The Gassing of the Irish

[Barry Russell]

April 27th - 29th 1916, the Bavarian Army Corps releases chlorine gas across no mans land in Hulluch, in the opposite trench are members of the Royal Dublin Fusiliers 8th Bn, one such man being my 2nd Great Grandfather Serjeant Thomas Russell who was killed in action on the 29th, As Thomas lays dead his older Brother Daniel is in Hospital recovering from wounds and his younger James is just a couple of weeks away from being killed at the Somme.

I will not forget.

 

Photos courtesy of Irish newspapers archives and personal collection.

 

[JasonMc]

Thanks for sharing the photos. They had a terrible experience at Hulluch.

One that never really got proper recognition at home and was soon forgotten with what was to come.

We will remember them. 

[Jervis]

The war diary of the 8/RDF for that week is quite unusual in that it has a lists all their casualties- KIA & Wounded, Officers and ORs. It runs over many pages. 

The officer who did it obviously spent a lot of time over it. Probably moved by the slaughter and believing he was recording the men’s sacrifice for history and prosperity. 

 

Which makes it all the more poignant and sad, that the men and the events of that week are almost completely unknown in Ireland today. 

Jervis

[Jervis]

A distant relative of mine who died in same week with the 8th/RDF CWGC James Haide

[Barry Russell]

23 hours ago, Jervis said:

The war diary of the 8/RDF for that week is quite unusual in that it has a lists all their casualties- KIA & Wounded, Officers and ORs. It runs over many pages. 

The officer who did it obviously spent a lot of time over it. Probably moved by the slaughter and believing he was recording the men’s sacrifice for history and prosperity. 

 

Which makes it all the more poignant and sad, that the men and the events of that week are almost completely unknown in Ireland today. 

Jervis

Yes I have that page, nothing I've seen in any other diary, I'm glad the officer did that.