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14th (Young Citizens) Battalion, Royal Irish Rifles
14th (Young Citizens) Battalion was raised in Belfast in September 1914 from the Belfast Volunteers. They moved to Bundoran in December 1914, then to Randalstown in January 1915. and joined 108th Brigade, 36th (Ulster) Division. 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. 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. The 14th battalion was disbanded in France on the 18th 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
12th of October 1915 Instruction
16th Oct 1915 The Derby Scheme
16th of October 1915 Divisional Exercise
21st of October 1915 More Moves
26th of October 1915 More Instruction
1st of November 1915 Marching Orders
6th of November 1915 Brigade Movements
7th of November 1915 Present Stations
25th of November 1915 Orders
27th of November 1915 Move
29th of November 1915 Moves Completed
1st Dec 1915 Derby Scheme Armlets
11th Sep 1915 Last day of Derby Scheme Recruitment
19th of December 1915 Movement Instructions
8th of January 1916 Moves 
10th Jan 1916 Group System Reopens
16th of January 1916 Building Huts and Railways
2nd of February 1916 Moving to the Trenches
9th February 1916 Call Ups
12th of February 1916 A Line Rearrangement
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
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
5th of March 1916 Relief Completed
7th of March 1916 Trench Mortars Bombard Village
6th of April 1916 14th RIR Hold Their Front
5th of May 1916 Bombs and Reliefs
13th of June 1916 A Fine Piece of Work
24th of June 1916 Our Artillery Cuts Wire
27th of June 1916 Intense Bombardment
29th of June 1916 Assault Positions
1st July 1916 Terrible Losses
2nd of July 1916 A Gallant Plan
10th of July 1916 Entraining Plans
13th of July 1916 To Tilques
30th Aug 1916 Bitter Bereavement
30th of August 1916 Our Batteries Shelled
4th Dec 1916 Reliefs
1st of June 1917 Instructions for the Offensive
7th of June 1917 An Offensive Operation
7th of June 1917 Attack a Complete Success
12th Jun 1917 Ground Held 
Brigadier-General Ambrose Ricardo, the Commander of the 109th Brigade, 36th Division (centre), and his four battalion commanders (9th, 10th, 11th Battalions, Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers and 14th Battalion, Royal Irish Rifles) after the capture of Wytschaete, 12th of June 1917 © IWM (Q 6163)
30th of September 1917 Battle Narrative
29th January 1918 Daily Activity 9th Btn. (North Irish Horse) the Royal Irish Fusiliers.
B.22.a Centre. 1700hrs.
Battalion moves to line in relief of 14th Royal Irish Rifles (Young Citizens) in Right Battalion Sector. Boundaries: Right B.16.d.5.4, left B.9.c.8.1.
- Dispositions:
- A and C Companies in line. Boundary between Companies B.10.c.6.3;
- B Company Counter attack in dugouts,
- Headquarters, B.16.d.1.4;
- D Company Passive defence in dugouts,
- Headquarters, B.22.a Central.
Relief carried out successfully, notwithstanding condition of trenches very bad, having fallen in partly owing to weather and partly to want of attention. Wiring plentiful. Distance between enemy and our front line averages 1,000 yards.
1st of February 1918 An Inspection
10th of February 1918 Reorganisation Complete
If you can provide any additional information, please add it here.
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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 with14th (Young Citizens) Battalion, Royal Irish Rifles during the Great War 1914-1918. - Allsopp Matthew. (d.1st Nov 1916)
- Anderson Stanley Orme. Rfm. (d.7th Jun 1917)
- Beggs Thomas Alex Thompson. Pte.
- Beggs Thomas Alexander Thompson. Pte.
