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  • #61
    Burke's anthem for a doomed youth has the potential to become a classic account of front-line life, owing to Wall's perceptive observations on home life, military education and front-line experiences, as well as the author's skill in illuminating them.' - History Ireland

    The book is structured around a collection of letters written by a nineteen year old Irish officer in the 6th Royal Irish Regiment, 2nd Lieutenant Michael Wall from Carrick Hill, near Malahide in north Co. Dublin. Michael was educated by the Christian Brothers in Dublin and destined to study science at UCD before being seduced by the illusion of adventure through war. By contextualising and expanding the content of Wall’s letters and setting them within the entrenched battle zone of the Messines Ridge, Burke offers a unique insight into the trench life this young Irish man experienced, his disillusionment with war and his desire to get home. Burke also presents an account of the origin, preparations and successful execution of the battle to take Wijtschate on 7 June 1917 in which the 16th (Irish) and 36th (Ulster) Divisions played a pivotal role. In conclusion Burke offers an insight into the contentious subject of remembrance of the First World War in Ireland in the late 1920s
    Set in the entrenched battle zone of Messines Ridge, Tom Burke’s Messines to Carrick Hill: Writing Home from the Great War, uses letters written by Micheal Wall an Irish officer in the 6th Royal Irish Regiment to offer an insight into trench life in WWI. Burke presents an account of the origin, preparations and successful execution of the battle to take Wijtschate on 7 June 1917. In conclusion Burke offers an insight into the contentious subject of remembrance of the First World War in Ireland in the late 1920s
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    • #62
      Irish Soldiers at the Battle of Rorke's Drift

      Irish born members of Rorke’s Drift Garrison.

      Lt Col James Henry Reynolds VC,Army Medical Dept.Kingstown, Dublin


      Henry Turner Private 1st Battalion Ballsbridge Dublin.
      Henry Gallagher Sergeant 2nd Battalion Thurles Co.Tipperary
      Patrick Hayes Drummer 2nd Battalion Newmarket Co. Clare
      James Bush Private 2nd Battalion St Johns Dublin
      Timothy Connors Private 2nd Battalion Killeaty Co. Cork
      James Dick Private 2nd Battalion Island Mage Co. Antrim
      James Hagen Private 2nd Battalion Nenagh Co. Tipperary
      Thomas Lynch Private 2nd Battalion Limerick
      John Lyons Private 2nd Battalion O’Briens Bridge Co. Clare
      Michael Minehan Private 2nd Battalion Castlehaven Co. Cork
      Agustus Morris Private 2nd Battalion Dublin
      Thomas Robinson Private 2nd Battalion St Patricks Dublin
      Michael Tobin Private 2nd Battalion Windgap Co. Kilkenny

      Members of Rorke’s Drift Garrison who enlisted in Ireland

      Patrick Galgey Drummer 2nd Battalion . Enlisted Cork 1865
      Garret Hayden Private 2nd Battalion . Enlisted Dublin 1865
      John Manley Private 2nd Battalion . Enlisted Cork 1865
      Michael Kiley Private 2nd Battalion Enlisted Ireland

      Members of Rorke’s Drift Garrison with Irish names and possible Irish Connections.

      Patrick Desmond Private 1st Battalion
      William Horrigan Private 1st Battalion
      Thomas Buckley Private 2nd Battalion
      Anthony Connors Private 2nd Battalion
      John Fagan Private 2nd Battaloin
      John Murphy Private 2nd Battalion
      ?? McMahon Private Army Hospital Corps
      Louis Byrne Acting Commissariat Officer

      Irish killed in action at Rorke’s Drift ; John Fagan , Patrick Hayden , William Horrigan and Louis Byrne .

      A Bloody Night: The Irish at Rorke's Drift
      Attached Files
      Last edited by jembo; 20-12-2017, 06:04 AM.
      I google because I'm not young enough to know everything.
      Nemo Mortalium Omnibus Horis Sapit

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      • #63
        Battle Honour RELIEF OF LADYSMITH

        Wednesday, February 28, 1900


        The Battle Honour RELIEF OF LADYSMITH is emblazoned on the Regimental Colours of The Royal Irish Regiment. It is one of only six such distinctions that were authorized for the two and a half years' fighting in South Africa.

        The British mounted a fourth attempt from 14-27 February 1900 to force a crossing over the Tugela river in order to relieve Ladysmith. General Sir Redvers Buller's force included the 1st Battalion The Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers in Major General Hart's 5 Irish Brigade and the 2nd Battalion the Royal Irish Fusiliers (Faughs) in Major General Barton's 6 Fusilier Brigade. Buller's plan was to seize the hill features, known collectively as the Tugela Heights, that dominated the the approaches and crossing points of the river, especially Hlangwane which the Boers had occupied to such effect during the Battle of Colenso.

        At first, Hart's Brigade with the Inniskillings deployed to secure the railhead and provide manpower for pickets, logistic support tasks, and escorts to the Royal Navy's guns. On 17 February, the Faughs secured a hill on the left of the Boer line with few casualties, then scaled Green Hill the following day with the Scots Fusiliers. The Boer's left flank was turned and on 19 February Barton's Brigade seized the key hill feature of Hlangwane where, although the Boers had abandoned it the night before, the Faughs had to drive back a Boer counterattack. Buller was then able to prepare for crossing the Tugela on 21 February and the Inniskillings crossed with Hart's Brigade on the morning of 22 February. Hard fighting followed and the Inniskillings attack on the 23 February against the Boers, on what came to be known as 'Inniskilling Hill', resulted in 60 killed, 168 wounded and 24 missing out of a strength of 512.

