Royal Ulster Rifles
Royal Irish Rifles Royal Ulster Rifles | |
---|---|
Korea | |
Insignia | |
Abbreviation | RUR (RIR) |
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. The regiment saw service in the Second Boer War, the First World War, the Second World War, and the Korean War.
In 1968 the Royal Ulster Rifles was amalgamated with the other regiments of the North Irish Brigade, the Royal Irish Fusiliers (Princess Victoria's), and the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers to create the Royal Irish Rangers.
History
Early years
The regiment's history dates backs to the reign of
The regiment suffered serious losses at the Battle of Stormberg in December 1899 during the Second Boer War.[7] In October 1905, a memorial was erected in the grounds of Belfast City Hall in memory of the 132 who did not return. Field Marshal Lord Grenfell unveiled the memorial while the Times reported the event.[8]
In 1908, the Volunteers and Militia were reorganised nationally, with the former becoming the
First World War
Regular Army
The 1st Battalion landed at
The 2nd Battalion landed at
New Armies
The 6th (Service) Battalion landed at Anzac Cove as part of the 29th Brigade in the 10th (Irish) Division in August 1915 but moved to Salonika in October 1915 and to Egypt for service in Palestine in September 1917.[12] The 7th (Service) Battalion, which absorbed a company of the Royal Jersey Militia, landed at Le Havre as part of the 48th Brigade in the 16th (Irish) Division in December 1915 for service on the Western Front.[12] James Steele, a future general, served with the 7th Battalion.[18] The 8th (Service) Battalion (East Belfast), 9th (Service) Battalion (West Belfast) and 10th (Service) Battalion (South Belfast) landed at Boulogne-sur-Mer as part of the 107th Brigade in the 36th (Ulster) Division in October 1915 for service on the Western Front.[12]
The 11th (Service) Battalion (South Antrim), 12th (Service) Battalion (Central Antrim) and 13th (Service) Battalion (1st County Down) landed at Boulogne-sur-Mer as part of the 108th Brigade in the 36th (Ulster) Division in October 1915 for service on the Western Front.[12] The 14th (Service) Battalion (Young Citizens) landed at Boulogne-sur-Mer as part of the 109th Brigade in the 36th (Ulster) Division in October 1915 for service on the Western Front.[12] The 15th (Service) Battalion (North Belfast) landed at Boulogne-sur-Mer as part of the 107th Brigade in the 36th (Ulster) Division in October 1915 for service on the Western Front.[12] The 16th (Service) Battalion (2nd County Down) (Pioneers) landed at Boulogne-sur-Mer as pioneer battalion for the 36th (Ulster) Division in October 1915 for service on the Western Front.[12]
Some 7,010 soldiers from the regiment were killed in action during the First World War.[19]
Between the world wars
After the First World War the War Office decided that Ulster should be represented on the Army List as Connaught, Leinster and Munster already had their own regiments and so, in 1920, a new name was proposed for the Royal Irish Rifles. From 1 January 1921 the regiment became the Royal Ulster Rifles.[11] The regiment moved to St Patrick's Barracks in 1937.[20] In 1937 the already close relationship with the London Irish Rifles was formally recognised when they were incorporated into the Corps while still retaining their regimental identity as a territorial battalion. Two years later the London Irish formed a second battalion.[21]
Second World War
Regular Army
When war was declared the 1st Battalion was serving in
Carried in Horsa gliders, the battalion took part in Operation Mallard, the British glider-borne landings in the later afternoon of 6 June 1944, otherwise known as D-Day. They served throughout the Battle of Normandy employed as normal infantry until August 1944 and the breakout from the Normandy beachhead where the entire 6th Airborne Division advanced 45 miles in 9 days. They returned to England in September 1944 for rest and retraining until December 1944 when the 6th Airborne was then recalled to Belgium after the surprise German offensive in the Ardennes which is now known as the Battle of the Bulge where the division played a comparatively small role in the mainly-American battle. They then took part in their final airborne mission of the war known as Operation Varsity, which was the airborne element of Operation Plunder, the crossing of the River Rhine by the 21st Army Group in March 1945. The 6th Airborne was joined by the U.S. 17th Airborne Division, and both divisions suffered heavy casualties.[24]
