish Rifles (Young Citizens Vols of Belfast) The division was initially commanded by MajGen C.R.Powell. In September 1915 he was replaced by MajGen Sir Oliver S.W.Nugent, a highly intelligent and experienced officer who had seen action in the Chitral campaign of 1895 on the North-West Frontier, and in the Boer War. Appointed to train the Cavan UVF in 1914, he later commanded the defences of Rull, and subsequently 41st Bde in 14th (Light) Div, a ew Army formation, in France and Flanders. In July 1915 his brigade had taken casualties from a German flamethrower attack near Ypres. The 36th Div were therefore fortunate in being led into their baptism of fire by a commander who had some experience of modern warfare. General ugent and his staff were tireless in their efforts to prepare the division for combat.

Ham, 15 June 1918: a column from 109th Bde, 36th (Ulster) Div entering the town in the rain, to relieve the French 6th Division. The officers wear trench coats, and some of the soldiers their waterproof groundsheet/capes. Note at the front right of the column the Inniskillings' goat mascot. (IWM Q10653)

19

Near Ham, June 1918: a closer look at the goat. The Inniskilling on the left wears the 1914 pattern leather equipment set. {IWM 10654}

The Somme

20

In October 1915 the division sailed for France, initially occupying a quiet sector of the front line in Picardy. In the summer of 1916 it moved to the Somme and prepared to take part in the coming offensive. Assigned to X Corps, it held a section of the line north-west of Thiepval, straddling the River Ancre. For the first day of the Somme the division was given two objectives, (see map, page 15). On the right (south), battalions from 108th & 109th Bdes were tasked with advancing to and beyond a heavily defended position called the Schwaben Redoubt; their ultimate goal was to reach the Thiepval-Grandcourt road, hopefully taking another strongpoint, The Crucifix, in the process. North of the Ancre, 107th Bde on the left were to take Thiepval Wood and seize the German first-line defences, while the remaining battalions of 108th Bde were to advance to the railway station outside Beaucourt-sur-Ancre. This was to prove an ambitious set of objectives. The record of 36th Div on the first day of the Somme was a story of incredible bravery, sacrifice, initial success and ultimately costly failure. The date - 1 Julywas the anniversary of William Ill's victory at the Boyne in 1690, a day of deep significance to the Protestant Ulstermen of this division. At Zero Hour, 07:30hrs, the battalions north of the Ancre left their trenches and walked forwards, only to find themselves faced by strong wire entanglements left almost untouched by the eight-day preliminary bombardment. Successive waves of men were mown down by German machine guns until, admitting defeat, the remnants of these battalions returned to their start lines. South of the river, 36th Div at first achieved impressive success. General Nugent had sent his men out into No-Man's-Land before Zero Hour, and as the bombardment ended they stormed the German front line before the defenders could get their Maxims back on to the parapets. By 08:48hrs they had reached the third line of trenches and had a foothold in the Schwaben Redoubt; on the right, some battalions

An interesting posed photo of a Lewis gunner of 12th Bn, Royal Irish Rifles, 36th (Ulster) Div on the Somme acting as an antiaircraft sentry: note the AA rearsight fixed to the gun, and the horn of a gas warning klaxon at far left. (IWM 10690)

had advanced as far as the Thiepval-Grandcourt road. However, as further waves were sent forward to consolidate they came under heavy machine gun and artillery fire from their flanks. Since the neighbouring divisions had failed to make comparable progress, the Ulstermen now found themselves exposed, and supplies and reinforcements could not get up to them. For the rest of 1 July they held on deep in the German lines, resisting successive counter-attacks - many of them launched from the fortified village of Thiepval. On the morning of 2 July the survivors still held the German first and second lines, and when reinforcements finally reached them these were consolidated. The division was relieved that night, having suffered 5,500 casualties. (While a divisional establishment was just over 18,000 men, virtually all these losses had fallen on the roughly 12,000 men of the three infantry brigades.) Four members of the division were awarded the VC for their actions that day, among many other decorations. As news of the casualties reached Ireland, the province of Ulster was plunged into mourning. The experience of 36th (Ulster) Div on the Somme was later imbued with deep significance, becoming one of the formative events in the creation of the modern Unionist identity. Messines, Third Ypres and Cambrai

On 7June 1917 the division enjoyed more success at far lower cost, during the operation to capture Wytschaete. As mentioned already, they operated in conjunction with 16th (Irish) Div, holding the line to that division's right and advancing after the blowing of four mines opposite its lines. The initial advance was so prompt that 14th Royal Ulster Rifles were also caught by the explosion of a mine which detonated 15 seconds late. Opposition was light in the first trenches but stiffened as they neared the Messines-Wytschaete road; fierce fighting developed around German strongpoints at Steenebeck, Jump Point and Skip Point. These were overcome, and by nightfall the division had advanced two miles

21

and captured more than 2,300 prisoners. By the standards of other Western Front battles casualties were light, at 61 officers and 1,058 men killed or wounded. During Third Ypres, 36th Div were once again given objectives that proved impossible. Alongside the 16th Irish Div, the Ulstermen were in the line opposite the strong enemy positions around Langemarck; in the run-up to the actual assault the division had already lost 1,500 men, and was exhausted and under strength for the attack of 16 August 1917. Given the sodden terrain, the constant rain, the poor preparation and the German defences, their objectives appear ludicrous: they were tasked with a deep advance into enemy lines through a series of heavily fortified farms and redoubts. The Ulstermen encountered wire and machine guns seemingly unaffected by the barrage; they took and briefly held Hill 35, but the survivors of this disastrous assault soon had to wade back to their own lines, after losing another 2,000 all ranks. The combined casualties of 16th and 36th Divs marked an end to the policy of deploying the two Irish formations together, for reasons of morale. At Cambrai in late November 1917 the divisional objective for the opening phase was the village of Moeuvres. Following initial success at Hill 90 and the Spoil Heap the village was finally taken, but since the adjacent sections of the Hindenburg Line had resisted successfully, the 36th Div were eventually driven out again. The division was then heavily engaged in resisting the inevitable German counter-attacks. 1918

When the German spring offensive fell upon the British front in March 1918, 36th Div was in the line south of St Quentin. Under relentless attacks the Ulstermen displayed their characteristic tenacity in a series

22

Near E$signy, February 1918: an officer party from 12th Royal Ulster Rifles, 36th (Ulster) Div struggling along a muddy trench, with gasmasks in the 'alert' position. The officer in the lead seems to have insignia painted in white on the front of his helmet possibly the regimental badge, above a rank 'pip' or crown? (IWM Q10681)

of hard-fought rearguard actions over nine days, gradually retreating. When the situation stabilized they found themselves north of Montdidier, west of their starting positions. Despite their casualties in this battle the Ulster Div did not share the fate of 16th Irish. It remained in existence, taking part in the sequence of battles during the British counter-offensive that would decide the war in November 1918. Its actions included Messines-Kemmel, Rosieres, and the Somme and Lys crossings. In May, Gen Nugent was promoted and replaced by MajGen C.Coffin. At the Armistice the division was based at Mouscron, north-east of Tourcoing in Flanders. Total casualties for 36th (Ulster) Division during the war were more than 32,000 men killed, wounded and missing - that is, about 1.7 times its strength on formation.

OTHER UNITS, 1914-18 THE IRISH GUARDS

Formed only in 1900, in 1914 the Irish Guards had a single battalion, with a strength on mobilization of 997 all ranks. There were also 1,300 Irish Guards Reservists, and these were recalled to the colours on the outbreak of war. A second Reserve battalion was formed, re-designated as the 3rd (Reserve) Bn when the 2nd Bn was raised in July 1915. During the Great War, 292 officers and 9,340 men served with the regiment; the 1st & 2nd Bns saw extensive service on the Western Front, while the 3rd Bn remained at Warley Barracks and sent new drafts to the service battalions. The 1st Battalion was inspected by the Colonel of the regiment, Field-Marshal Lord Roberts, on 11 August 1914, and boarded ship for France the next day. Attached to the 4th (Guards) Bde of the 2nd Div, BEF, it was on the march for Mons when the German attack was unleashed on 23 August. During the retreat from Mons (known within the regiment as the 'Retirement') it formed part of the division's rearguard. It fought an action at Landrecies and, by 1 September, was at Villers-Cotterets south of Soissons. There it fought its first major engagement, suffering more than 100 casualties including the commanding officer, LtCol the Hon G.H.Morris. The battalion subsequently fought in the battles of the Marne and the Aisne, and during First Ypres it suffered more than 700 casualties. The 1st Irish Guards remained on the Western Front throughout the war. On the formation of the Guards Division in August 1915 it was assigned to 1st Guards Bde, and it can justly claim to have fought in every major action of the war. 4 In 1915 the battalion fought at Festubert and Loos. In 1916, on the Somme, it took over a section of the front line at Beaumont-Hammel in August; on 15 September the Guards Div advanced into what became known as the battle of Flers-Courcelette, finally taking the divisional objective of Lesboeufs on 25 September. The 1st Bn returned to the Ypres Salient in 1917, later fighting in the battles of Third Ypres and Cambrai. During the German offensive of March 1918 it faced the onslaught at Hazebrouck, before being forced to retire over ground that had been won at high cost over the previous two years. 4

See Elite 61, The Guards Divisions 1914-45

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Pipers of the 3rd Bn, Irish Guards at Warley Barracks in England, photographed in late 1916 or early 1917. Although this was the Reserve battalion, two men each display two gold wound stripes (introduced 1916) on their left forearms, indicating previous service in France. They wear very large caubeens, SO tunics with the skirts cut to doublet shape, brass 'IG' titles below the regimental badge on the shoulder straps, saffron kilts, black brogue shoes with long tongues, and hose without ankleputtees. Compare with Plate C3. (IWM Q66158)

As the German offensive ran out of momentum the battalion took part in the subsequent British advances on the Hindenburg Line and the Canal du Nord. At the Armistice it was based at Mauberge near Mons, where it had first seen action in 1914. The 2nd Battalion landed at Le Havre in August 1915, and joined 2nd Guards Bde of the Guards Division. It went into action on 25 September in the battle of Loos, fighting in a series of actions for objectives including the village of Puits and the strongpoint at Hill 70; on 17 October it took part in the unsuccessful attack on the Hohenzollern Redoubt. The 2nd Bn did its first tour in the Ypres Salient in 1916, before moving to the Somme, where it took part in the fighting around Ginchy and Flers-Courcellete in September. In 1917 it fought in the battle of Third Ypres; and in 1918, having survived the German spring offensive, it served in the final decisive actions including Bapaume, Arras and the crossing of the Canal du Nord. During World War I the Irish Guards were almost continuously in action from 1914, and were awarded 30 battle honours. The regiment suffered 115 officers and 2,235 other ranks killed or died of wounds; members were awarded four Victoria Crosses, 67 Military Crosses, 77 Distinguished Conduct Medals and 244 Military Medals. TERRITORIAL & VOLUNTEER BATTALIONS RAISED IN ENGLAND

Large-scale Irish emigration during the 19th century led to the development of significant Irish communities in England and Scotland, the majority concentrated in the cities of Glasgow, Newcastle, Liverpool, Manchester and London. Irish volunteer rifle companies had been formed in Liverpool and London in 1860 and, by 1914, these had developed into battalions of the Territorial Force. The Liverpool Irish

24

An Irish Volunteer Rifle Corps had been formed in January 1860, and was later re-designated 64th Lancashire (Liverpool Irish) Rifle Volunteer Corps. Volunteers from this unit served in the Boer War; and in 1908, following the reorganization of the Militia and Volunteer units into the new Territorial Force, it became a battalion of the King's (Liverpool) Regiment. In 1914 it was officially designated as 8th (Irish) Bn, King's (Liverpool) Regt (Territorial Force). During the course of the war two further battalions were raised, designated as 2/8th & 3/8th (Irish) Bns of the King's, the original unit being re-designated the 1/8th.