        Barton's Fusilier Brigade formed up to attack Pieter's Hill shortly after noon on 27 February. The Faughs were on the left attacking with three companies up and, as last light was approaching, the Fusilier battalions fought their way to the top where the Boers still held the north end. Barton ordered forward three companies of the Faughs to drive out the last of the Boers. The enemy inflicted heavy casualties on the officers in particular but the Faughs clung on in the dark to find that by midnight the remnant of the Boer force had slipped away. The Faughs casualties amounted to just over 100 during the fighting for the Relief of Ladysmith.

        Buller had at last destroyed the Boer's Tugela River defences. Throughout the next day, 28 February 1900, the Boers' siege ended as they withdrew northwards beyond Ladysmith. On the evening of 1 March 1900, a cavalry force led by Lord Dundonald entered Ladysmith while Buller, with the remainder of his troops, marched into Ladysmith on 3 March 1900.

        Her Majesty Queen Victoria heard of the dreadful losses that the Irish Regiments suffered during the fighting and she sent the following telegram to General Sir Redvers Buller:

        'I have heard with the deepest concern of the heavy loss sustained by my brave Irish soldiers. I desire to express my sympathy and my admiration of the splendid fighting qualities which they have exhibited throughout these trying operations. - VRI'

        Battle Honour RELIEF OF LADYSMITH
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        • #64
          .......................
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          I google because I'm not young enough to know everything.
          Nemo Mortalium Omnibus Horis Sapit

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          • #65
            Originally posted by jembo View Post
            Battle Honour RELIEF OF LADYSMITH

            Wednesday, February 28, 1900


            The Battle Honour RELIEF OF LADYSMITH is emblazoned on the Regimental Colours of The Royal Irish Regiment. It is one of only six such distinctions that were authorized for the two and a half years' fighting in South Africa.

            The British mounted a fourth attempt from 14-27 February 1900 to force a crossing over the Tugela river in order to relieve Ladysmith. General Sir Redvers Buller's force included the 1st Battalion The Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers in Major General Hart's 5 Irish Brigade and the 2nd Battalion the Royal Irish Fusiliers (Faughs) in Major General Barton's 6 Fusilier Brigade. Buller's plan was to seize the hill features, known collectively as the Tugela Heights, that dominated the the approaches and crossing points of the river, especially Hlangwane which the Boers had occupied to such effect during the Battle of Colenso.

            At first, Hart's Brigade with the Inniskillings deployed to secure the railhead and provide manpower for pickets, logistic support tasks, and escorts to the Royal Navy's guns. On 17 February, the Faughs secured a hill on the left of the Boer line with few casualties, then scaled Green Hill the following day with the Scots Fusiliers. The Boer's left flank was turned and on 19 February Barton's Brigade seized the key hill feature of Hlangwane where, although the Boers had abandoned it the night before, the Faughs had to drive back a Boer counterattack. Buller was then able to prepare for crossing the Tugela on 21 February and the Inniskillings crossed with Hart's Brigade on the morning of 22 February. Hard fighting followed and the Inniskillings attack on the 23 February against the Boers, on what came to be known as 'Inniskilling Hill', resulted in 60 killed, 168 wounded and 24 missing out of a strength of 512.

            Barton's Fusilier Brigade formed up to attack Pieter's Hill shortly after noon on 27 February. The Faughs were on the left attacking with three companies up and, as last light was approaching, the Fusilier battalions fought their way to the top where the Boers still held the north end. Barton ordered forward three companies of the Faughs to drive out the last of the Boers. The enemy inflicted heavy casualties on the officers in particular but the Faughs clung on in the dark to find that by midnight the remnant of the Boer force had slipped away. The Faughs casualties amounted to just over 100 during the fighting for the Relief of Ladysmith.

            Buller had at last destroyed the Boer's Tugela River defences. Throughout the next day, 28 February 1900, the Boers' siege ended as they withdrew northwards beyond Ladysmith. On the evening of 1 March 1900, a cavalry force led by Lord Dundonald entered Ladysmith while Buller, with the remainder of his troops, marched into Ladysmith on 3 March 1900.

            Her Majesty Queen Victoria heard of the dreadful losses that the Irish Regiments suffered during the fighting and she sent the following telegram to General Sir Redvers Buller:

            'I have heard with the deepest concern of the heavy loss sustained by my brave Irish soldiers. I desire to express my sympathy and my admiration of the splendid fighting qualities which they have exhibited throughout these trying operations. - VRI'

            Battle Honour RELIEF OF LADYSMITH
            my grandad was awarded a clasp for the relief of ladysmith, he was in one of three 1st batt companies, royal Dublin fusiliers trapped in the loop at the tugela river , they suffered the highest casualties and were last to be relived at 5 pm. this was bugler dunnes famous 'blow'.
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            in god i trust...everyone else cash only.

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            • #66
              irish and other men who were involved in the 'indian mutiny]. james daly is listed in the left hand column half way down......no more info on this .
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              in god i trust...everyone else cash only.

