Young Citizen Volunteers
Encyclopedia
The Young Citizen Volunteers of Northern Ireland
had its first meeting just prior to the signing of the Solemn League and Covenant (Ulster), opposing Home Rule, in Belfast City Hall
on September 10, 1912. It was the young version of UVF
.
Each member was to pay 2s.6d (12.5 p) on joining the YCVs and a further 6d (2.5p) each month; he was to attend weekly drills to learn "modified military and police
drill, single stick, rifle
and baton exercises, signalling, knot-tying and other such exercises". If possible he was also to gain some knowledge of "life-saving and ambulance
work".
The constitution of the YCVs insisted that members should not take part in any political meeting or demonstration. They were stated as being "non-sectarian and non-political" and their objectives were considered to be:
Membership was open to anyone aged between eighteen and thirty-five who was over five feet in height and could present "credentials of good character". Some Roman Catholics did join the YCV, though it was overwhelmingly Protestant in numbers.
The British government refused to offer financial assistance to the YCV, in return for placing themselves at the government's disposal. In May 1914 with the gathering momentum of the Home Rule
crisis and with many Young Citizens feeling betrayed by the government the YCVs applied for membership of the Ulster Volunteer Force and became a battalion of its Belfast
regiment.
In turn, the UVF and the YCV provided battalions to form the 36th (Ulster) Division
as an official part of the British Army
due to the outbreak of World War I
. It took some time to receive official status however, because of the political situation in Ireland at the time, and so many men either joined the 10th (Irish) Division or the 16th (Irish) Division, or crossed over to Scotland and England to join British Army regiments there.
Also formed had been the previously mentioned 16th (Irish) Division - mainly Roman Catholics from the Irish National Volunteers, who had been preparing to fight for independence of Ireland from the United Kingdom
. They fought side-by-side against the Germans in, amongst other events, the Battle of the Somme. On the morning of the July 1, 1916, the anniversary of the Battle of the Boyne
, many of the men in the 36th went 'over the top' of the trenches. By the second day, the 36th had lost five and a half thousand men. By the July 9, the 16th had lost some four thousand men.
The Ulster
Division was the only Division of X Corps to have achieved its objectives on 1 July 1916, and the men of the Division received many awards for bravery, including four Victoria Crosses.
The UVF were "re-formed" by Gusty Spence
in 1966 and quickly became a sectarian paramilitary
organization. The YCV were re-established in the early 1970s by Billy Hutchinson
as the youth wing of this organisation.
Like the UVF, the YCV is now exclusively Protestant and advocates an extreme form of political loyalism.
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
had its first meeting just prior to the signing of the Solemn League and Covenant (Ulster), opposing Home Rule, in Belfast City Hall
Belfast City Hall
Belfast City Hall is the civic building of the Belfast City Council. Located in Donegall Square, Belfast, County Antrim, Northern Ireland, it faces north and effectively divides the commercial and business areas of the city centre.-History:...
on September 10, 1912. It was the young version of UVF
UVF
UVF can refer to*The Ulster Volunteers started in 1912 and organised as the Ulster Volunteer Force in 1913*The Ulster Volunteer Force - a paramilitary organisation established in 1966, not linked to the 1913 UVF...
.
Each member was to pay 2s.6d (12.5 p) on joining the YCVs and a further 6d (2.5p) each month; he was to attend weekly drills to learn "modified military and police
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
drill, single stick, rifle
Rifle
A rifle is a firearm designed to be fired from the shoulder, with a barrel that has a helical groove or pattern of grooves cut into the barrel walls. The raised areas of the rifling are called "lands," which make contact with the projectile , imparting spin around an axis corresponding to the...
and baton exercises, signalling, knot-tying and other such exercises". If possible he was also to gain some knowledge of "life-saving and ambulance
Ambulance
An ambulance is a vehicle for transportation of sick or injured people to, from or between places of treatment for an illness or injury, and in some instances will also provide out of hospital medical care to the patient...
work".
The constitution of the YCVs insisted that members should not take part in any political meeting or demonstration. They were stated as being "non-sectarian and non-political" and their objectives were considered to be:
- "..... to develop the spirit of responsible citizenship and municipal patriotism by means of lectures and discussions on civic matters.... to cultivate, by means of modified military and police drill, a manly physique, with habits of self control, self-respect and chivalry....to assist as an organization, when called upon, the civil power in the maintenance of peace".
