All Topics  
London Irish Rifles

 

 
   Email Print
   Bookmark   Link
 

 

London Irish Rifles
 
 
  Topics London Irish Rifles Topic Home

The London Irish Rifles (LIR) is now known more formally known as "D (London Irish Rifles) Company, London Regiment
London Regiment

The London Regiment is a Territorial Army regiment in the British Army. It was first formed in 1908 in order to regiment the various Volunteer Force battalions in the newly formed County of London, each battalion having a distinctive uniform....
" and is a volunteer Rifle Regiment with a distinguished history. They are based on Flodden Road in Camberwell, and on Hammersmith Road in Hammersmith.

Victorian Era
The London Irish Rifles were originally formed in 1859 during the Victorian Volunteer Movement as the "28th Middlesex (London Irish) Rifle Volunteer Corps".

During the Second Boer War
Second Boer War

The Second Boer War , commonly referred to as The Boer War and also known as the South African War , the Anglo-Boer War and in Afrikaans as the Boereoorlog or Tweede Vryheidsoorlog , was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902, between the British Empire and the two independent Boer republics of the Orange Fre...
, the Battalion
Battalion

A battalion is a military unit of around 500-1500 men usually consisting of between two and seven company and typically commanded by a Lieutenant Colonel....
 sent 8 officers
Officer (armed forces)

An officer is a member of an Armed forces who holds a position of authority.Commissioned officers derive authority directly from a sovereignty power and, as such, hold a Letters patent charging them with the duties and responsibilities of a specific office or position....
 and 200 private soldiers for active service.






Discussion
Ask a question about 'London Irish Rifles'
Start a new discussion about 'London Irish Rifles'
Answer questions from other users
Full Discussion Forum



Encyclopedia


The London Irish Rifles (LIR) is now known more formally known as "D (London Irish Rifles) Company, London Regiment
London Regiment

The London Regiment is a Territorial Army regiment in the British Army. It was first formed in 1908 in order to regiment the various Volunteer Force battalions in the newly formed County of London, each battalion having a distinctive uniform....
" and is a volunteer Rifle Regiment with a distinguished history. They are based on Flodden Road in Camberwell, and on Hammersmith Road in Hammersmith.

Victorian Era


The London Irish Rifles were originally formed in 1859 during the Victorian Volunteer Movement as the "28th Middlesex (London Irish) Rifle Volunteer Corps".

During the Second Boer War
Second Boer War

The Second Boer War , commonly referred to as The Boer War and also known as the South African War , the Anglo-Boer War and in Afrikaans as the Boereoorlog or Tweede Vryheidsoorlog , was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902, between the British Empire and the two independent Boer republics of the Orange Fre...
, the Battalion
Battalion

A battalion is a military unit of around 500-1500 men usually consisting of between two and seven company and typically commanded by a Lieutenant Colonel....
 sent 8 officers
Officer (armed forces)

An officer is a member of an Armed forces who holds a position of authority.Commissioned officers derive authority directly from a sovereignty power and, as such, hold a Letters patent charging them with the duties and responsibilities of a specific office or position....
 and 200 private soldiers for active service. One officer won the Distinguished Service Order
Distinguished Service Order

The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other Commonwealth of Nations countries, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat....
 (DSO) and another member gained seven bars to his South Africa Medal. In recognition of their service, the London Irish were granted their first Battle Honour of "South Africa, 1900-1902".

In 1908, the London Irish were transferred to the Territorial Force and renamed the "18th (County of London) Battalion, the London Regiment (London Irish Rifles)".

First World War


During the First World War
World War I

World War I, or the First World War , was a global military conflict which involved the Great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War I and the Central Powers....
, the LIR raised 3 Battalions, and the first Battalion to be sent to France in 1915 was sent into action at Festubert in May.

In the Battle of Loos
Battle of Loos

The Battle of Loos was one of the major United Kingdom offensives mounted on the Western Front in 1915 during World War I. It marked the first time the British used Poison gas in World War I during the war, and is also famous for the fact that it witnessed the first large-scale use of new army or "Kitchener's Army" units....
, the 1st Battalion LIR once again distinguished themselves. While storming across No-Man's Land to capture the enemy trenches, Sgt. Edwards, the Captain of the football team, kicked a football
Football (ball)

A football is a ball used to play one of the various sports known as football.In the distant past, crude balls such as inflated pigs' bladders were used, but balls are now designed by teams of engineers to exacting specifications....
 along in front of the troops. This earned the LIR their second Battle Honour—"Loos, 1915" and the football is still preserved in the Regimental Museum. To this day, the memory of Sgt. Frank Edwards
Frank Edwards (soldier)

Frank Edwards , also known as The Footballer of Loos, was a rifleman with London Irish Rifles during the Battle of Loos. He is distinguished for leading the London Irish across No-Man's Land to storm enemy trenches kicking a football ahead of the troops....
 is commemorated on Loos Sunday.

Inter War


In 1937, the London Regiment was disbanded and the LIR became known as "London Irish Rifles, The Royal Ulster Rifles".

Second World War


In 1939, in response to the requirements of Second World War
World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a Participants in World War II, including all of the great powers, organised into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War II and the Axis powers....
, the London Irish were raised as two Battalions, the 1st leaving England in 1942 to serve in Iraq
Iraq

Iraq , officially the Republic of Iraq , is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros Mountains, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
 and Italy
Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia....
, the 2nd serving later in North Africa and Italy.