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              • #67
                The British Empire administered its last execution for mutiny on this date in 1920 — that of Irish Private James Daly of the Connaught Rangers.

                You can take the Irishman out of Ireland, but not Ireland out of the Irishman. Something like that.

                Daly was shot in Dagshai prison, India, but the reason for his death was that old familiar of his homeland’s history: nationalism.

                Half a world away, London was playing the bad guys in the Irish War of Independence.

                It was a conflict uniquely suited for dividing comrades; little wonder that it also divided comrades in arms.

                Having lately bled for His Majesty in the War to End All Wars, plenty of Irish enlistees were nonplussed to see troops deployed to their own neighborhoods, Black and Tans shooting up their friends and family.*

                From June 1920, a number of Irish Connaught Rangers “grounded arms” for their brethren in Eire, refusing to serve Britain while British troops occupied Ireland. One thing led to another, and a group (led by Daly, and his brother William) ended up trying to rush an armory to recover its weapons, opposed by other Rangers who remained loyal to the crown.

                Fourteen death sentences were handed down for this show of indiscipline, but Daly’s was the only one actually carried out. The Rangers were disbanded two years later with the formation of the Irish Free State. And everyone lived happily ever after.




                A Dublin cemetery preserves a monument to Daly and his comrades
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                Last edited by jembo; 08-03-2018, 09:10 PM.
                I google because I'm not young enough to know everything.
                Nemo Mortalium Omnibus Horis Sapit

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                • #68
                  The dark secret of Dagshai
                  Malvika K. Singh


                  The little-known cantonment town has a cellular jail and museum where Gandhi spent a night

                  The Andaman Islands may house the most popular cellular jail in India but there is a second lesser-known cellular jail in North India. Sixty km from Chandigarh, the Dagshai cellular jail is situated in the little-known and hardly visited cantonment town of Dagshai.

                  The building and adjoining areas were used as a storage yard until it was identified. After it was cleaned up with the help of the Army, a well-designed and strongly built structure emerged. It needed little or no repairs and the spruced-up building has been converted into a museum.

                  The Dagshai jail was constructed in 1849 at a cost of Rs 72,873. It has 54 maximum security cells. These cells are 8'x12' with 20-foot high ceilings and heavily barricaded windows and doors.

                  Of the 54 cells, 16 were for solitary confinement. These cells had no ventilation and no access to natural light. These were for prisoners guilty of severe indiscipline, who were subjected to harsh punishment.

                  There was one cell for those who were to be meted out exceptionally harsh punishment for daring the British Empire.

                  This special cell has two doors which are barely three feet apart. The prisoner was made to stand against one door and the front door was closed. The prisoner could only stand and being sandwiched between steel grills made the movement very restricted.

                  The records of the jail were kept immaculately and other than the building itself, its history which makes it a unique museum. It houses an interesting collection of archival photographs relating to the history of the occupants.

                  The first important residents of the jail came in 1857. These were Gorkha soldiers of the Nasiri Regiment who had revolted against the British during the uprising. They were incarcerated in the Dagshai jail.

                  In 1914, a wealthy Sikh, Baba Gurdit Singh from Singapore, chartered a Japanese ship, Komagatamaru, to take some 350 Sikhs to Canada. They were all ex-Army men seeking re-settlement in British-ruled Canada. They were refused disembarkation. The ship had to return to Calcutta where 20 "ring leaders" were arrested on arrival and sent to the Dagshai jail. Four of them were hanged.

                  On May 13, 1915, the Sikh soldiers of 23 Risala (Cavalry) were being shipped from Nagaon Cantonment in Uttar Pradesh to the war front. At the railway station a piece of luggage belonging to Dafedar Wadhawa Singh fell down and a grenade kept in it exploded. When other bags were searched more grenades were found. He, along with others, was arrested and their links to the Ghadar Party were discovered. All soldiers of the regiment were arrested and a court marshal was held in Dagshai. Twelve were sentenced to death and executed by a firing squad.

                  In 1920, the Irish Catholic soldiers of the 1st Battalion of the Connaught Rangers mutinied against their officers. The mutineers were brought to the Dagshai jail, including their leader, James Daly.

                  On the morning of November 2, 1920, 22-year-old Private James Daly was led out into the prison yard and was executed by a firing squad.

                  "It is all for Ireland. I am not afraid to die!" he wrote in his last letter to his mother. Apart from dying for his country, Daly also made history by becoming the last member of the British army to be executed for a military offence.

                  He was buried at the Dagshai Cemetery until 1970, when his remains were repatriated to Ireland and given a funeral with full military honours.

                  His sympathies with Irish soldiers prompted Mahatama Gandhi to rush to Dagshai and make an assessment. Gandhi was a friend and admirer of the Irish leader Eamon de Valera. The Indian Independence movement took inspiration from the Irish struggle against British rule. The visit of the Mahatama to Dagshai was not liked by Winston Churchill, who was the Defence Secretary. Hence, the strong action against the Irish mutineers was taken to set an example for any Indians who were so inclined.

                  To provide moral support and show his solidarity to the Irish cause, Gandhiji voluntarily spent a night in the jail.


                  Though the British-kept records are accurate, the Indian records are a bit hazy. There are unconfirmed reports that Nathuram Godse, too, ( the man who shot Gandhi) spent some time in the Dagshai jail.

