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2nd Battalion, Irish Guards
| Want to know more about 2nd Battalion, Irish Guards? There are:5244 items tagged 2nd Battalion, Irish Guards available in our Library
These include information on officers, regimental histories, letters, diary entries, personal accounts and information about actions during the Great War.
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Those known to have served with2nd Battalion, Irish Guards during the Great War 1914-1918. - Beglan Michael Joseph. Pte. (d.14th Oct 1915)
- Beglan Michael. Pte. (d.14th Oct 1915)
- Bergin Joseph. SSgt.
- Birmingham Thomas. Pte. (d.31st Jul 1917)
- Bodie Thomas. Pte. (d.15th Sep 1916)
- Branagan Eugene. Pte. (d.25th July 1917)
- Brophy James. Pte. (d.21st Oct 1915)
- Browne James. Pte. (d.23rd Oct 1915)
- Cox Frank Edwin. Pte. (d.27th Nov 1917)
- Dooley James. L/Cpl. (d.9th Oct 1917)
- Dooley James. Pte. (d.9th Oct 1917)
- Flynn Joseph. Pte. (d.24th October 1915)
- Gogarty Christopher. Pte. (d.30th March 1918)
- Holden Henry. Pte. (d.13th April 1918)
- Holden Henry. Pte. (d.13th April 1918)
- Holden Henry. Gnr (d.13th Apr 1918)
- Killerlane Patrick. L/Cpl. (d.13th Apr 1918)
- Manning Francis. Pte. (d.15th September 1916)
- Mannion Francis. Pte (d.15th Sept 1916)
- McCann John. Pte. (d.29th March 1918)
- McHale Michael. Gdsmn. (d.2nd July 1916)
- Moodie Donald.
- Mulgrew James. Pte. (d.23rd June 1915)
- Mulgrew James. Pte. (d.23rd Jun 1915)
- O'Brien Michael. Pte. (d.26th December 1917)
- O'Hare John Joseph. Pte.
- O'Neill Owen. Pte. (d.13th April 1918)
- Somers Daniel. Pte. (d.28th October 1915)
- Stevens Frank. Pte. (d.13th April 1918)
- Sullivan James. Gdsmn. (d.26th August 1917)
- Trimble Edward. Pte. (d.4th November 1918)
- Woodcock VC. Thomas. L/Cpl. (d.27th Mar 1918)
- Worthington Hugh. Pte. (d.27th September 1916)
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,
please Add a Name to this List
Records of 2nd Battalion, Irish Guards from other sources.
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Pte. James Dooley 2nd Btn. Irish Guards (d.9th Oct 1917) James Dooley was born in Cleator Moor, one of those whose families left Ireland for Cumberland. His parents were Arthur and Sarah Dooley (nee Currie). Arthur died in 1905 and Sarah returned to Belfast. Sarah Dooley's sister was Elizabeth Fleming, who was my great-grandmother and James Dooley's aunt.
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Pte. James Mulgrew 2nd Btn. Irish Guards (d.23rd Jun 1915) James Mulgrew of the 2nd Btn. Irish Guards is buried at Castlebar.Ex-Gdsm. David Irvine, 4th Coy., 1st Irish Guards
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Gnr Henry "Harry" Holden 11th Brigade Royal Field Artillery (d.13th Apr 1918)  Henry Holden, served as a Gunner with 11th Brigade, Royal Field Artillery. and later as a Private with 2nd Battalion, Irish Guards. 11th Brigade RFA had arrived in France from India in September 1914 but Henry did not arrive in France until the 7th November that year. Henry had seen some service in India before the First World War.
Henry served for the majority of the war with the Royal Field Artillery and only transferred to the Irish Guards in February 1918.
It was not uncommon for soldiers to be compulsorily transferred to different regiments from 1916, but it is not common to see a transfer between corps, in this case a transfer from the corps of artillery to the infantry.
Remember too, that Henry was a career soldier and a career artilleryman.
However, the destruction of Henry's papers by German bombing in September 1940 almost certainly destroyed the last hope of ever ascertaining why he transferred to the Irish Guards in February 1918. He was certainly home in the UK in August 1917, possibly as a sick or wounded soldier, as evidenced by his marriage certificate.
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Pte. Frank Edwin Cox 2nd Btn. Irish Guards (d.27th Nov 1917) Frank Cox served with the 2nd Battalion, Irish Guards in WW1. He died 27th of November 1917 aged 36 years and is remembered on the Cambrai Memorial at Louveral in France. Son of the late George and Alma Cox of 115, West St. Crewe and husband of Henrietta Cox of 59 Lord St. Blackpool.
