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16th (Irish) Division    16th (Irish) Division was established by the Irish Command in September 1914, as part of the Army Orders authorising Kitchener's Second New Army, K2. Early days were somewhat chaotic, the new volunteers having very few trained officers and NCOs to command them, no organised billets or equipment. The Division moved to England and into barracks in Aldershot by the end of the month. The training and preparation of the Division was slowed by the loss of many of its units to the 37th and Guards Divisions when they were created in 1915. In December 1915 the Division moved to France and concentrated in the Bethune area. It served on the Western Front with distinction throughout the war. 1916 The Battle of Guillemont - Somme in which the Division captured the village The Battle of Ginchy - Somme 1917 The Battle of Messines The Battle of Langemark 1918 The Battle of St Quentin - Somme The Battle of Rosieres - Somme On the 18th of June 1918 after suffering very heavy casualties a decision was taken to return the Division to England for refit and it was then significantly reconstituted. The Division lost virtually all of its remaining Irish units at this point. They returned to France on the 1st of August 1918 and took part in the Final Advance in Artois. The Division suffered the loss of more than 28,000 casualties during the war. Order of Battle of the 16th (Irish) Division 47th Brigade 6th Btn, Royal Irish Regiment disbanded 9 February 1918. Troops were redeployed to 2nd and 7th Royal Irish Regiment 6th Btn, Connaught Rangers reduced to cadre 13 April 1918. Troops were redeployed to 2nd Leinster, left June 1918 7th Btn, Leinster Regiment disbanded 14 February 1918. Troops went to 2nd Btn and to 19th Entrenching Bn, 8th Btn, the Royal Munster Fusiliers absorbed by 1st Btn of the regiment on 23 November 1916 47th Machine Gun Company MGC joined 28 April 1916, moved to 16th Battalion MGC 9 March 1918 47th Trench Mortar Battery formed by 16 June 1916, reformed in England 1918 1st Btn, Royal Munster Fusiliers joined 22 November 1916, left 20 April 1918 2nd Btn, Leinster Regiment joined 2 February 1918, left 23 April 1918 14th Btn, Leicestershire Regiment joined 26 June 1918, after absorbing 2/4th Btn of the regiment 6/7th Btn, Royal Scots Fusiliers joined as a cadre June 1918, left July 1918 9th Btn, Black Watch joined 2 July 1918 after absorbing 15th Btn of the regiment 18th Btn, Welsh Regiment joined 7 July 1918 after absorbing 25th Btn of the regiment 48th Brigade 7th Btn, Royal Irish Rifles left 23 August 1917 9th Btn, Royal Munster Fusiliers disbanded 30 May 1916. Troops deployed to 1st, 2nd and 8th Bns of the regiment 8th Btn, Royal Dublin Fusiliers merged and became 8/9th Bn 24 October 1917. Surplus troops went to 10th Btn. Disbanded 10 February 1918, troops went to 1st Btn 9th Btn, Royal Dublin Fusiliers amalgamated into 8/9 Btn 24 October 1917 48th Machine Gun Company MGC joined 28 April 1916, moved to 16th Battalion MGC 9 March 1918 1st Btn, Royal Munster Fusiliers joined 28 May 1916, left 22 November 1916 48th Trench Mortar Battery formed by 24 June 1916, reformed in England 1918 2nd Btn, Royal Dublin Fusiliers joined 16 November 1916, amalgamated with 1st Btn 14 April 1918. 2nd Btn was then reformed as a training cadre. Left 1 June 1918 1st Btn, Royal Dublin Fusiliers joined 19 October 1917, amalgamated with 2nd Btn 14 April 1918. Left 26 April 1918 2nd Btn, Royal Munster Fusiliers joined 3 February 1918, left as cadre 19 May 1918, surplus troops going to 1st Btn. Left 31 May 1918 22nd Btn, Northumberland Fusiliers joined 2 July 1918, after absorbing 38th NF. 18th Btn, Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) joined 2 July 1918 11th Bn, the Royal Irish Fusiliers joined 10 June 1918, absorbed by 5th Bn 29 August 1918 5th Btn, Royal Irish Fusiliers joined 24 August 1918 10th Btn, Royal Dublin Fusiliers joined 23 June 1917, left 13 February 1918. Disbanded two days later and troops went to 19th Entrenching Bn 49th Brigade 7th Btn, Royal Irish Fusiliers amalgamated with 8th Btn 15 October 1916 and became 7/8th Btn. Disbanded 10 February 1918, troops going to 1st and 9th Btns 8th Btn, Royal Irish Fusiliers amalgamated with 8th Btn 15 October 1916 and became 7/8th Btn 7th Btn, Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers amalgamated with 8th Bn 23 August 1917 and became 7/8th Btn. Reduced to cadre 22 April 1918, surplus troops to 2nd Royal Irish Regiment. Cadre left 17 June 1918 8th Btn, Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers joined October 1914, amalgamated with 7th Btn 23 August 1917 49th Machine Gun Company MGC joined 29 April 1916, moved to 16th Battalion MGC 9 March 1918 49th Trench Mortar Battery formed by 16 June 1916, reformed in England 1918 2nd Btn, Royal Irish Regiment joined 14 October 1916, left 23 April 1918 7th Btn, Royal Irish Regiment joined 14 October 1917, reduced to cadre 18 April 1918. Left 17 June 1918 34th Btn, London Regiment joined 27 June 1918 7th Btn, King's Royal Rifle