The 1/8th Bn served in France and Flanders from 1915, with both the 55th (W.Lancashire) and 57th (2nd W.Lancashire) Divisions. Among its numerous battles were the Somme, Third Ypres and Cambrai. The 2/8th Bn was raised in October 1914, and was attached to the 57th Div; it went to France in February 1917, and took part in actions including Third Ypres, Cambrai and the Hindenburg Line offensive. It was amalgamated with the 1/8th Bn in January 1918. The 3/8th Bn, raised in May 1915, was used to provide replacements for the two battalions in France. More than 900 members of the Liverpool Irish died during the War. The London Irish Rifles

This regiment also traces its origins to the patriotic enthusiasm of the Volunteer Rifle movement of 1860. In March that year an Irish unit was raised as the 28th Middlesex (London Irish) Volunteer Rifle Corps. Among early prominent members from the London Irish community were the Marquess of Donegal and the famous war correspondent William Howard Russell. In 1880 it was re-designated as a Volunteer battalion of the Rifle Brigade - 16th Middlesex (London Irish). Eight officers and 200 men volunteered for service overseas with the 2nd Bn, Royal Irish Rifles during the Boer War; and in 1908 it transferred to the Territorial Force with the title 18th (County of London) Bn, London Regt (London Irish Rifles). During World War I this unit raised three battalions. The existing battalion was re-designated 1/18th (County of London) Bn, London Regt (London Irish Rifles), and was mobilized for active service on the outbreak of war. Attached to 141st Bde of the 47th (2nd London) Div, it went to France in March 1915, going into action at Festubert in May, and fighting at Loos in September (see commentary, Plate Cl). The battalion remained on the Western Front throughout the war, fighting in numerous battles including the Somme (1916), Messines and Cambrai (1917), the Ancre and Albert (1918).

Pilckem Ridge, 31 July 1917: men of 2nd Bn, Irish Guards tending enemy wounded in a captured German trench. Under magnification the guardsmen on the right can be seen to display the white-on-green regime~tal shoulder title, above the two vertical green bars identifying the battalion, and one man a white shoulder lanyard. Note that the man in centre foreground has a flap of ringmail attached under the rear brim of his helmet. (IWM Q2628)

25

The Liverpool Irish entering Lille on 10 October 1918; since that January the 1/8th & 2/8th Bns, King's {Liverpool} Regt had been amalgamated due to heavy casualties, and were serving with 57th (W.Lancs) Division. Typically for this date, the officer at the front wears almost nothing to distinguish him from his men, although he has kept his opencollared tunic with collar badges. (IWM Q9572)

The second battalion - 2/18th (County of London) Bn, (London Irish Rifles) - was raised in August 1914. It went to France inJune 1916 and was attached to 60th (2/2nd London) Div, serving in the line at Vimy Ridge. Later that year it was transferred to Salonika, and later served in Palestine, where it fought in many actions. At the battle of Khubert Adesah in December 1917 it suffered very heavy casualties, its officer and NCO complement being reduced to one lieutenant and one sergeant. In July 1918 the battalion was disbanded in Palestine and the remaining personnel were posted to other Irish battalions serving with 10th Division. The 3/18th (County of London) Bn (London Irish Rifles) was raised in May 1915, remaining in reserve in England throughout the war. By 1918 the two service battalions had established an enviable fighting reputation on the Western Front and in the Middle East; they had earned more than 20 battle honours and had been awarded seven DSOs and 33 MCs, among many other decorations. The London Irish lost 1,016 killed and 2,644 wounded during the war. The Tyneside Irish Brigade

26

At the outbreak of war the response to the call for volunteers from the Irish community in Newcastle upon Tyne was enthusiastic. The Irish-born mayor of the city and members of the local Irish Club lobbied the War Office for permission to form a 'Tyneside Irish Force' or some other form of Irish volunteer brigade. Under continuing pressure the authorities granted permission in September 1914, but stipulated that the volunteers should serve as battalions of the local regiment, the Northumberland Fusiliers. By January 1915 some 5,500 men had enlisted, serving in the following battalions of the Northumberland Fusiliers: 24th (Service) Bn (1st Tyneside Irish) 25th (Service) Bn (2nd Tyneside Irish) 26th (Service) Bn (3rd Tyneside Irish)

27th (Service) Bn (4th Tyneside Irish) 30th (Reserve) Bn (Tyneside Irish) - formed July 1915 34th (Reserve) Bn (Tyneside Irish) - formed June 1916 The four service battalions formed 103rd Bde of the 34th (New Army) Div; and after months of training on Salisbury Plain they were shipped to France in January 1916. During the first day of the Somme, 1 July 1916, the Tyneside Irish brigade suffered disastrous casualties; the survivors reached the brigade objective of Contalmaison, only to be ejected by later German counter-attacks. The remnants of the brigade took part in later actions on the Somme during September 1916, and in the battle of Arras in 1917. Due to their heavy losses in these battles the 24th & 27th Bns were amalgamated to form the 24th/27th Bn of 103rd Bde; the 25th and 26th Bns were amalgamated with battalions of 34th Div's 102nd (Tyneside Scottish) Brigade. Early in 1918 the Tyneside Irish battalions were withdrawn from the line and disbanded, their colours being laid up in Newcastle's two cathedrals. Unlike the Liverpool Irish and London Irish, these battalions were not re-formed during World War II. The very heavy losses of the Tyneside Irish Bde on the Somme illustrated the inherent dangers of raising such 'Pals' battalions: whole sections of the Tyneside community were bereaved, widowed and orphaned by these battle casualties. IRISH COLONIAL VOLUNTEER BATTALIONS

During the 19th century there had also been heavy Irish emigration to other countries within the British Empire. By 1914 there were sizeable Irish communities in Australia, Canada and South Mrica, from among which volunteer units were raised. Australia

Despite the fact that so many thousands of Irish had travelled to Australia by the 1850s, both as eager emigrants and unwilling convicts, the Irish community there was slow to become involved in the Volunteer Rifle movement. In 1896 the New South Wales Irish Rifles was formed as

6 August 1918: wearing shorts, and 1914 leather equipment in basic 'musketry order', men of the London Irish Rifles on a daylight patrol through the ruins of Albert, which was not finally recaptured until 22 August following its loss during the German spring offensive. These men are therefore at considerable risk; this is not one of the many safely staged photos - it is recorded that during this patrol one man was killed and three others wounded. (IWM Q6899)

27

South of La Boisselle on the Somme, soon after 07:30hrs on the morning of 1 July 1916: a rare and evocative photograph of troops actually going into action. Across the open meadows the heavily laden soldiers of the lYneside Irish - 103rd Bde, 34th Div - advance in the direction of Contalmaison, at a steady walk and mostly with shouldered arms. Within ten minutes of leaving their trenches, some 80 per cent of the men in the leading battalions had fallen. (lWM Q53)

28

part of the Militia, and members volunteered to serve in South Mrica during the Boer War. In 1903 the unit became the NSW Irish Rifle Regt, but lost its title under reforms of 1912, being re-designated the 33rd Infantry Regiment. The Reserve legislation prevented this unit from serving overseas. Mter the Armistice the NSW Irish underwent a mind-boggling series of amalgamations and re-designations, finally dropping the Irish title in 1930. No specifically Irish regiment served with the Australian forces in either World War, although many individuals of Irish extraction did so in the ranks of other units. Canada

In Canada the situation was very different. On the outbreak of war the Irish communities in Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver quickly obtained permission from the Department of the Militia to raise regiments. While it was originally hoped that these would serve as units with the Canadian Expeditionary Force, they were used instead to provide drafts of replacements for CEF battalions serving on the Western Front. The Canadian Irish Rangers was raised in Montreal in November 1914, and by April 1915 was 400 strong; it sent a detachment to join the 60th Overseas Bn, CEF, in June. In February 1916 it was re-designated the 199th Bn, CEF, and in the winter of 1916-17 it went on a recruiting tour of Ireland. In 1917 the Canadian Irish Rangers was amalgamated with the 22nd & 23rd Canadian Reserve Bns, and disappeared as a separate unit. The Canadian Irish Fusiliers was actually formed before the war, being raised in Vancouver in 1913 as the 11th Regt of Militia. During the war it never served overseas as a unit, but sent drafts to the CEF's 121st Bn (New Westminster), which came to be known as the 'Western Irish Battalion'. In 1915 the Canadian Irish Fusiliers were drafted into the 7th Canadian Infantry Bn (British Columbia), which served with the 1st Cdn Div in France and Flanders from February 1915 until the Armistice. Mter the war the Canadian Irish Fusiliers reverted to the Non-Permanent Militia; in 1936 it was amalgamated with the Vancouver Regt to form the Irish Fusiliers of Canada (Vancouver Regiment). The Irish Regiment of Canada was formed in Toronto on 15 October 1915, through the efforts of the Irish Club and the Irish Rifle Club, and was originally designated 110th Irish Regiment. During the war it raised a number of battalions for overseas service, including the

December 1916: the Canadian Irish Rangers march through the streets of Cork city during their recruiting tour of Ireland. Ahead of the colour-bearer can be seen the towering figure of the CO, LtCol O'Donoghue. The battalion was feted at a number of civic receptions in Cork, Limerick, Dublin and Belfast. (IWM 034444)

110th Canadian Overseas Bn and 208th Irish Battalion. These served on the Western Front until the Armistice, suffering more than 60 per cent casualties and seeing action in many battles including Arras, Third Ypres and the Hindenburg Line offensive. Reverting to the Non-Permanent Militia thereafter, in 1920 it dropped its numerical designation and became the Irish Regiment - from 1932, Irish Regiment of Canada. South Africa

On the outbreak of war an Irish unit was raised in Johannesburg, initially called the Imperial Irish Horse but later the South Mrican Irish Regiment. Mter hasty training at Booysens Camp the new unit was in action almost immediately during the suppression of the Mrikaner Rebellion of 1914. It then took part in the campaign in German SouthWest Mrica (today's Namibia), landing at Walvis Bay on 25 December 1914. Mter this campaign the unit returned to Cape Town, where it was demobilized on 23 July 1915. Many former members went on to serve in various units in the long campaign against German forces in East Mrica, and there was an Irish company in 5th SA Infantry Regiment. 5 The regiment was officially disbanded in 1920.

THE INTER-WAR YEARS In the immediate post-war period Irish regiments served with the British army of occupation in Germany and Silesia. During the early 1920s some also served in Turkey and Mesopotamia, while others were posted to Egypt, Palestine, Singapore and India. Following the outbreak of the Irish War of Independence in 1919 a conscious decision was taken not to station them in Ireland. 5

See MAA 379, Armies in East Africa 1914-18

29

The parade at Windsor Castle on 12 June 1922 when, following the establishment of the Irish Free State, five of the historic Irish infantry regiments, and the South Irish Horse, were disbanded, some of them after service stretching back to the 17th century. Their colours were laid up in the Castle, where they are still in safekeeping. (IWM Q31523B)

30

In June 1920 men of the 1st Bn, Connaught Rangers mutinied while stationed at Jullundur in India. A considerable body of literature has been written about this event, and various motives have been ascribed to the mutineers. These include bad conditions in their barracks, reports of reprisals carried out in Ireland by the 'Black and Tan' police auxiliaries, and infiltration by IRA sympathizers. Two Connaught Rangers were killed in the mutiny and, in the subsequent series of courts martial, 14 were sentenced to death and 60 others to long prison sentences. In the event only one execution was carried out; Pte James Joseph Daly was shot by firing squad at Dagshai Prison on 2 November 1920. The events surrounding this mutiny continue to be debated, and it remains a controversial topic in Irish historiography. Following the treaty that established the independent Irish Free State in 1922, it was decided to disband the regiments that had their traditional recruiting grounds in southern Ireland: Royal Irish Regiment Connaught Rangers Prince of Wales's Leinster Regiment (Royal Canadians) Royal Munster Fusiliers Royal Dublin Fusiliers South Irish Horse The disbandment parade took place at Windsor Castle on 12 June 1922. Initially the Royal Irish Fusiliers also faced disbandment but, in an act of great generosity, the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers disbanded its 2nd Bn, thus creating a place that allowed the Royal Irish Fusiliers to remain on the Army establishment. During the 1920s some of the surviving Irish regiments were redesignated or amalgamated. The Royal Irish Rifles became the Royal Ulster Rifles in 1921. The 4th Royal Irish Dragoons were amalgamated with the 7th Dragoon Guards in 1922 to become the 4th/7th Dragoon Guards, receiving the title Royal in 1936. The 5th Royal Irish Lancers were amalgamated with the 16th Lancers in 1922 to become the 16th/5th Queen's Royal Lancers (losing their seniority in the title because of a previous disbandment). These two cavalry amalgamations effectively destroyed the Irish identity of the successor regiments. Finally, in 1922 the 6th Inniskilling Dragoons were amalgamated with the 5th Dragoons, to become - in two stages in 1927 and 1936 - the 5th Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards. At the outbreak of World War II, therefore, the surviving Irish regiments in the Regular Army were as follows: Irish Guards 5th Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards 8th King's Royal Irish Hussars Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers Royal Ulster Rifles Royal Irish Fusiliers

