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Connaught Rangers

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Connaught Rangers (88th Foot & 94th Foot)
Connaught Rangers Cap Badge
Active1881–1922
CountryUnited KingdomUnited Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
BranchBritish Army
TypeLine infantry
RoleInfantry
Size2 Regular Battalions

2–4MilitiaandSpecial ReserveBattalions

Up to 2 Hostilities-only Battalions
Garrison/HQRHQ –Renmore Barracks,Galway
Nickname(s)The Devil's Own
Motto(s)Quis Separabit(Who will separate us) (Latin)
MarchQuick:Brian Boru March
EngagementsEgypt 1801; India; South America; The Peninsula; The Crimea; Indian Mutiny; South Africa 1877–1882; Egypt 1884–86; South Africa 1899–1902;
The Great War – France & Flanders; Mesopotamia; Macedonia;Gallipoli;Bulgaria

TheConnaught Rangers( "The Devil's Own" ) was anIrishline infantryregimentof theBritish Armyformed by the amalgamation of the88th Regiment of Foot (Connaught Rangers)(which formed the1st Battalion) and the94th Regiment of Foot(which formed the2nd Battalion) in July 1881. Between the time of its formation andIrish independence,it was one of eightIrish regimentsraised largely inIreland.Its home depot was inGalway.[1]It was disbanded following the establishment of the independentIrish Free Statein 1922, along with the other five regiments that had their traditional recruiting grounds in the counties of the new state.[2]

History[edit]

Early history[edit]

The regiment was formed by the amalgamation of the88th Regiment of Foot (Connaught Rangers)(which formed the1st Battalion) and the94th Regiment of Foot(which formed the2nd Battalion) in July 1881. The amalgamation of the two regiments into one with the titleThe Connaught Rangers,was part of theUnited Kingdom government's reorganisation of theBritish Armyunder theChilders Reforms,a continuation of theCardwell Reformsimplemented in 1879.[3]

"The Connaught Rangers" byRichard Simkin(1840–1926)

It was one of eightIrish regimentsraised largely inIreland,with its home depot atRenmore BarracksinGalway.[1]The regiment recruited mainly in theprovinceofConnacht.Militarily, the whole of Ireland was administered as a separate command within theUnited Kingdomwith Command Headquarters at Parkgate (Phoenix Park) inDublin,directly under theWar Officein London.[4]

The 88th were based inBengal,British India,when they were amalgamated into the new regiment.[5]The 94th were based in South Africa at the time of amalgamation; as the 2nd Battalion, it returned to Ireland the following year and sent a small detachment on theNile Expeditionin 1884 as Camel Mounted Infantry.[5]The 2nd Battalion deployed to theSudanin 1896 for theDongola Expeditionary Forceunder the command ofLord Kitcheneras part of thereconquest of the Sudanbefore moving toIndiain 1897.[5]

Second Boer War[edit]

The 1st Battalion deployed to South Africa as part of 5th (Irish) Brigade, commanded by Major-General Fitzroy Hart, and saw action at theBattle of Colensoin December 1899, part of the attempt to relieve the town ofLadysmith,besieged byBoerforces. The brigade suffered heavily during their participation in the battle, the Boers inflicting heavy casualties: the regiment had 24 men killed and 105 officers and men wounded.[6]The Rangers fought atSpion Kopin January 1900 and theTugela Heightsin February 1900 during further attempts by GeneralSir Redvers Bullerto relieve the besieged town of Ladysmith. In late February the siege of Ladysmith finally came to an end after it was relieved by British forces.[7]The 1st Battalion returned to India in 1903.[5]

In 1908, the Volunteers and Militia were reorganised nationally, with the former becoming theTerritorial Forceand the latter theSpecial Reserve;[8]the regiment now had three Reserve but no Territorial battalions.[9][10]

First World War[edit]