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Pte. James Browne 2nd Btn Irish Guards (d.23rd Oct 1915) James Browne, was the seventh of 11 children born to William and Mary Anne Browne of Basin Street, Naas, County Kildare, Ireland.
He was a gardener when he enlisted in the Irish Guards on 6th of October 1914, at the age of 22, along with many of his friends. He was 5' 8"and 159 lbs and his Army medical report says he was well-developed, presumably because of his 40" chest!
A year later, on 17th of August 1915, he sailed from Southampton to France to play his part in the Great War. He received a shrapnel wound to his thigh on 2nd of October 1915 but returned to the field on 8th of October 1915.
Sadly, he received gunshot wounds to the head on 20th of October 1915 and died of his wounds in No. 1 Hospital in the town of Etretat, Haute Normandie on 23rd of October 1915.
He is buried in Etretat Cemetery along with his comrades. He was awarded the 1914-15 Star, as well as the British War and Victory Medal. His parents and siblings were devastated by his death only 2 months after going to war. The local newspapers in his hometown of Naas called him a gallant young soldier, which he certainly was.
May his young soul Rest In Peace.
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L/Cpl. James Dooley 2nd Btn Irish Guards (d.9th Oct 1917) James Dooley, son of Arthur Dooley and Sarah Nee Currie was born in Duke St, Cleator Moor, Cumberland on the 19th of September 1892. He was baptised on the 25th Sept at St. Mary's RC Church, Cleator. His God Parents were his uncle Joseph Currie and aunt Sarah Jane Dooley.
The family was living at 15 Duke Street, Cleator Moor, Cumberland in 1901.
James's Dad Arthur died in 1905 and the family moved to Cleator, his sisters returned to Ireland in the Belfast area.
His mother Sarah later went to live in Ireland. Last known address was 47 Altcar Street, Belfast.
James was killed in action in France on 9th Oct 1917, age 25 years.
He is buried at Artillery Wood Cemetery Boezinge in Belgium. He was engaged to Martha Morgan of Cleator, Cumberland.
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Gdsmn. Michael McHale 2nd Battalion Irish Guards (d.2nd July 1916) Michael McHale enlisted into the British Army, joining the 2nd Irish Guards on 23rd of December 1915. He was married to Maria, and had two children. Mary aged 4years and Michael Joseph aged 2years. His wife Maria was pregnant with their 3rd child, James. Michael had been employed as a groom in Ballina, County Mayo, Ireland. Family stories talk of him being, or wanting to be, a Jockey. It appears before he enlisted, he was no longer working as a groom, but working as a farm hand. The family story was that the family were poor, and Michael, along with other local men, were offered £5 to enlist. Michael was killed in action on 2nd of July 1916, 6 months after enlisting. His body was never recovered. He is remembered on the Menin Memorial Gate, Ypres, and also on the Mayo Peace Wall in County Mayo, Ireland.
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Pte. Frank Stevens 2nd Battalion Irish Guards (d.13th April 1918) Frank Stevens was my Nan's dad. Frank was reported missing or killed on 13th of April 1918.
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Pte. Hugh Worthington 2nd Btn. Irish Guards (d.27th September 1916) Hugh Worthington was a brother to David and William. Born in the village of Shankhill near Ballymoney in Co Antrim.
Hugh is bured in Lesbeoufs War Cemetary. He was killed in action taking the village of Thiepval
David was killed in July 1916. William survived being gassed on the Somme in 1916 and was to become my grandfather.
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Pte. Daniel Somers 2nd Btn. Irish Guards (d.28th October 1915) Private Somers is buried in the Tomacork, Cemetery, Tomacork, Co. Wicklow, Ireland.
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Pte. Edward Trimble 2nd Btn. Irish Guards (d.4th November 1918) Private Trimble was the son of John and Julia Trimble; husband of Mary Trimble of Bog Lane, Kilmalogue, Portarlington.
He was 31 when he died and is buried in Grave A.1.91 in the Portarlington (St. Michaels) Cemetery, Clonyhurk, Co. Leix, Ireland.
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Gdsmn. James Sullivan 2nd Btn. Irish Guards (d.26th August 1917) Guardsman Sullivan is buried in the Kilmachunna Graveyard, Lusmagh, Co. Offaly, Ireland.
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Pte. James Mulgrew 2nd Btn. Irish Guards (d.23rd June 1915) Private Mulgrew was the son of Mrs Mulgrew of Ballynamarroge, Islandeady.