                  He was being transferred from Delhi to Simla to face the judges at the High Court. His transfer records show that he was kept in a jail "near Solan". In 1949, there was no jail in Solan and "near Solan" may mean Dagshai.

                  Possibly the "hazy" record is on purpose for security reasons. Godse did have de-tractors who would have gladly taken the law into their own hands.

                  Godse was sentenced to death by hanging on November 8, 1949, and was executed in the Ambala jail on November 15, 1949.

                  The museum has been established with the help of the Brigade Commander of the area and Himachal Tourism Department. Dr Anand Sethi, an international banker and a local resident, who is the curator, has contributed some of the exhibits.


                  1 Dagshai Jail
                  2 some of the cells
                  3 graves at Dagshi Cemetery
                  4 St Patricks Church at Dagshi
                  5 certificate dated January 8th 1937, signed by Frank Aiken, minister for defence, granting a dependents’ allowance to James Daly in respect of his son James Joseph Daly executed in India on November 2nd 1920 for his part in the Connaught Rangers Mutiny.
                  Attached Files
                  Last edited by jembo; 30-12-2017, 09:30 PM.
                  I google because I'm not young enough to know everything.
                  Nemo Mortalium Omnibus Horis Sapit

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                  • #69
                    John Reginald Gorman – The Amazing Irish Kamikaze Tank Buster

                    In WWII, the Germans had a reputation for their formidable technology. What they did not consider, however, was the formidable Irish reputation for bullishness.

                    John Reginald Gorman was born on February 1, 1923, in Omagh, Ireland. He joined the Irish Guards in 1942 and became a Lieutenant in the 2nd Armored Battalion of the Guards Armored Division.

                    In 1944 the Normandy Landings had taken place, the Allies were now in northwestern France, and the Germans were resisting.

                    June 18 was the start of the Battle of Caen. Caen is one of the biggest cities in Normandy and sits beside the Orne River and the Caen Canal – making it a vital hub. The Allies had to take it.

                    Caen sits in open country dotted with small towns and villages. The plan, therefore, was to isolate the main German forces within the city, while the Allies took out the smaller pockets of resistance around it.

                    The Canadians launched Operation Atlantic to capture Caen south of the Orne. The British launched Operation Goodwood. Together, they hoped to obliterate the Germans, at best, or pin them down where they were, at the very least.

                    Further west, the Allies were stuck. They needed to break out of Normandy, but German resistance was proving to be tougher than they had expected.

                    Gorman’s men were worried. They had their Sherman tanks, but there were rumors the Germans had something far better – the Tiger II, also known as the King Tiger.

                    The Germans called it the Königstiger (Royal Tiger). It weighed almost 70 tons because of its thicker armor (about 3.9” to 7.3”) and was armed with an 88 mm 71 caliber gun.

                    “What if we meet one?” asked Lance-Corporal James Baron of his troop commander.

                    “Use naval tactics,” was Gorman’s reply. “Our Shermans are faster, so if we meet one, we ram it.”

                    They were situated to the east of the village of Cagny. Ahead was a slope dipping into a shallow stream then rising toward the tree-filled Bourguébus Ridge. From there came German fire to let the British know they were not welcome.

                    Gorman’s 2nd Battalion was amassed with others under the command of Lieutenant Anthony Dorman. Dorman gave the order to cross and went first, followed by the others who veered on either side to force the Germans into spreading their line of fire.

                    Most were making their way up the other side, but not Gorman – his Sherman was stuck in the stream. Two tanks in his battalion stayed to provide covering fire. However, they but could not reach those ahead to let them know – the radio chatter was too intense.

                    Try as they might, they could not move the tank. Furious, Gorman abandoned his Sherman and jumped into another one named Ballyragget (“Mouth of Ragget’s Ford” – a town in Ireland).

                    They crossed the stream to the other side, but everyone was gone. Past the tree line, he found Lieutenant Dorman firing at some German positions.

                    Further on, Gorman and another tank found the road that stretched from Cagny to Emieville. They had just crested the ridge when he saw them – four German tanks in the clearing beneath them, a mere 900 feet away. There was an old Mark IV, a Panther, an earlier version of the Tiger, and the rumored Tiger II, itself! The first one ever to be seen on the Western Front. The Irishmen groaned.

                    “Having a conference, they were,” Gorman later said in disbelief. “Sitting in the middle of the field.”

                    Shermans are noisy machines, but he swore the Germans looked surprised to see them. The Tiger II began swiveling its gun straight at them.

                    “Fire!” Gorman ordered. Nothing happened. The gun had jammed. They would have to ram it.

                    To their surprise, the slope felt steeper than it looked. The 66,800-pound Ballyragget skidded as much as it rolled, gaining speed as it reached the clearing below.

                    The blast surprised everyone. Gunner Schole had scored a direct hit on the King Tiger! It did no good, though.
                    he Königstiger’s gunner was also having problems. His tank was facing away from the marauding Irish, so he was having a hard time positioning his gun. He was still trying when Ballyragget slid parallel to the Tiger II’s cannon and whacked hard against the German tank’s rear right track.

