1st Battalion, Royal Irish Rifles were in Aden at the out break of the Great Was in August 1914. They embarked for Britain on the 27th of September 1914 and arrived at Liverpool on the 22nd of October they joined 25th Brigade, 8th Division at Hursley Park, Winchester. They proceeded to on the 6th November 1914 landing at Le Havre a much needed reinforcement to the BEF and remained on the Western Front throughout the war. In 1915 they were in action at The Battle of Neuve Chapelle, The Battle of Aubers and The action of Bois Grenier. In 1916 They were in action at the Battle of The Somme. In 1917 they fought in The German retreat to the Hindenburg Line and then moved to Flanders and were in action in The Battle of Pilkem and The Battle of Langemarck. In Feb 1918 the 1st Irish Rifles transfered to to 107th Brigade, 36th (Ulster) Division. They were in action on the Somme, in the Battles of the Lys and the Final Advance in Flanders. At the Armistice they were at Mouscron, north east of Tourcoing, where the Division remained throughout demobilization which was complete by June 1919.
19th Sep 1914 Divisional HQ Opens
2nd Oct 1914 Concentration
27th Oct 1914 Exercise
29th Oct 1914 Route March
30th Oct 1914 Concentration Complete
31st Oct 1914 Mud
4th Nov 1914 On the Move
5th Nov 1914 On the Move
6th Nov 1914 Delays
7th Nov 1914 Delays
8th Nov 1914 On the Move 
9th Nov 1914 Into Billets
30th Dec 1914 Message
12th Mar 1915 Attack Made
9th May 1915 The Battle of Aubers Ridge: The Northern pincer 2.30am: all units in the North report that they are in position, having assembled at night.
4.06am: sunrise and all very quiet on this front.
5.00am: British bombardment opens with field guns firing shrapnel at the German wire and howitzers firing High Explosive shells onto front line. Many reports are received that British 4.7-inch shells are falling short, and even on and behind the British front line (Later it is agreed that this is due to faulty ammunition, as well as excessive wear to gun barrels).
5.30am: British bombardment intensifies, field guns switch to HE and also fire at breastworks. Two guns of 104th Battery, XXII Brigade RFA had been brought up into the 24th Brigade front and they now opened fire at point blank range against the enemy breastworks; they blow several gaps, although one of the guns is inaccurate due to the unstable ground on which it is located. The lead battalions of the two assaulting Brigades of 8th Division (24th Brigade has 2/Northants and 2/East Lancashire in front; 25th Brigade has 2/Rifle Brigade, 1/Royal Irish Rifles and 1/13 London Regiment (Kensingtons)) move out into the narrow No Man's Land (in this area it is only 100-200 yards across). German bayonets can be seen behind their parapet.
5.40am: On the further advance the 2nd East Lancs are hit by heavy machine-gun and rifle fire by the time they had progressed thirty yards from their own trench; the 2nd Northants, coming up ten minutes later, were similarly hit, but a party got through one of the gaps blown by the field guns, and into the German front trench. The attack of 25th Brigade is much more successful: the wire on the left had been well-cut and the infantry poured through, crossing the almost-undamaged breastworks and into the German fire trenches. They moved onto the first objective (a bend
in the Fromelles road), and the Rifle Brigade bombers extended the trench system they occupied to 250 yards broad. On the blowing of the two mines at 5.40am, the lead companies of the Kensingtons rushed to occupy the
craters, moved forward to capture Delangre Farm, and then formed a defensive flank as ordered.
6.10am: Brig.Gen. Oxley (24th Brigade) orders the support battalion, 1st Notts & Derbys, to support the attack of the Lancashires, but they are also held up with high losses, at almost unbroken wire. The front and communication trenches are by now very crowded and chaotic; German shelling adds to confusion. By now, the fire across No Man's Land was so intense that forward movement was all but impossible. The support battalion of the 25th Brigade, the 2nd Lincolns, was ordered forward, to cross by the craters; they did so, despite losing many men on the way. Men of the Brigade were at this time seen to be retiring to their front line, having apparently received a shouted order. German prisoners, making their way to the British lines, were mistaken for a counterattack and there was a great deal of confusion. Brig.Gen Lowry Cole, CO 25th Brigade, was mortally wounded when standing on the British parapet in an attempt to restore order.