- Blair T.. (d.1st Jul 1916)
- Booth Hudson. Rflmn. (d.1st July 1916)
- Bothwell R.. (d.1st Jul 1917)
- Boulding Frank Thomas. Rfm. (d.7th Jun 1917)
- Boyd Samuel. Rflmn. (d.31st Jan 1917)
- Brooks Patrick. Rfm. (d.7th Jun 1917)
- Bustard W. E.. (d.1st Jul 1916)
- Campbell John. Rfm. (d.14th Jul 1917)
- Collins William Robert. Rflmn.
- Connolly Charles. Pte.
- Corscadden Francis Theodore. 2nd Lt. (d.1916)
- Cox Albert Edward. Rflmn. (d.21st April 1917)
- Craig Thomas. Rfm. (d.7th Jun 1917)
- Dobbin J.. (d.1st Jul 1917)
- Downey Sydney James Livingston. 2nd Lt. (d.7th Jun 1917)
- Fitzsimons J. F.. (d.1st Jul 1916)
- Fullerton John. Rflmn. (d.16th Aug 1917)
- Gaston Stafford Church. Pte.
- Gibson Walter David. Rflmn. (d.20th August 1917)
- Henderson J.. (d.1st Jul 1916)
- Hill William Quintis Ewart. L/Cpl. (d.16 Aug 1917)
- Irwin William James. Pte. (d.23rd June 1917)
- Johnston David Raymond. Pte.
- Keenan William. L/Cpl. (d.16th Aug 1917)
- Kerr William. Rfm. (d.16th Aug 1917)
- Larmour George. Rflmn. (d.1st Jul 1916)
- Larmour William. Rflmn. (d.1st Jul 1916)
- Larmour William. Rflmn. (d.1st Jul 1916)
- Lloyd Edwin Robert. Rflm. (d.23rd March 1918)
- Lynch Patrick. Rfmn. (d.16th Aug 1917)
- Lyons John. Rflmn.
- Macaulay Samuel. Cpl. (d.7th Jun 1917)
- Martin Thomas. Pte. (d.6 May 1916)
- McCleery A.. (d.1st Jul 1916)
- McCracken Joseph. Rfm. (d.3rd Aug 1916)
- Mccullough David. (d.16th August 1917)
- McIlroy Samuel. (d.1st Jul 1916)
- McNally F.. Rfm. (d.7th Jun 1917)
- Mercer Samuel. L/Cpl. (d.1st July 1916)
- Middleton Luke McQuitty. Pte.
- Moore John Trid. (d.1st Jul 1916)
- Morrow Arthur Galway. (d.1st Jul 1916)
- Paisley George. L/Cpl. (d.16th August 1917)
- Ridgway William Henry. L/Sgt. (d.1st July 1916)
- Rooney Peter. Pte. (d.1st Jul 1916)
- Scott James Herbert. Rflmn. (d.7th June 1917)
- Shall Henry Charles. Rfmn. (d.6th May 1917)
- Shields James. Sgt.
- Slacke Charles Owen. L/Cpl. (d.1st Jul 1916)
- Snowden John. Cpl. (d.5th May 1917)
- Snowden Matthew.
- Tuohey Francis Edward. Pte.
- Walsh Hugh. 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 14th (Young Citizens) Battalion, Royal Irish Rifles from other sources.
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Did you know? We also have a section on World War Two. and a
Timecapsule to preserve stories from other conflicts for future generations.
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Sgt. James Shields 14th Btn. Royal Irish Rifles  My father James Shields fought in WW1, a long time before any of his children were born. We would have said that it was as if our father had two lives. One as a single man who got caught up in the worst conflict that the world had ever seen. A time when he lost the whole of his left arm in a battle far from home. Then quite a while later he met and married my mother, a much younger woman, and went on to have 4 children.
As we were growing up WW1 was a dim and distant memory and, as far as my father was concerned, it wasn't something he wanted to discuss much with his children. When he eventually died, aged 93, he left us with many happy memories of a great father and medals and papers from his time in the war. More recently my brothers, sister and I have started to piece together his war-time story. We have discovered photographs that we didn't know existed and have just recently discovered what our father looked like as a young man. It was amazing to see him with both arms and looking amazingly like my son, his grandson at the same age 100 years apart.