                    Now the Königstiger’s gun muzzle jutted out some two feet over the top of the Sherman. The other German tanks fired at the second Sherman, killing three, and wounding three others.
                    Gorman and his men jumped out and ran into a wheat field. Apart from Guardsman Hugh Andrew Agnew. Disorientated, he saw four men run into a ditch, so he ran after them and jumped in.

                    It was the crew of the Tiger II. Agnew gave them a polite salute (complete with a cheeky grin), jumped back out, and ran.Gorman needed a weapon and found a Sherman Firefly back at Cagny. It had been under Sergeant Workmann, but, unfortunately, he was dead. The gunner and driver were alive, but they were in serious shock.

                    Gorman commandeered the Firefly back up the ridge. To his surprise, the enemy were still there. The tank took out the Tiger II first – also hitting their old Sherman as it was still stuck to the former. The Germans fired back, so Gorman gathered his surviving crew and retreated.

                    He received the Military Cross. He was also awarded the French Croix de Guerre, but that is another story.

                    As for Operations Goodwood and Atlantic, they were a disaster – about 5,500 men were lost. That, too, is another story.

                    In WWII, the Germans had a reputation for their formidable technology. What they did not consider, however, was the formidable Irish reputation for

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                    • #70
                      The National Volunteers was the name taken by the majority of the Irish Volunteers that sided with Irish Parliamentary Party leader John Redmond after the movement split over the question of the Volunteers' role in World War I.

                      The National Volunteers were the product of the Irish political crisis over the implementation of Home Rule in 1912–14. The Third Home Rule Bill had been proposed in 1912 (and was subsequently passed in 1914) under the British Liberal government, after a campaign by John Redmond and the Irish Parliamentary Party. However, its implementation was delayed in the face of mass resistance by Irish Unionists. This had begun with the introduction of the bill into Parliament, when thousands of unionists signed the "Ulster Covenant", pledging to resist Home Rule. In 1913 they formed the Ulster Volunteers (UVF), an armed wing of Ulster Unionism and organised locally by the Orange Order; the Ulster Volunteers stated that they would resist Home Rule by force.

                      In response, Nationalists formed their own paramilitary group, the Irish Volunteers, at a meeting held in Dublin on 25 November 1913; the purpose of this new organisation was to safeguard the granting and implementation of Home Rule. It looked for several months in 1914 as if civil war was imminent between the two armed factions, with the British Army known to be reluctant to intervene against Ulster armed opposition to Home Rule's coming into operation. While Redmond took no role in the creation of the Irish Volunteers, when he saw how influential they had become he realised an independent body of such magnitude was a threat to his authority as leader of the Irish Parliamentary Party, and therefore sought control of the organisation.

                      Eoin MacNeill, along with Sir Roger Casement and other leaders of the Irish Volunteers, had indeed sought Redmond's approval of and input in the organisation, but did not want to hand control over to him. In June 1914, the Volunteer leadership reluctantly agreed, in the interest of harmony, to permit Redmond to nominate half of the membership of the Volunteer Executive;as some of the standing members were already Redmond supporters, this would have given him control over the Volunteers. The motion was bitterly opposed by the radical members of the committee (mostly members of the secret Irish Republican Brotherhood), notably Patrick Pearse, Sean MacDermott, and Eamonn Ceannt, but was carried nevertheless to prevent a split. With the support of the Irish Party the Volunteer organisation grew dramatically.

                      Great War split
                      Following the outbreak of World War I in August, and the successful placement of the Home Rule Act on the statute books (albeit with its implementation formally postponed), Redmond made a speech in Woodenbridge, County Wicklow on 20 September, in which he called for members of the Volunteers to enlist in an intended Irish Army Corps of Kitchener's New British Army. He pledged his support to the Allied cause, saying in his address:

                      The interests of Ireland — of the whole of Ireland — are at stake in this war. This war is undertaken in the defence of the highest principles of religion and morality and right, and it would be a disgrace for ever to our country and a reproach to her manhood and a denial of the lessons of her history if young Ireland confined their efforts to remaining at home to defend the shores of Ireland from an unlikely invasion, and to shrinking from the duty of proving on the field of battle that gallantry and courage which has distinguished our race all through its history. I say to you, therefore, your duty is twofold. I am glad to see such magnificent material for soldiers around me, and I say to you: "Go on drilling and make yourself efficient for the Work, and then account yourselves as men, not only for Ireland itself, but wherever the fighting line extends, in defence of right, of freedom, and religion in this war".

                      Redmond's motives were twofold. Firstly, he felt it was in the future interest of an All-Ireland Home Rule settlement to support the British war cause, joining together with the Ulster Volunteers who offered immediate support by enlisting in the 36th (Ulster) Division. Secondly, he hoped that the Volunteers, with arms and training from the British, would become the nucleus of an Irish Army after Home Rule was implemented. He reminded the Irish Volunteers that when they returned after an expected short war at the end of 1915, they would be an army capable of confronting any attempt to exclude Ulster from the operation of the Government of Ireland Act.

                      Militant nationalists reacted angrily against Redmond's support for the war, and nearly all of the original leaders of the Volunteers grouped together to dismiss his appointees. However, the great majority of the Volunteers supported Redmond, and became known as the National Volunteers.

