THE IRISH AT THE FRONT MICHAEL MacDONAGH INTRODUCTION BY ~MOND. MP THE IRISH AT THE FRONT THE IRISH AT THE FRONT By MICHAEL IVUcDONAGH Author of " Irish Life and Character" WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY JOHN REDMOND, M.P. HODDER AND STOUGHTON LONDON NEW YORK TORONTO 1916 PREFATORY NOTE THIS narrative of the more signal feats of the Irish Regiments in France, Flanders, and at the Dar danelles, is based on letters of regimental officers and men, interviews with wounded soldiers of the battalions, and those invalided home, and, also, in several cases, on the records compiled at the depots. The war is the greatest armed struggle that the world has ever seen, and when we think of the heroism and resolution shown in it, the trials and the suffer ings, the victories and the disasters, and then turn to the bald and trite official despatches, the dissimili tude of things, the contrast, is most abrupt and jarring. But so it is, and probably we must continue to rely upon the accounts given by the men in the fighting line for any real appreciation of the nature of the war. MICHAEL MAcDONAGH. CONTENTS PAGE PREFATORY NOTE v A DAUNTLESS BATTLE LINE ix The Irish Regiments and their War Honours INTRODUCTION BY MR. JOHN REDMOND, M.P i Ireland s Part in the War CHAP. I. THE RETREAT FROM MONS , 15 How the Munsters Saved the Guns and got Ringed Round with Fire II. BATTLE OF THE RIVERS 29 Rally of the Irish Guards to the Green Flag at the Marne HI. CONTEST FOR THE CHANNEL COAST 38 Impetuous Dash of the Leinsters and Royal Irish, and Grim Tenacity of Irish Guards and Rifles IV. ASPHYXIATING GAS AND LIQUID FIRE 47 Charge of the Liverpool Irish at Festubert; a Night Surprise by the Inniskillings V. THE IMMORTAL STORY 58 Landing of the Dublins and Munsters at the Dardanelles VI. THE IOTH IRISH DIVISION IN GALLIPOLI . -73 Landing at Suvla Bay and Capture of Chocolate Hill viii CONTENTS CHAP. PAGF VII. IN THE REST CAMP 84 How the Leinsters Caught a Glimpse nf the Narrows VIII. FIGHT FOR KISLAH DAGH ... gi Gallant Stand and Fall of the ;th Dublins IX. FOR CROSS AND CROWN 103 Death in Action of Father Finn, of the Dublins, and Father Gwynn, of the Irish Guards X. THE GREAT PUSH AT Loos 119 Historical Football Charge of the London Irish, with the German Trenches as Goal XI. THE VICTORIA CROSS 128 A Noble Band of Irish Heroes, Officers and Men " XII. FOR VALOUR" 145 Stories of other V.C. s, including Michael O Loary, who LT pheld Ireland s Tradition of Gallantry A DAUNTLESS BATTLE LINE THE IRISH REGIMENTS AND THEIR WAR HONOURS IRELAND is represented in the fighting forces of the Empire by a regiment of Foot Guards, eight regiments of the Line, each of two Regular battalions, and with several linked battalions of the Special Reserve, or old " Militia, and many Service battalions raised for Kit chener s Army." Altogether, these various battalions of the Irish regiments number fifty-four. There are two Dragoon regiments and one regiment each of Hussars and Lancers. The Volunteer or Territorial system has not been extended to Ireland. Still, the country is not without representation in the Auxiliary Forces. She has raised two Yeomanry regiments, the South Irish Horse, and the North Irish Horse, and in England there are two predominantly Irish Territorial battalions, the London Irish Rifles (i8th Battalion of the London Regiment) and the Liverpool Irish (8th Battalion of the King s Liverpool " " Regiment), both of which have South Africa, 1900-02 as a battle honour. There are also tens of thousands of Irishmen in the English, Scottish, and Welsh regiments, the Artillery, the Engineers, the Army Medical Corps, as well as in the Royal Navy. The following are the Irish Infantry and Cavalry regi ments, with their badges and battle honours : IRISH GUARDS. In acknowledgment and commemoration of the brave and honourable part taken by the Irish troops in the Boer x THE IRISH AT THE FRONT War an Irish regiment of Foot Guards was added to the Brigade of Guards in 1900 by command of Queen Vic toria. Unlike the Scots Guards, which are largely Eng lish, the Irish Guards are almost exclusively Irish. Badges : the Cross of the Order of St. Patrick and the Shamrock. Recruiting area : all Ireland. ROYAL IRISH REGIMENT. The Harp of Ireland, with the motto Virtutis Naniur- iensis Prcemium Reward of at Namur ("The Bravery "), surmounted by a Crown and enwreathed