Welcome to Irelands Great War a program dedicated to exploring Irelands role in the Great War 1914 1918, its aftermath and legacy. L/Cpl. 1/18th (London Irish Rifles) Btn. 1st July : Attack between St Pierre-Divion and Schwaben Redoubt. Rest in peace in Mill Road Cemetery . [4], In June 1917, the battalion was transferred to positions immediately east of Ypres, where it supported the British offensive that opened the Battle of Passchendaele on 31 July. [1] The Ottoman Empire had not yet entered the war so the battalion was sent to England in September, where it prepared for a deployment to France, attached to the 25th Infantry Brigade, 8th Division. Royal Irish Rifles. att 109th Light Trench Mortar Bty (d.1st Jul 1916), McNally F.. Rfm. if (month<10) month="0"+month The 16th (Irish) Division arrived in France in April 1916 and fought in France and Flanders, in the Battles of Loos, Somme, Messines, Passchendaele, Cambrai and Kaiserschlacht when the entire division was reduced to cadre strength. Library contains many many diary entries, personal letters and other documents, most transcribed into plain text. Sgt. During the First World War officers and men of The Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers were awarded eight Victoria Crosses, The Royal Irish Rifles three and The Royal Irish Fusiliers two. Those who earned them did so in a tradition born in the 17th century and carried on in the 21st century by the officers and all ranks of The Royal Irish Regiment. dailyinfo[8]=' 13277 Labourer Klaas NERO South African Native Labour Corps who died 08/03/1917 PUGU ROAD 1914-1918 MEMORIAL Tanzania ' Delayed by two days because of bad weather, the story of the attack on Saturday 1st July is well known, as is the part played by 36th (Ulster) Division. However, the attack was scheduled for Thursday 29th June 1916. Privacy Policy and Worcestershire Regiment who died 23/02/1915 LOKER CHURCHYARD Belgium ' (d.1st Jul 1917), Bothwell Thomas Henry. to help with the costs of keeping the site running. Killed in action on the 1st July 1916 - Age 20. Royal Irish Rifles. Seaforth Highlanders who died 20/03/1919 BEIRUT WAR CEMETERY Lebanese Republic ' The Great War Forum Limited 2nd Battalion (d.7th Jun 1917), Barnett Robert Henry. 1st Battalion (d.24th April 1917), Gibson Walter David. Rflmn. We add around 200,000 new records each month. Haig wanted a delay so that the British Expeditionary Force could amass more artillery and better train their citizen soldiers. Formed in Holywood in April 1915 as a Reserve Battalion, from depot companies of 11th and 12th Bns. Absorbed the 17th, 18th, 19th and 20th (Reserve) Battalions in May. The last man he dragged in on a waterproof sheet from within a few yards of the enemys wire. 6 November 1914 : landed at Le Havre. Pte. Formed in Belfast in September 1914 from the Belfast Volunteers. (d.7th Jun 1917), Birnie Robert. 'I turned over one poor chap on a rocky, bloody crag on Tanngoucha. Like this page to receive our updates, add a comment or ask a question. Rflmn. Returned to UK and landed at Liverpool on 22 October 1914. 9th Btn. I was able to visit the battle fields in Belgium, where he fought for so long, in 2007. On 1 July 1916, Quigg advanced with his platoon towards the German trenches through a torrent of gunfire and artillery. and 34th Coy. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. More recently my brothers, sister and I have started to piece together his war-time story. 9th Battalion (d.1st July 1916), Hawthorne G. A.. 10th Btn. Royal Navy who died 15/03/1917 CHATHAM NAVAL MEMORIAL United Kingdom ' 15th Battalion (d.1st July 1916), Kane J.. L/Cpl. By October its strength was further reduced to two officers and 46 men and by the end of 1914, some 97% of the battalion had been killed, wounded or taken prisoner. Royal Ulster Rifles - Wikipedia This happened on the 14th of July 1916 after his battalion had been in action at Ovilliers. Royal Horse Artillery who died 16/03/1917 VARENNES MILITARY CEMETERY France ' My grandfather Wilfred Lewis was 6 years younger than William so survived the great war, but we will never forget him or the sacrifice he made for our freedom. In 25th Brigade of the 8th Division, 1st Bn The Royal Irish Rifles took part in the attack on Ovillers. There are:7597 items tagged Royal Irish Rifles available in our Library These include information on officers, regimental histories, letters, diary entries, personal accounts and information about actions during the Great War. While 7th Bn The Royal Irish Rifles was the only battalion of our antecedent regiments to serve in either 47th or 48th Brigades, 49th Brigade included two battalions of Inniskillings and two of Faughs (7th and 8th in both cases) and was known unofficially as the Ulster Brigade. The Royal Irish Rifles, especially