1st Battalion Royal Irish Rifles

[Guest PeterTipton]

my grandfather, 7215 Pte Tipton Reginald, joined the 1st Bn Royal Irish Rifles on 20th October 1903, aged 18 years 10 months. He served for a period of 3 years 101 days in the regular army, (2 years 6 days abroad) and was discharged to the reserve on 28 Jan 1907. When war broke out he was called up again on 1st June 1913. He was sent to France on 27th Aug 1914 was involved in an action on 14th Sept 1914 where he was wounded in the face and knocked unconscious on 15th Sept 1914. He was captured that same day and spent the next four years in various prisoner of war camps. He was released and on his way home for Xmas 1918 (20th Dec).

I have, naturally, some perhaps impossible-to-answer questions:-

i) Where would he have served abroad from 1903 onwards?

ii) Does anyone have any details about the action he was involved in, his hastily scribbled dairy said he was in a cave near Braine; the list of war diaries in the Documents Online section of the National Archive doesn't start until Feb 1915.

iii) Any information on where I can find out about prisoners of war and him in particular?

[Desmond7]

I would strongly recommend you google for Jimmy Taylor's 'The 1st Royal Irish Rifles in the Great War' - it is available on Amazon.

Jimmy's book contains a huge trove of detail about Btn movements, personalities, deaths by date/action; army legal stuff; award winners etc.

Will try and find out some more for you.

[Desmond7]

Just one thing - you say he was called up from the reserve in June 1913? Is that definite?

[Armoured Farmer]

Hello,

There is some information on POWs here on the parent site: -

http://www.1914-1918.net/POW/index.php

For details of his military career then his service papers, if they survive, may help. You would have to search for them at the National Archives: -

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalog...p?sLeafletID=18

Regards

Farmer

[Guest PeterTipton]

Just one thing - you say he was called up from the reserve in June 1913? Is that definite?

I do not have the source material to confirm this, I shall contact my brother to get him to check.

[Jimmy Taylor]

Hi Peter,

It seems to me that he must have served with 2nd RIR and was wounded at the Aisne. 1st RIR were still in Aden at the time so when he was called up he would have joined the battalion that was in England.

Jimmy.