with Shamrocks. Recruiting area : the Munster Counties of Tipperary and Waterford, and the Leinster Counties of Kilkenny and Wexford. Depot, Clonmel. The Sphinx, superscribed "Egypt." The Dragon, super " " " " " " scribed China." Namur, 1695 ; Blenheim ; Ramillies," " " "Oudenarde"; Malplaquet ; "Pegu"; "Sevastopol"; " New Zealand " Tel-el-Kebir " "; "Afghanistan, 1879-80"; ; " "Egypt, 1882"; "Nile, 1884-85"; South Africa, 1900-02." ROYAL INNISKILLING FUSILIERS. A grenade with the Castle of Inniskilling flying the flag of St. George inscribed on the ball. Motto : Nee aspera terrent harshest trials do not ("The affright us"). Re cruiting area : the Ulster Counties of Donegal, Derry, Tyrone, and Fermanagh. Depot : Omagh town. The Sphinx, superscribed "Egypt." "Martinique, 1762" " " "St. Havannah ; Lucia, 1778, 1796"; "Maida" "Badajoz"; "Salamanca"; "Vittoria"; "Pyrenees" " " "Nivelle"; Orthes ; "Toulouse"; "Peninsula" "Waterloo"; "South Africa, 1835, 1846-7"; "Central " "Relief of "South India"; Ladysmith ; Africa, 1899-1902." ROYAL IRISH RIFLES. The Harp and Crown, with the motto Quis Separabit? shall divide on a scroll ("Who us?") beneath, and a bugle with strings, the symbol of a rifle regiment. Recruiting A DAUNTLESS BATTLE LINE xi area : the Ulster Counties of Antrim and Down, including the City of Belfast. Dep6t : Belfast. of The Sphinx, superscribed "Egypt." "India"; "Cape Good Hope, 1806"; "Talavera"; "Bourbon"; "Busaco"; " " " "Sala Fuentes d Onor ; Ciudad Rodrigo "; "Badajoz"; " " manca"; "Vittoria"; "Nivelle"; Orthes ; "Toulouse"; " "Central India South "Peninsula"; "; Africa, 1899-1902." ROYAL IRISH FUSILIERS. A grenade with a French Imperial eagle and a wreath of laurel on the ball, surmounted by the Gaelic motto, Clear the the whole set Faugh-a-Ballagh (" Way "), being in a wreath of Shamrocks and surmounted by the Plume of the Prince of Wales. Recruiting area : the Ulster Counties of Armagh, Monaghan, and Cavan, and the Leinster County of Louth. Dep6t : Armagh town. "Monte The Sphinx, superscribed "Egypt." Video"; " " "Talavera"; Barrosa ; "Java"; "Tarifa"; "Vittoria"; "Penin "Nivelle"; "Niagara"; "Orthes"; "Toulouse"; "Tel-el-Kebir sula"; "Asia"; "Sevastopol"; "; "Egypt, 1882, 1884"; "Relief of Ladysmith"; "South Africa, 1899- 1902." CONNAUGHT RANGERS. The Harp and Crown, with the motto, Quis Separabit? Recruiting area : all the Counties of Connaught Galway, Roscommon, Mayo, Sligo, and Leitrim. Dep6t ; Galway. The The Elephant. Sphinx, superscribed "Egypt." " " " Talavera " " " " Seringapatam ; ; Busaco ; Fuentes " d "Ciudad Onor"; Rodrigo ; "Badajoz"; "Salamanca"; " " " " * " " " " Vittoria Nivelle Orthes " ; Pyrenees ; ; ; Toulouse ; "Peninsula"; "Alma"; "Inkerman"; "Sevastopol"; "Cen tral India"; "South Africa, 1877-8-9"; "Relief of Lady- smith"; "South Africa, 1899-1902." LEINSTER REGIMENT. The Plume of the Prince of Wales, encircled by a wreath of maple leaves, and surmounted by a Crosvn. xii THE IRISH AT THE FRONT of Recruiting area : the Leinster Counties Longford, Meath, Westmeath, King s County, and Queen s County. Dep6t : Birr. "Central "South "Niagara"; India"; Africa, 1900-02." ROYAL MUNSTER FUSILIERS. The Shamrock and a grenade with the Royal Tiger on the ball. Recruiting area : the Munster Counties of Cork, Kerry, Limerick, and Clare. Dep6t : Tralee. " " " " " Budara "Plassey"; Condore ; Masulipatam ; " " " " Carnatic Buxar"; Rohilcund, 1774"; Sholinghur ; " " " Rohilcund, 1794"; Guzerat ; "Drig"; Bhurtpore " Ferozeshah Ghunzee, 1839"; "Afghanistan, 1839"; " " " Sobraon"; Chillianwallah ; "Goojerat"; Punjaub Pegu"; "Delhi, 1857"; "Lucknow"; "Burma, 1885-87 ; South Africa, 1899-1902." ROYAL DUBLIN FUSILIERS. with the A grenade motto, Spectamur Agenda ("We are known our deeds surmounted a Crown also the by "), by ; Arms of the City of Dublin set in a wreath of Shamrocks. Recruiting area : the Leinster Counties of Dublin, Kildare, VVicklow, and Carlow. Depot : Naas. " " " Buxar." The Royal Tiger, superscribed Plassey ; The " Elephant, superscribed "Carnatic"; "Mysore." Arcot " " " " " " " Condore ; Wandiwash ; Pondicherry ; Guzerat " " " " " "Ternate" Sholinghur ; Nundy Droog"; Amboyna ; " Banda " " " " Kirkee " ; Seringapatam ; ; "Maheidpoor" " "Beni Boo Alii"; "Asia"; "Aden"; Mooltan "Goojerat"; "Punjaub"; "Pegu"; "Lucknow"; "Relief " of "South Ladysmith ; Africa, 1899-1902." 4TH (ROYAL IRISH) DRAGOON GUARDS.