Corps joined as a cadre June 1918, absorbed by 34th London Regiment in same month 5th Btn, Ox & Bucks Light Infantry joined as a cadre June 1918, absorbed by 18th Gloucesters in same month 13th Btn, Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry joined as a cadre June 1918, absorbed by 6th Somersets in same month 7th Btn, Royal Dublin Fusiliers joined as a cadre June 1918, absorbed by 11th Royal Irish Fusiliers in same month 6/7th Btn, Royal Scots Fusiliers joined as a cadre June 1918, absorbed by 18th Scottish Rifles in same month 18th Btn, the Gloucestershire Regiment joined 2 July 1918 6th Btn, the Somerset Light Infantry joined 4 July 1918 Divisional Troops 11th Btn, Hampshire Regiment joined 20 September 1914. Absorbed many troops of 13th Btn, Border Regiment in June 1918 269th Machine Gun Company MGC joined 18 January 1918, moved to 16th Battalion MGC 9 March 1918 16th Machine Gun Battalion MGC formed 9 March 1918. Broken up at Camiers on 8 May 1918 and troops transferred to infantry. A new Bn was formed at Grantham on 18 June 1918 and joined the Division on 2 August 1918 19th Entrenching Battalion joined 4 April 1918, disbanded 5 May 1918. Troops went to 2nd Royal Munster Fusiliers Divisional Mounted Troops 16th Divisional Cyclist Company joined 11 December 1914, disbanded 1 June 1916. Troops redeployed to the infantry C Squadron, South Irish Horse joined January 1915, left 17 May 1916 Divisional Artillery LXXIV Brigade RFA left in July 1915 to join Guards Division LXXV Brigade RFA left in July 1915 to join Guards Division LXXVI Brigade RFA left in July 1915 to join Guards Division LXXVII (H) Brigade RFA left in July 1915 but rejoined in France 22nd of February 1916, left 22nd of February 1917 CLXXVII Brigade RFA joined in France on 22nd of February 1916 CLXXX Brigade RFA joined in France on 22nd of February 1916 CLXXXII Brigade RFA joined in France on 22nd of February 1916. Broken up on 27th of August 1916 16th Divisional Ammunition Column RFA the original DAC left in August 1915 to join Guards Division. A new DAC joined Division in France on 22nd of February 1916 16th Heavy Battery RGA raised for the Division but moved independently to France in July 1915 X.16, Y.16 and Z.16 Medium Trench Mortar Batteries RFA joined by June 1916. Z.16 broken up 27 February 1918. X.16 and Y.16 broken up 20 April 1918, troops being absorbed by other units V.16 Heavy Trench Mortar Battery RFA joined by 5 September 1916, left February 1918 Royal Engineers 75th Field Company left 13 August 1915 to join Guards Division 76th Field Company left 13 August 1915 to join Guards Division 16th Divisional Signal Company left 13 August 1915 to join Guards Division. A new Company joined in September 1915 95th Field Company joined 30 January 1915 from 26th Division, left 17 August 1915 to join 7th Division 155th Field Company joined in August 1915 156th Field Company joined in August 1915 157th Field Company joined in August 1915 Royal Army Medical Corps 48th Field Ambulance left June 1915 and joined 37th Division 49th Field Ambulance left June 1915 and joined 37th Division 50th Field Ambulance left June 1915 and joined 37th Division 111th Field Ambulance joined September 1915 112th Field Ambulance joined September 1915 113th Field Ambulance joined September 1915 81st Sanitary Section joined before embarkation, left for IX Corps in April 1917 Other Divisional Troops 16th Divisional Train ASC 142, 143, 144 and 145 Companies 16th Divisional Motor Ambulance Workshop joined 25 December 1915 from Lahore Division. Absorbed into Divisional Train by 9 April 1916 217th Divisional Employment Company formed by 30 June 1917 47th Mobile Veterinary Section AVC Jun 1915 On the Move Jul 1915 Training Instruction Jul 1915 Billets 11th Dec 1915 Orders 12th Dec 1915 Advance Party 19th Dec 1915 On the March 20th Dec 1915 On the Move 21st Dec 1915 On the Move 22nd Dec 1915 On the March 27th Dec 1915 Poor Conditions 28th Dec 1915 On the March 30th Dec 1915 Orders Received 31st Dec 1915 Inspection 3rd Feb 1916 Orders Received 17th Feb 1916 On the Move 18th Feb 1916 On the Move 19th Feb 1916 On the Move 20th Feb 1916 On the Move 21st Feb 1916 On the Move 22nd Feb 1916 On the March 2nd March 1916 In Billets 20th Apr 1916 Reliefs 24th Apr 1916 Reliefs   26th Apr 1916 In Billets   27th Apr 1916 On the Move 27th Apr 1916 Gas   27th April 1916 Received Orders to "Stand To" 28th Apr 1916 On the Move   28th Apr 1916 Reliefs 29th Apr 1916 On the Move   29th Apr 1916 Reliefs 29th April 1916 Heavy bombardment at Quarries. 