palicus Posted 19 January , 2009 Share Posted 19 January , 2009 Hi all, I now have digital copies of the War Diaries of the 8th, 9th, 10th & 15th Battalionns of the Royal Irish Rifles, 107th Brigade, 36th Ulster Division between 1st September 1916 and 31st August 1917 should anyone wish to see them or have a look up. regards, Al. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desmond7 Posted 19 January , 2009 Share Posted 19 January , 2009 COLGAN, Thomas (Snr.) 19418, Rifleman, 15th Royal Irish Rifles, DOW on October 22nd, 1916. Buried Bailleul Communal Cemetery Extension, France. Aged 40, husband of Catherine, Galgorm Street, Ballymena. Left eight children. Just on the slim chance - I know this was a time of sporadic casualties in the Division, could you have a little look in 15th Rifles war diary for the relevant period ... mid-October on ? Any idea how he received his wounds? Ballymena Observer October 27, 1916 - Mrs. Colgan, Galgorm Street, Ballymena, received a letter yesterday morning from the Rev. Anthony F. Fenn, Chaplain to the forces, informing her that her husband, Rfn. Thomas Colgan, Royal Irish Rifles (Ulster Division) had died of wounds in No.8 Casualty Clearing Station on 23rd October (date different from CWGC). The chaplain wrote:- "Dear Mrs. Colgan, I am writing to tell you sad news. Your dear husband came in last night very badly wounded in the abdomen and back. I saw him about 9pm when in bed. He was in great pain as I ministered to him in prayer and conversation and I left him, intending to see him again on my way home, but on going to him at 10.15om, he had passed away. "Rest had come to him. I asked him previously if he had any messages and he said 'I will tell you in the morning' so I said 'No, don‚t wait till the morning.' "He then said, 'Give my love to my dear wife and God bless all my dear children.' I shall lay him to rest in our English cemetery at Baillieul in the morning." Rfn. Colgan enlisted shortly after the outbreak of war, prior to which he was employed in the Braidwater Spinning Mill, Ballymena. He went to the front with the Ulster Division. His son, Pte Thomas Colgan, Seaforth Highlanders, died from wounds received in action in July 1916 shortly after being admitted to No.45 Clearing Station. These are indeed serious and regrettable times and much sympathy is felt with Mrs. Colgan and her eight children in their sad bereavement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tommy mcclimonds Posted 19 January , 2009 Share Posted 19 January , 2009 Hi Al I would be interested in having a look at the war diary for 10th Royal Irish Rifles between say 04/03/17 and 07/03/17 as one of the men I am researching, Rfm John Houston, 2015, was KIA on 05/03/1917. All I know from my research so far is that he was apparently killed by a sniper whilst on duty in the front line trench. I was wondering if the war diary could shed any more light on this incident, any help would be appreciated. I can PM you my e-mail address if required. Regards, Tommy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
palicus Posted 19 January , 2009 Author Share Posted 19 January , 2009 Hi Des & Tommy, The diary for the 15th is at best perfunctory and seems more concerned with the weather than pretty much anything else so carries very few details. Des, Can you pm me an email address if you'd like images. I don't think I can attach a file if I send mail via your profile. I think the only possibly relevant entries are: October 21st Very cold night. Quiet. Lovely day. Gunners came to locate place of entry for raid. One casualty. October 7th Wet. Very quiet day. Machine Guns very active night. One man wounded. Tommy, Can you pm me an email address and I'll send the single page that covers the 2nd to the 15th March. As you've specifically asked for a copy I won't add a precis of any entries. regards, Al. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desmond7 Posted 19 January , 2009 Share Posted 19 January , 2009 Al - thanks for that .. the joys of war diaries eh! From timescale, I would hazard a guess that Colgan was the 'wounded' on October 21 ... thanks again. No need for images. Des Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tommy mcclimonds Posted 19 January , 2009 Share Posted 19 January , 2009 Hi Al - welcome to the Forum by the way PM sent with my e-mail address, you efforts are much appreciated. Thanks, Tommy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ebrittain Posted 22 July , 2009 Share Posted 22 July , 2009 Hi Thanks for this offer. I am interested in any mention of 2nd Lieutenant Albert Edward Todd of the 8th Battalion Royal Irish Rifles. He landed in France in May 1917. He was nineteen and first saw action at Messines Ridge, 7th June 1917, where he won the Military Cross. At some stage, I don't know when during 1917 -1918 he was captured and spent the rest of the war in Freiberg Germany as a prisoner. Many Thanks for your help. Eddie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glennr Posted 13 August , 2009 Share Posted 13 August , 2009 Hi all, I now have digital copies of the War Diaries of the 8th, 9th, 10th & 15th Battalionns of the Royal Irish Rifles, 107th Brigade, 36th Ulster Division between 1st September 1916 and 31st August 1917 should anyone wish to see them or have a look up. regards, Al. Hi Al, I most interested in finding out the commanding officers of each of these battalions (and their various companies if possible) at the time of the Messines-Wytschaete offensive in June 1917... 107th BRIGADE: Brigadier-General William Maunder Withycombe 8th (East Belfast Volunteers) Royal Irish Rifles 9th (West Belfast Volunteers) Royal Irish Rifles 10th (South Belfast Volunteers) Royal Irish Rifles 15th (North Belfast Volunteers) Royal Irish Rifles thanks and kind regards Glennr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GlenBanna Posted 14 August , 2009 Share Posted 14 August , 2009 Would anyone have the war diaries covering the 21st, 22nd March 1918 for the 12th RIR. A number of men were taken prisoner. Thanks Glen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