Membership was open to anyone aged between eighteen and thirty-five who was over five feet in height and could present "credentials of good character". Some Roman Catholics did join the YCV, though it was overwhelmingly Protestant in numbers.
The British government refused to offer financial assistance to the YCV, in return for placing themselves at the government's disposal. In May 1914 with the gathering momentum of the Home Rule
Home rule
Home rule is the power of a constituent part of a state to exercise such of the state's powers of governance within its own administrative area that have been devolved to it by the central government....
crisis and with many Young Citizens feeling betrayed by the government the YCVs applied for membership of the Ulster Volunteer Force and became a battalion of its Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
regiment.
In turn, the UVF and the YCV provided battalions to form the 36th (Ulster) Division
British 36th (Ulster) Division
The 36th Division was a division of Lord Kitchener's New Army formed in September 1914. Originally called the Ulster Division, it was made up of members of the Ulster Volunteer Force, who formed thirteen additional battalions for three existing regiments: the Royal Irish Fusiliers, the Royal Irish...
as an official part of the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
due to the outbreak of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. It took some time to receive official status however, because of the political situation in Ireland at the time, and so many men either joined the 10th (Irish) Division or the 16th (Irish) Division, or crossed over to Scotland and England to join British Army regiments there.
Also formed had been the previously mentioned 16th (Irish) Division - mainly Roman Catholics from the Irish National Volunteers, who had been preparing to fight for independence of Ireland from the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. They fought side-by-side against the Germans in, amongst other events, the Battle of the Somme. On the morning of the July 1, 1916, the anniversary of the Battle of the Boyne
Battle of the Boyne
The Battle of the Boyne was fought in 1690 between two rival claimants of the English, Scottish and Irish thronesthe Catholic King James and the Protestant King William across the River Boyne near Drogheda on the east coast of Ireland...
, many of the men in the 36th went 'over the top' of the trenches. By the second day, the 36th had lost five and a half thousand men. By the July 9, the 16th had lost some four thousand men.
The Ulster
Ulster
Ulster is one of the four provinces of Ireland, located in the north of the island. In ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for administrative and judicial...
Division was the only Division of X Corps to have achieved its objectives on 1 July 1916, and the men of the Division received many awards for bravery, including four Victoria Crosses.
The UVF were "re-formed" by Gusty Spence
Gusty Spence
Augustus Andrew "Gusty" Spence was a leader of the Ulster Volunteer Force and a leading loyalist politician. One of the first UVF members to be convicted of murder, Spence was a senior figure in the organisation for over a decade but later renounced violence and joined the Progressive Unionist...
in 1966 and quickly became a sectarian paramilitary
Paramilitary
A paramilitary is a force whose function and organization are similar to those of a professional military, but which is not considered part of a state's formal armed forces....
organization. The YCV were re-established in the early 1970s by Billy Hutchinson
Billy Hutchinson
Billy Hutchinson is the leader of the Progressive Unionist Party in Northern Ireland. He was elected to Belfast City Council in 1997 and to the Northern Ireland Assembly in 1998. He lost his assembly seat in 2003 and his council seat in 2005...
as the youth wing of this organisation.
Like the UVF, the YCV is now exclusively Protestant and advocates an extreme form of political loyalism.
See also
- Ulster Young MilitantsUlster Young MilitantsThe Ulster Young Militants are considered to be the youth wing of the Ulster Defence Association, a loyalist paramilitary group in Northern Ireland. Commonly known as the Young Militants or UYM, the group formed in 1974 when the Troubles were at their height...
- Independent International Commission on DecommissioningIndependent International Commission on DecommissioningThe Independent International Commission on Decommissioning was established to oversee the decommissioning of paramilitary weapons in Northern Ireland, as part of the peace process.-Legislation and organisation:...
(IICD) - Organisation overseeing Decommissioning, - Independent Monitoring CommissionIndependent Monitoring CommissionThe Independent Monitoring Commission was an organization founded on 7 January 2004, by an agreement between the British and Irish governments, signed in Dublin on 25 November 2003...
(IMC) - Organisation monitoring activity by paramilitary groups. - Ulster LoyalismUlster loyalismUlster loyalism is an ideology that is opposed to a united Ireland. It can mean either support for upholding Northern Ireland's status as a constituent part of the United Kingdom , support for Northern Ireland independence, or support for loyalist paramilitaries...