See also:List of battalions of the Connaught Rangers § First World War
Battle of the Somme. Photo byErnest Brooks
ALB ANDERSON'S BADGE
Connaught Rangers Badge 1914
Badge from WWI
Connaught Rangers
A.L.B. Anderson's Tunic

Regular Army[edit]

The 1st Battalion, which was commanded by Lieutenant-ColonelHurdis Ravenshawand had been stationed inFerozepore,India, landed as part of the 7th (Ferozepore) Brigade in the3rd (Lahore) DivisionatMarseillein September 1914 for service on theWestern Front.[11]

The 2nd Battalion landed atBoulogne-sur-Meras part of the5th Brigadein the2nd Divisionwith theBritish Expeditionary Forcein August 1914 for service on the Western Front.[11]Its marching songIt's a Long Way to Tipperarybecame famous.[5]By October, the battalion was involved in the fighting aroundYpres.On one occasion Private Grogan rushed seven Germans who had occupied a section of trench. He killed all of them. It cost him a cut forehead and four teeth.[12]

Following severe losses in the battles of 1914, the 2nd Battalion was disbanded, with survivors transferring into the 1st Battalion. In turn, the 1st Battalion was redeployed to the Middle East in 1916, where it fought primarily in modern-day Iraq as part of the BritishTigris Corps.[13]

The 3rd (Reserve) Battalion was based inGalwayupon the declaration of war and would remain in Ireland until November 1917 when it moved to England.[11]The 4th (Extra Reserve) Battalion had been based inBoylein August and would remain there until November 1917 when it relocated toScotland:it was absorbed into the 3rd Battalion in May 1918.[11]

New Armies[edit]

The 5th (Service) Battalion, which was formed inDublinin August 1914, landed atAnzac CoveinGallipoliin August 1915 as part of the29th Brigadein the10th (Irish) Divisionbut moved toSalonikain September 1915 for service on theMacedonian frontand then transferred toEgyptfor service inPalestinein September 1917 before landing at Marseilles in June 1918 for service on the Western Front.[11]

The 6th (Service) Battalion, which was formed inCounty Corkin September 1914 though largely recruited in westBelfast,[14][15]landed atLe Havreas part of the47th Brigadein the16th (Irish) Divisionin December 1915 for service on the Western Front.[11]In just over a week's fighting in theBattle of the Sommein September 1916, the 6th Battalion lost 23 officers and 407 other ranks.[16]On 21 March 1918, the same Battalion was "practically annihilated" during theGerman spring offensivebreakthrough. In one week the battalion lost "22 officers and 618 other ranks".[17]As a result of these heavy losses, the survivors were transferred into the 2nd Battalion, theLeinster Regiment.[11]

1916 Easter Rising[edit]

Main article:Easter Rising

In April 1916, during World War 1, in what became known as theEaster Rising,Irish Republicanforces in Ireland launched an armed insurrection against the authority of the government of theUnited Kingdom,with thedeclared aimof establishing anIrish Republicwholly independent in its sovereign governance from the United Kingdom. In response, the Connaught Rangers and other British Army units were deployed to fight against the paramilitary forces of the "Irish Volunteers".None of the Connaught Rangers were killed in action but one was wounded.[18]

A 584-man strong column from the 3rd Battalion Connaught Rangers, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel A J Digan DSO, marched onEnniscorthyto fight the rebels who had taken over the town, however on arrival decided not to attack the insurrectionists' positions within the town to avoid turning Enniscorthy into a battlefield.[19]In the days after the insurrection began the Connaughts patrolled the countryside seeking contact with any of those war parties that cared to show themselves, in the process capturing hundreds of prisoners of war and seizing their weapons stocks.[20]A 250 strong force of the Connaughts, under the command of Major H.M. Hutchinson, marched toFernson 4 May 1916, and then on toGoreythe next day.[21]A party of 31 Connaught Rangers led by Lieutenant L.C. Badham searched houses inKinsaleon 4 May 1916, and the next day captured a large number of rebels and their weapons.[22]The Connaught Rangers' Column searched houses inNew Rosson 9 May 1916 and then atWaterfordthe next day.[22]The Connaught Rangers Column reachedClonmelon 16 May 1916, searching further residences in the town and capturing another large number of rebels and their weapon-stocks.[21]