the 1st and 2nd Battalions. L/Cpl. His British War & Victory medal roll record (as linked by Jon in post #2) indicates that his WW1 overseas service was entirely with the 2nd Battalion of the Royal Irish Rifles. In the early 1880s Muhammad Ahmad, the self-proclaimed Mahdi (the Guided One) proclaimed a Jihad and led an uprising in the Sudan, known as the Mahdi Revolt, against the Khedivate of Egypt. The Royal Irish Rifles (became the Royal Ulster Rifles from 1 January 1921) was an infantry rifle regiment of the British Army, first created in 1881 by the amalgamation of the 83rd (County of Dublin) Regiment of Foot and the 86th (Royal County Down) Regiment of Foot. They moved to the Curragh in February 1915 then in May 1915 they moved to Hackwood Park, Basingstoke, England for final training. Formed in Belfast in September 1914 from the Belfast Volunteers. More Royal Irish Rifles records. William McFadzean, 14th Bttn - 1st July 1916 at Theipval, France. Royal Irish Rifles This page summarises records created by this Organisation The summary includes a brief description of the collection (s) (usually including the covering dates of the. The Faughs, whose involvement did not begin until late in the day, became embroiled in an effort to relieve troops besieged in the German redoubt known as The Quadrilateral. Royal Irish Rifles in the Great War - Wartime Memories Project George Smith 2nd Btn. though the '5/' prefix to his 9929 number intimates that at one time he was with the 5th Battalion.. At Armistice on 11 November the battalion were at Mouscron, north east of Tourcoing, where it remained and was demobilised by June 1919. 3 February 1918 : transferred to 107th Brigade in 36th (Ulster) Division. dailyinfo[16]=' 22659 Serjeant George SNELL Military Medal "T" Bty. 13th ROYAL IRISH RIFLES - SOMME ROLL OF HONOUR (d.16th January 1916), Mussen Richard. This was a harsh conflict with tough conditions. 9th Btn. Royal Irish Rifles (d.1st Jul 1916), Sgt. William Lewis 10th Battalion Royal Irish Rifles (d.1st July 1916). My granddad made a life after the war but suffered PTSD which he dealt with by prayer, solitude, and by swearing off alcohol. I was personally greatly privileged to have the honour of welcoming the Queen to Bushmills, informing the audience about the statue, and inviting Her Majesty to perform the unveiling. Their front line skirted the northern edge of Thiepval wood, facing a gentle upward slope toward Schwaben Redoubt, a defensive complex in the second main German trench system north of Thiepval. Pte. (d.7th Jun 1917), Bird Alfred Thomas. 15th Btn. - Royal Ulster Rifles Museum (d.1st Jul 1916), Leinster David A.. Rfm 10th Btn. (d.21st Nov 1917), Bothwell R.. 14th Btn. Ken, George's birthdate is 15 November 1898 (he was born in Gilford). By September 1914, only 6 officers and 200 men were fit for duty. On either flank of the Ulster Division, the German defences had prevailed. [1] The Ottoman Empire had not yet entered the war so the battalion was sent to England in September, where it prepared for a deployment to France, attached to the 25th Infantry Brigade, 8th Division. A training unit of the Special Reserve, it moved on mobilisation to Belfast. Rfm. 8th (Service) Battalion (East Belfast) The ceremony was the result of four years of work by the Robert Quigg V.C. An officer in the Faughs described Ginchy as belching forth smoke like a volcano from the bombardment; the village was reduced to a wasteland. 2th Btn. 15th Btn. 28 June was a wonderful day for the people of Bushmills and a great honour for our Society that the Queen graciously agreed to perform the official unveiling. Moved to Hursley Park and came under command of 25th Brigade in 8th Division. Landed Anzac Cove 5 August 1915. (d.8 January 1916), Ayre Samuel. There is help on reading map referenceshere. Pte. Northumberland Fusiliers, 27th Bt . We are incredibly proud of him and how he survived the unimaginable conflict that he endured from 1914 until his discharge in 1917. 15th Btn. All three regiments were awarded Albert, the official designation of the opening phase from 1st to 13th July 1916. (d.3rd September 1916), Fitzsimons J. F.. 14th Btn. Moved at first to Newcastle and disbanded on 20 February 1918 but otherwise record same as 8th Bn. Royal Welsh Fusiliers who died 11/03/1915 FAUQUISSART MILITARY CEMETERY, LAVENTIE France ' 10th Btn. 7th Btn. The Robert Quigg V.C. James Shields 14th Btn. The medals in your PDF are in the reverse order. Allsopp Matthew. 