THE IRISH REGIMENTS, 1939-45 THE IRISH GUARDS

In common with all the Foot Guards regiments, the Irish Guards underwent a vast transformation in terms of organization and fighting doctrine during the Second World War. In 1939 it was still operating in its traditional 'heavy infantry' role; by 1944, two of its battalions were serving as tank crews and mechanized infantry in the Guards Armoured Division. 1 st Battalion

In September 1939 the 1st & 2nd Bns were stationed at Wellington Barracks, London, and a 'Holding Battalion' -later, 3rd Bn - was formed in 1940. The 1st Bn saw extensive infantry service during the war in various theatres of operations. In April 1940 itjoined the 24th Guards Bde and sailed for Norway, suffering its first serious losses when its transport, the SS Chobry, was bombed; the CO, LtCol W.D.Faulkner, was among those killed. At the end of this unsuccessful campaign the 1st Bn returned to England, being based in London and later in Scotland before being sent in February 1943 to North Mrica, where it formed part of 24th Guards Bde in 1st Div under V Corps, First Army. It arrived in Algiers in March 1943, subsequently fighting in a number of actions during the Tunisian campaign. At Hill 112, Djebel Bou, in late April, L/Cpl John P.Kenneally carried out a series of attacks on German troops assembling for an assault, charging them with his Bren gun; for his seemingly fearless conduct on two occasions he was later awarded the Victoria Cross. InJanuary 1944 the battalion was shipped to Italy, taking part in the Anzio landings and the fierce close-quarter fighting that followed as the Germans strove to destroy the beachhead. The 1st Bn were hit by a number of German counter-attacks, and suffered severe casualties during fighting for positions christened the Factory, the Caves, the Lake and the Gullies in late January and February. On 22 January the battalion had landed at Anzio 794 strong; a further 286 had arrived as replacements; yet by mid February, only 520 remained, and at the beginning of March, when the battalion was withdrawn from the beachhead, strength was down to just 267 men. The 1st Bn returned to England, where it remained for the rest of the war, training replacement drafts for the regiment's other two battalions. 2nd Battalion

The record of the 2nd Battalion was equally distinguished. Attached to 20th Guards Bde, in May 1940 the unit formed part of 'Harpoon Force' sent to the Hook of Holland to cover the evacuation of the Dutch royal family and government to England; during this operation they lost 36 men killed and 27 wounded - their first casualties of the war. Just six days after returning from Holland the battalion was ordered to France, landing with the rest of 20th Guards Bde at Boulogne on 22 May in an attempt to relieve pressure on the BEF retreating to Dunkirk and Calais for evacuation. The Germans greeted the Guards' arrival with a series of assaults on their perimeter. These were repulsed, but on the evening of 23 May the force was ordered to withdraw; the 2nd Irish Guards were the last troops to leave the town, and the German pursuit was so close that

31

Near Caumont, Normandy, July 1944: Sherman V (M4A4) tanks of 2nd (Armd) Bn, Irish Guards, with a Stuart (M5A1) of the Recce Troop, HQ Sqn in the foreground. The Irish Guards named their tanks after Irish towns; the Stuart seems to have the name 'Rathboye' stencilled in white at the top of the glacis plate, and below this on left and right (as viewed) the battalion's identifying serial number '53' in white on a red square, and the Gds Armd Div sign of an 'ever-open eye'. This battalion painted the turret tactical signs in bright blue; HQ Sqn had an open diamond. (lWM B8275)

their Panzers fired upon the Royal Navy warships as they left the harbour. This 24-hour battle cost the battalion more than 200 of all ranks killed, wounded and missing. 2nd & 3rd Battalions

In 1941 the 2nd Bn was equipped with Covenanter tanks as part of 5th Guards Armoured Brigade in the newly formed Guards Armoured Division. Almost three years of training and manoeuvres followed as the battalion prepared to fight in this wholly new role. In 1943, with the mauled 1st Bn taking over the task of replacement training in the UK, the 3rd Bnjoined the Gds Armd Divas lorried infantry. Both battalions would remain with the division for the rest of the war - the 2nd Bn in 5th Gds Armd Bde with, eventually, Sherman V (M4A4) tanks, and the 3rd in 32nd Gds Bde (carried in 15cwt trucks - only the divisional 'motor battalion', 1st Grenadier Guards, had US M3 half-tracks). The Gds Armd Div landed in Normandy a fortnight after the initial D-Day landings, in time for the very costly Operation 'Goodwood' around Caen, spearheaded by the three armoured divisions of VII Corps on 18 July. The 2nd Bn lost three of their Sherman tanks at Cagny that day, but such losses would soon seem light. From 25 July both battalions took part in Operation 'Bluecoat'; and two weeks of confused fighting in the bocage country around Caumont, which greatly favoured the German defenders, cost the 2nd Bn alone 17 officers and 123 men by 5 August. By mid August the two battalions had taken part in a series of actions at Montchamp, Maisoncelles, Le Busq and Estry. The eventual collapse of the German defence of Normandy saw the Gds Armd Div begin their push north-west towards Brussels, Belgium; advancing rapidly, they 32

(continued on page 41)

I

THE REGULAR ARMY, 1914 1: Captain, 2nd Bn Royal Dublin Fusiliers, review order 2: Corporal, 2nd Bn Leinster Regt, 6th Division; field service marching order 3: Lieutenant, North Irish Horse, mounted review 'order

A

THE SOUTHERN & EASTERN FRONTS, 1914-17 1: Pte, 1st Bn Royal Irish Regt, 10th Div; Palestine, 1917 2: Cpl Cosgrove (VC), 1st Bn Royal rJlunster Fusiliers, 29th Div; Gallipoli, April 1915 3: Lt, 5th Bn Connaught Rangers, 10th Div; Egypt, 1917

B

2

3

THE WESTERN FRONT, 1915-17 tember 1915 1: Sgt Edwards, 1/18th Bn London Regt (1st London Irish Rifles), 47th Div; I: 2: Lt, 24th (Service) Bn Northumberland Fusiliers (1 st Tyneside Irish), 34th Div; Samme, June 1916 3: Piper, 2nd Bn Irish Guards; Ypres Salient, 1917

c

WESTERN FRONT, 1916-18 1: Capt Bell (VC), 9th Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, 36th Ulster Diy; Somme, 1 July 1916 Bn Royal Dublin Fusiliers, 16th Irish Diy; Ypres Salient, summer 1917 2: Fr William Doyle MC, 3: Trooper, 5th Royal Irish La

t, .•

ers, 2nd Cay Diy; Flanders, 1918

3

2

D

THE INTERWAR YEARS 1: Cpl, 1st Bn Royal Munster Fusiliers; India, 1920-22 2: Tpr, 4th Royal Irish Dragoon Guards; India, 1920-22 3: RSM, Irish Guards; UK, 1939

E

WORLD WAR II: NORTH-WEST EUROPE, 1939-42 1: Fusilier, 1st Bn Royal Irish Fusiliers, 50th Diy; BEF, France, May 1940 2: Guardsman, 2nd (Armd) Bn Irish Guards, Guards Armd Diy; UK, March 1942 3: Sgt, 5th Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards, 9th Armd Diy; UK, 1942-43

F

NORTH AFRICA & ITALY, 1943-44 1: LtCol Scott, 2nd Bn London Irish Rifles, 78th Diy; Tunisia, May 1943 2: WOI, 2nd Bn Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, 5th Diy; Anzio, Italy, March 1944 3: Sgt, 1st Bn London Irish Rifles, 56th Diy; Faenta, Italy, winter 1944-45

G

NORTH-WEST EUROPE, 1944-45 1: Pte, 8th Bn King's Regt (Liverpool Irish), 7th Beach Group; Normandy, 6 June 1944 2: Cpl, 2nd Bn Royal Ulster Rifles, 3rd Div; Normandy, 6 June 1944 3: 2nd Lt, 1st Bn Royal Ulster Rifles, 6th Abn Div; Germany, March 1945 2

3

H

passed through Amiens and Arras before entering Brussels to an ecstatic welcome on the evening of 2 September. However, German resistance stiffened as the division crossed the River Dyle. The tank and mechanized infantry battalions were now operating together as the Irish Guards Battle Group under command of LtCol J.O.E.Vandeleur. On 10 September elements of the battle group captured an undemolished bridge over the Meuse-Escaut Canal at the De Groote Barrier, and this was later christened 'Joe's Bridge' in honour of Vandeleur. Due to their recent success, the Irish Guards Battle Group was chosen by LtGen Horrocks to lead the advance of XXX Corps during Operation 'Market-Garden', Field-Marshal Montgomery's ambitious strike through Holland towards the Ruhr along a 'carpet' of isolated pockets inserted by airborne landings. The division's advance along the narrow corridor began on 1 7 September, when the Irish Guards led the way towards Valkenswaard supported by artillery and rocket-firing Typhoon fighters. They soon lost nine tanks to concealed German AT guns, and although these positions were later cleared by the infantry the dangers of having to advance along a single narrow axis were now all too obvious. Although the division reached Eindhoven on 18 September, the bridge at Nijmegen remained in German hands until captured in a combined assault by US paratroopers and the tanks of 2nd Grenadier Guards on 20 September. By the next day it was clear that the Guards would not be able to relieve the surrounded 1st Abn Div at Arnhem. On 6 October the Gds Armd Div was pulled out of the line. After a month of reinforcement and re-equipment, another in static defensive positions, and a false alarm during the German Ardennes offensive in December, the Irish Guards battalions next saw serious action in February 1945 during Operation 'Veritable'. This was a drive into the area between the Maas and Rhine rivers, but the advance was delayed by dreadful winter weather and the flooding of low-lying areas by the Germans. These conditions greatly hampered the tanks, and most of the burden of the fighting fell to the infantry, who suffered heavy losses. On 7 March 32nd Gds Bde started a final push to the Rhine, but considerable preparation was needed before a crossing could be attempted. On 30 March 1945 the division crossed the Rhine and fought

Under the Hamburg autobahn, 20 April 1945: in a wellcamouflaged position, Guardsman T.Bartholomew of the Irish Guards Battle Group mans his Bren gun, with the unmistakable 17pdr gun of a Sherman Vc Firefly behind him. The advance of the combined tank/infantry battle group was usually headed by a tank squadron and an infantry company in this order: A tank troop; a second troop with infantry riding on the Shermans; an RE detachment in half-tracks; the third tank troop; the tank squadron HQ, infantry company HQ, and artillery FOO vehicles; a lorried infantry company; two 3in mortars in Universal carriers and two other carriers towing 6pdr AT guns; then an infantry carrier section, followed by a pioneer detachment. The vehicles of 3rd Bn, Irish Gds in the division's 32nd Bde bore the serial '62' in white on a green square. (lWM BU4159)

41

Bethune, 23 April 1940: Gen Lord Gort, C-in-C of the British Expeditionary Force, inspects with the French Gen Georges a guard of 2nd Bn, Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers from 13th Bde, 5th Division. Under magnification a triangular green patch, point upwards, can be seen at the top of the men's sleeves; no other insignia are visible apart from rank badges. Compare with Plate F1. (lWM F3959)

42

their way forwards into Germany via Lingen, crossing the Ems over an undemolished bridge on 3 April. In these last weeks of the European war the Guards still encountered fanatical resistance as they pushed towards Bremen. While resisting a German counter-attack at Wistedt on 21 April, Guardsman E.Charlton of the 2nd Bn, seriously wounded when he baled out of his knocked-out Sherman, used a Browning machine gun to delay the advance of an enemy infantry company supported by two self-propelled guns. He died of his wounds, and was later awarded a posthumous Victoria Cross. The 2nd & 3rd Bns Irish Guards remained in action until the German surrender on 7 May 1945. In June the 2nd Bn reverted to the infantry role; it stayed in Germany with the army of occupation until 1947, when it returned to England and was disbanded, a year after the 3rd Battalion. During World War II the Irish Guards battalions added 20 battle honours to the regimental colours; they lost 845 all ranks killed and nearly 1,600 wounded. The Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers

Two Regular battalions saw much active service, in Europe, Mrica and Burma. Additionally, four wartime-raised battalions - the 5th, 6th, 30th & 70th - served as service battalions or as replacement training units for the 'Skins' overseas. The 1st Battalion served in the Far East during 1941-43. Stationed in Singapore at the outbreak of war, it was transferred to India; but when Japan entered the war in December 1941 it was part of the force sent forward to defend Burma. In April 1942, as a unit of 13th Indian InfBde, it saw hard fighting at Yenangyang on the River Irrawaddy as part of an operation to destroy oilfields in the face of the advancing Japanese. Badly depleted by the time it had retreated into Assam, it was rebuilt as a unit of 47th Indian Inf Bde, 14th Indian Div in time for the first Arakan peninsula offensive in December 1942-April 1943. Isolated by a Japanese attack, the battalion split up to fight its way out in small groups. Back in India, the battalion - decimated for this second time - left 47th Bde that July and took no further part in the Burma campaign. The 2nd Battalion went to France with the BEF in 1939, as a unit of 13th Inf Bde, 5th Division. In May-June 1940 it took part in several rearguard actions during the retreat to Dunkirk, including the defence of Arras and the Ypres-Comines Canal; only 215 all ranks were eventually evacuated. Remaining with the much-travelled 5th Div, the rebuilt battalion was sent to the Middle East before serving in Madagascar, India, Syria and Egypt in rapid succession. Returning to the Mediterranean, it took part in the invasion of Sicily in July 1943, the Anzio campaign and many other actions in Italy in 1944-45. In September 1944 it replaced the 6th Battalion in 38th (Irish) Inf Bde of 78th Div (see below).