Another Column of Connaught Rangers, 422 men strong, led by Major O.F. Lloyd, searched houses inBandonfrom 6 to 11 May 1916, capturing further numbers of rebels and weapons. The Column proceeded on toClonakiltyon 11 May and searched the district there also, capturing more rebels and their equipment. This Column marched toSkibbereenon 16 May, and entering the town and fanning out through the surrounding area, succeeded in rounding up yet more rebels with their arms. A number of Connaught Rangers who were in Dublin at the time of the Easter Rising had volunteered for temporary secondment to other units of the British Army such as theRoyal Irish FusiliersandRoyal Dublin Fusiliersspecifically to take part in the capital city's defence against the rising.[20]Sergeant John Joseph Barror of the Connaught Rangers killed two rebels in the fighting in Dublin.[20]

Postwar[edit]

Following demobilization the Connaught Rangers was reduced to its peacetime establishment of two regular battalions. With the outbreak of theIrish War of Independencein 1919 both were stationed outside Ireland (the 2nd Battalion in Dover and the 1st in India).[23]This was part of a general policy aimed at minimizing the pressures of divided loyalties, by relocating serving Irish regiments during "the troubles".[24]

Mutiny in India, 1920[edit]

Connaught Rangers mutineers' memorial,Glasnevin Cemetery,Dublin

On 28 June 1920, four men from C Company of the 1st Battalion, based at Wellington Barracks,Jalandharin thePunjab,protested againstmartial law in Irelandby refusing to obey orders. One of them, Joe Hawes, had been on leave in Clare in October 1919 and had seen ahurlingmatch prevented from happening by British forces with bayonets drawn.[25]Poor accommodation conditions in the Wellington Barracks may have provided an additional cause of the dispute.[26]

The protestors were soon joined by other Rangers, including several English soldiers, such as John Miranda fromLiverpooland Sergeant Woods.[27][28]By the following morning, when a rebel muster took place, over 300 soldiers were involved in the mutiny.[29]

On 30 June 1920, two mutineers from the Jalandhar barracks (Frank Geraghty and Patrick Kelly) travelled to Solon barracks where C Company were stationed and, despite arrest, helped spark a mutiny there, led byPrivate James Daly,whose brother William also took part in the protest.[30][31]

Initially, the protests were peaceful with the men involved donning green, white and orange rosettes and singing Irish nationalist songs. At Solon, however, on the evening of 1 July a party of about thirty men led by James Daly, carrying bayonets, attempted to seize their company's rifles,[32]stored in thearmoury.The troops guarding the magazine opened fire and two men were killed: Pte. Smythe who was with Daly's party, and Pte. Peter Sears (who had not been involved in the attack on the magazine but was returning to his billet when hit by a stray bullet).[33]Within days, both garrisons were occupied by other British troops. Daly and his followers surrendered and were arrested. Eighty-eight mutineers werecourt-martialed:seventy-seven were sentenced to imprisonment and ten were acquitted.[5]James Daly was shot by afiring squadatDagshaiPrison on 2 November 1920. He was the last member of the British Armed Forces to be executed for mutiny.[5]The bodies of Ptes. Sears and Smythe were buried at Solan, while Daly and Miranda (who later died in prison) were buried at a cemetery in Dagshai. Among those who received a sentence of life in prison was Martin Conlon (a half brother to the eight brothers from Sligo town who fought in the First World War, in which four were killed in action).[34]

In 1923, following Irish Independence, the imprisoned mutineers were released and returned to Ireland.[32]In 1936, the Free State'sFianna Fáil governmentawarded pensions to those whose British Army pensions were forfeited by conviction for their part in the mutiny.[35]The bodies of Ptes. Sears, Smythe, and Daly were repatriated from India to Ireland for reburial in 1970.[36]

