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8th (East Belfast) Battalion, Royal Irish Rifles
8th (East Belfast) Battalion was raised in Belfast September 1914 from the Belfast Volunteers. They joined the 107th Brigade 36th (Ulster) Division at Ballykinler. The Ulster Division was formed from the Ulster Volunteer Force in August and September 1914, a process complicated by the tension surrounding the issue of Home rule. In July 1915 they moved to Seaford, Sussex in England. They proceeded to France in the first week of October, landing at Boulogne. The 36th (Ulster) Division concentrated near Flesselles, north of Arras. With training and familiarisation, including periods in the trenches with 4th Division in the front line north of the River Ancre near Albert. On the 21st of October they moved to the area around Abbeville. From the 5th November 1915 to 3rd Feb 1916 the 8th served with with 107th Bde, 4th Division for winter training. On the 29th August 1917 the 8th Battalion amalgamated with 9th Btn to form 8th/9th Btn. The 36th Ulster Division took over the front line in Spring. In 1916 they Division suffered heavily on the first day of the Battle of the Somme where they attacked at Thiepval. In 1917 They were in action at The Battle of Messines, capturing Wytschaete and in the The Battle of Langemarck during the Third Battles of Ypres and the The Cambrai Operations where the Division captured Bourlon Wood. In early 1918 the army was reorganised and the 8/9th Royal Irish Rifles was disbanded in France on the 7th of February 1918 with the troops transferring to other units.
The Ulster Tower, at Thiepval is a memorial to the men of the 36th (Ulster) Division, built as a copy of Helen's Tower at Clandeboye, County Down, where men of the 36th Division trained. There is a small visitor centre with a cafe behind the tower which is staffed by members of the Somme Association. Inside the tower is a small chapel with a number of paintings and plaques from Northern Ireland.
Today Thiepval Wood is owned by The Somme Association and guided tours are available of a section of recently excavated trenches.
Please note that Thiepval Wood is not open the public, it is used by French huntsmen who use live ammunition and who will shoot, you are putting yourself at risk by entering without permission. Please go to the visitor centre at the Ulster Tower to arrange a guided tour.
A DVD is now available, released for the official opening of the wood for guided tours on the 1st of July 2006, follows the Community Archaeology Project, undertaken by The Somme Association and No Man's Land, The European Group for Great War Archaeology. You can order a copy on-line by clicking the image below:
23rd of November 1914 Reorganisation
8th of October 1915 Inspection
10th of October 1915
13th of October 1915 First Casualties
16th Oct 1915 The Derby Scheme
18th of October 1915 Instruction
25th of October 1915 Royal Inspection
1st of November 1915 Marching Orders
3rd of November 1915 Moving to Billets 
4th of November 1915 More Moves
25th of November 1915 Orders
1st Dec 1915 Derby Scheme Armlets
11th Sep 1915 Last day of Derby Scheme Recruitment
10th Jan 1916 Group System Reopens
2nd of February 1916 Moving to the Trenches
7th of February 1916 New Sector
8th of February 1916 Shelling
9th of February 1916 Villages Shelled
9th February 1916 Call Ups
10th of February 1916 Shelling and Bombs
12th of February 1916 A Line Rearrangement
14th of February 1916 Mine Blown
15th of February 1916 Digging and Mending
16th of February 1916 Collapsing Trenches
18th of February 1916 Lots of MG Fire
19th of February 1916 Under Heavy Fire
20th of February 1916 System for Reliefs
21st of February 1916 Active German Patrols
23rd of February 1916 Weather Turns
24th of February 1916 Snowy Weather
25th of February 1916 Heavy Snow and a German Patrol
26th of February 1916 A Store Burns
28th of February 1916 Changes to the Front
29th of February 1916 Active Aeroplanes
1st of March 1916 Reorganisation
2nd of March 1916 Very Strong Enemy Wire
3rd of March 1916 Divisional Artillery Relieved
7th of March 1916 Trench Mortars Bombard Village
25th of March 1916 Hostile Aeroplanes
5th of May 1916 Bombs and Reliefs
23rd of June 1916 A Thiepval Relief
24th of June 1916 Our Artillery Cuts Wire
27th of June 1916 Intense Bombardment
29th of June 1916 Assault Positions
1st Jul 1916 Over the Top
2nd of July 1916 A Gallant Plan
10th of July 1916 Entraining Plans
1st of June 1917 Instructions for the Offensive
7th of June 1917 Attack a Complete Success
12th of August 1917 A Bavarian Deserter
30th of September 1917 Battle Narrative
1st of February 1918 An Inspection
If you can provide any additional information, please add it here.