The 2nd Battalion was part of the
Hostilities-only
The 6th (Home Defence) Battalion was raised in 1939 from No. 200 Group National Defence Companies and consisting of older men with previous military experience who were unfit for active service. On 24 December 1940 the battalion was redesignated as the 30th Battalion, dropping the Home Defence from its title, and converted to a regular infantry battalion. It was disbanded in Northern Ireland in May 1943.[28] The 7th (Home Defence) Battalion was raised on 29 June 1940, joining the 215th Independent Infantry Brigade (Home). The battalion served in Ulster until leaving for Great Britain in September 1942. On 24 December 1941, the battalion was redesignated the 31st Battalion and dropped the Home Defence title.[11]
The
The 70th (Young Soldiers) Battalion was formed on 12 September 1940 at Holywood from the younger soldiers of the 6th and 7th battalions and volunteers of the ages of 18 and 19 who were too young for conscription. The battalion spent most of its time guarding airfields and aerodromes before moving to Great Britain in October 1941.[11]
Post-war
In 1947 the Royal Ulster Rifles were grouped with the other two remaining Irish regiments, the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers and the Royal Irish Fusiliers, into the North Irish Brigade.[31] In 1948, the 2nd Battalion was amalgamated with the 1st Battalion to form the 1st Battalion, Royal Ulster Rifles (83rd and 86th), thus retaining the history of both of the previous regiments of foot.[11]
The 1st Battalion, Royal Ulster Rifles disembarked at
The Battle of the Imjin River began on 22 April 1951 with the goal of taking Seoul. By 25 April 1951, the Brigade was ordered to withdraw as the Communist forces were threatening to encircle it. With virtually no cover and seriously outnumbered, the Royal Ulster Rifles came under heavy fire as they withdrew to a blocking position. The Brigade was able to hold its position, despite fierce fighting, and neutralized the effectiveness of the Sixty-fourth Chinese Communist Army. Although the enemy's offensive had come within 5 miles of Seoul, the capital had been saved.[32] At the time, the Times reported the Battle of Imjin River concluding with: The fighting 5th wearing St George and the Dragon and the Irish Giants with the Harp and Crown have histories that they would exchange with no one. As pride, sobered by mourning for fallen observes how well these young men have acquitted themselves in remotest Asia. The parts taken by the regiments may be seen as a whole. The motto of the Royal Ulster Rifles may have the last word Quis Separabit (who shall separate us).[32]
As a result of this action, members of the Royal Ulster Rifles were awarded two
The Regiment continued to accept recruits from the rest of Ireland; for example, almost 50% of personnel in the 1st Battalion who arrived in Korea in 1950 were Irish nationals.[33] In July 1968 the Royal Ulster Rifles amalgamated with the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers and the Royal Irish Fusiliers to form the Royal Irish Rangers (27th (Inniskilling), 83rd and 87th).[11]
Regimental museum
The Royal Ulster Rifles Museum is located in the Cathedral Quarter, Belfast. The museum's artefacts include uniforms, badges, medals, regimental memorabilia, trophies, paintings and photographs.[36]
Victoria Cross
Recipients of the Victoria Cross:
- Lieutenant Hugh Cochrane, 86th (Royal County Down) Regiment of Foot, Betwa, India, April 1858
- Lieutenant Henry Edward Jerome, 86th (Royal County Down) Regiment of Foot, Jhansi, India, April 1858
- Private James Byrne, 86th (Royal County Down) Regiment of Foot, Jhansi, India, April 1858
- Private James Pearson, 86th (Royal County Down) Regiment of Foot, Jhansi, India, April 1858
- Rifleman William McFadzean. 14th (Service) Battalion, Royal Irish Rifles. 1916. Thiepval.