30th Apr 1916 Recce   1st May 1916 Instruction   2nd May 1916 HQ Moves   3rd May 1916 Reliefs   7th May 1916 Reliefs   8th May 1916 Reliefs   13th May 1916 Reliefs   16th May 1916 Reliefs   17th May 1916 Reliefs   21st May 1916 Reliefs 24th May 1916 Reliefs   28th May 1916 Trench Recce 1st Jun 1916 Emplacements   2nd Jun 1916 Emplacements   3rd Jun 1916 Night Firing   4th Jun 1916 Night Firing   5th Jun 1916 Working Party   6th Jun 1916 Heavy Shelling   7th Jun 1916 Working Parties   8th Jun 1916 Wet Weather   9th Jun 1916 Reliefs   15th Jun 1916 Quiet   16th Jun 1916 Reliefs   17th Jun 1916 Night Firing   18th Jun 1916 Night Firing   19th Jun 1916 Emplacements   20th Jun 1916 Heavy Shelling   21st Jun 1916 Emplacements   22nd Jun 1916 Working Parties   23rd Jun 1916 Bombardment   24th Jun 1916 Night Firing   25th Jun 1916 Heavy Shelling   26th Jun 1916 Raid   27th Jun 1916 Repairs   28th Jun 1916 Gas   29th Jun 1916 Night Firing   30th Jun 1916 Attack   1st Jul 1916 Report   1st Jul 1916 Report   1st Jul 1916 Attack   2nd Jul 1916 Artillery   7th July 1916 On the March 11th July 1916 Heavy Bombardment 20th Jul 1916 Orders   20th July 1916 Message 23rd August 1916 Operational Orders from Brigade 28th of August 1916 Hostile Fire   1st of September 1916 Enemy SOS   1st Sep 1916 In Reserve   2nd Sep 1916 Orders   3rd Sep 1916 Wounded Treated  On the 3rd of September 1916, the 62nd Field Ambulance RAMC was involved in the Battle of Guillemont retrieving and treating wounded soldiers from the battlefield very close to where the enemy were firing an incessant hail of bullets and shells. This was during the decisive Allied attack on the German-held strong hold of Guillemont. 62nd Field Ambulance were operating under the command of British 20th (Light) Division which operated in unison with the 47 Brigade of the 16th (Irish) Division and together other forces they succeeded in capturing Guillemont on that day. 62nd Field Ambulance had been involved in this battle for many months prior the victory on 3rd September, operating in the so-called 'Valley of Death' which the Germans sprayed with machine-gun fire, bombs and gas-shells from their vantage point with great loss of life to Allied forces. 3rd Sep 1916 On the March   4th of September 1916 Units Mixed Up   4th Sep 1916 Orders   5th Sep 1916 Lost 5th of September 1916 Farm Captured   5th Sep 1916 Reliefs   6th Sep 1916 Patrols 6th of September 1916 Wood Cleared   6th Sep 1916 Consolidation   7th Sep 1916 Line Consolidated   8th of September 1916 Prepare to Move 8th Sep 1916 Reserve   9th Sep 1916 In Action   9th Sep 1916 Bombardment   10th Sep 1916 Reliefs   1st of October 1916 Relieving the Canadians   6th Oct 1916 Enemy Active   29th of October 1916 Raid Support   5th of December 1916 Spranbroek Group Formed 5th of December 1916    1st Jan 1917 Artillery Active   2nd Jan 1917 Night Firing   3rd Jan 1917 Reliefs   4th Jan 1917 Artillery Active   5th Jan 1917 Artillery in Action   6th Jan 1917 Night Firing   7th Jan 1917 Bombardment   8th Jan 1917 Heavy Shelling   9th Jan 1917 Intermittent Shelling   10th Jan 1917 Shelling   11th Jan 1917 Night Firing   12th Jan 1917 Artillery Active   13th Jan 1917 Poor Conditions   14th Jan 1917 Frost   15th Jan 1917 Night Firing   16th Jan 1917 Night Firing   17th Jan 1917 Reliefs   18th Jan 1917 Night Firing   19th Jan 1917 Artillery Active   20th Jan 1917 Night Firing   21st Jan 1917 Accident   22nd Jan 1917 Artillery AIn Action   23rd Jan 1917 Night Firing   24th Jan 1917 Reliefs   25th Jan 1917 Night Firing   26th Jan 1917 Artillery Active   27th Jan 1917 Artillery Active   28th Jan 1917 Night Firing   29th Jan 1917 Shelling   30th Jan 1917 Artillery in Action   31st Jan 1917 Night Firing   19th of February 1917 Divisional Cooperation 1st Mar 1917 Trench Raid   2nd Mar 1917 Trench Raid   3rd Mar 1917 Trench Work   4th Mar 1917 Working Party   5th Mar 1917 Reliefs   1st May 1917 Reliefs   5th May 1917 Reliefs   7th May 1917 Bombardment   9th May 1917 Bombardment   10th May 1917 Reliefs   14th May 1917 Reliefs   18th May 1917 Working Parties   24th May 1917 Relocation in new camp 1st of June 1917 Instructions for the Offensive   1st June 1917 In Reserve 1st Jun 1917 Cleaning up 2nd June 1917 Reliefs   2nd Jun 1917 Reliefs 3rd June 1917 Artillery in Action   3rd Jun 1917 Bombardment   4th June 1917 Reliefs   4th Jun 1917 Emplacements   5th June 1917 Trench Raid   5th Jun 1917 Preparations   6th June 1917 Reliefs   6th Jun 1917 Preparations   7th of June 1917 An Offensive Operation   7th of June 1917 Attack a Complete Success   7th June 1917 In Action 7th Jun 1917 In Action   8th June 1917 At Rest   8th Jun 1917 Reliefs   9th June 1917 Into Camp   9th Jun 1917 Reliefs   10th June 1917 Working Parties   28th of July 1917 Orders for an Attack   2nd of August 1917 More Orders Received   14th of August 1917 Practice Barrages   15th of August 1917 Thirty Hostile Planes   25th of August 1917  1st of September 1917  7th of September 1917 Orders 1st of October 1917 Positions   14th Oct 1917 On the Move 15th Oct 1917 Training 16th Oct 1917 Training 17th Oct 1917 Training 18th Oct 1917 Training 19th Oct 1917 Inspection 20th Oct 1917 Training 21st Oct 1917 Church Parade 22nd Oct 1917 Divisional Reliefs   23rd Oct 1917 Working Parties   24th Oct 1917 Working Parties   25th Oct 1917 Dugouts   26th Oct 1917 Dugouts   27th Oct 1917 Dugouts   28th Oct 1917 Relief Complete   29th Oct 1917 Trench Raid   30th Oct 1917 Recce   31st Oct 1917 Trench Work   1st Nov 1917 Reliefs   2nd Nov 1917 In Camp 3rd Nov 1917 In Camp 4th Nov 1917 Inspection 5th Nov 1917 Training 6th Nov 