                      Recruitment for World War I
                      See also: Ireland and World War I
                      The vast majority of the Volunteer membership remained loyal to Redmond, bringing some 142,000 members to the National Volunteers, leaving the Irish Volunteers with just a rump, estimated at 9,700 members. Many other Irish nationalists and parliamentary leaders, such as William O'Brien MP, Thomas O'Donnell MP, Joseph Devlin MP, and The O'Mahony, sided with Redmond's decision and recruited to support the British and Allied war effort. Five other MPs, J. L. Esmonde, Stephen Gwynn, Willie Redmond, William Redmond, and D. D. Sheehan, as well as former MP Tom Kettle, actually joined Kitchener's New Service Army during the war.

                      Many Irishmen enlisted voluntarily in Irish regiments of the New British Army, forming part of the 10th (Irish) and 16th (Irish) Divisions. Out of a National Volunteer membership of about 150,000, roughly 24,000 (about 24 battalions) were to join those Divisions for the duration of the war. Another 7,500 joined reserve battalions in Ireland. The National Volunteers were therefore a minority among the 206,000 Irishmen who served as volunteers for the British Army in the war, and so failed to constitute a nascent Irish Army as Redmond had hoped. Recruiting for the war among the National Volunteers, after an initial burst of enthusiasm, proved rather sluggish. According to historian Fergus Campbell, "most of the members of the National Volunteers were farmers' sons, and members of this social group were reluctant to join the colours". A police report of late 1914 commented: "Though the large majority of the nominal National Volunteers approve of Mr. Redmond's pronouncement, only very few will enlist". A contemporary writer felt that, "at the back of it was a vague feeling that to fight for the British Empire was a form of disloyalty to Ireland.

                      Moreover, Redmond's hopes for an Irish Army Corps were also to end in disappointment for him. Instead, a New Army 16th (Irish) Division was created. The Division was largely officered by Englishmen (an exception was William Hickie, an Irish born general), which was not a popular decision in nationalist Ireland. This outcome was in part due to the lack of trained Irish officers; the few trained officers had been sent to the 10th Division, and those still available had been included into Sir Edward Carson's 36th (Ulster) Division. In addition, Redmond's earlier statement, that the Irish New Army units would return armed and capable of enforcing Home Rule, aroused War Office suspicions.

                      The National Volunteers after 1914
                      The war's popularity in Ireland and the popularity of John Redmond and the Irish Parliamentary Party were badly dented by the severe losses subsequently suffered by the Irish divisions. In addition, the postponement of the implementation of Home Rule damaged both the IPP and the National Volunteers.

                      The majority of the National Volunteers (over 120,000 or 80%) did not enlist in the British Army. John Redmond had intended that they would form an official home defence force for Ireland during the War, but the British War Office baulked at arming and training the Irish nationalist movement. Military historian Timothy Bowman has described the situation as follows: "While Kitchener saw the UVF as an efficient military force and was prepared to offer concessions to secure the services of UVF personnel in the British army his view of the INV was very different. The INV were, even in comparison to the UVF, an inefficient military force in 1914, lacked trained officers, finances and equipment. Kitchener was certainly not inclined to, as he saw it, waste valuable officers and equipment on a force which, at best, would relieve Territorial units from garrison duties and, at worst, would provide Irish Nationalists with the ability to enforce Home Rule on their own terms.

                      More:-

                      Split in Volunteers deepens | The Century Ireland project is an online historical newspaper that tells the story of the events of Irish life a century ago

                      John Redmond addresses a body of Volunteers in Wexford on October 4th. The obelisk on the right is the momument to John E. Redmond MP, the granduncle of the present Irish leader.
                      Attached Files
                      Last edited by jembo; 12-01-2018, 09:36 PM.
                      I google because I'm not young enough to know everything.
                      Nemo Mortalium Omnibus Horis Sapit

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                      • #71
                        Patrick Henry Jones (November 20, 1830 – July 23, 1900) was an American lawyer, public servant and Postmaster of New York City during the mid-to late 19th century. In 1878, he was involved in the Alexander T. Stewart bodysnatching case when he was contacted by the kidnappers to act as an intermediary between themselves and the Stewart estate. When negotiations stalled between the Stewart family's lawyer Henry Hilton, he assisted Stewart's widow in negotiating for the return of her husband's body.

                        Jones also had a successful military career serving with the Union Army during the American Civil War, being involved in thirty major battles and countless skirmishes, and reaching the rank of brigadier general before the war's end. He was one of ten Irish-Americans to become brigade commanders and one of four Irish born officers to become a divisional commander.

                        Born in County Westmeath, Ireland on November 20, 1830, Jones attended grammar school in Dublin for three years until emigrating with his family to the United States in 1840. They settled on a farm in Cattaraugus County, New York where Jones would spend most of his childhood. Because of his poor background, he received only a limited education at the Union School in Ellicottville. In 1850, the 20-year-old Jones became involved in journalism and traveled as a correspondent throughout the Western States for a leading New York journal. He later became the local editor for the Buffalo Republic and one of the editors of the Buffalo Sentinel.

                        Eventually, Jones decided to pursue a career in law and later studied under the firm of Addison Rice. He was admitted to the bar in 1856 and afterwards practiced law with Addison in Ellicottville as a full partner. By 1860, he had established himself as one of the most prominent lawyers in western New York. A lifelong Democrat, he became disillusioned by the party's support of Southern succession from the Union and, in May 1861, decided to join the military in defense of the United States.