Anzio, 17 March 1944: Irish soldiers of 5th Div celebrate St Patrick's Day with a rum issue. Note the large caubeens worn by the warrant officer and the piper from 2nd Bn, Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers; these were locally made from captured Italian greatcoats - see Plate G2. (lWM NA13057)

During the war the service battalions added more than 30 battle honours to the colours of the Inniskillings, and in the process lost 1,152 all ranks killed - the largest number lost by any Irish regiment during World War II. The Royal Ulster Rifles

The two Regular battalions saw active service in North-West Europe; three Reserve battalions which evolved out of the old Militia organization served on Home Defence duties, and other wartime-raised battalions as training units. In 1937 the London Irish Rifles had been added to the regimental establishment as a Territorial unit, and this would also raise a second battalion. (The wartime service of the London Irish Rifles is covered separately, below.)

Ranville, Normandy, early June 1944: men of 1st (Abn) Bn, Royal Ulster Rifles leave the 6th Air-Landing Bde's LZ in a jeep and trailer. The two men with rucksacks are the pilot and copilot of the wrecked Horsa glider. Fixed to the jeep's radiator are a bridging plate - a yellow disc with black '3 over 2' - and a square plate painted maroon, with the pale blue Pegasus and Bellerophon sign of British Airborne Forces. See also Plate H3. (IWM B5205)

43

Riflemen of A Coy, 2nd Royal Ulster Rifles in Normandy, 6 June 1944. After landing over Queen Red sector of Sword Beach, they still carry a lot of equipment and have not yet dumped their inflatable lifebelts, which are worn under the battledress (see Plate H2). Some display full sleeve insignia: shoulder title, 3rd Div sign and two rifle-green brigade strips. The new turtleshaped Mk III helmet was characteristic of 3rd Div, but a couple of these men still have the old Mk II. (lWM B5039)

44

The 1st Battalion was based in India in 1939, but arrived back in England in 1940 to take up Home Defence duties. During 1941-42 the battalion was trained as glider-borne infantry, and in 1943 it was assigned to the air-landing brigade of the new 6th Airborne Division. On D-Day, 6 June 1944, it landed at Ranville, Normandy, as part of Operation 'Mallard·'. Initial resistance was light, but after the 1st Bn captured Longueval it had to resist a number of fierce counter-attacks, and was then drawn into a series of bitter fights around St Honorine; the Ulstermen held the village for seven days, until relieved by 51st (Highland) Div on 14 June. Between 7 and 27 August they advanced from Cauburg to the Seine estuary at the Honfleur-Pont Audemer road. After three months in the front line the 6th Abn Div was withdrawn to England in September. After the ultimately unnecessary deployments provoked by the German Ardennes offensive in December, the battalion next saw action on 24 March 1945 during Operation 'Varsity', the airborne crossing of the Rhine. Landing immediately south of Hamminkeln on the River IsseI, the Ulstermen captured a vital bridge and many prisoners in a night action. On 26 March the 6th Abn Div formed the spearhead for Montgomery's race north through Germany to the Baltic coast, travelling 350 miles by 2 May despite their relative lack of motor transport, to meet the Russians on the River Elbe. In 1939 the 2nd Battalion was also stationed abroad, in Palestine, but was also rushed back to England. Joining the BEF in France as part of 9th Inf Bde, 3rd Div, it made a long and demoralizing retreat from Louvain to Dunkirk in May-June 1940, though with relatively light losses - 34 men killed, 70 wounded and 70 missing.

During the long years of preparation for the Second Front the battalion was retrained, including a course at the Combined Operations Training Centre at Inverary, Scotland. On the afternoon of D-Day the 2nd Bn - still with 9th Inf Bde, 3rd Div - landed on Queen Red sector of Sword Beach and struck inland via Hermanville, digging in that night on the Periers Ridge. It would see heavy fighting in the Normandy bocage around Cambes, Colombelles and Caen in the weeks that followed. It spent the rest of the war with 3rd Div, grinding slowly forward across France, the Low Countries and into Germany; during Operation 'Market Garden' it fought on the Escaut Canal. The German surrender in May 1945 found the 2nd Bn at Delmenhorst near Bremen. In total, the Royal Ulster Rifles lost 614 all ranks killed during the war. The Royal Irish Fusiliers

The regiment had been authorized to raise a second Regular battalion before the outbreak of war, and it also had two Reserve battalions; a further three wartime-raised battalions would serve as Home Defence and training units. The 1st Battalion joined the BEF in France as part of 25th Inf Bde of 50th (Northumbrian) Division. It spent the 'Phoney War' building defences, and even helping French farmers. Ordered forward into Belgium when the German Blitzkrieg was unleashed on 10 May 1940, it met other British units retreating, so rapid was the German advance. Rearguard actions during the retreat to Dunkirk included heavy fighting on the La Basee Canal. Reorganized in England, it was later sent to North Africa as part of 38th (Irish) Bde; its later service is noted below under that brigade. The 2nd Battalion was based on Malta in 1939. Initially as part of 231 st, later 232nd Inf Bde, it remained there until spring 1943, taking part in the long defence of that vital island under waves of German and Italian air attacks. In June 1943, as part of 234th Inf Bde, the battalion began a journey via Egypt, Syria and Palestine which ended in the ill-fated expedition to the island of Leros in the Dodecanese in September. In November the Germans landed, and within a week all British resistance was at an end; the 2nd Bn was virtually wiped out in heavy fighting, the

Marchienne, northern France, March 1940: during the 'Phoney War', men from 1 st Bn, Royal Irish Fusiliers use their Universal carriers to help local farmers with the spring ploughing. (lWM F2978)

45

RIG HT The Western Desert of Egypt, 1941: 8th King's Royal Irish Hussars try out the speed of their new American-supplied M3 Stuart light tanks (British crews called these 'Honeys'). This regiment fought in most of the campaigns from North Africa to the Baltic coast of Germany with 7th Armoured Division. (IWM E5065)

CO LtCol Maurice French was killed, and apart from a few groups who managed to escape by boat the survivors were taken prisoner. The regiment's 6th Battalion was redesignated as the new 2nd in June 1944. During the war the battalions of the Royal Irish Fusiliers suffered 540 all ranks killed. 5th Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards

BELOW A touch of traditional elegance in the desert - some of this group of officers of the 8th Hussars still sport the regiment's unique green and gold 'tent hat', among others wearing the US padded helmet supplied with the M3 tanks. (IWM E5083)

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The regiment was part of the BEF in France in 1939, equipped with Mk VI Light tanks; it served as the divisional reconnaissance regiment for first the 3rd and later the 4th Div, and took part in the advance to the River Dyle. In May 1940, assigned to the 2nd Lt Armd Recce Bde as GHQ troops, the regiment was tasked with defending crossings over the Louvain Canal. During rearguard fighting on the retreat to the River Dendre its tanks were completely outclassed by the German opposition; hard-pressed around Assche, it only extricated itself with difficulty. Nevertheless, it showed great spirit during a number of subsequent actions at Morbeque, Neuve Chapelle, Bergues and the Ringsloot Canal. Evacuated to England, the regiment underwent lengthy training and re-equipment with a succession of less than satisfactory British tank designs, but by D-Day it had reliable US Shermans. Assigned inJuly 1944 to the 22nd Armd Bde of the very experienced 7th Armd Div in Normandy, it fought with the 'Desert Rats' for the rest of the European war. Among its battles were Mont Pincon, Lisieux, the Risle Crossing, Operation 'MarketGarden' and the Lower Maas; it was the first British armoured division across the Rhine on 27 March 1945, and on 3 May its first units entered Hamburg unopposed. The Second World War cost the 5th Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards a total of 112 officers and men killed (it must be recalled that an armoured 'regiment' was about the same size as a single infantry battalion) .

8th King's Royal Irish Hussars

The 8th had been based in Egypt since 1934. At the outbreak of war in September 1939 it was equipped with Mk III & Mk VI Light tanks as part of Mobile Division Egypt's Light Armoured Brigade. The regiment's organizational history was complex thereafter, due to the heavy casualties and many redesignations and crosspostings within the Royal Armoured Corps. In November 1940 the Lt Armd Bde Egypt became 7th Armd Bde of 7th Armd Div; the 8th Hussars later formed part of 1st Armd Bde (1941), and 4th Lt Armd Bde (1942 - eventually, with one surviving squadron attached to the 4th Hussars). Initial dazzling victories against the Italians in 1940-41 were followed by the long, see-saw campaigns against Rommel's Afrika Korps, earning battle honours such as Sidi Barrani, Buq Buq, Sidi Rezegh, Gazala and El Alamein at high cost. For much of this period the regiment was equipped with US M3 Stuart ligh t tanks. When the 7th Armd Div returned to England in December 1943 after two months in Italy, the rebuilt 8th Hussars rejoined the 'Desert Rats' as the divisional reconnaissance regiment; equipped with the latest M5 Stuarts, it would fight in this role from D+1 in Normandy until VE-Day in Hamburg, adding battle honours for Mont Pincon, the Dives Crossing and the Rhine Crossing. During the war the 8th King's Royal Irish Hussars suffered 196 fatal casualties.

Sicily, July 1943: men of 6th Bn, Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers from 38th (Irish) Bde clear houses. They are wearing khaki drill bush shirts with serge battledress trousers, and 1937-pattern webbing in fighting order. Two items visible under magnification are a section leader's machete at centre, and the new 'respirator, light' slung behind the waist of the man at far right. The officer seems to carry a Lend-Lease Smith & Wesson .38in revolver. (lWM NA5388)

38th (IRISH) INFANTRY BRIGADE

o complete Irish divisions were formed during World War II, and the only Irish infantry formation was 38th (Irish) InfBde, formed in]anuary 1942 and initially attached to the 1st Division. Its order of battle upon formation was as follows: 6th Bn, Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers 1st Bn, Royal Irish Fusiliers 2nd Bn, London Irish Rifles On formation, therefore, the brigade contained one pre-war Regular battalion (1 st Royal Irish Fusiliers), one wartime-raised service battalion (6th Inniskillings) and one wartime battalion raised from a Territorial unit (2nd London Irish Rifles). In August/September 1944 the 6th Bn, Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers would be replaced in the brigade by that regiment's 2nd Battalion. During the war the brigade had three commanders: Brig Morgan ].W.O'Donovan (1942) - the chieftain of his clan, who used the traditional title 'The O'Donovan'; Brig Nelson Russell (1942-44); and Brig Pat Scott (1944-47). All three had been commissioned as young

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subalterns into the Royal Irish Fusiliers, and O'Donovan and Russell had both served with distinction in World War I, each being awarded the Military Cross. In November 1942 the advance parties of 38th Bde landed in Algiers during Operation 'Torch', the Anglo-American landings in French North Mrica. The brigade was then the infantry element of 6th Armd Div, serving with First Army. During the fighting in Tunisia it was transferred in March 1943 to become one of the three brigades of 78th Div, and would remain with this formation until the end of the war. Between November 1942 and May 1945 the 38th (Irish) Bde s'aw extensive active service in North Mrica, Sicily and Italy. During its months in Tunisia it fought in numerous actions including Two Tree Hill, Bou Arada, Djebel bel-Mahdi and Djebel Tannougcha. In July 1943 it took part in the Sicily landings, and played a prominent part in the capture of Centuripe in August. Landing in Italy in September, it saw a great deal of hard fighting thereafter during Eighth Army's stubbornly resisted advance up the peninsula, including the battles of Termoli (October 1943), San Salvo, and the Garigliano crossings (January 1944). It particularly distinguished itself at Cassino (March-April 1944), Spaduro, during the advance into the Liri Valley (Operation 'Diadem', May 1944) and in the fighting for the Argenta Gap (April 1945). One officer of the brigade whose career was particularly notable was LtCol 'Bala' Bredin, DSO, MC. Commissioned into the Royal Ulster Rifles, and a qualified paratrooper, he served at Cassino/Monte Cairo