1917 Training 7th Nov 1917 Training 8th Nov 1917 Training 9th Nov 1917 Training 10th Nov 1917 Training 11th Nov 1917 Church Parade 12th Nov 1917 Reliefs   13th Nov 1917 Trench Work   14th Nov 1917 Machine Guns   15th Nov 1917 Quiet   16th Nov 1917 Patrols   17th Nov 1917 Quiet   18th Nov 1917 Machine Guns Active   19th Nov 1917 Trench Work   20th Nov 1917 Attack Made 20th Nov 1917 Artillery In Action   21st Nov 1917 Shelling   22nd Nov 1917 Trench Work   23rd Nov 1917 Shelling   24th Nov 1917 Shelling   25th Nov 1917 Reliefs   26th Nov 1917 Equipment 27th Nov 1917 Baths 28th Nov 1917 Inspection 29th Nov 1917 Training 30th Nov 1917 Reliefs   1st Dec 1917 In the Line   2nd Dec 1917 Reliefs   3rd Dec 1917 On the March 4th Dec 1917 Stand to 5th Dec 1917 On the March 6th Dec 1917 On the March 7th Dec 1917 Reliefs Complete 8th Dec 1917 Quiet 9th Dec 1917 Trench Work 10th Dec 1917 Enemy Sighted 11th Dec 1917 Artillery Active 12th Dec 1917 Relief Complete 13th Dec 1917 In Bivouacs 14th Dec 1917 Working Party 15th Dec 1917 Working Party 16th Dec 1917 Equipment 17th Dec 1917 Relief Complete 18th Dec 1917 In Billets 19th Dec 1917 On the March 20th Dec 1917 In Billets 21st Dec 1917 In Billets 22nd Dec 1917 Recce 23rd Dec 1917 Relief 24th Dec 1917 Shelling 24th Dec 1917 Reorganisation 25th Dec 1917 Shelling 26th Dec 1917 Enemy Aircraft 27th Dec 1917 Snow 28th Dec 1917 Enemy Aircraft 29th Dec 1917 Reliefs 30th Dec 1917 Working Parties 31st Dec 1917 Working Parties 31st December 1917 Operational Orders 1st Jan 1918 Shelling 2nd Jan 1918 Heavy Shelling 3rd Jan 1918 Aircraft Active 4th Jan 1918 Reliefs 5th Jan 1918 Baths 6th Jan 1918 Wiring 7th Jan 1918 Festivities 8th Jan 1918 Training 9th Jan 1918 Training 10th Jan 1918 Reliefs 11th Jan 1918 Patrol 12th Jan 1918 Patrols 13th Jan 1918 Shelling 14th Jan 1918 Artillery Active 15th Jan 1918 Artillery Active 16th Jan 1918 Thaw 17th Jan 1918 Working Parties 18th Jan 1918 Working Parties 19th Jan 1918 Working Parties 20th Jan 1918 Church Parade 21st Jan 1918 Working Parties 21st Jan 1918 Course 22nd Jan 1918 Reliefs 23rd Jan 1918 Patrol 24th Jan 1918 Poor Visibility 25th Jan 1918 Fog   25th Jan 1918 Heavy Shelling 26th Jan 1918 Poor Visibility 27th Jan 1918 Mist 28th Jan 1918 Reliefs 29th Jan 1918 Working Parties 30th Jan 1918 Working Parties 31st Jan 1918 Fog 1st Feb 1918 Shelling 2nd Feb 1918 Cross Roads 3rd Feb 1918 Reliefs 4th Feb 1918 Cleaning up 5th Feb 1918 Football 5th Feb 1918 Course Ends 6th Feb 1918 Musketry 7th Feb 1918 Awards 8th Feb 1918 Training 9th Feb 1918 Training 10th Feb 1918 Reorganisation 11th Feb 1918 Working Party 12th Feb 1918 Training 13th Feb 1918 Training 13th Feb 1918 Personnel 14th Feb 1918 Reliefs 15th Feb 1918 Patrols 16th Feb 1918 Working Party 17th Feb 1918 Enemy Aircraft 18th Feb 1918 Air Raid 19th Feb 1918 Patrols 20th Feb 1918 Patrols 21st Feb 1918 Bombardment 21st Feb 1918 Reorganisation 22nd Feb 1918 Bombardment 23rd Feb 1918 Defences 24th Feb 1918 Shelling 25th Feb 1918 Shelling 26th Feb 1918 Reliefs 27th Feb 1918 Patrols 28th Feb 1918 Shelling 1st Mar 1918 Holding the Line 5th Mar 1918 Holding the Line 9th Mar 1918 Holding the Line 10th Mar 1918 In the trenches 12th Mar 1918 Reliefs 13th Mar 1918 In Reserve 14th Mar 1918 Attack Expected   18th Mar 1918 Reliefs 19th Mar 1918 Holding the Line   20th Mar 1918 Holding the Line   22nd Mar 1918 Fighting Retreat 22nd of March 1918 Message 23rd Mar 1918 Fighting Retreat 24th Mar 1918 In Defence 25th Mar 1918 In Defence 26th Mar 1918 In Defence 27th Mar 1918 Fighting Withdrawal 28th Mar 1918 Holding the Line 29th Mar 1918 Holding the Line 30th Mar 1918 Holding the Line 31st Mar 1918 Holding the Line 1st Apr 1918 Holding the Line 2nd Apr 1918 Holding the Line 3rd Apr 1918 Holding the Line 4th Apr 1918 Reliefs 5th Apr 1918 On the March 8th Apr 1918 Reorganisation 9th Apr 1918 On the March 10th Apr 1918 On the Move 11th Apr 1918 On the March 12th Apr 1918 On the March 13th Apr 1918 Reorganisation 14th Apr 1918 On the March 15th Apr 1918 On the March 16th Apr 1918 Working Parties 17th Apr 1918 Working Parties 18th Apr 1918 Reorganisation 17th May 1918 22nd Northumberlands join 16th Division  On the 17th May 1918 the 22nd Northumberlands were reduced to cadre strength and transferred to the 16th (Irish) Division. 18th May 1918 On the Move  22nd Northumberland Fusiliers return to England. 18th Jun 1918 22nd Northumberlands back to strength  The 22nd Northumberland Fusiliers are brought up to strength by absorbing the 38th Btn. Jul 1918 22nd Northumberlands return to France  22nd Battalion, Northumberland Fusiliers return to France with 16th (Irish) Division. 1st September 1918 Move to Front Line 2nd September 1918 Night patrols 3rd September 1918 Ongoing Action 6th September 1918 Attack on enemy lines  22nd Battalion, Northumberland Fusiliers 6th Sep. 1918 - 0630 We attacked with three companies from left to right A, D and C Companies without artillery preparation.The ground was very difficult with wire lying about. The weather was perfect with a slight mist. We gained all our objectives with A Company finding the most resistance however they got beyond their objectives and did very well. After the attack the enemy shelled our new posts very heavily. Casualties during attack 5th to 7th September. 