- Rifleman Robert Quigg. 12th (Service) Battalion, Royal Irish Rifles. 1916. Hamel, Somme.
- Second Lieutenant Edmund De Wind. 15th (Service) Battalion, Royal Irish Rifles. 1918. Grugies, France.
Great War Memorials
- Ulster Tower MemorialThiepval, France.
- Irish National War Memorial Gardens, Dublin.
- Island of Ireland Peace Park Messines, Belgium.
- Menin Gate MemorialYpres, Belgium.
- War Memorial of Korea Seoul, South Korea
Battle honours
The regiment's battle honours were as follows:[11]
- Early wars: South Africa 1899-1902
- The Great War: Mons, Le Cateau, Retreat from Mons, Marne 1914, Aisne 1914, La Bassée 1914, Messines 1914 '17 '18, Armentières 1914, Ypres 1914 '15 '17 '18, Nonne Bosschen, Neuve Chapelle, Frezenberg, Aubers, Somme 1916 '18, Albert 1916, Bazentin, Pozières, Guillemont, Ginchy, Ancre Heights, Pilckem, Langemarck 1917, Cambrai 1917, St. Quentin, Rosières, Lys, Bailleul, Kemmel, Courtrai, France and Flanders 1914-18, Kosturino, Struma, Macedonia 1915-17, Suvla, Sari Bair, Gallipoli 1915, Gaza, Jerusalem, Tell 'Asur, Palestine 1917-18
- The Second World War: Dyle, Dunkirk 1940, Normandy Landing, Cambes, Caen, Troarn, Venlo Pocket, Rhine, Bremen, North-West Europe 1940 '44-45
- Later wars: Seoul, Imjin, Korea 1950-51
Regimental Colonels
Colonels of the Regiment were:[11]
- The Royal Irish Rifles
- 1881–1883:(1st Battalion) Gen. William Gustavus Brown (ex 83rd Foot)
- 1881–1886:(2nd Battalion only to 1883) F.M. Sir 86th Foot)
- 1886–1914: Gen. Wilmot Henry Bradford
- 1914–1915: Gen. Sir Charles John Burnett, KCB, KCVO
- 1915–1922: F.M. Sir Henry Hughes Wilson, Bt, GCB, DSO
- The Royal Ulster Rifles (1921)
- 1922–1937: Gen. Sir Alexander John Godley, GCB, GCMG
- 1937–1947: Lt-Gen. Sir Denis John Charles Kirwan Bernard, KCB, CMG, DSO
- 1947–1957: Gen. Sir James Stuart Steele, GCB, KBE, DSO, MC
- 1957–1962: Brig. Ian Henry Good, DSO
- 1962–1968: Maj-Gen. Ian Cecil Harris, CB, CBE, DSO (to Royal Irish Rangers)
- 1968 Regiment merged with The Royal Irish Fusiliers (Princess Victoria's) to form the Royal Irish Rangers
Alliances
- Singapore Infantry Regiment[37]
See also
References
- ^ Chant, p. 85
- ^ "83rd (County of Dublin) Regiment of Foot". Regiments.org. Archived from the original on 13 January 2008. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
- ^ "86th (Royal County Down) Regiment of Foot". Regiments.org. Archived from the original on 11 January 2008. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
- ^ "No. 24992". The London Gazette. 1 July 1881. pp. 3300–3301.
- ^ "The Barracks". New Lodge. Archived from the original on 7 December 2015. Retrieved 8 December 2015.
- ^ Harris, pp. 2–3
- ^ "Royal Irish Rifles". Anglo-Boer War. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
- ^ "Royal Irish Rifles". Imperial War Museum. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
- ^ "Territorial and Reserve Forces Act 1907". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). 31 March 1908. Retrieved 20 June 2017.