8.30am: the attack had established three small lodgements in the enemy positions, but they were not in contact with each other and were under tremendous pressure. Otherwise the attack had come to a standstill and all movement into or out of the trench system had become impossible. The men in the German positions were cut off.
8.45am and again at 11.45am: Haig orders Rawlinson (CO, IV Corps) to vigorously press home the attack.
1.30pm: A renewed attack with 2nd Queens of 22nd Brigade in support, did not take place as the troops were heavily shelled in the assembly areas and many casualties were suffered even before the original support lines had been reached. Major-General Gough (CO, 7th Division, whose 21st Brigade had now also been ordered forward by Haig) reported that after a personal reconnaissance he was certain that forward movement was at the present time impossible.
5.00pm: General Haig, hearing of the continued failure of the Southern attack and the hold-up after initial success of the Northern attack, orders a bayonet attack at dusk, 8.00pm.
2nd Battalion Queens (Royal West Surrey Regiment)
9th May 1915 The Battle of Aubers Ridge: Evening and Night 2nd Battalion Queens (Royal West Surrey Regiment)
6.00pm: such chaos in the trench system and on the roads and tracks leading to it that it becomes clear that fresh units will not be ready for the 8pm attack. Haig cancels the attack and rides to Indian Corps HQ at Lestrem, to meet with all Corps commanders to consider the next moves.
7.30pm: the meeting breaks up having decided to renew the attack next day, taking advantage of night to reorganise. Efforts were made throughout the evening to reinforce the small garrisons of the lodgements in the enemy trenches. 26 men of the 2/Northants, of which 10 were wounded, returned to the British front.
2.30am 10 May: the 200 or so surviving Rifle Brigade and Royal Irish Rifles were withdrawn from their position, all efforts to reinforce them having been repulsed.
3.00am 10 May: the last few Kensingtons also returned from their position; all British troops were now out of the German lines. Around this time, First Army HQ, having by now got a good picture of the losses, failures and general conditions, called a Commanders conference for 9.00am, to take place at I Corps HQ on the Locon road, some 1.5 miles from Bethune.
9.00am 10 May: the Army and Corps commanders and staffs in attendance learned that there was insufficient artillery ammunition to continue two attacks. (The Secretary of State for War, Kitchener, had also just ordered a considerable portion of existing stocks to be sent to the Dardanelles); for example there were only some 3,000 18-lbr rounds left, and some of that was way behind the firing positions. They also heard that the 4.7-inch ammunition that had caused problems on IV Corps front was too defective for further use and that the fuzes on 15-inch heavy rounds were also defective and the shells simply did not burst on hitting the wet ground. All further orders for renewing the attack were cancelled at 1.20pm; the views of the conference were transmitted to GHQ. 7th
Division was ordered to move from it's position north of Neuve Chapelle to the south of it, with a view to strengthening a future offensive there.
British casualties from the 9 May attacks continued to move through the Field Ambulances for at least three days after the attack.
More than 11,000 British casualties were sustained on 9 May 1915, the vast majority within yards of their own front-line trench. Mile for mile, Division for Division, this was one of the highest rates of loss during the entire war.
There is no memorial to the attack at Aubers Ridge.
27th Aug 1915 Trench Work
30th Aug 1915 Reliefs
3rd Sep 1915 Reliefs
9th Sep 1915 Reliefs
25th Sep 1915 Attack Made
25th Sep 1915 In Action
25th Sep 1915 In Action
25th Sep 1915 In Action
25th Sep 1915 In Action
1st Oct 1915 Reliefs
10th Oct 1915 Working Parties
16th Oct 1915 The Derby Scheme
22nd of October 1915 Reliefs
26th of November 1915 Special Order - To be read to all men
1st Dec 1915 Derby Scheme Armlets
11th Sep 1915 Last day of Derby Scheme Recruitment
10th Jan 1916 Group System Reopens
7th Jan 1916 On the March
19th Jan 1916 Reorganisation
9th February 1916 Call Ups
22nd Mar 1916 Instruction
23rd Mar 1916 Quiet
24th Mar 1916 Instruction
25th Mar 1916 Instruction
17th May 1916 Operational Order No.79. Schedule
17th May 1916 Operational Order No.79.