2nd Lt GO Mitchell wounded 34 Other Ranks wounded (gas) 1 Other Rank died of wounds 6 Other Ranks wounded 11 Other Ranks missing 5 Other Ranks killed 24 Other Ranks wounded 2nd Lt JF Punsham wounded (gas) 27 Other Ranks wounded 4 Other Ranks killed 7th September Enemy continued shelling our new lines. 8th September The Battalion was relieved by the 18th Gloucester Regiment and moved back to Village Line as Support Battalion, while the 18th Gloucesters continued to push forward. war diaries 5th of October 1918 Orders   10th of October 1918  19th October 1918 Met with opposition at Rupilly Etieu   If you can provide any additional information, please add it here. Want to know more about 16th (Irish) Division? There are:372 items tagged 16th (Irish) Division available in our Library   These include information on officers, regimental histories, letters, diary entries, personal accounts and information about actions during the Great War. Those known to have served with 16th (Irish) Division during the Great War 1914-1918. Andrews Patrick. Pte. 8th Btn. (d.29th Apr 1916) Arnold T.. Pte. 5th Btn. (d.30th Sep 1918) Atock Arthur George. Lt. 155th Field Coy. (d.13th Sep 1918) Attley William. Sgt. 2nd Btn. (d.31st Oct 1916) Authors Charles. L/Cpl. 9th Btn. (d.23rd Jul 1916) Bailey Edward. Sgt. 7th Btn. (d.16th Aug 1917) Baker Christopher. L/Cpl. 9th Btn. (d.16th Aug 1917) Beggs Joseph. Pte. 8th Btn. (d.6th Sep 1916) Connolly Patrick. Pte. 8th Btn. Cox John Thomas. Sgt. Craddock Michael. Pte. 7th Btn. (d.7th Sep 1916) Doyle William Joseph Gabriel. Capt. att. 8th Btn. Royal Irish Fusiliers (d.16th Aug 1917) Eglington Thomas. Pte. 2nd Btn. (d.7th Aug 1917) Fitzpatrick Alexander. Pte. 7th/8th Btn. (d.10th Aug 1917) Graham Robert. Pte. 2nd Btn. (d.21st Nov 1917) Heaney Patrick. Pte. 8th Btn. (d.21st Jul 1916) Keane William. 2ndLt. 7th Btn. Kearns Michael L.. Pte. 7th Btn. Kelly John. Pte. 7th Battalion (d.22nd Aug 1918) Kember Arthur. Pte. Laverty John. L/Cpl. 7/8th Btn. (d.20th Nov 1917) Litton M.. Major. 7th Btn. McKee Patrick. Pte. 7/8th Btn. (d.20th Nov 1917) Potts Alfred James. Pte. 10th Btn. Savage Frederick William. Pte. 1st Btn. Slator John J. Sgt. 7th/8th Btn. Smith Michael. Pte. 7th Btn. (d.9th Sep 1916) Smith Patrick. Pte. 7th Btn. Smith Patrick. Pte. 7/8th Btn. Smith Patrick. Pte. 7/8th Btn. Wright Norman. L/Cpl. 22nd Btn. (d.4th Oct 1918) 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 The Wartime Memories Project is the original WW1 and WW2 commemoration website. 1st of September 2024 marks 25 years since the launch of the Wartime Memories Project. Thanks to everyone who has supported us over this time. Want to find out more about your relative's service? 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Announcements 19th Nov 2024     Please note we currently have a massive backlog of submitted material, our volunteers are working through this as quickly as possible and all names, stories and photos will be added to the site. If you have already submitted a story to the site and your UID reference number is higher than 264989 your submission is still in the queue, please do not resubmit. Wanted: Digital copies of Group photographs, Scrapbooks, Autograph books, photo albums, newspaper clippings, letters, postcards and ephemera relating to the Great War. If you have any unwanted photographs, documents or items from the First or Second World War, please do not destroy them. The Wartime Memories Project will give them a good home and ensure that they are used for educational purposes. Please get in touch for the postal address, do not sent them to our PO Box as packages are not accepted. World War 1 One ww1 wwII greatwar great battalion regiment artillery Did you know? We also have a section on World War Two. and a Timecapsule to preserve stories from other conflicts for future generations. 263024 Pte. Patrick Smith 7/8th Btn. Royal Irish Fusiliers I have a hospital receipt from Queen Mary's Hospital showing Patrick Smith arrived at the hospital on 19th of August 1917. I'm trying to determine what the cause of wounds was. He recovered after 9 months and was transferred to the Reserve units back in Ireland. John Meehan Add to this record. 262231 Pte. Patrick Smith 7/8th Btn. Royal Irish Fusiliers Patrick Smith served with the 7/8th Battalion, Royal Irish Fusiliers. I have a receipt acknowledging him as having been received on 19th of August 1917 by Queen Mary's Military Hospital. His unit fought in 3rd Ypres and suffered 224 casualties on 16th of August 1917, and I presume he was wounded in that action. The cause and extent of his injuries are unknown, but he did recover and was transferred approximately 9 months later to the 200th Company, Royal Defence Corps, where he served out the rest of the war. John Meehan Add to this record. 