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St Peter's Square, Rome, 12 June 1944: the pipe bands of the three battalions of 38th (Irish) Bde celebrate the liberation of the city with a special parade. Note that the London Irish Rifles wore their caubeen pulled to the left, the Royal Irish and Royal Innniskilling Fusiliers to the right. (lWM NA 16179)

PlAT team from D Coy, 1st Bn, London Irish Rifles during a training session at Forli, Italy in February 1945. Both riflemen wear sleeveless leather jerkins over their battledress, and one has ankle puttees instead of web anklets. Here the khaki caubeen, pulled left, is worn complete with the rifle-green feather hackle behind the silver cap badge. No sleeve insignia are worn on the BD blouse. (IWM NA 22007)

as second-in-command of 1st Royal Irish Fusiliers, and in March 1944 was posted to take over command of 6th Inniskillings. Wounded during the capture of the village of Piumerola in the Liri Valley during the advance of May 1944, he recovered to take command of the 2nd London Irish Rifles; he thus held senior command in all three of the brigade's battalions. Following the German surrender the 38th Bde formed part of the army of occupation in Austria. It dwindled steadily as the wartime battalions were disbanded and the men demobilized and shipped home, and was finally disbanded in April 1947. During its campaigns the brigade lost more than 900 killed of all ranks. TERRITORIAL & RESERVE UNITS The Liverpool Irish

Reduced to cadre strength in March 1922, this regiment was re-formed in March 1939 as the threat of another war loomed. It resumed its old designation of 8th (Irish) Bn, King's (Liverpool) Regt, Territorial Army. It did not go overseas untilJune 1944; in preparation for the Normandy landings it was retrained as a 'beach' unit (see commentary, Plate HI), and as part of 7th Beach Group it was tasked with line-ofcommunication duties for the 3rd Canadian Division. The battalion landed on 6 June 1944 with the first wave of troops on Mike sector of Juno Beach, and fought alongside the Canadians in a number of hard actions around Courseulles-sur-Mer and Graye-sur-Mer. This was its only major engagement of the war, which cost the battalion 46 fatalities. Its traditions are maintained today in the Territorial Army as A (Liverpool Irish) Tp, 208th (3rd W.Lancashire) Bty, 103rd RA (Lancashire Artillery Volunteers).

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The commanders, drivers and co-drivers can enjoy the fresh air while these Churchill NA75 tanks of 2 Tp, A Sqn, North Irish Horse provide static supporting fire to thicken up the artillery barrage during an operation by 21 Army Tk Bde in the Alfonsi sector of northern Italy in March 1945. A couple of dozen rounds of 75mm ammunition are piled on the decks, and discarded shell cases and US three-round 'clover leaf' packing tubes litter the ground. The nearest tank turret shows the tactical sign, the white troop number painted inside the A Sqn red triangle. The Churchill NA75 was a successful modification fitted with the 75mm gun and mantlet salvaged from disabled Shermans; 16 Base Workshops at Bone in Algeria produced about 200 of these in spring 1944. (lWM NA23277)

The London Irish Rifles

Mter the 1918 Armistice the London Irish Rifles survived as part of the reorganized Territorial Army. In 1937 the former London Regiment was disbanded, and the London Irish were redesignated as the London Irish Rifles (Royal Ulster Rifles) - a Territorial Army battalion of the RUR. In 1939 the unit was reorganized into two battalions. The 1st Battalion underwent prolonged training with 168th Bde of 56th (London) Div before leaving England in August 1942, when it joined Tenth Army in Iraq. Between May and October 1943 the 168th Bde formed part of 50th (Northumbrian) Div in Tunisia and Sicily. From November 1943 the 168th Bde transferred back to 56th Div, then fighting in Italy, where it took part in the battles of Monte Camino and Anzio. In October 1944 the 1st London Irish Rifles moved to the division's 167th Bde, remaining with it until the end of the war in Italy. The 2nd Battalion initially saw active service as lorried infantry in 38th (Irish) Bde, 6th Armd Div with First Army in Tunisia. In March 1943 the brigade was transferred into 78th Div (see above). Although both LIR battalions were fighting in Italy they only made contact with each other once, on the River Reno near Argenta in April 1945. During the war the two battalions between them suffered 676 killed of all ranks. Mter the war the London Irish Rifles resumed its identity as a Territorial battalion of the Royal Ulster Rifles, being reduced to company strength in 1967. In 1993 it became D (London Irish Rifles) Coy of the re-formed London Regiment; HQis currently in Camberwell. The North Irish Horse

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Reduced to cadre strength in 1922, the unit was re-formed in 1939 as a Reserve armoured car unit of the Royal Armoured Corps. Mter training and home service it was re-designated an Infantry Tank unit (Le. a unit of a non-divisional tank brigade for infantry support), and in 1941 began training with Valentine tanks. Moving to England, it was

The pipers of the Irish Regt of Canada from 5th Cdn Armd Oiv lead the battalion into Ravenna, Italy in 1944. They wear riflegreen caubeens pulled left, with pale feather hackles, old SO tunics tailored to doublet shape, saffron kilts and horsehair sporrans. (lWM NA21 041)

re-equipped with Churchills, and in January 1943 it took ship for North Mrica with 25th Army Tank Brigade. Thereafter it saw almost continuous active service until the end of the war in Italy. Arriving in Algiers in February 1943, the brigade was first attached to First Army in Tunisia, where the North Irish Horse were rushed into action at Hunt's Gap almost immediately. Thereafter it served in support of four different divisions, fighting at Sedjenane, Tamera, Mergoueb Chaouch, Djebel Rmel and the infamous Longstop Hill. It was the first tank unit to enter Tunis city on 8 May 1943. In April 1944 the regiment joined Eighth Army in Italy, its first action being in support of the 1st Canadian Div attack on the Hitler Line on 23 May; this cost the regiment 32 tanks and 36 men killed, but earned generous praise from the Canadians, who insisted that 25 Bde add the maple-leaf to its insignia. At one point the short-range fighting was so fierce that cooks, clerks and lorry drivers from the rear echelon had to bring fresh ammunition up to the tanks on foot. Repeated engagements during the slow fighting advance up Italy included the Gothic Line in August-September 1944, where the regiment again earned high praise; an infantry brigadier wrote, 'Day after day their Churchills forced positions and supported our infantry over appalling tank country. Undaunted, squadron leaders on foot led their tanks up seemingly impossible slopes. One tank actually... crashed 200 feet down a ravine, having turned over six times in its descent' (Perrett, p.26). InJanuary 1945 the regiment transferred to 21st Army Tank Bde when the 25th converted to the engineer role with 'funnies' for the planned Senio River crossing. The ceasefire found the North Irish Horse at Rovigo north of Ferrara. During the course of the war the regiment lost only 82 men killed a remarkably low number given the number of actions in which it fought and the tanks it had lost. Today the North Irish Horse survives as a squadron-sized TA unit in Northern Ireland.

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BOTH Details from a group photo of officers of the South African Irish Regt, taken after the costly battle of Sidi Rezegh in November 1941. They wear a mixture of green caubeens with hackles' behind the crowned harp badge (left, & right background), and khaki field service caps. One lieutenant (far right) displays the yellow-over-green diamond sign of 1st SA Div, and KD shoulderstrap slides with metal ranking and the orange outer stripe worn by all SA officers serving with the Allied armies. Note the five medal ribbons worn by the captain sitting in front of him, clearly a World War I veteran. (lWM SAF348)

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IRISH COLONIAL UNITS Canada

The Irish Fusiliers of Canada (Vancouver Regt) was mobilized for overseas service in 1939, and was sent to form part of the garrison of Jamaica. The regiment was disbanded at the end of the war. The Irish Regt of Canada had a much more active war. After a spell guarding airfields and performing other garrison duties in Canada, its 1st Bn was posted overseas to Italy, where it arrived in November 1943 as part of 11 th Bde, 5th Canadian Armoured Division. Serving as lorried infantry in the Adriatic sector of Eighth Army's front, it was then switched westwards to fight in Operation 'Diadem', the May 1944 assault on the Hitler/Dora Line and into the Liri Valley, where the battalion fought at the Melfa River crossings. During the September attacks on the Gothic Line it breached the German defences to capture the village of Montecchio; further actions followed at Tomba de Pesaro and Coriano. In February-March 1945, after reaching the Senio River, the whole of I Canadian Corps was transferred to the Netherlands for the final campaign in North-West Europe. The 1st Bn took part in Operation 'Goldflake', and on 16 April it fought in a night action at Oterloo. After capturing the town of Delfzijl it advanced into Friesland, where it supervised the German surrender in May.

Mter the war the Irish Regt of Canada resumed its role as a Reserve unit, and despite several reorganizations and threatened disbandment it survives in that role today, as 2nd Bn, Irish Regt of Canada with HQ at Sudbury, Ontario. South Africa

In November 1939 the South Mrican Irish Regiment was re-formed as 1st Bn, SA Irish Regt; a second battalion was raised in December but was disbanded soon afterwards, the unit reverting to its original title. It was attached to 5th SA Inf Bde, moving to Kenya and then into Abyssinia (Ethiopia), where it fought in actions at £1 Gumu, Banno and the capture of Mega. Transferred to North Mrica, the battalion suffered heavy casualties at Sidi Rezegh in November 1941 during the attempt to relieve Tobruk. Reorganized as an artillery battery, it fought at El Alamein in October 1942. As 4th Bty, 22nd Fld Regt SA Artillery it later served thoughout the Italian campaign. Eventually reverting to the infantry role during a series of post-war reorganizations, it survives today as the SA Irish Regt, a unit of the reserve (Citizen Force) with HQ in Johannesburg.

During World War II many Irish volunteers served with non-Irish regiments and also with the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force. The author's uncle, Sgt John O'Neill, was a pre-war Regular with the Bedfordshire & Hertfordshire Regt; during the war he served with Middle East Commando, and was captured on Crete in 1941. Interestingly, this photo of Sgt O'Neill wearing his uniform - the 'Commando' shoulder titles just visible - was taken in Dublin after the war. (Author's collection)

IRELAND AND THE LEGACY OF THE WORLD WARS Historians differ over the number of Irishmen who joined the British forces during World War I; but although some drastically inflated figures have been suggested, around 210,000 men seems a realistically supportable estimate. The national war memorial at Islandbridge, Dublin, lists the names of 49,435 men who died while serving with Irish regiments. If one deducts a sensible proportion for nonIrishmen serving with those units, one reaches a figure of around 37,000 dead. Although the Irish Free State remained neutral in World War II, a British government report of 1945 calculated that more than 43,000 men and women who were born in Eire had served in the British forces. More than 38,000 others volunteered from Northern Ireland, a province of the United Kingdom and fully committed to the war; of these more than 7,000 were women. These volunteers from both sides of the border served in all three services, in countless different roles, and on all fronts where troops from Britain and her Empire and Dominions were fighting. Some historians give even higher figures; and the Commonwealth War Graves Commission has calculated that a total of 4,543 Irishmen died during the war while serving with the British Army, of whom 2,241 were from Northern Ireland and 2,302 from the Irish Free State, from a total population of just 3 million. 6 6

To put the World War II figures in context: in 1945 the total strength of the three British armed services was just under 4.7 million; members of the armed services killed and missing totalled 305,800, from a total population of 47.5 million.

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In the South the question of Irish involvement in the World Wars has proved problematic, and World War I, in particular, has remained a difficult issue. In the vastly changed political landscape of post-1922 Ireland it was almost a taboo subject - despite the fact that most families had somebody who had served in the war, and that most of those who enlisted between 1914 and 1918 were simply following the lead of mainstream Nationalist politicians of the day. Yet the men of the Southern divisions and regiments were often portrayed in their own country as misguided dupes or, even worse, as traitors. Due to the policy of neutrality adopted during World War II, the voluntary involvement of Irishmen in that war remained a contentious subject for many years. It is really only since the mid 1990s that this subject has been reexamined more widely. The impetus for this new phase of investigation and debate came from a number of individuals and some small regimental associations. As part of wider efforts to develop greater mutual understanding between Ireland's two communities, the collective history of Ireland's part in the World Wars has benefited from renewed research and gestures of reconciliation and commemoration. The opening of a 'Peace Tower' in November 1998 at Messines, the scene of actions by both the 16th Irish and 36th Ulster Divisions in 1917, represented a major step forward.

