1st November 1918 On this day:  On the March Final Days to Armistice   16th Btn. Royal Irish Rifles - Pioneers. In Mouscron the Battalion was billeted in the town and work continued on the Railway. No.1 Company - Lifting damaged track No.2 Company - Filling craters No.3 Company - Demolishing a bridge. These tasks continued from 1st to 9th November 1918 with a break for bathing and disinfesting blankets on the 5th November. On the 10th November 16th Battalion moved off at 0530 to Outryve for work under the Chief Engineer, X Corps building pontoon bridges across the Scheldt/Escaut. Armistice Day came and went without a single remark in the war diaries. This was strange to say the least as the Commanding Officer Lt. Col William Allen had started out in 1914 as Adjutant and had experienced all the Battalions worst trials and best accomplishments. This seems to follow a general feeling of disbelief that it was all over. Working on Pontoons in the Scheldt crossing, Rifleman Thomas Shaw (reflecting in a post war interview in 1992), stated that " they saw a lot of Verey lights in the sky up at the front and assumed it was an SOS call for artillery support. Later some returning troops shouted to them ‘The wars over boys!!’ to which the disbelieving pioneers replied ‘Aye, we know, it’s over there!’" The work in the Scheldt approaches continued until the 17th November involving filling craters, repairing roads and installing ramps. It must have been a great relief to carry out this work without fear of enemy attack and provided transport kept rolling no longer the need for much haste in their work. As the work here neared its end more time was devoted to inspections and drills with a view to re-establishing discipline in the Battalion. On Sunday 19th November 1918 the Battalion moved back to its Billets at Mouscron thus ending the last Operational Task of the 16th (Service) Battalion the Royal Irish Rifles (Pioneers). Closing Days and Demobilisation. On its return to Mouscron cleaning became the order of the day with bathing and fumigation of blankets and service dress followed by a kit inspection in the afternoon. A return to peacetime soldiering standards was necessary but needed to be handled with patience and tolerance by the Officers and senior NCOs as the men simply wanted release and return home as soon as possible after some 4 years of stress and strain. However a peace treaty had not yet been signed (eventually signed in June 1919) merely an Armistice which would have to be observed or enforced. Control of the Armistice also required extensive restoration of large areas of France and Belgium together with adequate garrison provision. A lot of men would also be returning to civilian life soon therefor it was important to help them prepare for the sudden changes in their lives. A conference was called on the 20th November and a committee set up to organise education, sport and other suggestions for the men’s welfare. Battalion strength: 1st November Officers 35 ORs 959 30th November Officers 35 ORs 947 The Terrors by SN White Daily Activity   9th Btn. (North Irish Horse) the Royal Irish Fusiliers. Lauwe. Reference Sheet 29 Belgium 1/40,000. Spell of fine weather continues. Usual parades and inspections carried out in morning. Battalion bathed by Companies at M.21 central. In the evening the civilian population entertained the Battalion, at the School, to a dance. A very pleasant evening was spent. At 2000 the Battalion gave a dinner at which Major R.J Tamplin DSO presided. Among the guests were the Officer Commanding, 12th Royal Irish Rifles, Brigade Major and Staff Captain, 108th Infantry Brigade, and representatives from 1st Battalion, 108th Trench Mortar Battery, etc, etc. A very jolly night was spent notwithstanding the fact that a very strenuous day has preceded it, including a Rugby match between 12th Rifles and 9th Battalion team in which 12th Rifles won by two goals to nil War Diaries  Continued forward moves  Move to Billets  106th Field Coy suffer sickness      In Action  Training & Sports  Brigade At Rest  Enemy Retiring  On Leave  Training  Shelling  Orders  Prisoners  Training suspended  Route March                    Orders Issued          Reliefs  Turkish Armistice.  New RAF Squadron formed  Battalion cleaning up and re-organising  Officers Joining Regt. :- in October 1918.  Training as per programme.  Training and Resting  The Battalion moved from Courtrai to Knokke area.  Company Training and Football.  Operational Orders  Operation Order No."X".  Companies on Tank Tactical Exercise Can you add to this factual information? Do you know the whereabouts of a unit on a particular day? Do you have a copy of an official war diary entry? Details of an an incident? The loss of a ship? A letter, postcard, photo or any other interesting snipts? If your information relates only to an individual, eg. enlistment, award of a medal or death, please use this form: Add a story.

Killed, Wounded, Missing, Prisoner and Patient Reports published this day. This section is under construction.

Want to know more about 1st of November 1918? There are:44 items tagged 1st of November 1918 available in our Library   These include information on officers, regimental histories, letters, diary entries, personal accounts and information about actions during the Great War.

Remembering those who died this day, 1st of November 1918. Petty Officer Stoker Henry William Aldridge. D S M HMS G7. Read their Story. Lieutenant Frank Hilton Allerton. H.M. Submarine G.7. Read their Story. Pte. John Crosby Angus. 6th Battalion West Yorkshire Regiment Read their Story. Pte. John Henry Bushen. 1st Battalion Hampshire Regiment Cpl. J. Caddle. Machine Gun Corps Read their Story. Gnr. Harry Cobb. 13th Ammunition Col. Royal Field Artillery Read their Story. Pte. John Davies. 1st Btn. South Wales Borderers Read their Story. Rfm. John Edmondson. 1st Battalion The Rifle Brigade. Read their Story. Rflmn. Herbert Charles Frost. 1st Btn. Rifle Brigade Read their Story. Capt. James Harte. MC. West Riding Regiment Read their Story. Pte. James Lindsay. 6th Btn. King's Own Scottish Borderers Read their Story. Rflmn. Charles Magill. 1st Btn. Rifle Brigade Pte. Albert Miller. 9th Btn. Northumberland Fusiliers Read their Story. Pte. James Murdoch. 2nd Btn. Royal Scots Fusiliers Pte. Charles Alister Nicholson. 2/7th Battalion Royal Warwickshire Regiment Read their Story. Rflm. Thomas Eldred Page. Rifle Brigade Read their Story. Cpl. John Reid. 12th (Ayr and Lanark Yeomanry) Btn. Royal Scots Fusiliers Gnr. Frederick William Woods Schofield. C Bty. 94th Brigade Royal Field Artillery 2nd Lt. Arthur Edgar Sissing. 66 Squadron Read their Story. Pte. George William Sweeting. 2/5th Btn. Gloucestershire Regiment Read their Story. Rfm. Thomas Taylor. 1st Btn. Rifle Brigade (Prince Consort's Own) Pte. Frederick Webb. 21st (Wool Textile Pioneers) Btn. West Yorkshire Regiment Read their Story. Pte. R. White. 26th Bn. Hyderabad Rifles Indian Defence Force Read their Story. CSM William James Whitton. MID 10th Btn. Royal Dublin Fusiliers Read their Story. Pte. Arthur Widdowson. 1st/6th Battalion Duke of Wellington (West Riding) Regiment Read their Story. Capt. Coventry William Woodhouse. MC Attn. East African Forces Special List Read their Story. Add a name to this list.

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