262143 Pte. Patrick Smith 7th Btn. Royal Irish Fusiliers Patrick Smith landed in France as part of the BEF on 17th of February 1916, serving until 18th of August 1917 when he was evacuated to Queen Mary’s Military Hospital in Whalley, Lancashire on 19th of August 1917. He was subsequently transferred to the Royal Defence Corps and promoted to Lance Corporal in 1918. He was discharged 19th of March 1919, whereupon he returned to Cavan and lived out the rest of his days there. John Meehan Add to this record. 255929 Sgt. John Thomas Cox DCM. Connaught Rangers John Cox was awarded the DCM for actions on The Somme. John Taylor Add to this record. 246289 Sgt. John J Slator 7th/8th Btn. Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers Jack Slator served with the 7th/8th Battalion, Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers. He was a Prisoner of War, POW no. 21920 Add to this record. 243614 Pte. Frederick William Savage MM & Bar. 1st Btn. Royal Munster Fusiliers Frederick Savage was on the S.S. River Clyde at Gallipoli V Beach landing and was amongst the first to go ashore where he survived unhurt. He was present for virtually all of the campaign being wounded twice and suffering severe frostbite. The second wound was towards the end of the campaign when he was hit in the back by a bullet whilst lying in prone position. He always blamed the fact that they wore a polished metal disc on their backpacks, which caught the sun's rays giving the Turks a good target to aim at. When wounded he was placed in a tent near the beach with the other wounded. The weather turned very cold. They were in the tent for several days without much nursing attention resulting in him being the only survivor. He returned to his regiment in France in June 1916 and served out most of the war. He was awarded the Military Medal for attending the wounded under heavy shell fire and also received two Hickies Medals, one in November 1916 and the other in November 1917. He served in the Home Guard during WW2. Private F.W. Savage, M.M., collected two 'Hickie citations' during his service in France. Major-General Hickie appreciated the effort put in by the men of the 16th Irish Division in the heavy fighting of 1916. When no official recognition of gallantry was made, he arranged for a Parchment Certificate to be handed to all who excelled in battle. The quick-witted Irishmen did not take long to nickname the citations, and they became known as 'Hickie's Medals'. The parchment was headed The Irish Brigade in Celtic script, and a later issue was surrounded by a border design. Graeme Add to this record. 223444 Pte. Arthur Kember 111th Field Ambulance Currently I have only limited information regarding my Grandfather Arthur Kember's army life, other than he served with 111th Field Ambulance as a Nursing Orderly attached to 16th (Irish) Division. He had a deep Christian conviction and started a branch of the Soldiers' Christian Association in 1918 - in later life he was to become a Baptist lay-preacher at Hawkinge Baptist Chapel, near Folkestone in Kent (this is now a private residence). He returned to the UK and subsequently married Dorothy Annie Goodwyn on 16th August 1922 at Baptist Tabernacle, Willesden, Middlesex. My eldest daughter now wears her great-grandmother's wedding ring. Tim Rising Add to this record. 222901 Capt. William Joseph Gabriel Doyle att. 8th Btn. Royal Irish Fusiliers Army Chaplains Department (d.16th Aug 1917) William Joseph Gabriel Doyle was born on 3rd March 1873 in Dublin Ireland. He served with the 8th Battalion of the Royal Irish Fusiliers from 1915. He faced No Man's Land constantly running the gaunlet of gunfire and proved fearless. Father Doyle celebrated his first Holy Mass in the trenches on 23rd April 1916, Easter Sunday. Father Doyle lived with the men in the trenches, he witnessed the horror of death and the mutilation of the men he called his boys, he went into No Man's Land to give The Last Rites and to bury the dead, he worked tirelessly to give comfort to the injured and dying. He stayed in the trenches to give support even during the gas attacks on the 16th Irish Division. 800 men died, nearly all from gas. In the mist of the fighting, a German shell was fired randomly at British lines. As it exploded, Father Willie was killed outright, whilst dragging a wounded man away from danger. The date was the 16th August 1917. Father Doyle loved his men, he was loved by everyone in the battalion whether Catholic or Protestant. What was left of Fr Doyle's body was hastily interred without ceremony in a communal grave in the battlefield of Passchendaele. Mary Tingley Add to this record. 221081 Pte. Patrick Heaney 8th Btn. Royal Irish Fusiliers (d.21st Jul 1916) My great grandfather Patrick Heaney, aged 36 years, died of wounds at Bethune Military Hospital on the 21st Jul 1916. He is buried at Bethune Cemetery, France. John Gallagher Add to this record. 