***

The Messines Peace Tower south of Ypres in Belgium, opened in November 1998 as a joint memorial to the 16th (Irish) and 36th (Ulster) Divisions. It is modelled on the round towers built in early Christian monasteries in Ireland. (Author's collection)

Since World War II the majority of the historic British regiments have been steadily amalgamated out of existence, including the Irish units. In the latter case the notable exception has been the Irish Guards, whose 1st Bn remains proudly in the ranks of the Brigade of Guards. The traditions of the 5th Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards have been maintained since 1992 within the amalgamated Royal Dragoon Guards; and those of the 8th Royal Irish Hussars at first, from 1958, within the Queen's Royal Irish Hussars, and since 1993 within the Queen's Royal Hussars (Queen's Own and Royal Irish). The infantry regiments that survived in 1945 have undergone a series of amalgamations: in 1968, into the Royal Irish Rangers, and in 1992 into the Royal Irish Regiment. Both the Irish Guards and the Royal Irish Regiment have seen recent active service in the Arabian Gulf and Iraq.

SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY The majority of the Irish regiments have been the subject of at least one regimental history. The best source of information on these is A.S.White's A Bibliography of Regimental Histories of the British Army (2nd edn, Naval & Military Press, 1992). Other important publications include:

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The Irish Sword (Journal of the Military History Society of Ireland) Thomas Bartlett & Keith Jeffrey (eds), A Military History of Ireland (Cambridge University Press, 1996) Desmond Bowen & Jean Bowen, Heroic Option: the Irish in the British Army (Pen & Sword, 2005) Timothy Bowman, Irish Regiments in the Great War - Discipline and Morale (Manchester University Press, 2003)

A.E.C.Bredin, A History of the Irish Soldier (Belfast, 1997) Mike Chappell, Men-at-Arms 182, British Battle Insignia (1): 1914-18 (Osprey, 1986) Mike Chappell, Men-at-Arms 197, British Battle Insignia (2): 1939-45 (Osprey, 1987) Mike Chappell, The British Soldier in the 20th Century (1), Service Dress 1902-1940 (Wessex Military Publishing, 1987) Mike Chappell, The British Soldier in the 20th Century (2), Field Service Head Dress 1902 to the Present Day (Wessex Military Publishing, 1987) Mike Chappell, The British Soldier in the 20th Century (6), Tropical Uniforms (Wessex Military Publishing, 1988) Bryan Cooper, The Tenth (Irish) Division in Gallipoli (London, 1918, rip Dublin, 2000) Richard Doherty & David Truesdale, Irish Winners of the Victoria Cross (Dublin, 2000) Richard Doherty, Clear the Way: A History of the 38th (Irish) Brigade 1941-47 (Dublin, 1993) Richard Doherty, Irish Volunteers in the Second World War (Dublin, 2001) Richard Doherty, Irish Generals in the Second World War (Dublin, 2004) Myles Dungan, 'They Shall Not Grow Old': Irish Soldiers in the Great War (Dublin, 1997) Cyril Falls, The History of the 36th (Ulster) Division (Belfast & London, 1922) B.Girvin & G.Roberts (eds) , Ireland and the Second World War (Dublin, 2000) Henry Hanna, The Pals at Suvla Bay (Dublin, 1916) Henry Harris, The Irish Regiments in the First World War (Cork, 1968) R.G.Harris, The Irish Regiments 1683-1999 (2nd edn, Staplehurst, 1999) E.AJames, British Regiments 1914-18 (5th edn, Naval & Military Press, 1998) TomJohnstone, Orange, Green and Khaki: The Story of the Irish Regiments in the Great War 1914-18 (Dublin, 1992) John Lucy, There's a Devil in the Drum (London, 1938, rip 1992) David Orr & David Truesdale, 'The Rifles Are There': The Story ofthe 1st and 2nd Battalions, The Royal Irish Rifles in the Second World War (Pen & Sword, 2005) Alfred O'Rahilly, Father Willie Doyle Sf (London, 1939) Bryan Perrett, Vanguard 13, The Churchill Tank (Osprey, 1980) James W.Taylor, The 1st Royal Irish Rifles in the Great War (Dublin, 2002) James W.Taylor, The 2nd Royal Irish Rifles in the Great War (Dublin, 2005)

PLATE COMMENTARIES UNIFORMS

The uniforms of the Irish regiments, while not as elaborate as those of the Scottish, did have certain distinctions, and most regiments adopted some more or less subtle features to denote their 'Irishness'. These practices ranged from incorporating shamrock or harp motifs in the designs of regimental badges, to wearing feather hackles in emerald green or St Patrick's blue on ceremonial headdress. For instance, by the time of the Napoleonic Wars the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers - the old 27th, first raised by William III in 1689 as Tiffin's Regiment of Foot - were famously displaying their badge depicting the castle in their home town of Enniskillen (the Army spelling, always uncertain, was standardized as 'Inniskilling' in 1840). The long history of these

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regiments, some of them raised in India, also ensured the inclusion of more exotic features, such as the elephant and tiger in the badge of the Royal Dublin Fusiliers. The most distinctive uniforms within Irish regiments have always been those of the pipers. The Irish Guards established a pipe band in 1916, and Army Order 548 of 1920 authorized pipers for the Irish Line regiments. In a typically Irish fashion, however, many of these had already unofficially raised pipe bands before the beginning of World War I. These pipers often wore either standard service dress or bandsman's uniform; during the war they occasionally wore combinations of service dress with ceremonial items, these including khaki bonnets or caubeens, saffron-coloured kilts and green hose. During the interwar years more formal ceremonial dress appeared; this included a caubeen and doublet of rifle-green, saffron kilt, black brogues, green hose, and in some cases the brat or Irish cloak. Certain units, such as the London Irish Rifles (TA), retain this type of piper's uniform to this day. During World War II the caubeen was adopted as the distinctive headdress for Irish infantry regiments. It was issued both in khaki and in rifle-green, the latter becoming the preferred option for senior ranks; but from 1943 the khaki 'cap, GS' was sometimes worn when the caubeen was not available (and see commentary, Plate G2). The caubeen style of headdress is still used by the Royal Irish Regiment, the London Irish Rifles and the Irish Regiment of Canada, among others. In terms of formation insignia, during the middle years of World War I the 16th Irish Div adopted a green shamrock sign, while the 36th Ulster Div used a 'Red Hand of Ulster' device; the 10th Irish Div initially used simply a strip of green cloth attached to the shoulder strap. In World War II the 38th (Irish) Brigade adopted the green shamrock, which was displayed below or instead of the 78th Div's battleaxe sign.

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A neat illustration of the range of uniform items worn by Irish regime~tal pipers is provided by these two from the Liverpool Irish, entertaining the crowd before a football match at Courseulles-sur-Mer, Normandy, on Bastille Day, 14 July 1944. The pipe-sergeant (right) wears the brat or cloak over his battledress. The other piper can be seen to display the white-onred 'King's Regiment' shoulder title, above the Beach Group sign set on 3rd Cdn Div's French-grey patch (see Plate H1). Both wear kilts, sporrans, hose, and ankleputtees with blanco'd tapes. Note that pipers wore 1937 pattern webbing pistol equipment, here with a diagonal shoulder brace. (IWM 87274)

A: THE REGULAR ARMY, 1914 Many of the Irish regiments that existed at the outbreak of World War I could trace their origins back to the 17th century, and they included units raised for both the British Army and the Presidency armies of the Honourable East India Company. All of these regiments had elaborate full dress review uniforms, many of which would never be seen again after the Armistice of 1918 and the disbandment of many historic Irish regiments in 1922. Ai: Captain, 2nd Battalion Royal Dublin Fusiliers, review order The 2nd Royal Dublin Fusiliers could trace their lineage to the Bombay Regiment raised in 1661, which became the HEIC's Bombay (European) Regiment in 1668, and the British Army's 103rd Regiment (Royal Bombay Fusiliers) in 1862. It became the 2nd Bn, RDF in the Cardwell reforms of 1881 when the 102nd Regiment - the old Madras European Regiment of 1648 - became 1st Bn, Royal Dublin Fusiliers. The review dress features a racoon-fur busby with greenover-blue hackle, scarlet tunic and black trousers with a red seam. The 2nd RDF had seen active service during the Boer War, and this officer wears both the Queen's and the King's South Africa Medals. The 2nd RDF would go to France in late August with 10th Bde, 4th Div, and would take part in the fighting retreat from Mons. A2: Corporal, 2nd Battalion The Prince of Wales's Leinster Regiment, 6th Division; field service marching order This regiment was originally raised in Canada in 1858 as the 100th (Prince of Wales's Royal Canadian) Regiment, changing to the Leinster title in 1881. This junior NCO wears the standard 1902 service dress uniform and 1908-pattern webbing equipment, in the field service marching order of the original British Expeditionary Force which went to France in 1914, and is armed with the standard .303in Short Magazine Lee Enfield (SMLE). His regiment is identified by the brass cap badge and shoulder titles; the two chevrons on his left forearm are good conduct badges, marking five years' Regular service before the Great War (one chevron for two years, three for 12 years). The 2nd Leinsters went out in September, and fought with 17th Bde, 6th Div south of Armentieres in late October. A3: Lieutenant, North Irish Horse, mounted review order This unit of the Special Reserve wore one of the most elaborate review uniforms in the British Army. The black patent leather hat with dark green plumes was apparently inspired by that of the Italian Bersaglieri, while the tunic is in lancer style, dark green with white facings and trim and silver buttons. B: THE SOUTHERN & EASTERN FRONTS, 1914-17 B1: Private, 1 st Battalion Royal Irish Regiment, 10th Division; Palestine, 1917 During the course of the war Irish regiments saw service on all the fronts on which the British Army was engaged. After hard fighting at Gallipoli in 1915, and further heavy casualties - from battle and disease alike - in Macedonia in 1916, the 10th Div was shipped to the Middle East to fight the Turks. The 1st RIR - 'Paddy's Blackguards', the old 18th Regiment, raised in 1684 - was transferred in from 27th

A fine uniform study of Maj R.C.B.Jeffreys of 1st Bn, Royal Dublin Fusiliers, taken early in World War I; his rank and medal ribbons identify him as a pre-war Regular. The handsomely cut service dress tunic, leather-reinforced riding breeches and Sam Browne belt were officers' distinctions that proved to make too identifiable a target for snipers. Towards the end of the war many officers in the front lines abandoned them in favour of other ranks' uniforms and at least partial equipment, and carried rifles I~~~ th~ir ~en. (~ourtesy floyal Dublin ~usiliE!rs Asso,?iation~

Div, with which they had already fought since 1914 on the Western Front and in Macedonia. It had been !~r t~~~ Salonika campaign that the British troops had been issued with felt slouch hats - some pale brown, some grey drab; the RIR cap badge is pinned to the snapped-up left brim. The rest of the uniform is standard khaki service dress, and the jacket has been removed on the march. The 10th Div used a green cloth loop around the outer end of the shoulder straps as a divisional sign. The breech of the SMLE is protected by a dust cover.