                        Military service
                        Upon the outbreak of the American Civil War, Jones readily joined the Union Army. On July 7, 1861, he enlisted with the 37th New York Volunteers, popularly known as the "Irish Rifles", under Colonel John H. McCunn. He was initially a private but quickly found himself elected to the rank of second lieutenant by the men in the regiment. He was present at the First Battle of Bull Run, only two weeks after his enlistment, but saw no action as the unit was held in reserve. Jones displayed "gallant conduct" during his first years with the regiment and soon rose in rank to first lieutenant and adjutant on November 4, 1861, and then major on January 21, 1862. He and the "Irish Rifles" later joined General Samuel P. Heintzelman's III Corps, as part of the 3rd Brigade of the 3rd Division under Brigadier General Philip Kearny, during the Peninsula campaign and participated in Williamsburg, Seven Pines and the Seven Days campaign. Jones was also present when the 37th New York Volunteers, then attached to the 3rd Brigade of the 1st Division of the III Corps, were at the Second Battle of Bull Run. In May and June, he began suffering from malaria and was hospitalized in Washington, D.C. on September 26 remaining there until the end of October. He was also briefly an officer to Major General Franz Sigel prior to the retirement of General Ambrose Burnside and the reorganization of the Army of the Potomac.

                        On October 8, 1862, Jones was promoted to the rank of colonel and transferred to the 154th New York Volunteers, or the "Hardtack regiment", then under command by his former law partner Colonel Addison Rice. Rice had founded the regiment and, within two months of its arrival in Northern Virginia, he turned over his command to Jones. The 154th was part of General Oliver O. Howard's XI Corps during the Battle of Chancellorsville, attached to the 1st Brigade of the 2nd Division commanded by Brigadier General Adolph von Steinwehr, where Jones was wounded in the right hip when his unit was ambushed and overrun by Confederate troops under Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson resulting in his capture. Jones remained a prisoner-of-war for five months until being released in a prisoner exchange in October 1863; other accounts claim he was paroled for medical reasons [9] on May 15 and again hospitalized in Washington during June where had an attack of amaurosis two months later. After his release from hospital in Anapolis, Maryland, Jones was placed in charge of paroled prisoners before returning to active duty and accompanied the XI Corps upon being transferred to Tennessee. The unit was present at Chattanooga during the assault on Missionary Ridge the next month, however they did not participate in the battle.

                        In April 1864, Jones took a brief leave of absence to recover his health. When the XI and XII Corps were combined to form the Major General William T. Sherman's XX Corps during that spring, although still in poor health, Jones accepted command of the 2nd Brigade of the 2nd Division ("Geary's White Stars") during the Atlanta campaign, the March to the Sea and the Carolinas campaign. On May 8, he was seriously injured in a skirmish at Buzzard's Roost (Mill Creek Gap) when his horse fell off a cliff during the Battle of Rocky Face Ridge. He was cleared to return to duty a month later, however his surgeon recommended "a change of climate and mode of living" allowing Jones to take another sick leave in December. He resumed his command during the final weeks of the campaign and was present at the surrender of Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston in March 1865.

                        On April 18, Jones accepted a commission as brigadier-general on the personal recommendations of Generals Joseph "Fighting Joe" Hooker and Oliver Howard. President Abraham Lincoln telegraphed General Sherman to inquire about their requests to which Sherman praised his "gallant services in the field" during the campaign. Rejoining his old unit at Goldsboro, North Carolina, he remained at that rank for the rest of the war and resigned on June 17, 1865.

                        Stewart bodysnatching case

                        After his resignation, Jones resumed his law practice in Ellicottville and in November 1865 was elected on the Republican ticket as Clerk of the New York Court of Appeals. He remained in this office until December 31, 1868. On August 13, 1868, Jones was appointed by Gov. Reuben E. Fenton as Register of New York City (the local recorder of deeds) to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Charles G. Halpine, remaining in this office until the end of the year with the understanding that the fees of the office be paid over to Halpine's widow. On April 1, 1869, Jones was appointed by President Ulysses S. Grant as Postmaster of New York City and was eventually succeeded by Thomas L. James upon his resignation in 1872. From 1875 to 1877, Jones was again Register of New York City, elected in November 1874 on the Republican ticket. Afterwards he resumed his private practice.

                        In January 1877, Jones was contacted by Henry G. Romaine requesting that he act as an intermediary between himself and the Stewart estate. Romaine had been involved in stealing the body of Alexander T. Stewart three months earlier and was demanding a ransom from his widow Cornelia. In several signed letters to Jones, Romaine offered the return of Stewart's body for $250,000 and was instructed to contact him through personal ads in the New York Herald. He also received a small packet, express delivered from Canada, which included the knobs and two of the silver handles from Stewart's casket as well as a small strip of velvet and triangular piece of paper. Jones immediately reported the incident to the NYPD Chief of Police George W. Walling and, after a meeting with Walling and Henry Hilton, Jones agreed to proceed in the negotiations.

                        On February 5, Jones placed a personal ad offering to open negotiations. A letter was sent six days later, postmarked Boston, in which Romaine offered the return of Stewart's body on several conditions which included payment of $250,000 in cash, that the body would be delivered to an arranged spot 25 miles from Montreal, Canada only to Jones and Hilton, Jones would hold the money to turn it over to a representative and for "both parties to maintain forever an unbroken silence in regard to the transaction". Hilton refused to agree to these terms and broke off negotiations. Jones was then told to deliver these demands to Stewart's widow himself, but Jones refused to participate any further.