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| Want to know more about 8th (East Belfast) Battalion, Royal Irish Rifles? There are:5282 items tagged 8th (East Belfast) 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 with8th (East Belfast) Battalion, Royal Irish Rifles during the Great War 1914-1918. - Agnew William. Rfmn. (d.5th August 1918)
- Barnett Robert Henry. Rfm. (d.7th Jun 1917)
- Brians Thomas Hutchinson. Rfm. (d.7th Jun 1917)
- Bruce James. Rfm. (d.7th Jun 1917)
- Burnett Corry. L/Cpl. (d.7th Jun 1917)
- Castle MC Claude Montague. Captain
- Cathcart Herbert. Rfm. (d.7th Jun 1917)
- Currie David. Rfm. (d.7th Jun 1917)
- Davidson Thomas. Sgt. (d.15th July 1916)
- Frazer James Isaac. Sgt
- Humphreys Denis. Rfmn. (d.24th Mar 1916)
- Kelly John. Pte.
- Kinnear William John. Rflmn. (d.2nd July 1916)
- Martin Walter. Pte. (d.7th June 1917)
- McDowell William. Rfm (d.17th Aug 1917)
- McGusty George Ross. Lt. (d.14th June 1916)
- McKinley James. Pte.
- McMillan DCM, MM James. Sgt
- McWilliams Herbert. Pte. (d.10th Feb 1916)
- Moffett Alexander. Pte.
- Pues Frank. Rflmn. (d.18th Aug 1917)
- Spence James. Pte.
- Tumilson Robert. Pte.
- Wilkinson Francis Ernest. Pte.
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 8th (East Belfast) Battalion, Royal Irish Rifles from other sources.
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Rfmn. Denis Humphreys 8th Btn. Royal Irish Rifles (d.24th Mar 1916) Denis Humphreys was born in July 1896 in Layd, Cushendall, Antrim, Northern Ireland to his father Duncan Humphreys and his mother Jane Humphreys (McClarty). He died at the age of 19 on his brother, John Humphreys's birthday. John was serving with the Canadian Expeditionary Force.
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Rfmn. William Agnew 15th (Service) Btn. (d.5th August 1918) William Agnew was my great uncle (my mother's, father's, brother). He was a Rifleman, and served with the 15th (North Belfast Volunteers) Battalion, Royal Irish Rifles in WW1.
William was killed in action, 5th of August 1918, aged 41 years, whilst captive as prisoner of war, Germany. He was the son of Nathaniel and Elizabeth Agnew, 18 Westminster Avenue, Strandtown, Belfast.
He was re-interred in the Berlin South-Western Cemetery, Germany in 1922.
He initially served with the 8th (East Belfast Volunteers) Battalion, but this Battalion disbanded in February 1918 with most men transferring to the 15th Battalion.
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Rflmn. William John Kinnear 8th Battalion Royal Irish Rifles (d.2nd July 1916) William Kinnear was born in Ballymacarrett, Belfast, the eldest son of the family.
He enlisted in Belfast.
William was killed in action on the 2nd of July 1916, Battle of the Somme aged 21 years. He has no known grave and is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France. He was my father's eldest cousin.