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Interesting photo of two staff officers from 36th (Ulster) Div in 1917; note the red staff collar tabs of the lieutenant-colonel (right), wearing shorts with puttees. He has attached a dull metal cap badge to the front of his helmet, but it is hard to make out which one. He displays shoulder-strap ranking, and the Royal Artillery major attached to 36th Div (left), cuff ranking; note the latter's purple and white Me ribbon. They have confidently chosen to have their chat while sitting on stacked boxes labelled 'Government Explosive'. (lWM

05627)

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B2: Corporal William Cosgrove (VC), 1 st Battalion Royal Munster Fusiliers, 29th Division; Gallipoli, 26 April 1915 On 25 April part of 86th Bde, 29th Div (the 1st Munsters, with a company of 1st RDF and two of 2nd Hampshires) were sent in to land on V Beach at Gallipoli from the steamer River Clyde. As soon as they emerged from the sally ports cut in the ship's sides and tried to get into the boats, they came under Turkish fire so heavy that, despite appalling casualties, by nightfall only some 400 men had got ashore. After a wretched night huddled on the narrow beach, the surviving Munsters assaulted Turkish trenches the next day. When his platoon, which had only one pair of wirecutters, was held up by high barbed wire fences and began to wither under a storm of fire, the 6ft 6in Cpl Cosgrove - a pre-war Regular known as the 'East Cork Giant' - threw himself at the wire and began tearing the timber stakes bodily out of the earth, creating a gap for his comrades to surge forward. He was seriously wounded, (one machine gun bullet passed through his body from side to side, nicking but not breaking his spine), but he recovered to receive the Victoria Cross for his gallantry. The Munsters wore regulation service dress and 1908 equipment, differenced only by the issue of the Wolseley helmet, with a red patch bearing a white fusilier 'bomb' over 'RMF'. B3: Lieutenant, 5th Battalion Connaughl Rangers, 10th Division; Egypt, 1917 The New Army volunteers of the 5th Connaught Rangers were a unit of the division's 29th Bde from its formation. This officer's tropical khaki drill uniform follows the cut of European service dress in most respects, although the rank 'pips' are displayed on the shoulder straps; note also the ribbon of the Military Cross, and the gold wound stripe on

his left forearm. The yellow 'V' - Roman five - on the green triangular topi patch, and the green-over-yellow bars on both sleeves, are battalion distinctions; 10th Div did not have an integrated sequence of 'battle badges'. His equipment is the pistol order of the 1914 pattern leather set, complete with a canvas-and-Ieather haversack on which his steel helmet is strapped. A blackthorn stick was traditionally carried by officers of many Irish units. C: THE WESTERN FRONT, 1915-17 C 1: Sergeant Edwards, 1/18th Battalion London Regiment (1 st London Irish Rifles), 47th Division; Loos, 25 September 1915 The 47th (2nd London) Division arrived in France in spring 1915; its 12 infantry units were all Territorial battalions of the London Regiment. Sergeant Edwards was the captain of his battalion football team, and when they went 'over the top' in drenching weather he kicked a football towards the German lines to encourage his comrades to follow. He wears standard service dress and webbing equipment, with the distinctions of a Rifle unit - black buttons and shoulder titles and black-on-rifle-green badges of rank; his headgear is the early-issue P-type anti-gas helmet of impregnated flannel. (The present-day London Irish Rifles, now 0 Coy of the London Regiment, still commemorate Sgt Edwards' action on 'Loos Sunday' each year.) C2: Lieutenant, 24th (Service) Battalion, Northumberland Fusiliers (1 st Tyneside Irish), 34th Division; Somme, June 1916 This subaltern just returned from a trench raid on the German lines is in fact unidentifiable, since for security reasons he has removed all insignia apart from the cuff ranking on his service dress jacket. The purpose of such raids was usually

to take prisoners, or at least to bring back insignia such as shoulder straps, from which the facing troops could be identified. He wears here a 'souvenir' Pickel haube replacing the knitted 'cap, comforter' that he would have worn for the raid; his face is darkened with lamp black, and he has discarded his belt so it does not snag while he is worming his way through barbed wire. He is armed only with his Webley revolver, though murderous improvised trench clubs were also often carried. C3: Piper, 2nd Battalion Irish Guards; Ypres Salient, 1917 This figure is based on contemporary photographs which show pipers in a mixture of modified service dress and special features. The headgear is a khaki caubeen of exaggerated size, with a large regimental badge on green backing. The jacket skirts have lost their pockets and have been re-tailored to doublet shape. A saffron kilt is worn; green knit hose (stockings) have saffron garter tabs, and are worn with short puttees. At this time Irish bagpipes - with only two drones - were being used; the bag, ribbon and cords are plain green. In 1916 the Foot Guards began to wear coloured cloth regimental shoulder titles, for the Irish Guards in white on green; the battalion was indicated by the number of vertical bars below this, here also in green. In the front line pipers wore pistol equipment.

D: WESTERN FRONT, 1916-18 D 1: Captain Eric Bell (VC), 9th Battalion Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, 36th Ulster Division; Somme, 1 July 1916 Captain E.N.F.Bell distinguished himself during the first day of the Somme. Although attached to a mortar platoon, he led a 'bombing' attack on German positions, actually throwing mortar bombs like hand grenades. He then delayed a German counter-attack with accurate rifle fire,

Taken on the day following the Armistice, 12 November 1918, this posed photo shows Irish Guardsmen in typical late-war uniform and kit, for some reason carrying large artillery shell cases. Both wear the white-ongreen regimental shoulder title, and the man on the right the single green bar of 1st Bn; he displays three gold wound stripes on his left forearm and, as in the photo on page 25, there is a white plaited lanyard at his left shoulder. (IWM 03352)

before being killed while rallying a group of leaderless men. He was gazetted for a posthumous Victoria Cross; he has no known grave, and is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial. He is shown here wearing an enlisted man's service dress and 1914 leather equipment plus binoculars, and a pistol, with rank insignia on his shoulder straps, holster on his left side; he also carries an SMLE. The 36th Div later adopted the Red Hand of Ulster on a white shield as its divisional sign, with a complex system of differently coloured geometrical shapes to identify brigades and battalions. D2: Father William Doyle, MC, 8th Battalion Royal Dublin Fusiliers, 16th Irish Division; Ypres Salient, summer 1917 Father 'Willie' Doyle of the Army Chaplains Department was attached to the 8th RDF in the division's 48th Brigade. He distinguished himself on the Somme in summer 1916 while evacuating wounded, and the following year was decorated with the Military Cross. Killed during the Third Battle of Ypres in 1917, he has no known grave; he was unsuccessfully recommended for both a VC and a DSO, and after the war became a focus of popular devotion in Ireland, even being considered for canonization. Roman Catholic chaplains generally had a much higher reputation than Anglicans for going forward into the trenches and sharing the dangers and hardships of their flock; the Anglican churches forbade priests from going further forward than brigade headquarters, though there were some honourable instances of disobedience. Father Doyle is illustrated in service dress with a clerical collar; his equivalent rank of captain is worn on shoulder straps bordered with black tape, his collar bears the ACD badges of a black Maltese Cross on green backing, and he displays the 16th Div shamrock sign on both sleeves. He carries a medical aid bag and the large medical canteen.

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Fusiliers of the 2nd Inniskillings, 38th Irish Bde, reading a newspaper from home - Ireland's Saturday Night - during a lull in the shelling at Anzio in early 1944. The left-hand man wears the American-made War Aid battledress very commonly issued in the Mediterranean theatre of operations. {IWM NA13063}

D3: Trooper, 5th Royal Irish Lancers, 2nd Cavalry Division; Flanders, 1918 This regiment had taken part in the retreat from Mons in summer 1914, and in 1918 it was the first to re-enter that town. The overseas service stripes on the trooper's right cuff (introduced in January 1918) show that he has served throughout the war: one blue for each year, over one red if the first included 1914 service. If his left breast was visible we would also see the red, white and blue ribbon of the 1914 Star campaign medal, introduced retrospectively in 1917. As was fashionable in cavalry regiments, the 5th RIL cap badge has been 'sweated' on to the front of his helmet. He is armed with a lance, SMLE rifle, and (hidden on the left side) bayonet and 1908 sword, with ammunition bandoliers around his waist and chest and his mount's neck. On his back, over his slung haversack and canteen, he carries the 'small box respirator' (gasmask) in its cavalry satchel; his mount also has a respirator, folded and fixed to the 1902 bridle. His 1912 universal saddle supports a forage net and feedbag, his rifle and messtins, his rolled greatcoat at the cantle and a folded groundsheet over the wallets at the pommel. Of the BEF's three cavalry divisions only the 3rd used a system of 'battle badges' on the jacket sleeves. E: THE INTERWAR YEARS E 1: Corporal, 1 st Battalion Royal Munster Fusiliers; India, 1920-22

60

This and the next figure illustrate two of the regiments that would disappear with the foundation of the Irish Free State in 1922, by means of two soldiers in India, smartly turned out in their full regimental glory. This veteran of the Great

War displays a wound stripe on his left forearm, the ribbon of the Military Medal for gallantry, and the three-ribbon set marking pre-war Regulars who had served in the BEF from 1914: the 1914 Star (' Mons Star'), War Medal and Victory Medal - known as 'Pip, Squeak and Wilfred' after three popular cartoon characters of the day. The regiment's 2nd Bn had gone to France with the 1st Guards Bde, 1st Div in summer 1914, and the 1st Bn had landed at Gallipoli the following year (see B2). It was fitting that the RMF's final posting should be to India; the old 101 st of Foot had been raised there in 1861, from the East India Company's 1st Bengal (European) Fusiliers, which could trace its origins to 1756. The late-pattern khaki drill (KD) cotton tunic, with straight pocket flaps, is worn with shorts, knitted 'hosetops' and puttees, and for walking-out dress the 1908-pattern web belt and a privately purchased 'swagger stick'. The brass shoulder title, 'M, F' flanking a fusilier bomb, is also worn on the Wolseley helmet pinned through a green felt shamrock, below a white-and-green hair hackle. Corporal's badges of rank are worn on both sleeves, temporarily fixed by hooks or pins - the KD uniform needed frequent laundering and starching. Despite his status as a combat veteran he has no 'good conduct' badges, and we may assume that he has had to put up and remove his 'tapes' more than once. E2: Trooper, 4th Royal Irish Dragoon Guards; India, 1920-22 This regiment would live on to some degree, since rather than being disbanded it was amalgamated with another regiment dating from the 1680s - the 7th DG - to become the 4th/7th DG, which was granted the 'Royal' title in 1936. Although the 4th RIDG had Great War battle honours from 1914 to 1918, this youngster is not a war veteran. He wears the cavalry version of KD, with pale leather reinforcement to the breeches, the bandolier replacing the waist belt, and spurs on his boots. His regimental distinctions are the badges on his helmet and collar, the white-and-black helmet pompon, the gold on midnight-blue of his good conduct chevron, and the midnight-blue puttees, wound downwards from the knee in cavalry style. E3: Regimental Sergeant-Major, Irish Guards; UK, 1939 The senior soldier in his Regular battalion, this godlike figure wears essentially the same service dress as his guardsmen since before World War I, though of an immaculately tailored appearance. His cap badge is of silver, gilt and coloured enamels, closely resembling that of his officers; like them, he wears brown boots and a Sam Browne belt. Foot Guards NCOs were authorized to wear the forage cap with regimentally coloured bands with service dress, and their ranks were identified by the numbers of lines of gold Russia braid on the patent leather peak - in ~his case, the maximum five. The warrant officer appointed as the RSM of his battalion wore on both upper sleeves the magnificent Royal Arms badge - the 'fighting dogs'; for service dress this was worked on a khaki background in fawn, brown, red, blue, yellow and black threads and silks. His ribbons are those of the Distinguished Conduct Medal (a gallantry decoration second only to the Victoria Cross), the three Great War service medals, the George VI Coronation Medal and that for Long Service & Good Conduct.