He was 27 when he died and is buried north of the old chapel ruins in the Islandeady Graveyard, Islandeady, Co. Mayo, Ireland.
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Pte. Joseph Flynn 2nd Btn. Irish Guards (d.24th October 1915) Private Flynn was the son of Mrs Hannah Morrissey of Clonkeen, Maryborough.
He was 18 when he died and is buried in the north east part of the Emo (St. Pauls) Roman Catholic Churchyard, Coolbanager, Co. Leix, Ireland.
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Pte. Michael O'Brien 2nd Btn. Irish Guards (d.26th December 1917) Private Michael O'Brien was 27 when he died. He is buried in the south-west part of the Athy (St. Michael's) Cemetery, Grave No. 3.
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SSgt. Joseph Bergin 2nd Btn. Irish Guards  Joseph Bergin was my grandfather and he joined the Irish Guards in Dublin on the 30th of January 1914. He trained at Warley Barracks and was drafted to France in August of 1915, initially to the guards division base which was at Harfleur near le Harve. He spent about 4 weeks with the 7th Entrenching Battalion operating near the Somme region, and then joined his battalion as he saw his first action at Neuve Chapelle in October 1915. He moved north for the 2nd Battle of Ypres. He got sick, 'disordered action of the heart' and came home for 1 year before going out again in July 1917.
He saw action near Langemark at the crossing of the Broenbeeke river during October 1917, and was moved south with his battalion for the Battle of Cambrai in November that year. During that battle he was injured receiving gunshot wounds in his right eye and right leg during an offensive in Bourlon Wood about 4 miles from Cambrai. He was taken back to Southampton on board the hospital ship the Carisbrooke Castle and then on to another hospital in Cardiff for treatment and recovery. In November 1918 he was resuming training and preparing to go to the front for the 3rd time when the war was ended.
I only knew him for a short time, I was 6 when he died. From what I remember he did not speak much about the war, but he did tell me that he once went into a wood with 12 comrades and only 2 of them came out alive. He must have been referring to Bourlon Wood, as the Irish Guards and other regiments of the Guards division took heavy casualties on that day 27th of November 1917.
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Pte. John McCann 2nd Btn. Irish Guards (d.29th March 1918) My great uncle John McCann was born and raised in Ballydrehid, Co. Sligo.
The story goes that he was only sixteen when he left to enlist in the British Army. He was a soldier in the 2nd Battalion, Irish Guards Regiment. He died on 29th March 1918. He is buried in Etaples. So far I have been unable to discover any more details or any photos.
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Pte. Henry Holden 2nd Btn. Irish Guards (d.13th April 1918) Pte Henry Holden of the Irish Guards was the son of Mr & Mrs Thomas Holden (my great grandperants on my father's side) of 63 Cllarence Street, Newton-le-Willows. He was educated at St Mary's Newton-le-Willows. He joined the Royal Field Artillery in 1911, and he had been wounded four times, but was in the Irish Guards when he was killed in action on 13th of April 1918, having been reported missing. He was 25 years old & had been in the army seven years.
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Pte. Henry Holden 2nd Btn. Irish Guards (d.13th April 1918) My Great uncle was Henry Holden, son of Jane & Thomas Holden of 63 Clarence Street, Newton le Willow. He was educated at St. Mary's & enlisted in army in 1911, No. 66808 in the Royal Field Artillary. He transferred to 2nd Btn, Irish Guards. He had been four times wounded and died 13th April 1918 at the Battle of Hazebrouck. His body was never found but he is remembered on the Ploegsteert Memorial
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Pte. Michael Beglan 2nd Battalion Irish Guards (d.14th Oct 1915) Private Michael Beglan died in in action in France. The news was learned in Mullingar with deep regret. Michael who was a son of Mr Thomas Beglan, of Austin Friars, Mullingar, was well known and highly popular in the town.
Before enlisting, less than four months earlier, he was employed as an assistant on the licensed premises of Mr Hugh Fallon, Mount Street, Mullingar.
The particulars of the manner in which he met his end make very sad reading. It appears he was being carried from the trenches, having received a wound in the side, when a shell burst close to the stretcher bearers. A piece of shrapnel struck Michael on the head, killing him almost instantaneously. The stretcher-bearers were knocked down, and had themselves to be attended to. It is probable that it was in the vicinity of the fighting near Loos during the great attack, when the Germans were completely vanquished, that Michael Beglan met his end.
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