Royal Munster Fusiliers NCO’s & Men Service Records

[thetrenchrat22]

When Ireland, spilt into two in the 1920’s. 
 

The service records of those who served in the Irish Regiments etc.  Did they get transferred to an army record office in the Republic of Ireland or did they stay with the War Office

[Bordercollie]

I think you will find that they were retained by the War Office and those that survived the blitz are now in the National Archives. Although records for men who transferred to other regiments on the disbandment of the Irish regiments and continued to serve after 1921 would still be held by MOD. In addition enlistment books for some of the Irish Regiments were transferred to the National Army Museum a few years ago and are now available on line see https://www.nam.ac.uk/records-regiments-disbanded-after-irish-war-independence-go-online

[thetrenchrat22]

Thank you, I’ll pass that information on 

[Guest]

The answer on service records must be,alas, that they were retained in the general run of service records kept at Arnside Street,London and previous London-ish locations. Given the number of non-Irish men serving in "Irish" regiments by the end of the war, it seems unlikely to have made administrative sense to weed them out and hand them over- how would any queries be resolved re service and pension?? It seems likely that there would have been some relevant materials  relating to the Irish regiments in the Dublin archives- but as they pre-dated Arnside Street in being incinerated in the Four Courts, that is that I'm afraid. Please remember that until 1948, the status of Ireland (that is the 26 counties was-from the technical British point of view, that of notionally a "dominion" (Governor-General,etc) and that records would have been retained in the UK on that basis. After all, the Brits lost the American War a while before but there was no record transfer then- otherwise ,for example, the KRRC would be a bit harder to research in the UK. Many Irish records did disappear in Arnside Street-it was not just service records (of officers as well)- a lot of stuff on the British Army in Ireland up to 1922 also very conveniently went...especially intelligence reports. How convenient.

    The enduing question of matters like this matter of records between the UK and Ireland is one that seems to be still evolving. The  thaw in the Republic  on hostility to anything British and military is still going on.  It should prove interesting in the not to distant future. The release of the 1921 Census should  provoke some work on the Irish migration into the metal-bashing areas of the UK during the war.  Also,for example, one might expect that the Battle of Britain  Memorial Flight might provide a fly-oast on the demise of the last of "The Few" (hopefully a long time ioff) but as he is Irish and lives in Dublin, that may prove an interesting event

[staunton]

Very useful records from 1920 at NAM:          https://www.nam.ac.uk/soldiers-records/persons

 

Irish Soldiers' Records
Search the enlistment books of the disbanded Irish regiments
The Connaught Rangers, the Leinster Regiment, the Royal Dublin Fusiliers, the Royal Irish Regiment and the Royal Munster Fusiliers were units of the British Army, which were disbanded following the establishment of the independent Irish Free State in 1922. The enlistment books contain records of soldiers serving in these regiments in the period 1920-22.

[staunton]

NAM also has the RMF Old Comrades Association records which are useful, donated by HB Holt c 1969