Captain Hugh Montgomery Baillie, 16th Royal Irish Rifles (A Company)

[Poppy1918]

Hi all,

I am studying my masters in historical research and was assigned a project as my first assignment on using public records and avenues to research an individual and i picked a soldier of the Great War as my study piece. While looking on different memorials i saw a name which stood out to me and i began to research a bit further Captain Hugh Montgomery Baillie, 16th Royal Irish Rifles (A Company). I am finding it very interesting yet i am finding i keep stopping and starting, is there anyone who could help me find out more? maybe point me in the right direction. I would love to learn all i can about Hugh! Individual stories afterall are so powerful, i go back to the Somme in November and i would love to lay a wreth for him, knowing more about him and feeling that i can give remembrance to one individual the world will never forget.

Poppy

Searching for Archie since 22/09/2001

[Hambo]

Poppy

I would suggest you post what you already know and hopefully we can add to it

Best regards John

[Poppy1918]

Poppy

I would suggest you post what you already know and hopefully we can add to it

Best regards John

Thank you John, below is information i have found out so far about Hugh........

Hugh, the unmarried son of Robert and Sara Baillie of Ellerslie, Ravenhill Park, Belfast, was born in Ballymacarrett, Belfast, on 31st May 1893.

He had served in the Ulster Volunteer Force since its inception, holding the positions of Squad Leader, Section Commander and Half Company Commander.

He was serving his apprenticeship with Carson and McDowell solicitors, Belfast when he enlisted in November 1914, He was accepted for a commission in January 1915, into the 16th Royal Irish Rifles, a pioneer battalion..

In 1916, his brother, Lieutenant R Baillie, also of the Royal Irish Rifles, was wounded. That same year, Hugh was reported to be in charge of trench work in the vicinity of Ross Castle, Thiepval Wood.

In November 1918, a letter was received from 2nd Lt W Q Rea of the 16th Royal Irish Rifles, a prisoner of war in Karlsruhe, Germany. He confirmed that Hugh was his Company commander, and he had seen Hugh being killed in action on 21st March 1918. He stated Hugh had been shot through the head, while standing by his side. The shooting occurred at a road junction 1500 yards west of Urvillers on the Essigny- le-Grand to St Quentin road. They had been taken prisoner and Hugh was struck before they were out of the danger zone.

Hugh is commemorated on the Pozieres Memorial (Panel 74-76), Somme, France

He is also commemorated on the Solicitor's Memorial, Four Courts, Dublin.

Thank you everyone.

Poppy

Searching for Archie since 22/09/2001

[markinbelfast]

have you checked the book about the 16th pioneers?

[Poppy1918]

have you checked the book about the 16th pioneers?

Hi there,

No i havent looked at that, ive onlu just started to get into this and im greatful for any input and ideas

Poppy

[AlanCurragh]

Hi Poppy - Hugh is one of the men from the Royal Belfast Academical Institution that I have researched - I'll have a look through what I have on him and see if there is anything else that hasn't made it to the website yet

Regards

Alan

[Jonathan Saunders]

Poppy - I dont want to confuse things but whose "Archie"?

[Hambo]

http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/305...upplements/1884

His promotion to Captain (Temp) from the Gazette

http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/298...pplements/11380

His promotion to Lieutenant

[Jonathan Saunders]

Poppy - I dont want to confuse things but whose "Archie"?

Just read your Chapter 1 and found the answer!

[Poppy1918]

Just read your Chapter 1 and found the answer!

hey there Jonathan

ok whoever reads this will think I'm nuts but I was working on my story and I drew a picture off the top of my head while sitting on the Somme near thiepval with my boyfriend! He asked me who it was and I said archie lol! We were looking at the pozieres memorial and hugh is on there, someone had stuck a pic of him next to his name and marc said he looks like archie! Lol it's was kinda weird so I began to look up on him! Then this assignment at uni came up and I thought why not! I'll look up more about him and, like I said before, finally connect myself on a personal note to the great war! I don't have any personal connections, so to research someone and remember their sacrifice individually, even lay a wreth would be quite poignant

ok now you all think i'm weird lol

Poppy

[Jonathan Saunders]

So Archie in your story was inspired from the photo of Hugh Baillie? When you write about Archie you have an image of Hugh. Or have I gone nuts?

[Poppy1918]

So Archie in your story was inspired from the photo of Hugh Baillie? When you write about Archie you have an image of Hugh. Or have I gone nuts?

nooooooooo your not nuts!!! It's meeeeee lol! No I had been working on the story for years and drew the pic off the top of my head at how I'd always seen him in my story, I didn't even know what hugh looked like, marc my boyfriend just saw it on the memorial and said it looks like your drawing.

See told you I was the mad lol

Poppy