Post War


After the war, the Battalion re-formed as a Battalion of the Royal Ulster Rifles. In 1967, with the disbanding of the London Regiment, The three Irish Regular Infantry Regiments had combined to form The Royal Irish Rangers, and the LIR became D Company (London Irish Rifles), 4th Battalion The Royal Irish Rangers, remaining so until the re-formation of The London Regiment. The Royal Irish Rangers later amalgamated with the Ulster Defense Regiment to form the Royal Irish Regiment, with the Northern Irish Territorial Army (TA) company remaining as Rangers.

The LIR moved from their historic home, Duke of York's Barracks, Chelsea to Flodden Road, Camberwell
Camberwell

Camberwell is a district of London, England and forms part of the London Borough of Southwark. It is a built-up inner city district located south east of Charing Cross....
 in 2000. In 2007 they opened a detachment for 13 Platoon at the TA Centre on Hammersmith Road in Hammersmith.

Today

The serving TA
Territorial Army

The Territorial Army is the volunteer Military reserve force of the British Army, the army of the United Kingdom, and composed mostly of part-time soldiers paid at a similar rate, while engaged on military activities, as their Regular equivalents....
 soldiers are reserve volunteers who train evenings and weekends and for a two week Battle Camp each year. They are proud to have sent soldiers
Soldier

A soldier is a general English term that refers to a land component of national armed forces.In most societies of the world, "soldier" is also a general term for any member of the land forces including Commissioned officer and non-commissioned officers....
 to the Balkans
Balkans

The Balkans is the historical name of a geographic subregion of southeastern Europe. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains, which run through the centre of Bulgaria into eastern Serbia....
, and also during the early stages of the Iraq
Iraq War

The Iraq War, also known as the Second Gulf War, the Occupation of Iraq, and Operation Iraqi Freedom, is an ongoing conflicts military campaign which began on March 20, 2003 with the 2003 invasion of Iraq by a Multinational force in Iraq now led by and composed almost entirely of troops from the United States and United King...
 (Second Gulf War) in the spring of 2003. They contributed troops to the wider London Regiment
London Regiment

The London Regiment is a Territorial Army regiment in the British Army. It was first formed in 1908 in order to regiment the various Volunteer Force battalions in the newly formed County of London, each battalion having a distinctive uniform....
 deployment of two composite companies (Cambrai and Messines) in Iraq in 2004, and also to Somme Company, which participated on operations in the Afghanistan
War in Afghanistan (2001–present)

The War in Afghanistan, which began on October 7, 2001 as the U.S. military operation Operation Enduring Freedom, was launched by the United States with the United Kingdom in response to the September 11, 2001 attacks....
 as part of wider NATO operations in that country.

The LIR train on Tuesday evenings at the TA Center on Flodden Road in Camberwell, and at the TA Centre on Hammersmith Road in Hammersmith.

On 4 October 2008, the LIR were given the freedom of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea

The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea is a London borough in the west side of central London.It is an urban area and was named in the United Kingdom Census 2001 as the most densely populated local authority in the United Kingdom, with a population of 158,919 at 13,244 per square kilometre ....
 in a ceremony at the Town Hall Kensington. This followed a march, with bayonets fixed, and review along Kensington High Street
Kensington High Street

Kensington High Street is the main shopping street in Kensington, west London.Kensington High Street is the continuation of Kensington Road and part of the A315....
.

Dress


Their distinctive piper-green head-dress, the Caubeen
Caubeen

A caubeen is an Irish soldier's headdress, a variation on the beret or tam o'shanter. It is taken from the traditional Irish peasants' headdress....
 (which was worn by all Irish regiments later, although the LIR were the first to adopt it) was characterised by being sloped to the left instead of the right—a distinction maintained today between the Royal Irish Regiment (the sponsor Regiment of the LIR) being sloped on the right and the LIR and Liverpool Irish
Liverpool Irish

The Liverpool Irish is a unit of the United Kingdom Territorial Army, raised in 1860 as a volunteer corps of infantry. Conversion to an anti-aircraft regiment occurred in 1947, but the regimental status of the Liverpool Irish ceased in 1955 upon reduction to a Artillery battery....
 being sloped on the left.

The "sloping" difference was because the bonnets, which were based on the Balmoral of the time, were so big, and sloping fashions of the time were so "rakish", that Riflemen needed to slope to the left in order to see down the sights of the rifle.

2RUR (Royal Ulster Rifles) also sloped to the left.

The LIR sloped to the right whilst part of the Royal Irish Rangers, but reverted to type after the amalgamation or the RIR and the UDR. They are also unique in being the only British Army unit to wear their headdress with the cap badge positioned over the right eye - all other units wear theirs with their insignia over the left.

See also

  • Irish regiment
    Irish regiment

    An Irish regiment is a regiment , excluding those actually in the Irish Defence Forces, that at some time in its history has or had intentional recruitment consisting primarily of members either from Ireland or of Irish descent....
  • Irish Guards
    Irish Guards

    The Irish Guards , part of the Guards Division, is a Foot Guards regiment of the British Army.Along with the The Royal Irish Regiment , it is one of only two purely Irish regiments remaining in the British Army....
  • Royal Irish Regiment
  • London Regiment
    London Regiment

    The London Regiment is a Territorial Army regiment in the British Army. It was first formed in 1908 in order to regiment the various Volunteer Force battalions in the newly formed County of London, each battalion having a distinctive uniform....


External links