Cap Badge - Irish Brigade member

[corisande]

There is a group photo of about 30 members of the Irish Brigade taken in a POW camp. Only one of the men appears to be wearing a cap with a badge

I have done a hi-res scan, but that just takes one down to printers pixels, so it is (as always) indistinct

It does not appear to be any of the Irish Regiments (I stand to be corrected), don't think it is German, so can anyone help

[SteveE]

Machine Gun Corps?

[corisande]

Machine Gun Corps, thanks very much

my first though was that you were right, it certainly looks like it, given the paucity of definition I can get from the main photo

Locical problem I have then is that MGC was only created Oct 1915, I guess it is just possible that an early joiner of the MGC could have been taken captive end of 1915, and been in Irish Brigade.

Unless there are any orther inspired inputs, I'll take it as MGC

[tony paley]

Corisande, When you mention 'Irish Brigade' that could do with some further research. I may be wrong, but there were three Irish Divisions:- 10th (Irish) 16th (Irish) and the 36th (Ulster). I am not aware of an actual 'Irish Brigade' as a military formation. Irish regular battalions were generally brigaded within the Regular Divisions, mixed with Scots, Welsh and English line regiments.

Tony P

[corisande]

When you mention 'Irish Brigade' that could do with some further research.

If I have missed any lines of research, I would be grateful if you would let me know.

Casements Irish Brigade

[BrendanLee]

Corisande, When you mention 'Irish Brigade' that could do with some further research. I may be wrong, but there were three Irish Divisions:- 10th (Irish) 16th (Irish) and the 36th (Ulster). I am not aware of an actual 'Irish Brigade' as a military formation. Irish regular battalions were generally brigaded within the Regular Divisions, mixed with Scots, Welsh and English line regiments.

Tony P

The Irish Brigade was not an official British Army Brigade but an attempt by Irish Rebel Leader Rodger Casement to raise a Brigade from POWs held in German POW camps. The intention was that the 'Irish Brigade' would assists the Rebels in Ireland oust the British. The 'Brigade' was a dismal failure with only between 50 and 60 volunteers joining out of over 3000 prisoners.

Casement also arranged for the Germans to supply arms and ammunition to the Rebels in Ireland but the ship delivering the arms was captured by the British and Casement arrested. Casement also arranged for the Germany Navy to engage the British Navy of the East Coast of England during the 1916 Rising and for submarines to enter Dublin Bay. The Naval engagement only lasted a few hours and the submarines never showed up.

The 'Irish Brigade' never amounted to much, the British Military more or less ignored it as there were so few people in it and the Republican movement would like to forget it as it was such a dismal failure. I think the German support for the Irish 1916 Rising was somewhat half hearted when they saw so few POW joining the 'Irish Brigade'.

[tony paley]

oh, that' Irish Brigade' I nearly added the info regarding Casement to my original answer. I have seen the above image on another post included in a group photo of members of the 'Irish Brigade' that had been recruited from POWs and it seems you were referring to that particular group, I apologise it seems that I got the wrong end of the stick.

Tony P