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6th Battalion, Royal Irish Rifles
6th Battalion, The Royal Irish Rifles were raised at Dublin in August 1914 as part of Kitchener's First New Army and joined 29th Brigade, 10th (Irish) Division. They moved to the Curragh in February 1915 then in May 1915 they moved to Hackwood Park, Basingstoke, England for final training. On the 7th of July 1915 they sailed from Liverpool for Gallipoli via Mudros. They landed at Anzac Cove and went into action on Sari Bair between the 6th and 10th of August then went on to attack Hill 60 later in the month. They were withdrawn from Gallipoli on the 29th of September 1915 to Mudros, moving to Salonika, landing between the 5th and 10th of October. On the 7th and 8th of December they were in action at Kosturino, in the retreat from Serbia. Some units of the Division were in action at the Karajakois and Yenikoi in late September and early October. They sailed from Salonika to Egypt in early September, concentrating near Rafa to prepare for the Palestine Campaign.
On the 15th of May 1918 the 6th Royal Irish Rifles was disbanded at Deir-el-Nidham.
6th Royal Irish Rifles cross to England In May 1915 the 6th Royal Irish Rifles left Curragh and crossed to England, being to continue training at Hackwood Park, Basingstoke.
1st Jun 1915 Lord Kitchener inspects 10th Division Lord Kitchener inspects 10th Division at Hackwood Park.
5th Oct 1915 On the Move
16th Oct 1915 The Derby Scheme
1st Dec 1915 Derby Scheme Armlets
11th Sep 1915 Last day of Derby Scheme Recruitment
10th Jan 1916 Group System Reopens
9th February 1916 Call Ups
22nd of June 1916 Moves are Planned 
15th Mar 1917 Outposts
28th Mar 1917 Attack Made
29th Mar 1917 Raid
31st Mar 1917 Recce
5th May 1917 Attack Made
6th May 1917 Counter Attack
13th May 1917 Bombardment
15th May 1917 Attack Made
16th May 1917 Counter Attack
18th August 1917 Orders
1st Sep 1917 On the Move
5th Sep 1917 On the Move
22nd Sep 1917 On the Move
If you can provide any additional information, please add it here.
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| Want to know more about 6th Battalion, Royal Irish Rifles? There are:5252 items tagged 6th Battalion, Royal Irish Rifles available in our Library
These include information on officers, regimental histories, letters, diary entries, personal accounts and information about actions during the Great War.
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Those known to have served with6th Battalion, Royal Irish Rifles during the Great War 1914-1918. - Bell John Joseph. Rflmn.
- Bell Patrick. Rfmn. (d.9th Aug 1915)
- Bennett Thomas. 2Lt.
- Bryan Alfred. Pte. (d.2nd August 1917)
- Crutchley MM. Sidney Charles.
- De Carteret Henry James. Pte. (d.3rd September 1916)
- Jordan Michael. Cpl. (d.10th Aug 1915)
- Kane W. H.. Lt.
- Maxwell James John.
- McCandles Adam. Rflmn. (d.30th Aug 1915)
- Meehan William. Cpl. (d.16th Dec 1916)
- Sloan Samuel. Rfm. (d.7th Jun 1917)
- Sloan Samuel. Rifleman (d.8th July 1917)
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 6th Battalion, Royal Irish Rifles from other sources.
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Cpl. Michael Jordan 6th Battalion Royal Irish Rifles (d.10th Aug 1915) Michael Jordan was killed in the Gallipoli Campaign, one month after he was married. He was aged 30.
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2Lt. Thomas Bennett 2nd Battalion Royal Dublin Fusiliers Thomas Bennett was transferred to the 6th Battalion, Royal Ulster Rifles and was discharged on the 20th July 1915 after having a fall and damaging his palatopharyngeus tendon.
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Rflmn. Adam McCandles 6th Battalion Royal Irish Rifles (d.30th Aug 1915) Not much is known about Adam McCandles and exactly where he served or in fact was killed. From the family research it would appear that he was killed in action in the battle for Hill 60 at Gallipoli on 30th of August 1915. He also has a brother, Joseph McCandless who also fought in the war and was medically evacuated. He was born in 1888/1889 and from family conversations he had a huge scar down the front of his chest, which was most likely caused by shrapnel. He lived at Little Grosvenor Street to Distillery Street in Belfast. Any information on either of these family members would be greatly appreciated as this is the 100 anniversary of the battle for Gallipoli.
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Sidney Charles Crutchley MM. 6th/7th Btn. Royal Irish Rifles Sidney Charles Crutchley's Army Record
April 1915 – enlisted as a volunteer in the 6th Service Battalion of the Royal Irish Rifles. (The only RIR battalion to serve in Salonika.) The 6th service battalion had been formed in Dublin in 1914 and by February 1915 was at The Curragh racecourse.
May 1915 – 6/RIR arrived in Hackwood Park, Basingstoke for training which is where Sidney probably joined them.
- July 7th 1915 sailed from Liverpool for Mudros Island (via Alexandria, Egypt), the staging post for Gallipoli, arriving 26th July 1915.
- August 5th 1915 landed at Anzac Cove.
- September 29th back to Mudros.
- October 4th/5th to Salonika.
- October 23rd 1915.
- December in the Salonika salient.
- Sydney was probably invalided home in the spring or early summer of 1916 with malaria. On recovery he would have been posted to the 7/RIR, 48th brigade, 16th, division in France.
- August 30th 1916 – travelled by train from Chocques to Longueau and from there marched to Corbie.
- August 31st Marched to Sandpit Camp.
- Battles of the Somme.
- Battle of Guillemont.
- September 3rd moved to Carnoy.