The mascot of the Irish Guards is an Irish wolfhound; they are usually named after heroes of Irish history and mythology. For ceremonial they are often outfitted with decorated coats, but around the barracks this huge but amiable beast wears a plain studded collar. F: WORLD WAR II: NORTH-WEST EUROPE, 1939-42 F1: Fusilier, 1 st Battalion Royal Irish Fusiliers, 50th Division; British Expeditionary Force, France, May 1940 The RIF were nicknamed the 'Faughs', from the Gaelic warcry Faugh a Ballagh! ('Clear the way! ') of the old 87th Foot. This battalion served in 25th Inf Bde, 50th Div, under II Corps - their corps commander was LtGen Alan Brooke, the brilliant Irish soldier who would rise to be Chief of the Imperial General Staff for most of the war. This pre-war Regular, with five years' good conduct, is seen during the exhausting retreat to the Channel ports, wearing the British infantryman's regulation field uniform and personal equipment that was introduced a couple of years before the war and worn, with very minor changes, for its duration. His Mk II steel helmet has a neatly made hessian cover with camouflage loops for adding foliage - several BEF battalions, including 1st RIF, were photographed with these. The pre-war 'battledress, serge' has concealed buttons and pleated breast pockets. The 1937-pattern webbing equipment is complete with the carrier for the short-lived 1939 pattern square-headed entrenching tool. The satchel for his respirator (gasmask) is worn in the alert position on the chest; white tapes hold his rolled anti-gas cape behind his neck, and pass down and round his back via the side rings of the satchel, to hold the latter flat against the body. The only insignia worn by most BEF units were badges of rank, but 1st RIF were among those few who wore a battalion flash - in this case, a downwards-pointing green triangle butted up against the shoulder seams on both sleeves (the 2nd Inniskillings, serving with 13th Inf Bde in 5th Div, wore an upwards-pointing green triangle). In addition to his SMLE rifle this soldier is burdened with the platoon's obsolescent .55in Boys anti-tank rifle, which weighed a crushing 36 pounds. F2: Guardsman, 2nd (Armoured) Battalion Irish Guards, Guards Armoured Division; UK, March 1942 From a famous photograph taken on 3 March 1942 when the battalion was shown off to the press with its new Covenanter tanks; this guardsman is the signaller/loader from 'Ulster', the tank commanded by the RSM in battalion headquarters. Tank crew clothing and equipment was still at an experimental stage; this 'crash helmet, Royal Armoured Corps' was a modified miner's safety helmet made from riveted fibre, and fitted with a leather curtain incorporating headphone housings for the Audio-Frequency (AF) wireless system. At a slightly later date a plume-shaped flash in bright 'St Patrick's blue' would be painted on the right side of the helmets, echoing the plume worn in the regimental bearskin; for now only the number identifying the battalion's vehicles within the division - '53' - is displayed. The short leather jerkin, made up from scraps, was not in service for long. The guardsman wears pistol equipment of belt, braces, brace attachments, and his .38in revolver in a long-strap thigh

holster - another short-lived item. On his left forearm he displays the qualified signaller's crossed blue and white flags, over the wreathed 'S.P' for special proficiency, over a two-year good conduct chevron. F3: Sergeant, 5th Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards, 9th Armoured Division; UK, 1942-43 In his best walking-out dress for a 48-hour pass, this confident young NCO sports the optional, private-purchase 'coloured field service cap', which was authorized in July 1937 for wear when off duty. That of the 5th RIDG was lemonyellow and bright green, with gold piping; the regimental cap badge was a crowned, interlaced 'V D G' in silver. After returning from Dunkirk the regiment spent a long time training in the UK, as a unit of 28th Armd Bde, 9th Armd Div - a formation raised in December 1940 which was disbanded in July 1944 without ever going overseas. (The 5th RIDG did; when the 9th Armd Div was disbanded they were posted to 22nd Armd Bde in 7th Armd Div in Normandy, going into action at the height of the bloody fighting of that summer.) The 9th Div sign of a panda mask is worn on the upper sleeves of the battledress, above the yellow-and-red arm of service strip of the RAC; a red-on-yellow 'Royal Armoured Corps' shoulder title was authorized in summer 1943, but was slow to catch on in many units, which did not like the hint of regimental anonymity. A distinction of 5th RIDG was the White Horse of Hanover - a badge of British cavalry since the 18th century - which was worn in silver metal on a dark green backing, pinned to the badges of rank by sergeants and above. All military personnel were ordered to carry the gasmask and steel helmet at all times, on or off duty. G: NORTH AFRICA & ITALY, 1943-44 G1: Lieutenant-Colonel 'Pat' Scott, 2nd Battalion London Irish Rifles, 78th Division; Tunisia, May 1943 The CO of 2nd UR would go on to succeed Brig Nelson Russell as the commander of the division's 38th (Irish) Bde in Italy in summer 1944. Here, depicted in a group of commanding officers in Tunisia, he wears the rifle-green caubeen that distinguished the officers and warrant officers of the UR, pulled to the left in regimental fashion. Above its silver crowned harp badge is the dark green feather hackle this was removed in the field. His khaki drill shirt is a typical private-purchase example; it is worn with regulation shorts, long woollen socks and ankle puttees, over boots in Rifles black. Removable slides slipped over his shoulder straps display his crown and star of rank, in the black-on-green of Rifle regiments. Photos often show 78th Inf Div personnel in KD uniform displaying the divisional sign - a yellow battleaxe on black - and brigade signs or regimental flashes, on removable cloth tabs. Here tabs are temporarily fastened to the upper sleeves; other ranks often wore various combinations on shoulder-strap slides. The other battalions of the Irish Brigade sometimes wore regimental versions of the green shamrock brigade sign: the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers with a small red outline triangle superimposed, and the Royal Irish Fusiliers with a down-pointing white outline triangle. Finally, LtCol Scott wears round his left shoulder the rifle-green lanyard of his regiment. Officers often chose not to display on everyday uniform the medal ribbons to which they were entitled.

61

Posed in conversation with Papal Guards in Rome on 12 June 1944, two pipers both wear caubeens, saffron kilts and long green hose with saffron garter-tabs. Their KD shirts both show shoulder-strap slides with two patches - the yellow-onblack battleaxe of 78th Div, with the green shamrock of 38th (Irish) Bde. The pipe-sergeant (centre) has the grey hackle, and the large silver castle cap badge worn by pipers, officers and WOs of the Inniskillings; his three plain white chevrons are worn on a khaki brassard round the rolled right sleeve of his shirt. The left-pulled caubeen should identify the piper (right) as from the London Irish Rifles, but his hackle also seems to be grey rather than rifle-green. The Irish pipes themselves have green bags, and two drones linked by green ribbons and tasselled cords, as in Plate C3. (IWM NA16180)

62

G2: Warrant Officer Class I, 2nd Battalion Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, 5th Division; Anzio, Italy, 17 March 1944 The 2nd Bn of the 'Skins' served in 13th Inf Bde - the senior brigade of 5th Div - from the outbreak of war until September 1944; in that month they would be posted to 38th Bde of 78th Div, replacing the regiment's 6th Battalion. This figure is from several posed photos showing a rum issue on St Patrick's Day, shortly after the division was shipped into the confined Anzio beachhead. The WOI wears a headgear first acquired by this battalion, whose popularity spread to the 6th 'Skins' in 78th Div: a caubeen locally made from the dark grey-green cloth of captured Italian Army greatcoats. The Inniskillings pulled their caubeens to the right; the traditional grey hackle is not worn here, but note the distinguishing cap badge of officers and WOs - the large silver 'castle', originally worn only by the regiment's pipers. Another mark of his rank is the shirt with collar and tie worn under the opened BD blouse. The battledress is of the US-made 'War Aid' type often seen in Italy, recognizable by the fly front but exposed but~ons on the unpleated pockets. Fixed by narrow elastic to his shoulder straps he wears (rather oddly for this date) the stitched black-onkhaki regimental title of 1939-41, 'Inniskillings' in an arc. The 5th Div sign of a white 'V' on a khaki patch is sewn to his sleeves, above the single infantry-red brigade strip marking the senior brigade in the division. Below this is the red triangle flash worn by the 'Skins' in memory of the old 29th Div sign of 1916-18; it would shortly move up to the cap and be worn instead as a badge backing. On both forearms he displays the Royal Arms of his grade, worked in pale buff and brown. The service rum jar had not changed since the Great War.

G3: Sergeant, 1 st Battalion London Irish Rifles, 56th Division; Faenta, Italy, winter 1944-45 The 1st L1R had served in 168th Inf Bde of 56th Div from the end of 1940 until April 1943; the brigade was then transferred to 50th Div until October 1943, returning to 56th in November when the 50th went back to the UK. In October 1944 the 1st LIR were switched to the division's 167th Inf Bde, remaining there for the rest of the war. This figure is a composite from a group photographed while preparing to go out on patrol in the Italian winter. Only officers and WOs wore the rifle-green caubeen; this NCO wears, pulled to the left, the khaki 'cap, general service' with the regimental badge but not the green hackle, which was removed in the front line. Against the cold he wears a sweater under his BD and a leather jerkin over it, with a woollen scarf and gloves. The photo clearly shows the 56th (London) Div's red-on-black sign of 'Dick Whittington's cat', but neither a shoulder title nor a rifle-green brigade strip. Like the Royal Ulster Rifles to whom they were affiliated, the L1R were authorized to wear all rank badges in black on riflegreen; and one corporal in the original photo can be seen to wear the regiment's rifle-green left shoulder lanyard. For patrol work the minimum of web equipment is worn - belt, braces, and basic pouches holding grenades and the 20round box magazines for the M1928A1 Thompson SMG, with which most men in the group are armed. H: NORTH-WEST EUROPE, 1944-45 Hi: Private, 8th Battalion The King's Regiment (Liverpool Irish), 7th Beach Group; Juno Beach, Normandy, 6 June 1944 The beach groups included both Army and Royal Navy personnel; they had to be capable of local assaults and of resisting counter-attacks in the early stages of a contested landing, but their main function was to marshal the flow of traffic over the crowded beaches under fire. This Bren gun 'No.1' carries the weapon and has its tool-and-spares wallet slung to hang on his hip; his 1937-pattern basic pouches carry four magazines, and he now has the new 'light respirator', with integral filter, slung on his other hip. The 7th Beach Group were attached to 3rd Canadian Div for the DDay landings on Mike sector of Juno Beach. Photos show the 'King's Regiment' shoulder title in infantry white-on-red, worn above the red anchor on a very pale blue disc of the beach groups, mounted on 3rd Cdn Div's pale 'French-grey' rectangular patch. The beach groups' white identifying band is visible under the camouflage netting on his Mk " helmet.

H2: Corporal, 2nd Battalion Royal Ulster Rifles, 3rd Division; Sword Beach, Nor.mandy, 6 June 1944 Depicted shortly after landing on Queen Red sector, this section leader still wears - under his battledress - the inflatable Iifebelt issued for the assault landings, its rubber inflation tube dangling in view. The new Mk III steel helmet is worn, garnished with netting and hessian scrim, by almost all the riflemen in the A Coy photo (see page 44). His BD blouse shows full badges: the black-on-green regimental shoulder title, over the 3rd Div patch, over the two bars of 9th Inf Bde - the second in the division - in the regiment's rifle-green rather than infantry scarlet; his badges of rank are also black-on-green. In addition to 1937-pattern webbing fighting order he has the machete often issued to section leaders, and is armed with a Mk III Sten gun. Slung around his torso is a toggle rope, more usually associated with airborne and commando units. For clarity of the Iifebelt detail we have omitted here his camouflaged net veil, worn in the original photo hanging very loose like a Western bandana. H3: 2nd Lieutenant, 1 st (Airborne) Battalion Royal Ulster Rifles, 6th Airborne Division; Hamminkeln, Germany, 24 March 1945 The 1st RUR were assigned to the air-landing (glider) brigade of the newly forming 1st Airborne Div in November 1941, remaining with them until May 1943. They were then transferred to the 6th Abn Div, which stayed in the UK, and thus missed the tragically mishandled airborne phase of the invasion of Sicily in July, which saw heavy casualties among

the glider troops. They finally went into action on D-Day, landing by glider in Normandy with the rest of 6th AL Bde; they were kept in action as conventional infantry for a full three months before 6th Abn Div returned to the UK to prepare for future operations. The 6th's next airborne landing was during the Rhine crossings of late March 1945, when they took their objectives in short order. This is a composite of two figures in a famous photo taken beside the town sign of Hamminkeln. The maroon Airborne Forces beret is worn with the regimental badge of a silver crowned harp on a riflegreen backing patch. Apart from his black-on-green rank pip this subaltern is otherwise dressed and equipped like any other airborne officer, in the third pattern airborne helmet, Denison smock over battledress (including the modified airborne trousers with a widely expanding left thigh pocket), and 1937 pattern webbing. His personal weapon is a Canadian-made Browning M1935 Hi-Power 9mm automatic pistol, whose clips he carries in a British-made two-pocket pouch on his belt. Before the D-Day landings, Field-Marshal Montgomery inspects 2nd Bn, Royal Ulster Rifles (see Plate H2). The regimental badge can be seen worn on a rifle-green square on the khaki caubeen, pulled left. Apart from the black-ongreen regimental shoulder title, and coloured shoulder-strap loops which probably identify the companies, no other insignia are visible. The CO, LtCol I.C.'Tommy' Harris, wears a rifle-green field service cap with a miniature regimental badge on a cord frontal boss; he seems to be the only man wearing the regiment's rifle-green left shoulder lanyard. (lWM H38626)

63

The history of military forces, artefacts,

Irish Regiments

personalities and techniques of warfare

in the World Wars For nearly 250 years, Irish soldiers made up a significant minority of the British Army. In 1914-18, despite the growing movement for Irish independence, more than 200,000 Irishmen volunteered, and won an imperishable reputation. Although independent Eire remained neutral in World War II, more than 40,000 volunteers from

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the South joined men from Ulster to serve in the British forces. This book places the records of such heroic names as the Inniskillings, the Munsters, the Dublin Fusiliers and the Royal Irish Rifles in the context of the World Wars, and illustrates a selection of their

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