The Somme

04-Nov-2008

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The Irish at the Somme

France 1914 - 1918

69947 Irish - Killed - Wounded - Missing

The Ulster Tower   The Irish Peace Park
     

The 16th Division

National Volunteers

The 16th Division was part of a new army raised in 1914.  The driving force behind the volunteers was Mr John Redmond an advocate for Home Rule for  Ireland.  Home Rule was postponed at the outbreak of World War One.  Redmond saw Germany's military expansion as a threat to the freedom of Europe and he believed that having achieved future self-government "to the best of her ability to go where ever the firing line extends, in defence of right, of freedom and of religion in this war. It would be a disgrace forever to our country otherwise".

The 36th Division

The Ulster Division

The 36th Division a Division of Lord Kitcheners Army of 1914.  It was made up of members of the Ulster Volunteer Force.  13 Battalions were formed for three existing Regiments these were The Royal Irish Fusiliers, Royal Irish Rifles (cap badge above top left), and the The Royal Innisikilling Fusiliers.  The 36th was one of the only Divisions to achieve its objective on the first day of the Battle of the Somme but the cost was very high with 5,500 men killed wounded or missing.

     
The 10th Division

The 10th Division was made up of men from the National Volunteers (John Redmond's Army) and men from the Carson's Ulster Volunteers.  The 10th brought together Irishmen from all classes and religions.  The 10th Division was a combination of a number of Irish Regiments such as, The Inniskilling Fusiliers, The Connaght Rangers,  Munster Fusiliers and the Leinster regiments.  The 10th Division saw its first action at Gallipoli.  Some 2000 men lost their lives between spring and summer of 1915 at the Dardanelles where most of the lives were lost on the beach at Suvla.  It was not only the enemy the then Turkish Army the 10th had to fight but they also had to cope with the intense heat, poor medical treatment and poor military strategy.

     
     

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This site was last updated 11/04/08