- September 4th moved forward to Bernafey Wood near Guillemont.
- September 6th Three stong patrols sent into Ginchy.
- September 7th Took over the front line west of Ginchy.
- September 8 During the night, dug assembly trenches west of the sunken road between Guillemont and Ginchy, some 200 yards in front of the British line.
- Battle of Ginchy.
- September 9th Attack on Ginchy – the men moved forward at 4.45 pm – 1st Munster Fusiliers on the right and the 7th Royal Irish Fusiliers on the left. The German front line on the outskirts of Ginchy were soon taken and consolidated. The new positions won by the RIR came under heavy bombardment from their own British Artillery – news of their existence beyond no-man’s land apparently had not reached the batteries.
- September 11th sent back to Corbie to rest.
- September 18th back as far as Longpre.
- September 21st sent by train to the Ypres sector.
- November/December 1916 awarded the Military Medal but we don't know under what circumstances.
- March 25th 1917 M.M. announced in the London Gazette.
- June 7th/9th Battle of Messines (1X corps Second Army).
- June 7th – capture of Wytschaete.
- Battles of Ypres.
- July 31st – 2nd August – Battle of Pilckem Ridge (in reserve, XIX Corps, Fifth Army).
- August 16-18th – Battle of Langemarck (XIX Corps, Fifth Army.
- August 18th 1917 announcement in the Walsall Observer that he was in hospital in Epsom, Surrey suffering from malarial fever. Sidney was by now a corporal.
- August 23rd the 7/RIR was transferred to the 49th brigade, 16th division.
- October 15th 1917 the 7/RIR was transferred from the 16th division to the 36th division.
- Battle of Cambrai.
- November 20 and 21st -The tank attack. (IV Corps, Third Army.)
- November 23–27 The capture of Bourlon Wood (IV Corps, Third Army.)
- December 3rd The German counterattack. (108th Bde, with 61st Division.) (III Corps, Third Army.)
- First Battles of the Somme.
- 21-23 March 1918 Battle of St Quentin (XVIII Corps, Fifth Army).
- 24-25 March 1918 Actions at the Somme Crossings (XVIII Corps, Fifth Army).
- 26-27 March 1918 Battle of Rosieres (XVIII, Fifth Army).
- April 10-11 Battle of Messines (108 bde, with 19th division)(IX Corps, Second Army).
- April 13 – 1918 Battle of Bailleul (108th Bde, with 19th division) (IX Corps, Second Army).
- April 17 – 18 1918 First Battle of Kemmel Ridge. (108th Bde, with 19th division) (IX Corps, Second Army).
- July 20th to September 19th Advance to Victory (IX Corps, Second Army).
- The Final Advance in Flanders.
- September 28th to October 2nd 1918 - Battle of Ypres (II Corps, Second Army).
- October 14th--19th 1918 – Battle of Courtrai (II Corps, Second Army).
- October 25th 1918 Ooteghem (II Corps, Second Army).
- October 28th it was relieved in the front line and moved back towards the Lys valley between Courtrai and Menin, with headquarters at Belleghem. The Division was now transferred to X Corps.
- November 4th divisional headquarters and 107th and 108th Brigades moved into Mouscron (north-east of Tourcoing).
- November 9th the Division came under XV Corps. The troops were still occupying the same positions when the Armistice brought hostilities to a close at 11 a.m. on the 11th November.
- The Division settled down for the winter in Mouscron (divisional headquarters, 107th and 108th Brigades, two field companies, two field ambulances, and the Train). On 7th December H.M. the King with H.R.H. The Prince of Wales and Prince Albert passed through the divisional area. During this month the troops were employed in military training and education, and 54,203 attendances were recorded at the divisional educational classes.
On the 30th and 31st January 1919 H.R.H. The Prince of Wales paid a two days’ visit to the Division; and during this month about four thousand men left for demobilisation. Gradually, the Division dwindled, units were reduced to cadre. On the 25th of February 1919 Sidney was demobbed.
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Rflmn. John Joseph Bell 6th Battalion Royal Irish Rifles John Bell served with the 6th Battalion Royal Irish Rifles
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Cpl. William Meehan 6th Btn. Royal Irish Regiment (d.16th Dec 1916) William Meehan served with the 6th Btn. Royal Irish Regiment.
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Rfmn. Patrick Bell 6th Btn. Royal Irish Rifles (d.9th Aug 1915) Patrick Bell enlisted in Poplar, Essex. He was killed in action in Gallipoli
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Rifleman Samuel Sloan 2nd Battalion Royal Irish Rifles (d.8th July 1917) He was the youngest son of Robert and Mary Sloan of 35 Mill Street, Whiteabbey, Co.Antim, Northern Ireland. One of three brothers too serve, the others being Charles and Robert. I have a medal roll copy confirming he was originally serving with the 6th Btn Royal Irish Rifles before, I presume, he was transfered to the 2nd Btn where he was killed in action on the 8th of June 1917 aged 20 years old.He was the brother of my great-grandmother, Elizabeth Creighton (nee Sloan), therefore making him my great-great uncle which makes me proud that he answered his country's call and paid the supreme sacrifice for his country and it's people. He is interned in Wulverghem-Lindenhoek Road Military Cemetery, Belgium Plot V Row F Grave 13.
PS
If some kind soul has the need to call to the cemetery would they place a flower upon his grave as I am disabled and will never be able to make the trip myself.
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Rfm. Samuel Sloan 2nd Battalion Royal Irish Rifles (d.7th Jun 1917) He was the youngest son of Robert and Mary Sloan of Whiteabbey, Co.Antrim, Northern ireland he previously served with the 6th Btn of the Royal Irish Rifles
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