palicus Posted 9 September , 2009 Author Share Posted 9 September , 2009 Hi Al, I most interested in finding out the commanding officers of each of these battalions (and their various companies if possible) at the time of the Messines-Wytschaete offensive in June 1917... 107th BRIGADE: Brigadier-General William Maunder Withycombe 8th (East Belfast Volunteers) Royal Irish Rifles 9th (West Belfast Volunteers) Royal Irish Rifles 10th (South Belfast Volunteers) Royal Irish Rifles 15th (North Belfast Volunteers) Royal Irish Rifles thanks and kind regards Glennr Hi Glennr Sorry for the delay in replying - I didn't have this post set to email me for a reply as I expected people to pm forlook ups. Nevertheless, I've had a quick glance at the diaries this evening and I'm fairly confident in reporting the names of the Bn commanders. The other company commanders may take some time to read through - but I'll have a go in due course... 107th Bde - Brig Gen W M Withycombe CMG 8th RIR - Lt Col C G Cole Hamilton DSO 9th RIR - Lt Col P Woods DSO A Coy - 2Lt J W Milligan B Coy - Capt Harding MC C Coy - Lt R P MacGregor MC D Coy - Cap R C R Kane MC 10th RIR - Lt Col N G Burnand A Coy - Lt J A Coey B Coy - a/Capt J H Stewart C Coy - Lt L A H Hacket D Coy - Lt R M Laurin 15th RIR - Lt Col F L Gordon DSO If you PM me your email address I'll gladly send images over as JPEGs alternatively send a real address and I'll burn the whole lot onto CD's for you. regards, Palicus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
palicus Posted 9 September , 2009 Author Share Posted 9 September , 2009 Hi Thanks for this offer. I am interested in any mention of 2nd Lieutenant Albert Edward Todd of the 8th Battalion Royal Irish Rifles. He landed in France in May 1917. He was nineteen and first saw action at Messines Ridge, 7th June 1917, where he won the Military Cross. At some stage, I don't know when during 1917 -1918 he was captured and spent the rest of the war in Freiberg Germany as a prisoner. Many Thanks for your help. Eddie Hi Eddie, sorry for the delay - see the above post in reply to Glennr The only mention of Lt Todd I can find so far, in the parts of the diary that I have, is for 10th July 1917 when it states: The following Awards were received: (inter alia) 2nd Lt A E Todd - MC If you pm me your email address I will gladly send that image across as a JPEG and/or include the relevant sections for the Messines action if you'd like them. regards, Al. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest deniece Posted 14 April , 2014 Share Posted 14 April , 2014 I am trying to learn more about my great grandfather Gilbert Gorman who DOW on August 22 1916. He was with the 16th Battalion RIR and is buried in the Boulogne Eastern Cemetary. I am going over in October/Nov. to pay my respects and wanted to know him a little better. Does anyone have any War Diary for this Battalion or one that makes reference to at at that point in time? Any help is appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robertbarrie96 Posted 23 February , 2017 Share Posted 23 February , 2017 (edited) Hi all, Does anyone have War Diary info for the 8th Battalion during October 1917 ? The only version I have goes up to September, but I'm pretty sure my great grandather won his MC in October so I'd love to see the offensive/operation he gained it in. Also, I have a picture of my great granfather in uniform but was wondering if theres a photo of the 8th Battalion together, that would be wonderful. Many thanks in advance Rob Edited 23 February , 2017 by robertbarrie96 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David McDowell Posted 12 March , 2017 Share Posted 12 March , 2017 My great-grandfather, Sgt. George Fleming, was in 15th RIR and survived the war. I attach a battalion and platoon photo taken after the armistice in Mouscron. If it isn't too much bother I'd love to know if there are any mentions of him in the war diary, though I realise only officers tend to be named. Thanks very much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robertbarrie96 Posted 2 April , 2017 Share Posted 2 April , 2017 (edited) On 12. 3. 2017 at 14:28, David McDowell said: My great-grandfather, Sgt. George Fleming, was in 15th RIR and survived the war. I attach a battalion and platoon photo taken after the armistice in Mouscron. If it isn't too much bother I'd love to know if there are any mentions of him in the war diary, though I realise only officers tend to be named. Thanks very much. My great-granfather served in the 8th as an officer (and coincedentally in the 15th for a short time) so while I don't have the war diary for the 15th, you can buy it for only a few pounds from the national archives. http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C7354027 Or if you contact the guy that started this thread I think he has them already, and will send them to you for free. On another note, may I ask where you got your photos from? I have a photo of my great-grandfather but I would love a photo of the 8th Battalion's officers together and have been searching for months without any success. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Edited 2 April , 2017 by robertbarrie96 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joysmith7mr Posted 19 December , 2017 Share Posted 19 December , 2017 Hi there I'd be interested in knowing if the war diary of the 10th Battalion Royal Irish Rifles indicates why 15622 Corporal Edmund (sometimes referred to as Edward) Samuel Moore was awarded the Military Medal, reported in the London Gazette on 13 March 1918. He had two wound stripes - his record says that he was wounded in the face on 1 July 1916 (reported in The Times on 10 August 1916) and was then back in France from 12 Jan 1917 to 5 Jan 1918, and sustained a gun shot would to his left thigh which resulted in amputation of his leg, but we don't know if the latter wound is connected to the award of his MM. On 29 Nov 1917 a message was sent to his wife saying that he was dangerously ill in 1 South African General Hospital, Abbeville and regretted that permission to visit could not be granted. We don't know why he was dangerously ill. He is then on the daily wounded list of 4 January 1918, which we think was the GSW to the left thigh which resulted in amputation. He was discharged as no longer physically fit for war service on 5 February 1919. Any information would be very gratefully received! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted 28 October , 2018 Share Posted 28 October , 2018 On 14/08/2009 at 08:17, GlenBanna said: Would anyone have the war diaries covering the 21st, 22nd March 1918 for the 12th RIR. A number of men were taken prisoner. Thanks Glen I have the war diaries of the 15th. Unfortunately, those particular days are missing- it was the period of the battle of st Quentin. There is a brief entry for the 21st just virtually saying most of the battalion wiped out. My grandfather was taken prisoner here and I have tracked records of his journey as a POW. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David McDowell Posted 5 November , 2018 Share Posted 5 November , 2018 Robertbarrie, enormous apologies for the very slow reply to your question about the photos. They are my family's- I'm afraid I don't have any other battalions. David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted 6 November , 2018 Share Posted 6 November , 2018 I work for a museum and a lady has donated a photograph of her grandfather I have been researching him and discovered him in the photograph of the 15th RIR in Mouscron. would it possible for me to get a copy of the 15th and the 8th platoon. The grandfathers name was Sgt William Graham 2nd left back row. Trevor Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clk Posted 4 July , 2019 Share Posted 4 July , 2019 Hi Stephen, Welcome to the forum. 14 hours ago, stephen moore said: ...his name is Jack McCullough , service number 1108 , regiment Royal Irish Rifles Would 'Jack' be a family name for 'John'? Image sourced from Ancestry.co.uk Regards Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stephen moore Posted 4 July , 2019 Share Posted 4 July , 2019 Thank you so much , that is very helpful. Indeed his name was formally John he but was always referred to as Jack. It’s amazing to see this record , thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clk Posted 4 July , 2019 Share Posted 4 July , 2019 Hi Stephen, Whilst his service file no longer seems to exist, presuming we've got the right man... The '18/' prefix to his service number implies that he was originally with the 18th (Reserve) Battalion - see here. The number would appear to date from mid/late November 1915 18/1100 Baillie - attested 22.11.1915 18/1103 Johnston - attested 23.11.1915 18/1105 Brown - attested 23.11.1915 18/1107 Whan - attested 25.11.1915 18/1108 18/1112 Ross - attested 22.11.1915 18/1114 Geddis - attested 24.11.1915 18/1116 Sloan - attested 22.11.1915 18/1118 Harper - attested 25.11.1915 The medal roll record indicates that he served overseas in France/Flanders with the 10th Battalion. It seems likely that he was then medically downgraded (possibly due to sickness or wounds) and later served 'at home' with the Royal Defence Corps as number 87168. 87163 Edge - transferred to RDC 14.9.1918 87167 Gilmor - transferred to RDC 15.9.1918 87168 87178 Lancaster - transferred to RDC 24.9.1918 The war diary for the 10th Battalion is here at the National Archives, and here on Ancestry. Regards Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stephen moore Posted 4 July , 2019 Share Posted 4 July , 2019 Thank you so much. You have given me invaluable information and I can continue my research. I appreciate your generous assistance. And of course your research and interest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clk Posted 4 July , 2019 Share Posted 4 July , 2019 No problem at all Stephen. I did wonder where you got his wounding dates from though. Regards Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stephen moore Posted 4 July , 2019 Share Posted 4 July , 2019 Good evening Chris . I discovered this information from the records held by Forces War Records. I subscribed to there site. They were able to provide good basic information re his service eg his service number but significant gaps continue such as date of enlistment , his service record including locations , injuries, discharge etc. All very intriguing. I am very grateful for the additional information others are able to share. ‘All the very best. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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