19th May 1916 Reliefs
1st Jul 1916 In Action
11th Jul 1916 Inspection
26th Jul 1916 Reliefs
12th of October 1916 Promotions and Work
21st Oct 1917 Relief Completed
1st of February 1918 An Inspection
6th of February 1918 New Battalion Arrives
10th of February 1918 Reorganisation Complete
31st of March 1918 Account of Operations
24th August 1918 Daily Activity 9th Btn. (North Irish Horse) the Royal Irish Fusiliers.
0230. Enemy re-opened shelling on left for an hour. Our front was very quiet. The morning opened dull and rain fell. Three of our planes flew over the line and one enemy.
At 0700 the Companies were in position, A on left, B in centre and D on right. Our barrage opened with machine gun fire and trench mortars. After one minute the artillery barrage started and the Companies moved forward to the attack. After a few minutes the enemy put up lights which were replied to by artillery fire. This fell first upon the 1st Royal Irish Fusiliers front but then worked across our own, the shelling being particularly heavy in S.2.d central. Some of our own 18-pounder shells fell very short at S.2.d.80.50. Our smoke barrage was not very heavy, especially on the right. The enemy seemed to be taken by surprise and were more inclined to run than fight. The objectives were reached without much opposition. A and D overran their objectives and had to retire to conform with the line. 'A' Company put up white Verey light at 0720 to signal objective reached.
At 0800 the whole objective was taken and consolidation was carried on until 1000. C Company followed on behind B and D as second wave and mopped up. They also helped in consolidation, after which three Platoons came back to our old front line trench as support Company while the other Platoon stayed with B Company. At 0930 our shelling ceased but the smoke barrage continued until 1000. The enemy artillery quietened down considerably.
At 1000 contact aeroplane came along while another plane dropped two boxes of Small Arms Ammunition near Soot Farm. There was slight enemy shelling throughout the day on front line area and on the Meulehouck.
The 1st Royal Irish Fusiliers obtained their objective also and liaison was established along our line and with the 1st Royal Irish Rifles on our right.
At 1500 our artillery opened fire on S.8.a where the enemy were reported to be massing. Enemy planes came over the line and threw out signal lights over the front line position, when the enemy shelling got heavier.
At 1830 the enemy put down a smoke barrage behind their front line and in front of Bailleul where they were seen to mass. SOS signalled from front was not seen but one of our planes signalled, upon which our artillery opened fire. The enemy massing had, however, been broken up by Lewis Gun and rifle fire.
There was slight enemy shelling during night but nothing further happened. Our own artillery put down counter-preparation at 2300. At night the Battalion was relieved by the 2nd Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers and moved into Divisional Reserve at Mont des Cats.
Our total casualties in the attack were four Officers wounded, five Other Ranks killed and one believed killed, 53 Other Ranks wounded. We captured 48 prisoners including ten wounded and estimated to have killed at least 70 including one Officer.
5th of September 1918 Situation Unchanged
17th of September 1918 A German Sailor Killed
30th Sep 1918 In Action
1st of October 1918 Allies Attack
1st Oct 1918 Hard Fighting
2nd of October 1918 Co-operating with 29th Div
4th October 1918 Reports
4th Oct 1918 Reliefs
7th Oct 1918 Artillery Active
8th Oct 1918 Heavy Shelling
9th Oct 1918 Heavy Shelling
10th Oct 1918 Heavy Shelling
11th Oct 1918 Counter Attack
12th Oct 1918 Farm Captured
15th of October 1918 Attack Continues
21st of October 1918 Orders to Advance
22nd of October 1918 A Combined Attack
4th of October 1918 Reports and Reliefs
11th January 1919 Daily Activity 9th Btn. (North Irish Horse) the Royal Irish Fusiliers.
Ordinary weekly billet inspection held by Commanding Officer and Medical Officer with pay parade. Battalion tug-of-war team defeated team of 1st Royal Irish Rifles in Mouscron Square.
31st of January 1919 Royal Visit Continues
1st of February 1919 HRH Visits More Units
15th of February 1919 Boxing Tournament
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