Brotherhood of the Cauldron. Irishmen in the 1st Airborne Division from North Africa to Arnhem

Truesdale, David

Redcoat Publishing

Aspects of Arnhem: The Battle Re-examined

History

Doherty, Richard

Europe

Pen and Sword Military

Review\n“It is a work standing head and shoulders above many lesser books which have undeservedly reaped sales benefits during the last three plus years of the Great War publishing fest.” 
Stand To! The Journal of the Western Front Association\n“ … this is a detailed narrative which makes best use of certain underexploited resources to bring the human story of the division vividly to life.” 
Society of Friends of the National Army Museum\nDespite what has been written in many books and magazine articles, the Ulster Division was not formed overnight by an en bloc enlistment from the Ulster Volunteer Force and Young Citizen Volunteers, nor were the YCV the youth wing of the UVF, as some believe. Despite the surge of patriotic enlistments on the outbreak of war, by December 1914 there was still a shortfall of 1,697 men, the majority of these shortages being in the divisional troops, not the infantry brigades. It was proving difficult to fill the ranks of the Royal Army Medical Corps, Army Service Corps, Cyclist Company and Royal Engineers, in fact any unit that required a degree of mechanical skill, however small. Despite these initial difficulties the Division sailed for France in October 1915 and by the following June had gained ample experience in trench life. However it was 1 July 1916, that would change the Division from naive volunteers into battle hardened warriors and ensure their undying fame. This study follows the division from its creation through to disbandment, drawing extensively on unpublished materials, official documents and newspapers. In doing so it provides an up-to-date picture of this famous and important formation.

Ulster Will Fight: Volume 2 - The 36th (Ulster) Division in Training and at War 1914-1918

Helion and Company

The two Royal Ulster Rifles battalions were fierce rivals but both had cause to be proud of themselves and the other. The 1st Battalion was in India at the outbreak of war whereas the 2nd Battalion distinguished itself before and during the Dunkirk evacuation. (Montgomery is credited with saying ‘it’s alright then – the Rifles are there’.) After arduous training, both battalions landed in Normandy on D Day: the 1st by gliders as part of 6th Airlanding Brigade and the 2nd with 9th Brigade, 3rd Division on Sword Beach. They were only the only British regiment to be represented on D Day by both regular battalions. The authoritative work goes on to describe the long slog to Germany including winter action during the surprise German Bulge counter-offensive and the massive Rhine crossing operation (VARSITY). As numerous RUR members were in 9th Parachute Battalion, there is a full description of the legendary seizing of the mighty Merville Battery.

The Rifles Are There: 1st and 2nd Battalions, The Royal Ulster Rifles in the Second World War

Orr, David

Military

Irish Winners of the Victoria Cross

Four Courts Pr Ltd

Since the publication of The Rifles Are There in 2005, which dealt with the 1st and 2nd Battalions Royal Ulster Rifles in the Second World War, it was felt by many that a follow up volume dealing with the Korean conflict was overdue. A limited yet competent history had been produced in 1953 by the then Adjutant Captain Hugh Hamill, although this has been long out of print. A New Battlefield follows the Battalion as it prepares for the first major conflict fought by Britain since the defeat of the Japanese in 1945. During the summer of 1950 the Battalion was stationed at Sobraon Barracks in Colchester and was in the process of being issued with desert kit for a tour of duty at Khartoum in the Sudan and its numbers were just under four hundred men. For service in Korea these numbers had to be drastically increased and drafts of volunteers and reservists were brought in from various sources. Consequently this 'Irish' Battalion contained men from the Lancastrian Brigade, Welsh Brigade, Mercian Brigade, the Light Infantry and other Battalions of the Irish Brigade, The Irish Brigade also reinforced other regiments, the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers sending two officers and fifty 'other ranks' to the King's (Liverpool) Regiment. Despite their varied backgrounds all ranks soon coalesced into a professional unit that took the campaign in its stride. From winter temperatures that dropped well below 40f to a summer heat that rose to 105f with a humidity to match these men survived all and dealt with a brave and tenacious enemy. The Battalion sailed for Korea in October 1950 and fought its first major action in January 1951 at Chaegunghyon, or as it was known to the Rifles, 'Happy Valley'. Here, for the first time they faced an enemy that often literally fought to the death, despite overwhelming firepower, bombing and widespread use of napalm. Three months later, on the banks of the Imjin River, the Rifles, in conjunction with the remainder of 29 Brigade, faced an army that came in such numbers that running out of ammunition before the enemy ran out of men became a reality. While the Battle of the Imjin is today largely remembered for the last stand fought by the 'Glorious Glosters', research revels that it was the Royal Ulster Rifles that held open the door that allowed the survivors of 29 Brigade to escape annihilation. The media reacts with horror at the loss of life in Afghanistan when it is in single figures, yet during the fighting at 'Happy Valley' the Battalion lost 157 men in one twenty four period. In the 1950's with limited television and press coverage Korea was quite literally on the far side of the world and generated little interest with the population; it remains so to this day. With the current situation in that country its past deserves to be reexamined and reassessed. Besides numerous photographs there are also appendices including Honors and Awards, Operation 'Spitfire', an Order of Battle for 29 Brigade, and a Nominal Roll, which includes casualties. A New Battlefield will be produced in a strictly limited hardback printing of 500 numbered copies, each copy signed by both authors.

