Ballybunion Egypt 1916

[joseph]

Hi

6th Battalion East Yorkshire Regiment (Pioneers) where based at Ballybunion early 1916, the seemed to be detailed to work in a very wide area so cannot pin it down. Any ideas.

Regards Charles

[Compo]

I am not sure how this might help but there is still a Ballybunion in Ireland. It is at the mouth of the Shannon River in County Kerry. The nearest big town you might have heard of is Killarney. Very picturesque and very small.

My guess, there was an Irish officer, or an English one with an Irish sense of humour, and it was a code name for an unpronounceable Arabic name and a play on the word bunion. Which is a sore on the foot from perhaps lots of marching. .

Regards

[stevenbecker]

Mate,

Bally Bunion was a post on the Sinai side of the Suez Cannal just south east of Kantara.

It is just east of the rail station at Ballah and the ALH had posts there before the Romani battles in Aug 1916.

Cheers

S.B

[joseph]

Thanks Chaps,

That makes sense Steve, I have them working on a rail link from Ballah to the front, and on the defences between Kantara and Romani. the battalion went to F&F in July 1916. Do you know if it was it a permanent camp?

Compo,

I am suprised there is such a place I have just found the Irish one.

Regards Charles

[Compo]

Ballybunion was there 20 years ago anyway as I visited. What I remember, just, is that it was a holiday centre for local country folk and that there were 6 pubs up one side of the street and 6 pubs down the other side so doing the tour of all of them was the challenge and was known as doing the stations of the cross.

If you do not know what that is ask a Catholic friend.

Cheers

[Guest Bill Woerlee]

Joseph

G'day mate

Ballybunion always has that wonderful lilt of the Irish landscape.

Lets just see how inviting the place was at the time in 1916.

This first pic is a panorama of the countryside immediatly to the outside of the locality. I suspect looking north east. You can see the rolling hills in the background and the sunny vista near by with acres of newly planted features to thrill the eyes in near perfect weather conditions. Perhaps it was even the 6th Battalion East Yorkshire Regiment (Pioneers) who obligingly added to the view when they were stationed there by planting all the extra features.

This next shot is of a group of men enjoying all the facilities offered by Ballybunion at this traditional male bonding campsite. These men must have thought they were living in near utopian conditions.

To put Ballybunion into perspective, here is a map I constructed for this very purpose.

Hope this helps you out a bit.

Cheers

Bill

[Compo]

Blimey, they drank the pubs dry then.

[joseph]

Bill,

Many thanks for that your discription raised a big smile at this ungodly hour. Unlike compos Irish one rather a desolate place.

Regards Charles

[stevem49]

11th Div spent six months there recovering from Gallipoli. They did see a few Turks on the Suez canal but not many. They moved to France on 1st July 1916. swapping the heat of Egypt for the joys of Arras !

stevem

[Heid the Ba]

Apologies for the thread necromancy but I was going to ask a similar question.

The hills in the area of the battle of Romani are named Mount Meredith and Mount Royston. Are these named after Australian or New Zealand areas? I'm guessing the name Wellington Ridge is of Kiwi origin.