26 October 1915 : transferred to 74th Brigade in same Division. The army and the regiment have been good to him. When he eventually died, aged 93, he left us with many happy memories of a great father and medals and papers from his time in the war. 2nd Btn. dailyinfo[10]=' 14780 Member Ida Styles HUGHES (Oxford) Womens Royal Air Force who died 10/03/1919 OXFORD (ROSE HILL) CEMETERY United Kingdom ' My question can you tell me what battalion he was in. The 2nd Battalion were in action again on the Somme in the Battles of the Lys and the final advance in Flanders. The unit suffered badly at the Battle of Stormberg in December 1899, and on 3 April 1900 the regiment was forced to surrender to Orange Free State Commandant-General Christiaan de Wet after a siege at Reddersberg. August 1914 : at Downpatrick. My mission is to make the Long, Long Trail the best and most helpful reference site about the British Army in the Great War. Royal Irish Rifles - The Long, Long Trail dailyinfo[30]=' B/469 Worker Charles BARLOW Australian Munition Worker who died 30/01/1918 NORTH SHEEN CEMETERY United Kingdom ' 11th (Service) Battalion (South Antrim) The Regiment went on to serve during the Burmese War of 1824-26 and returned to India in 1849 during the Indian Mutiny (1857-1859 . By the end of the day two companies had been lost, the Commanding Officer wounded (he died later), the Adjutant killed and the Assistant Adjutant found it impossible to produce an accurate report of the days fighting. Robert Quigg was presented with his Victoria Cross by King George V at Sandringham in January 1917. The badge of the regiment as depicted on a CWGC grave headstone. At Guillemont and Ginchy the already understrength 16th Division had suffered over 4,300 casualties. 12th Btn. 'I turned over one poor chap on a rocky, bloody crag on Tanngoucha. All names on this list have been submitted by relatives, friends, neighbours and others who wish to remember them, if you have any names to add or any recollections or photos of those listed, 16th Battalion (d.22nd Aug 1916), Gorman Gilbert. My other grandfather, who served on the German side, was also aPoW. The popularity of the site means that it is far exceeding available resources. For the rest of the war, he toured Ireland with recruiting parties encouraging men to enlist and serve their King and country in defence of the poor people of Belgium. For Sergeant OCathain the war ended in the Winter of 1914. dailyinfo[14]=' 16511 Private Albert COLEMAN "D" Coy. Discharged 5.6.1921 (Fold 3) or 1922 (RUR Register). Royal Irish Regiment (1684-1922) - Wikipedia Commemoration Society (Images courtesy of the Society). The Faughs too received le Transloy as a battle honour. 1st Battalion (d.21st March 1918), Parker Robert John. On 15/02/2019 at 15:12, jonbem said: On 17/02/2019 at 14:33, kenf48 said: WARD, Frederick, Private (50236). (IWM image (Q 1))]. 18 February 1918 : disbanded in France. Royal Irish Regiment Battalions of the Regular Army 1st Battalion August 1914 : in Nasirabad (where it had been stationed since 1912). Commemoration Society was formed in October 2012 with the main objective of raising sufficient funds to erect a statue of Robert Quigg V.C. Free shipping for many products! 16th Bn (d.2nd Dec 1917), Slacke Charles Owen. He was my Grandfather's brother. Frederick Bryans 15th Btn. Rfmn. I came across a reference to my own granduncle's death (he was a mere rifleman/private) in Taylor's history of the 2 nd Royal Irish Rifles in the Great War. In all, twenty Irish battalions, plus The Tyneside Irish, took part in the attack. The 2nd Battalion The Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, known as The Lumps, were in the 32nd Division on the right flank, which had been stopped almost as its units left their start lines by heavy machine-gun fire from the Thiepval Spur. Bloomfield Arthur Henry. Rflmn. Royal Irish Rifles - Ireland's Great War Its also engraved in the history of most regiments and in the nations psyche. 1st Battalion, Royal Irish Rifles were in Aden at the out break of the Great Was in August 1914. (d.1st Jul 1916), Purdon Herbert. It participated in the final Allied offensive against Germany in 1918 before returning home in May 1919. If you have already submitted a story to the site and your UID reference number is higher than 261046 your submission is still in the queue, please do not resubmit. 1st Btn. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. (d.1st Jul 1916). 14th Btn. Rflmn. dailyinfo[9]=' Boy SALEH HAJI S.S. TANGISTAN (Swansea).Indian Merchant Service who died 09/03/1915 BOMBAY 1914-1918 MEMORIAL, MUMBAI India ' 9th Btn. 1st Bn. 14th (Service) Battalion (Young Citizens) The Irish Military Heritage Foundation CLG, Educated for War The Story of Fingals Hely-Hutchinson Brothers, Braving No-Mans Land Sergeant Robert Quigg V.C, Irish Volunteer, Dublin Fusilier, Patriot Lieutenant Tom Kettle, County Donegal 1914 1918 Part 1 The Homefront and Rebellion, County Donegal in 1914 1918 Part 2: World War I, LAST OUT The Royal Munster Fusiliers on the Italian Front, Annual Somme Commemoration National War Memorial Gardens. Discharged at Rugeley Camp 5.3.1919. Trace your military heritage through our Research Database. 