- ^ These were the 3rd Battalion (Special Reserve), the 4th Battalion (Special Reserve) and the 5th Battalion (Special Reserve).
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Royal Ulster Rifles". Regiments.org. Archived from the original on 23 January 2008. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Royal Irish Rifles". The Long, Long Trail. Archived from the original on 5 February 2012. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
- ^ Roe, p. 23
- ^ Roe, p. 24
- ^ Lowry, Gerald (July 1933). From Mons to 1933. Simpkin Marshall, LTD. p. 19.
- ISBN 9781843421108.
- ^ "Irishman who was 'Angel of Mons'". The Irish Times. Retrieved 25 September 2018.
- doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/31716. (Subscription or UK public library membershiprequired.)
- ^ "Royal Irish Rifles - Regiment History, War & Military Records & Archives". Forces War Records. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
- ^ "Saint Patrick's Barracks, Ballymena". Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 17 November 2014.
- ^ "History of The Royal Irish Rangers: The Formation of the Regiment". Royal Irish Rangers. Archived from the original on 12 April 2019. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
- ^ Ferguson, p. 6
- ^ "6th Airlanding Brigade". Paradata. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
- ^ Hagerman, Bart (12 June 2006). "Operation Varsity: Allied Airborne Assault Over The Rhine". World War II Magazine. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
- ^ Joslen, p. 247
- ^ "The British Expeditionary Force". BBC. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
- ^ Williams, p. 24
- ^ "Complement of British Army Personnel in Northern Ireland". Second World War in Northern Ireland. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
- ^ "117 Light AA Regiment RA (TA)". Blue Yonder. Archived from the original on 31 March 2004. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
- ^ Joslen, p. 297
- ^ Whitaker's Almanack 1956, p. 471
- ^ a b c d "History of the Royal Irish Rangers Korea 1950 - 1951". Royal Irish Rangers. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
- ^ a b c "Royal Ulster Rifles Korean Memorial". British Korean War Veterans Association. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
- ^ "Imjin River Memorial". Imperial War Museum. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
- ^ "Royal Ulster Rifles Korea". War Memorials Trust. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
- ^ "Royal Ulster Rifles Museum". Army Museums. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
- ^ "WO 32/20489: Alliance between 2 Battalion Singapore Infantry …". Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 10 March 2015.
Sources
- Chant, Christopher (1988). The handbook of British regiments. Routledge. ISBN 978-0-415-00241-7.
- Ferguson, Gregory (1984). The Paras 1940–84. Volume 1 of Elite series. Oxford, United Kingdom: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 0-85045-573-1.
- Harris, Major Henry E. D. (1968). The Irish Regiments in the First World War. Mercer Press Cork. ISBN 978-0853420729.
- Joslen, H. F. (2003) [1960]. Orders of Battle: Second World War, 1939–1945. Uckfield, East Sussex: Naval and Military Press. ISBN 978-1-84342-474-1.
- Roe, Lt. F.P. (1923). A Short History of the Royal Ulster Rifles. Aldershot: Gale & Polden. OCLC 771232739.
- Williams, Jeffery (1988). The Long Left Flank: The Hard Fought Way to the Reich, 1944–1945. Toronto: Stoddart. ISBN 0-7737-2194-0.
- Lowry, Gerald (1933). From Mons to 1933. Marshall Simpkin Ltd. ISBN 978-1-334-97215-7.
Further reading
- Orr, David R; Truesdale, David (2005). The Rifles are There: 1st and 2nd Battalions, The Royal Ulster Rifles in the Second World War. Pen & Sword. ISBN 1-84415-349-5.
- Taylor, James W. (2002). The 1st Royal Irish Rifles in the Great War. Four Courts Press. ISBN 1-85182-702-1.
- Taylor, James W. (2005). The 2nd Royal Irish Rifles in the Great War. Four Courts Press. ISBN 1-85182-952-0.