Boyle Garrison

[corisande]

Boyle seems a bit of a sad place these days, but in its prime had a British garrison

I believe that Connaught Rangers used Boyle as a garrison up to a point during Ww1.

Does anyone know when they were replaced by non Irish regiments, and which British regiments then made up the garrison through to British withdrawal.

[archangel9]

4th Bn. Connaught Rangers used King House Boyle as their depot -

4th (Extra Reserve) Battalion

August 1914 : at Boyle. A depot/training unit, it moved on mobilisation to Queenstown, going on in March 1915 to Bere Island, February 1916 to Fermoy. Returned to Crosshaven in May 1916. Moved to Scotland in November 1917, going to Nigg. Moved to Fort George in early 1918 and in May was absorbed into 3rd Bn at Dover.

http://www.1914-1918.net/connaught.htm

The official History makes no mention of who replaced them, if anyone did, when they moved to Queenstown. Perhaps Mark (MHifle) might know.

Boyle is a quiet little town now with not much in it. King House opens from April to September each year and has a small Connaught Rangers exhibition.

John

[corisande]

John

Thanks for the info on when Connaught Rangers left. I am fairly sure they were replaced with a British regiment, which would presumably have been rotated for another at least once before they withdrew

We will see if Mark has any ideas

There certainly was an ADRIC coy there, but I am trying to establish which regular regiments were there

I saw King House a year ago, and as you say there is not much in Boyle today. Rarely does one see so many empty shops

[archangel9]

Corisande,

A search of the LLT for Boyle gives dates for some units -

The Leinster Regiment (Royal Canadians)

5th (Extra Reserve) Battalion

August 1914 : at Drogheda. A depot/training unit, it moved on mobilisation to Queenstown, going on in October 1914 to Passage West, May 1915 to Plymouth. Moved in September 1915 to Mullingar, April 1916 to the Curragh and June 1917 to Laytown, August 1917 to Boyle and next month to Birr. Moved to Glencorse in November 1917 and finally to Portsmouth in May 1918 where absorbed by 3rd Bn.

2/1st Sussex Yeomanry

Formed at Brighton in September 1914 as a "second line" (training, draft-supplying reserve) for the 1/1st.

..............

In September 1918 moved to Boyle (Roscommon) where it then remained.

2/1st Suffolk Yeomanry

Formed in September 1914 as a "second line" (training, draft-supplying reserve) for the 1/1st.

......................

May 1918: moved to Ireland, being at Boyle and Collooney.

John

[corisande]

Thanks

Interesting the sort of regiments that garrisoned the town after the Connaught Rangers moved on.

I guess that eventually the Yeomanry regiments were replaced by regular regiments through to 1922

[corisande]

I am researching this man who is (probably) Lt John Watt. Who was based at either Drumdoe or Boyle. Whose body was recovered in1962 from a bog in the area.

http://www.cairogang.com/soldiers-killed/CAUSE_OF_DEATH/MISSING/watts/watts.html

The two IRA accounts of him differ slightly

" Around this time the IRA in the Conway's Cross/Geevagh area were contacted by a British soldier who also claimed that he had deserted. The IRA were sceptical and the man was court martialled in Gleann Hall. Among the officers involved in the court martial were Alec McCabe, Tom Duignan, Tom O'Donnell and M. J. Marren. The soldier, a lieutenant from the forces at Drumdoe near Ballinafad whose name is given as John Watt, was found guilty of being a spy and was executed. He was buried in a bog and his body was accidentally uncovered by turf cutters in May 1962. It was re-interred in Carrick an Teampall graveyard, Conway's Cross "

" WS 1312 In June, 1921, it was reported to me that some soldiers had deserted from the British Army unit stationed at Boyle and were knocking about in our area. One of them was arrested by Volunteers from the 5th Battalionnear Riverstown. I was summoned to act as a member of the courtmartial. Sufficient evidence was available to convict him as a spy and he was sentenced to death. The sentence was duly carried out. He admitted that he was a member of the British forces; he stated he was a private soldier; he was, in fact, a commissioned officer in the British Army with the rank of lieutenant. His name was Watt. A Question was later asked In the British House of Commons as to his. fate. This gave us the facts as to his identity and confirmed our earlier decision "

I have been unable to find the Hansard reference

The body was apparently reburied in the area, and not repatriated to UK.

Mhifle found 4 possible officers in 1920 Army list. I think I can eliminate one, which leaves with 3, of these 2 are in Gordon Highlanders and 1 in Black Watch

The are a lot of others on Mic, but these are the only serving officers in 1920. Assuming that he was a Normal officer, and not one of Basil Thompson's men

[corisande]

I have a picture of Lt John Watt's grave now, But am no closer to finding him

My updated nots are Click here

And I have started a new thread in Possible Non-Commemored sub-forum here

This is the grave register for his re-burial