We are incredibly proud of him and how he survived the unimaginable conflict that he endured from 1914 until his discharge in 1917.
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Rflmn. Albert Edward Cox 14th Btn. Royal Irish Rifles (d.21st April 1917) Albert Cox died on the 21st of April 1917, aged 19. Buried in the Bailleul Communal Cemetery Extension in France, he was the son of Fred and Annie Cox, of 123 Whitehorse Rd., Croydon, Surrey.
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Rfm. John Campbell 14th Btn. Royal Irish Rifles (d.14th Jul 1917) John Campbell died at Richmond Hospital, Dublin, on the 14th of July, 1917, of wounds received in action at the Battle of Messines, leaving his wife Nora and young son Wellington.
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2nd Lt. Sydney James Livingston Downey 14th Battalion Royal Irish Rifles (d.7th Jun 1917) Sydney Downey was the second son of James Livingston Downey JP. and his wife Marion, he was the grandson of Rev George Cron. Sydney was born in Belfast and was educated at the Methodist College. He served in France with the BEF from the 15th of June 1916, having been commissioned in January 1916. Sydney was killed in action on the 7th of June 1915 and is laid to rest at Spanbrokmolen close to where he fell. He was 21 years old and was an employee of The Northern Assurance Company Ltd in Belfast, today the company is owned by Aviva and Sydney is amongst those remembered on the Roll of Honour on the company website.
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L/Cpl. George Paisley 14th Battalion Royal Irish Rifles (d.16th August 1917) George Paisley was my great Uncle. No one ever talked about my Uncle George or that he served in WWI. We found an old undated letter, from a Platoon Officer J. Roddy to my Great Grandfather William Paisley dated August 1917 telling him of his son's fate, it had been transcribed from another document and left in a family Bible I recieved from an aunt, it belonged to William Paisley who died on 21st of March, 1927 and who was interred in Donaghadee Churchyard, Donaghadee, County Down, Ireland. (as written on the front page of Bible). The Bible was originally given to Alexander Paisley as per the written inscription. We know of William Paisley as he was the father of my Grandma Edith (Paisley) Reid. Gramma followed my Grampa Sam Reid to Canada in July of 1928 on the S.S. Doric with my father William George Reid in tow. They settled in Fort Erie, Ont. and had three more children.
That's all we have.
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Rflmn. John Lyons 9th Battalion Royal Irish Rifles John Lyons was born on 27th April 1898 at the family home in
Jersey Street, Belfast. Whilst he has a battalion prefix and regimental number consistent with an enlistment early in the war, he was not deployed to the Western Front with 9th Battalion, Royal Irish Rifles in October 1915. He was deployed to 13th Battalion, Royal Irish Rifles at an unrecorded date after 31st of December 1915 and there is no evidence that he was involved in the Battle of Albert on 1st and 2nd July 1916. He later served with 14th Battalion, Royal Irish Rifles and the Northern Whig edition of 18th of April 1918 reported that he had been wounded, probably in the Battle of St Quentin in March 1918.
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David Mccullough 14th Btn. Royal Irish Rifles (d.16th August 1917) David Mccullough had a wife and lived Meenam Street Belfast. He served with the 14th Btn. Royal Irish Rifles, and was killed om the 16th of August 1917, his name is on the Memorial at the Tyne Cot
We don't have any other details or a photo, but would loved to know more, a man sadly missed like all the brave men that gave their life so we could be free.
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Pte. William James Irwin 14th Btn. Royal Irish Rifles (d.23rd June 1917) William was my great-uncle, he served with 14th Royal Irish Rifles.
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Matthew Snowden 14th (Young Citizens) Btn. Royal Irish Rifles John Snowden was my great uncle, he and my Grandfather Matthew Snowden both served with the 14th Battalion Royal Irish Rifles (Young Citizen Volunteers) During WW1.