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Pte. Walter Martin 8th Btn. Royal Irish Rifles (d.7th June 1917) My great grandfather, Walter Martin served in the 8th Btn. Royal Irish Rifles however, CWGC and some other sites have him down as Marten instead of Martin.
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Captain Claude Montague Castle MC 8th Battalion Royal Irish Rifles Captain Claude Montague Castle MC was awarded the Military Cross in 1916. The exact wording, taken from the 6th March 1918 Gazette, is as follows: Awarded the Military Cross - "Capt. Claude Montague Castle, R. Ir. Rif. For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty as Divisional Salvage Officer. He guided stretcher parties through heavy fire and brought back wounded."
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Rflmn. Frank Pues 8th Btn. Royal Irish Rifles (d.18th Aug 1917) Frank Pues was the fourth son of Arthur and Eliza Pues of County Down to lose his life in the Great War. He was just 18 years old at the time of his death. Young Frank succumbed to battle wounds sustained earlier. He is buried at Brookwood Military Cemetery in Surrey.
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Sgt. Thomas Davidson 8th Btn. Royal Irish Rifles (d.15th July 1916) Thomas Davidson was injured and listed as missing on 1st July and became a POW. He died of his wounds on 15th July 1916, and was buried in Caudry Old Communal Cemetery on 17th July 1916.
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Lt. George Ross McGusty 8th Btn. Royal Irish Rifles (d.14th June 1916) George McGusty was the only child of George & Louisa McGusty, Of this city, Born the 12th july 1893.
He died the 14th of June 1916 at Abbeville in France from wounds received in action on the Somme battlefield.
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Pte. James McKinley 8th Btn. Royal Irish Rifles My grandfather James McKinley he served with the 8th Battalion, Royal Irish (Ulster) Rifles within the 36th Ulster Division during WW1 from 30th October 1916 to 9th July 1917. It was most likely he was conscripted into the army when conscription came into force on 2 March 1916.
I have lots of records such as his Silver War Badge and Medal Card records and also his Victory Medal which takes pride of place in my home. I know he had family in Belfast named Joseph and Katie but have not been able to progress this link. I have never being able to locate his service record.
He married Margaret (Maggie) McNamara of Irishtown, Athlone County, Westmeath on 18th of November 1918, just one week after Armistice Day. He spent most of his life in London after returning from the war and I gather that he suffered terribly with his nerves, most likely from shell shock or the trauma of war.
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Pte. Robert Tumilson 8th Battalion Royal Irish Rifles I don't know too much about Bobby Tumilson's war service except that he was at the Somme. The only other evidence I have is a birth certificate stamped "Infantry Barracks, Islandbridge, Dublin, 16 May 1916". He was born in January 1899 and died in March 1986. He was not wounded during the war and received the usual three medals - Pip, Squeak and Wilfred. He later served in the RIC and, after partition, in the RUC. In later life he was a school caretaker.
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Pte. Francis Ernest Wilkinson 8th Battalion Royal Irish Rifles Frank Wilkinson served with the 8th Royal Irish Rifles.
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Pte. John Kelly 8th Btn Royal Irish Rifles John Kelly served with the 8th, 3rd and 36th Battalions of the Royal Irish Rifles.
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Pte. Herbert McWilliams 8th Btn. (East Belfast) Royal Irish Rifles (d.10th Feb 1916) Pte Herbert McWilliams was a friend of my grandmother, May Connellan. He sent her an embroidered postcard on 27 December 1915, wishing her "A Bright New Year, with Kind Regards". I do not know if there was a deeper sentiment behind the words of the card, but my grandmother kept it until her own death in 1984, so perhaps there was.
Sadly, Pte McWilliams was killed in action on 10 Feb 1916, just a few short weeks after sending the card, and only 3 days after his battalion moved to the front line from the River Ancre to the Mailly-Maillett-Serre road.
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