2nd Lt. 11th (South Antrim) Btn. The 10th (Irish) Division fought in the campaigns of Gallipoli or Dardanelles, then Salonika and finally with General Allenby in Palestine. Later in the war, he served in Mesopotamia and Egypt and he continued his army career until 1934, finishing with the rank of Sergeant. Rfm. Among the other honoured engagements of the Somme campaign, the Inniskillings were involved at Bazentin Ridge and also received the honour Ancre 1916. 14th (Young Citizens) Battalion, Royal Irish Rifles in the Great War It played a prominent role in opposing the German attack during Operation Michael (known to the British as the Battle of St Quentin) in March 1918. 4th (Extra Reserve) Battalion dailyinfo[28]=' 19673 Leading Aircraftman Samuel Ambrose TICKNER Meritorious Service Medal No. Although the attack in the northern sector of Fourth Armys line had been repelled almost everywhere, there was significant success to the south where divisions of XV and XIII Corps took most of their first-day objectives; many of the others were taken in subsequent days. Formed in Belfast in September 1914 from the Belfast Volunteers. The Regiment was officially formed in 1881 when the 83rd and 86th Regiments of Foot were amalgamated however its history can be traced back 88 years prior to this date. 6 November 1914 : landed at Le Havre. (Brigadier Nelson Russell, Commander 38 (Irish) Brigade, 1942-44), For individual museum opening times and information, please click on the relevant museum below: Rflmn. His medal citation reports that: ..Early next morning, hearing a rumour that his platoon officer was lying out wounded, he went out seven times to look for him under heavy shell and machine-gun fire, each time bringing back a wounded man. (d.7th Jun 1917), Boulger John. Split by the Ancre River, the brigade suffered severely with the 9th Bn The Royal Irish Fusiliers being all but wiped out. All three brigades fought in the Battle for Ginchy, although 49th Brigade was in reserve initially. This production was made possible with support from The Minstrel Boys Living History Group, the Dep. 16th Btn. May 1915 : moved to Hackwood Park (Basingstoke). July 1915 : moved to Seaford. August 1914 : in Aden. 1st Garrison Battalion This includes cookies that track any click through to affiliate links and advertisers that appear on this site. Rflmn. 5/9929 Rfm. My Grandad was shot in the thigh by a machine gun bullet but made it back to friendly lines alive. 20 December 1915 : landed at le Havre. 28 November 1915 : sailed from Marseilles for Salonika. The Royal Irish. We are now on Facebook. Our Irish Regiments in the First World War - Royal Irish The Commonwealth War Graves Commission has 715 recorded WW1 deaths for the 12th (Service) Battalion, (Central Antrim), Royal Irish Rifles. (d.22nd October 1918), Watson Joseph. Pte. Eighteen was the conscription age under the Military Service Act 1916 which did not apply to Ireland. 2nd Btn. 8th (East Belfast) Battalion, Royal Irish Rifles in the Great War - The 2nd Battalion, Royal Irish Rifles in the Great War - The Wartime Scott Kennedy. He was a prisoner-of-war but I don't know where. You need to be a member in order to leave a comment. 'Nec Aspera Terrent. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google At the subsequent Battle of Loos in SeptemberOctober 1915, the battalion carried out a subsidiary attack at Bois Grenier. Royal Irish Rifles - The Long, Long Trail 14th Bde. 10th (Service) Battalion (South Belfast) dailyinfo[4]=' Matrose Paul KURZKE Torpedoboot "G85" German Navy who died 04/03/1919 CANNOCK CHASE GERMAN MILITARY CEMETERY United Kingdom ' (d.23rd Nov. 1917), Baker W. J.. Rfm. Royal Irish Rifles during WW1 Since 1815 the balance of power in Europe had been maintained by a series of treaties. Val Whitty 1st Btn. 5th (Extra Reserve) Battalion Survivors continued to fight with various units until the end of March when the battalion was moved to reserve and the task of rebuilding it began. Sadly, Quigg never found his platoon commander. Attack of the Ulster Division, 1 July 1916'. (d.7th Jun 1917), Allen Sidney Charles. Royal Irish Rifles | The National Archives In 1917 they were in action at the Battle of Messines attacking between the Wulverghem-Messines and Wulverghem-Wytschaete roads. They proceeded to France with the BEF, landing at Rouen on the 14th of August. On 29th August 1917 the 8th (Service) Battalion, (East Belfast) amalgamated with the 9th (Service) Battalion, (West Belfast to form the 8th/9th Battalion. This was a XIV Corps operation to secure suitable ground from which to launch the first operation involving tanks, which occurred a few days later at Flers-Courcelette.