Remembering today .. 2nd April.

[ulsterlad2]

Remembering my great-grand-uncle Joe and his comrades who died today in 1916.

Joe, who had been a soldier and served in the Boer War, rejoined the army when the war broke out. He arrived in theatre on 8th November 1914 , a private in the 2nd Battalion Royal Irish Rifles.

At some stage he was transferred to the 7th Battalion. He was killed in action 2nd April 1916 while in the trenches somewhere in the area of (I think) Haisnes / Hulluch villages and is buried in Bois Carre, Haisnes cemetery.

5347 Rifleman Joe Lindsay. KIA 7th Bn. R.I.Rifs.

9173 Sergeant James Cowan. KIA 7th Bn.

7000 Rifleman John Lynch. DOW 7th Bn.

7879 Corpoal John Meehan. KIA 7th Bn.

Remembered with honour.

(Many thanks to markinbelfast for the newspaper report)

[CT-Guards]

Raising a glass.

Rest in peace.

[andalucia]

We Will Remember

Ant

[Desmond7]

The following from Falls. Sadly, no mention of April 2 .. but thought you might like this (if you don't already have it!).

Des

The 7th Battalion, as has been stated, was already in France at the beginning of 1916, but its active service does not really start till then. Its first casualty, in fact, occurred on New Year's Day, when its transport officer. Lieutenant J. P. Farrelly, was wounded near Hulluch. Throughout January it carried out steady training. On the 20th it lined the road in honour of a visit from General Joffre. On the 28th, when it was at Hesdingeuil, near Béthune, Major S. G. Francis, D.S.O., West Yorkshire Regiment, took command in succession to Lieut.-Colonel Hartley. He remained with the Battalion throughout its career, till it was disbanded two years later, when his fine service was rewarded with the command of a brigade.

On February 18th the Battalion moved to Sailly Labourse, being now attached to the 12th Division, and next day its companies began entering the trenches, each being attached to a battalion of the 36th Brigade. On the 25th it took over for the first time a sector of its own, not far from the Hohenzollern Redoubt, and that night got its two first prisoners, a couple of Bavarians who surrendered to a patrol. After this first taste of the trenches it moved back to billets at Ham-en-Artois, returning to the line after a month's further training, especially in bombing, in front' of Hulluch. The very night, March 26th, on which it entered the trenches, the enemy blew two mines, accompanied by a heavy bombardment. Our Lewis-gun fire prevented him from occupying the craters, the near lips of which were eventually occupied and consolidated by our bombers, The Battalion came very lightly out of this affair, with no more than four casualties.

The Battalion was not in the trenches when there occurred one of the most serious gas attacks made by the enemy since the Second Battle of Ypres. The gas was released upon a wide frontage, on the front of the 8th Dublins and the right of the 49th Brigade, at 4.30 a.m. on April 27th. The "sack" gas helmets of those days were very inferior to the type evolved later, and casualties were numerous. It was, however, the tremendous bombardment, which knocked to pieces our front trench upon a front of upwards of half a mile, that caused most loss. An hour after the release of the gas the Germans entered the line at several points, but were ejected after heavy fighting, in which the 7th Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, of the 49th Brigade, particularly distinguished itself. The 7th Royal Irish Rifles sent up one company to the 8th Dublins in front line, and another to the 9th Dublins in support, with fifty bombers. The losses in the 48th Brigade were about two hundred, but heavier in the 49th.

Two days later the performance was repeated. This time there was no infantry attack upon the Brigade's front, and those upon that of the 49th Brigade never reached our trenches, The losses in the 48th Brigade were huge for an affair of trench warfare - 100 killed and 180 wounded or gassed. It is doubtful, however, if the Germans got any profit out of this later venture. In 'the first place, some of the gas blew back over their lines, and their ambulances were afterwards seen to be hard at work. In the second, large bodies were caught by machine-gun fire and the barrage of the artillery covering the 49th Brigade and dispersed with loss. Second-Lieutenant Whitford was killed on this occasion.

There is little to record of the next two months, which were passed in the same area, except that the difficulty of obtaining recruits for battalions of the 16th Division began to make itself felt within six months of its arrival in France. At the end of May the 9th Munster Fusiliers was disbanded to provide drafts for other battalions, and replaced by the 1st Battalion. There were very few casualties, the only loss in officers being 2nd-Lieutenants P. Holden and F. S. M'Carthy [McCarthy] wounded. The Division remained in this region after the opening of the Somme battle, in the early stages of which it was not engaged.

[AlanCurragh]

I'm sure you know about this, but anyway - from the Friends School Lisburn memorial project:

http://www.friendsschoollisburn.org.uk/ww1...asp?pagehead=db

Alan

=

LINDSAY, Rifleman Joseph. Born in Mullaglass Co. Down, he worked in Glenmore Bleach works before the war, enlisted at Lisburn and served in 7 RIR (5347). KIA in France on the 2.4.16, he is buried in Bois-Carre Military Cemetery, Haisnes, France, row D, grave 7. There is no headstone inscription. He was a brother of Richard and Robert Lindsay, below, and the husband of Emily Lindsay (nee Gregg) of Bradburys Buildings, Hill Street, Lisburn. They had (at least) six children. William, who served in the Royal Ulster Rifles during World War 2 and was killed in Italy, Robert John who was also killed in WW2, Edith, David, Joseph and Thomas who was, “born with a charm”. Children with whooping cough would be brought to touch his hair in the hope of a cure. He was also the son of the late John Lindsay, a land steward, and Agnes Lindsay (nee McFadden) who lived at 3 Grove Street, Low Road, and later 6 Spruce Street, Lisburn. She had lived at Donaghmore until her husband’s death but had then moved to Lisburn in search of work, her daughters finding employment in Hilden Mill and the boys in the bleach works. Following the death of her son Robert, below, she received a pension from the Canadian government. Bois-Carre Military Cemetery is in the fields north of Loos, close to St. Marys ADS Cemetery where John Kipling is thought to be buried. It was started in 1915 and was used largely by the 16th. Irish Division until August 1916. The irregular arrangement of the rows was due to the “difficult circumstances” under which burials were carried out.

[Jim Mitchell]

A brave life given. Always remembered. RIP

[agedpink]

Remembered with Honour RIP Joe.

[cockney tone]

Remembering

Thank you for the freedom that I enjoy!

RIP

Scottie.

[pat geary]

I imagine you know about this as well, but just in case

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/page...s_Court/201090/

Pat

[ulsterlad2]

Thank you Pals.

Des, I have Falls' book thanks to your good self from another queery I had.

Alan, thanks for that. I have the "Friends" site in my favs. It's an excellent resource.

Pat, thanks for the census link.

Kind regards.

[per ardua per mare per terram]

Rest in peace.

[DavoT]

Another brave man not forgotten.