A New Battlefield: The Royal Ulster Rifles in Korea 1950-51

Asia

Since the publication of The Rifles Are There in 2005, which dealt with the 1st and 2nd Battalions Royal Ulster Rifles in the Second World War, it was felt by many that a follow up volume dealing with the Korean conflict was overdue. A limited yet competent history had been produced in 1953 by the then Adjutant Captain Hugh Hamill, although this has been long out of print. A New Battlefield follows the Battalion as it prepares for the first major conflict fought by Britain since the defeat of the Japanese in 1945. During the summer of 1950, the Battalion was stationed at Sobraon Barracks in Colchester and was in the process of being issued with desert kit for a tour of duty at Khartoum in the Sudan and its numbers were just under four hundred men. For service in Korea, these numbers had to be drastically increased and drafts of volunteers and reservists were brought in from various sources. Consequently this 'Irish' Battalion contained men from the Lancastrian Brigade, Welsh Brigade, Mercian Brigade, the Light Infantry and other Battalions of the Irish Brigade, The Irish Brigade also reinforced other regiments, the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers sending two officers and fifty 'other ranks' to the King's (Liverpool) Regiment. Despite their varied backgrounds, all ranks soon coalesced into a professional unit that took the campaign in its stride. From winter temperatures that dropped well below 40f to a summer heat that rose to 105f with a humidity to match these men survived all and dealt with a brave and tenacious enemy. The Battalion sailed for Korea in October 1950 and fought its first major action in January 1951 at Chaegunghyon, or as it was known to the Rifles, 'Happy Valley'. Here, for the first time they faced an enemy that often literally fought to the death, despite overwhelming firepower, bombing and widespread use of napalm. Three months later, on the banks of the Imjin River, the Rifles, in conjunction with the remainder of 29 Brigade, faced an army that came in such numbers that running out of ammunition before the enemy ran out of men became a reality. While the Battle of the Imjin is today largely remembered for the last stand fought by the 'Glorious Glosters', research reveals that it was the Royal Ulster Rifles that held open the door that allowed the survivors of 29 Brigade to escape annihilation. The media reacts with horror at the loss of life in Afghanistan when it is in single figures, yet during the fighting at 'Happy Valley' the Battalion lost 157 men in one twenty four period. In the 1950's with limited television and press coverage Korea was quite literally on the far side of the world and generated little interest with the population; it remains so to this day. With the current situation in that country its past deserves to be re-examined and reassessed. Besides numerous photographs there are also appendices including Honors and Awards, Operation 'Spitfire', an Order of Battle for 29 Brigade, and a Nominal Roll, which includes casualties.

A New Battlefield: The Royal Ulster Rifles in Korea, 1950-51

The tradition of Irish soldiers in the British Army can be traced back many hundreds of years. Henry V at Agincourt faced a superior French army with his small band of brothers that included in their ranks a unit of Irish . This force of light cavalry, some 1,500 strong, had left the port of Cork under the command of Thomas Butler, Prior of Kilmainham, and served with the King throughout his campaign in France. By the time of Agincourt the numbers remaining would have been much less, but contributed to an Irish presence nonetheless. The inclusion of Irish soldiers in the Army continued unabated into reign of Queen Victoria and the General Army Return of 1880 notes the following breakdown of soldiers by place of birth: English 69.7%, Scottish 8%, Irish 20.9% and 'others' as 1.3%. The Welsh would appear to be included in the English total. Again this is by place of birth and does not include men born outside Ireland or on foreign stations of Irish parents, nor can it include those who for various reasons lied about their place of birth, a not infrequent occurrence. This book tells the story of some of the Irish men who served as soldiers in Queen Victoria's Army, before, during and after the Zulu War of 1879. Men who fought not necessarily for a queen or a country, but most often for their regiment; a regiment that had seen numerous fellow Irishmen and often preceding family members serve in its ranks. This book is not about the Zulu War of 1879 per se, enough has already been written on that account. It is the story of some of those Irishmen who volunteered for service in Queen Victoria's Army and found themselves involved in not only the greatest defeat of the British soldier at the hands of a native enemy, but some remarkable victories. In his book ‘The Road To Kabul, The Second Afghan War, 1878-1881’, Brian Robson writes, “Above all, it seemed curious to me that, while there are books in profusion on such relatively unimportant campaigns as the Zulu War, there is very little indeed on the very much more important subject of the Second Afghan War”. In this he is correct, on the world stage the Zulu War contributed little if anything. However, for those who were there, careers were made and ruined, heroes were found and cowards unearthed.

Victoria’s Harvest: The Irish Soldier in the Zulu War of 1879

YOUNG, John

Africa

Despite what has been written in many books and magazine articles, the Ulster Division was not formed overnight by an en bloc enlistment from the Ulster Volunteer Force and Young Citizen Volunteers, nor were the YCV the youth wing of the UVF, as some believe.  Despite the surge of patriotic enlistments on the outbreak of war, by December 1914 there was still a shortfall of 1,697 men, the majority of these shortages being in the divisional troops, not the infantry brigades.  It was proving difficult to fill the ranks of the Royal Army Medical Corps, Army Service Corps, Cyclist Company and Royal Engineers, in fact any unit that required a degree of mechanical skill, however small. Despite these initial difficulties the Division sailed for France in October 1915 and by the following June had gained ample experience in trench life. However it was 1 July 1916, that would change the Division from naive volunteers into battle hardened warriors and ensure their undying fame. This study follows the division from its creation through to disbandment, drawing extensively on unpublished materials, official documents and newspapers.  In doing so it provides an up-to-date picture of this famous and important formation.

Ulster Will Fight: Volume 2 - The 36th (Ulster) Division in training and at war 1914-1918

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