John was killed by a shell in the early hours of the 5th May 1917 he was 22 years old.
Matthew survived the war and returned home to Belfast to raise a family of six children (three boys and three girls) His son John named after his brother was my father.
I have both Matthew and Johns medals and also Johns death plaque and his cigarette case which is horrible twisted.
I had the honour to visit Johns grave in 2006 at Pond Farm Cemetery in Wulvergem Belgium. I laid flowers and also placed soil from home on the grave and said my thanks for the sacrifice he made for his country so many years ago.
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Cpl. John Snowden 14th (Young Citizens) Btn. Royal Irish Rifles (d.5th May 1917) John Snowden was my great uncle, he and my Grandfather Matthew Snowden both served with the 14th Battalion, Royal Irish Rifles (Young Citizen Volunteers).
John was killed by a shell in the early hours of the 5th of May 1917 he was 22 years old.
Matthew survived the war and returned home to Belfast to raise a family of six children (three boys and three girls) His son John named after his brother was my father.
I have both Matthew and Johns medals and also Johns death plaque and his cigarette case which is horribly twisted.
I had the honour to visit Johns grave in 2006 at Pond Farm Cemetery in Wulvergem, Belgium. I laid flowers and also placed soil from home on the grave and said my thanks for the sacrifice he made for his country so many years ago.
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Rflm. Edwin Robert Lloyd 14th (Young Citizens) Btn. Royal Irish Rifles (d.23rd March 1918) Eddie Lloyd was killed on 23rd of March 1918 during the German advance called Operation Michael. He is remembered on the Pozieres Memorial. He is a distant cousin but his sister was like an aunt to me.
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Pte. Stafford Church Gaston 14th Btn. Royal Irish Rifles Stafford Gaston is my great uncle. He joined the Young Citizens Volunteers. He served in France with the 14th Royal Irish Rifles from 20th of November 1915 and was discharged on 14th of December 1918. He died in 1939 in Belfast Northern Ireland.
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Pte. Francis Edward Tuohey 14th Btn. Royal Irish Rifles Frank Tuohey served in the 14th Battalion and 17th Battalion, Irish Rifles.
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Rflmn. John Fullerton 14th Battalion Royal Irish Rifles (d.16th Aug 1917) My great uncle John Fullerton served with 14th Battalion, Royal Irish Rifles.
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Pte. David Raymond Johnston 14th Btn. Royal Irish Rifles David Johnston served with the 14th Royal Irish Rifles.
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Rfmn. Patrick Lynch 14th Btn. Royal Irish Rifles (d.16th Aug 1917) Patrick Lynch was originally listed as killed on 13th April 1916 and is on the Thiepval Memorial, but after investigation was found to have been posted as missing presumed dead after the attack on Pond Farm, nr Langemarke, in the 3rd Battle of Ypres on 16th August 1917. He was one of 70 that were recorded as missing on that day.
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Matthew Allsopp 14th Btn. Royal Irish Rifles (d.1st Nov 1916) Matthew Allsopp is my great uncle and was killed in Belgium or France. I would love to know where he is buried.
Editors Note: Matthew lies in Pond Farm Cemetery near Wulvergem in Belgium.
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Rflmn. William Larmour 14th Btn. Royal Irish Rifles (d.1st Jul 1916) My great-uncles, George and William Larmour, had consecutive service numbers and were both killed on the first day of the Battle of the Somme. Their bodies were never found; they are commemorated on the on the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing.
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L/Sgt. William Henry Ridgway 14th Battalion Royal Irish Rifles (d.1st July 1916) William Ridgway served with the 14th Battalion, Royal Irish Rifles.
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Rflmn. William Larmour 14th Btn. Royal Irish Rifles (d.1st Jul 1916) My great-uncles, George and William Larmour, had consecutive service numbers and were both killed on the first day of the Battle of the Somme. Their bodies were never found; they are commemorated on the on the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing.
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