220724 Pte. Thomas "Bones" Eglington 2nd Btn. Royal Irish Regiment (d.7th Aug 1917) My dad's uncle, Thomas Eglington fought in World War 1 and his brother my father fought in World War 2. Dad was a sailor on HMS Matchless. It took me some time to track Thomas down because they have his name spelt wrong in records. They left out the second G. Thomas Eglington served with the 2nd Battalion, Royal Irish Regiment during WW1 and died, age 21, on the 7th August 1917. He is remembered on the Ypres Menin Gate Memorial, Belgium. Thomas was the son of Patrick and Annie Eglinton, of 12 Wolfe Tone Avenue, Kingstown (Dun Laoghaire), Dublin, Ireland. Liam Eglington Add to this record. 220509 Pte. Patrick Connolly 8th Btn. Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers My great grandfather Patrick Connolly, born on the 20 June 1882 in Belfast, served in France during the 1st World War as Lewis Gunner with 2nd and 8th Battalions, Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers. Although he joined up early in the war, 19 November 1914, it would appear that he did not go to France until 18th of February 1916. He had two periods in France, the first on the 18 February 1916 until 5 July 1916 with the second being on the 18 December 1916 until 20 March 1918 when he was taken prisoner on the 21 March 1918 at St Quentin, France. He was also involved in a railway accident while a prisoner and suffered an injury to his leg on the 14 September 1918. I am not sure what battles he fought in, but he was shot twice one of which was at Loos. He was also hit by gas shell and suffered from the effects of gas. He had to return to England for a time to recover from his injuries. He remained a prisoner until the end of the war and returned home to Belfast early in 1919. He died on the 1 August 1960. My grandfather did not talk much about the war as it was not easy coming back to Ireland given the situation at the time. He only said that they were very hungry and some of the soldiers caught and ate rats but he said that he did not. While he was a prisoner a German Bishop visited the camp and gave him a German prayer book, which the family have to this day. We have a number of documents from which I obtained the above information as he had applied for a pension after the war. Mary Crawford Add to this record. 218721 Pte. Robert "Roy" Graham 2nd Btn. Royal Dublin Fusilliers (d.21st Nov 1917) Robert (Roy) Graham was my great great uncle (my great grandmother's brother). He was one of the first casualties of the opening of the Battle of Cambrai on 20 November 1917. I understand from the little information that I have been able to gather of him that he was extremely well thought of within his battalion, as when I came across a website that included statements of the various soldiers killed in action, comments from his commanding officer and chaplain went beyond an expression of regret. He enlisted in April 1915 and served with the 2nd Battalion, Royal Dublin Fusiliers during WW1. He was killed in action on the 21st November 1917, aged 21 and is buried in Croissiles British Cemetery, France. He was the only son of Mr and Mrs John Graham, Barncot, Dundrum, County Dublin. Tannis McMinn Add to this record. 218654 Pte. Alfred James Potts 10th Btn. Royal Dublin Fusiliers James Potts was born in 1882 and died 1958. His full name was Alfred James Potts. He joined the Royal Dublin Fusiliers on 3rd November 1914. He was 32 years old but the records state that he was 30. He spent time in the 3rd battalion on several occasions and went back and forth to France several times during the war. He spent time in the 8th battalion and the 10th Battalion during the war. He joined the Royal Dublin Fusiliers (Dubsters) in honour of his mother who was Irish. He was wounded in France early in the war and spent time in Eastbourne recuperating before being sent back to France. Stephen Potts Add to this record. 218492 Pte. T. Arnold 5th Btn. Royal Irish Fusiliers (d.30th Sep 1918) Private T Arnold lost his life aged 27 on the last day of the Final Offensive in Salonika, most likely during the passage of the Vardar river and pursuit to the Strumica valley (22-30 September). He is buried in Plovdiv Central Cemetery, Bulgaria. S Flynn Add to this record. 218486 Pte. John Kelly 7th Battalion Royal Irish Regiment (d.22nd Aug 1918) This is my Great Uncle John Kelly - his Sister Mary was my Nana. He had two brothers - Tom and Joe. John was born in 1900, a third child of Hugh and Elizabeth Kelly in Wolstanton, Burslem, Staffs. They lived nearby in 6 Grant Street, Cobridge, Stoke-on-Trent. When the Great War stared, the Royal Dublin Fusiliers formed new service battalions which continued with the same service number series that was in use before the war. Due to this, it is possible to confirm that John enlisted in May 1915 at the Hanley Recruiting depot or via a recruiting officer. When he started his service with the Royal Dublin Fusiliers as a Private his service number was 20815. He must have been only 16 years old at this time. After his initial training in 1916, Private John Kelly was posted to the 2nd Battalion which was part of the 48th Brigade, 16th (Irish) Division from 15th November 1916. It is impossible to say which battles John served in and when his next transfer took