                        Read on:-

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                        • #72
                          Commandant General Tom Cullen

                          Tom Cullen:

                          During the Irish War of Independence he was one of those who worked very closely with Michael Collins. He was assistant director of intelligence (also known as 2nd deputy director of intelligence) which meant he was third-highest ranked in the intelligence department of the IRA. He was also the quartermaster general.

                          On the same day as the Bloody Sunday massacre he was one of the gunman involved in the shooting of 18 suspected members of the Igoe / Murder gang.

                          Irish Historian Tim Pat Coogan says Cullen and two others completed the intelligence team which broke the Dublin Castle spy system.

                          He sided with the Pro-Treaty forces during the Irish Civil War and joined the Irish National Army, rising to the rank of Major-General.

                          When the Irish Republican Army Organisation (IRAO) was founded, Cullen was elected organiser.

                          During Collins’ funeral he led the procession carrying his coffin to Glasnevin Cemetery.

                          He drowned in 1926 and was buried in Rathnew cemetery. Up until the mid 1960s, veterans from Dublin and Wicklow held an annual commemoration in his honor
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                          We'll sail be the tide....aarghhhh !!

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                          • #73
                            James Lawlor Kiernan (26 October 1837 – 29 November 1869) was an Irish-born Brigadier General in the Union Army during the American Civil War.

                            Kiernan was born in Mountbellew, County Galway in 1837; his father being a retired British navy surgeon. Kiernan attended Trinity College, Dublin, before emigrating to the USA about 1854. On the outbreak of the civil war in 1861 he joined the 69th New York Infantry Regiment as Assistant Surgeon. He served as such at Bull Run and in the same capacity to the 6th Missouri Infantry Regiment at Pea Ridge.

                            Kiernan insisted on joining the fighting ranks, and in that capacity was seemingly appointed a Major in the 6th Missouri. In May 1863 at Port Gibson, Missouri, he was wounded in the left lung and left on the field for dead. Recovered and imprisoned, he effected an escape back to Union forces and resigned his commission. On August 1, 1863 he was commissioned a Brigadier General of Volunteers by President Abraham Lincoln; commanding a post at Miliken's Bend on the Mississippi. However ill-health as a result of his battlefield wounds forced him to resign on February 3, 1864.

                            About May 1865 he gained a US consular post at Chinkiang in China. However his continued ill-health forced him to return to New York where he became an examining physician for the Pension Bureau. He was still serving in that capacity upon his death on November 26, 1869; the official cause of death being 'congestion of the lungs.' He is buried in Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn.
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                            I google because I'm not young enough to know everything.
                            Nemo Mortalium Omnibus Horis Sapit

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                            • #74
                              Walter Paye Lane (February 18, 1817 – January 28, 1892) was a Confederate general during the American Civil War who also served in the armies of the Republic of Texas and the United States of America.

                              Lane was born in County Cork, Ireland. The Lane family emigrated to Fairview in Guernsey County, Ohio, in 1821, and moved to Kentucky in 1825. In 1836 Lane moved to Texas to participate in its war for independence against Mexico. After Texas had gained its independence, Lane lived in San Augustine County in East Texas and then San Antonio, where he briefly served as a Texas Ranger. In 1846 Lane joined the First Regiment, Texas Mounted Riflemen, as a first lieutenant to fight in the Mexican-American War. Lane fought with honors at the Battle of Monterey and was later given the rank of major and command of his own battalion. After the Mexican-American War, Lane wandered about doing various things in Arizona, California, and Peru before opening a mercantile business in Marshall, Texas, in 1858.

                              When the Civil War broke out, Lane was among the first Texans to call for secession. Lane's military reputation was so great that the first volunteer Confederate company raised in Harrison County was named for him, though Lane would join the 3rd Texas Cavalry. Lane participated in the battles of Wilson's Creek, Missouri, Chustenahlah, Pea Ridge and both the Siege of Corinth and Second Battle of Corinth. Lane led the 3rd Texas at the battle of Franklin, Mississippi, and was commended by General P.G.T. Beauregard for his efforts. Lane was severely wounded in the Battle of Mansfield in 1864, where Confederates forces rebuffed a push to capture either or both Shreveport, Louisiana, or Marshall, Texas. Before the war ended, Lane was promoted to the rank of brigadier general in 1865, being confirmed on the last day the Confederate Congress met.

                              After the Civil War Lane returned to Marshall where he helped to establish the Texas Veterans Association. After Reconstruction, Lane and his brother George, a local judge, founded the first White Citizens Party in Texas and ran Republicans and African-Americans out of Marshall. With Democratic white hegemony brutally reestablished in Marshall and Harrison County, Lane declared the city and county "redeemed". He died in Marshall, Texas, and is buried in the Marshall Cemetery near downtown Marshall. His memoirs, The Adventures and Recollections of General Walter P. Lane, were published posthumously in 1928.
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                              I google because I'm not young enough to know everything.
                              Nemo Mortalium Omnibus Horis Sapit

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                              • #75
                                Where was the pic taken ?
                                Everything is self-evident.

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