place but as his Medal Index Card and Victory medal/British War Medal roll states, he was posted to the 7th (South Irish Horse) Battalion, Royal Irish Regiment and his new regimental number was 26476. However, as 7th (SIH) Battalion War Diary from 1918 states, that they received reinforcements after their horrific casualties in March when the battalion was caught in the maelstrom of the German Kaiserschlacht (Kaiser's Battle) offensive. Extra men from Royal Dublin Fusiliers and Royal Munster Fusiliers arrived on the 1st May and 26th June and they were taken into the Battalion in Widdebroucq area, near Aire during July. Most likely Private Kelly was one of these reinforcements. At the end of July the Battalion’s strength was 31 officers and 830 other ranks and ready for action. At this time they were part of the 49th Brigade, 16th (Irish) Division. On the 7th August they were moved into the front line moving from Oxelaere towards Boeschepe. Looks like then luck turned bad for John. On the 19th and 20th August the Battalion War Diary indicates 2 wounded, and on the 23rd August in the Boeschepe area 4 men killed and 3 wounded. John Kelly most likely was one of these wounded and he was transported to the 62nd (1/2nd London) Clearing Station where he died of wounds on the 22nd August 1918. He was only 18 years old. He is buried Arneke British Cemetery in France, Grave Reference III.E.11 next to other 568 identified casualties. Anna Jackson Add to this record. 218294 Pte. Michael Smith 7th Btn. Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers (d.9th Sep 1916) My father always told me when I was growing up that his uncle's Andrew and Michael went to war and never returned. They knew they died but didn't know when and where. I found out that Michael entered the war with the Connaught Rangers and died in France at the battle of Ginchy. As for Andrew I cannot find anything for him. We assume that the two of them served together with the Rangers and then with the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers. Andrew was the son of Andrew and Agnes Smyth and his D.O.B 26th Jan 1880, address: Kenagh Co.Longford. Declan Smyth Add to this record. 217667 Major. M. Litton 7th Btn. Royal Irish Fusiliers Major M Litton served with the 7th Battalion Royal Irish Fusiliers. Major Litton and Captain T O'Donnell were both wounded on the 26th April 1916. Ciaran Goggins Add to this record. 217666 2ndLt. William Keane 7th Btn. Royal Irish Fusiliers Second Lieutenant William Kearns served with the 7th Battalion Royal Irish Fusiliers. He served with Pte William Sweeney and Pte H Brown, currently being researched by Ciaran Goggins. Ciaran Goggins Add to this record. 217665 Pte. Michael L. Kearns 7th Btn. Royal Irish Fusiliers 23508 Private Michael L Kearns served with the 7th Battalion Royal Irish Fusiliers during WW1. He was born in 1892 and enlisted in 1915. Ciaran Goggins Add to this record. 217664 L/Cpl. John Laverty MM. 7/8th Btn. Royal Irish Fusiliers (d.20th Nov 1917) L/Cpl John Laverty served with the 7/8th Battalion Royal Irish Fusiliers and was awarded the MM. He died on the 20th November 1917. Ciaran Goggins Add to this record.

Recomended Reading. Available at discounted prices. CROWN AND COMPANY 1911-1922. 2nd Battalion Royal Dublin Fusiliers Col. H. C. Wylly This volume is concerned principally with the battalion’s service in the Great War during which it fought on the Western Front in 10th Brigade, 4th Division till the end of 1916 when it was transferred to 48th Brigade of 16th(Irish) Division. The last part gives a very full and often moving description of the disbandment of the battalion. 269 officers and 4508 WOs, NCOs and men of the Regiment died during the war and an appendix lists the names of the officers showing which battalion they were serving in. There is a full list of Honours and Awards including Mentions in Despatches and foreign awards for the whole regiment. Another appendix lists the officers of the 1st and 2nd battalions serving at the time of disbandment and shows which regiments they transferred to or whether they retired. More information on: CROWN AND COMPANY 1911-1922. 2nd Battalion Royal Dublin Fusiliers Belfast Boys: How Unionists and Nationalists Fought and Died Together in the First World War Richard S Grayson This is the story of men from either side of West Belfast's sectarian divide during the Great War. Richard S. Grayson follows the volunteers of the 36th and 16th divisions who fought on the Somme and side-by-side at Messines, recovering the forgotten West Belfast men throughout the armed forces, from the retreat at Mons to the defeat of Germany and life post-war. In so doing, he tells a new story which challenges popular perceptions of the war and explains why remembrance remains so controversial in Belfast today. 'Provocative, meticulously researched and referenced.' --Irish Times More information on: Belfast Boys: How Unionists and Nationalists Fought and Died Together in the First World War Links Suggest a link

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