Disbandment[edit]

Due to substantial defence cuts and the establishment of theIrish Free Statein 1922, it was decided that the six formerSouthern Irelandregiments would be disbanded,[2][37]including the Connaught Rangers. On 12 June, five regimentalcolourswere laid up in a ceremony at St George's Hall,Windsor Castlein the presence ofHM King George V.[38]The six regiments were then all disbanded on 31 July 1922.[10]With the simultaneous outbreak of theIrish Civil Warconflict some thousands of their ex-servicemen and officers contributed to expanding the Free State government's newly formedNational Army.They brought considerable combat experience with them contributing significantly to the success of the Free State’s cause, and by May 1923 comprised 50 per cent of its 53,000 soldiers and 20 per cent of its officers.[39]

Memorials[edit]

Banner commemorating the regiment inSt. Nicholas' Collegiate Church,Galway.
Gravestone of Private F. Brady, Connaught Rangers, inKells, County Meath.

In 1966 a stained glass memorial window to the Connaught Rangers was included in the newGalway Cathedral,which renders honour to a regiment so long associated with that part of Ireland.[40]

There are various memorials to the regiment and its soldiers inSt. Nicholas' Collegiate Churchin Galway.[41]

Battle honours[edit]

The regiment was awarded the followingbattle honours:[10]

  • From the 88th Regiment of Foot:Egypt, Talavera, Busaco, Fuentes d'Onoro, Ciudad Rodrigo, Badajoz, Salamanca, Vittoria, Nivelle, Orthes, Toulouse, Peninsula, Alma, Inkerman, Sevastopol, Central India
  • From the 94th Regiment of Foot:Seringapatam, Ciudad Rodrigo, Badajoz, Salamanca, Vittoria, Nivelle, Orthes, Toulouse, Peninsula, Pyrenees, South Africa 1877-78-79
  • Second Boer War:Relief of Ladysmith, South Africa 1899–1902
  • The Great War:Mons, Retreat from Mons, Marne 1914, Aisne 1914, Messines 1914 '17, Armentières 1914, Ypres 1914 '15 '17, Langemarck 1914 '17, Gheluvelt, Nonne Bosschen, Festubert 1914, Givenchy 1914, Neuve Chapelle, St. Julien, Aubers, Somme, 1916 '18, Guillemont, Ginchy, St. Quentin, Bapaume 1918, Rosières, Hindenburg Line, Cambrai 1918, Selle, France and Flanders 1914–1918, Kosturino, Struma, Macedonia 1915–17, Suvla, Sari Bair, Scimitar Hill, Gallipoli 1915, Gaza, Jerusalem, Tell 'Asur, Megiddo, Sharon, Palestine 1917–18, Tigris 1916, Kut al Amara 1917, Baghdad, Mesopotamia 1916–18
The reverse of Sgt. Danaher's duplicate VC

Victoria Crosses[edit]

  • PrivateThomas Hughes- First World War, 3 September 1916
  • Lance CorporalJames Murray- First Boer War, 16 January 1881
  • SergeantJohn Danaher- First Boer War, 12 February 1881 (the unit, according to the naming engraved on his duplicate VC see picture; private collection)

Regimental Colonels[edit]

Colonels of the regiment were:[10]

Great War Memorials[edit]

Uniforms and insignia[edit]

From 1881 to 1914 the Connaught Rangers wore the standard scarlet and blue full dress of British infantry (see illustration above) with greenfacings.The green collars and cuffs were intended to be a national distinction for infantry regiments recruited in Ireland but the Connaught Rangers was the only one of these not to have a "Royal" title and accordingly the distinction of dark blue facings.[43]

The regimental buttons had a harp and crown surrounded by a shamrock wreath. The harp and crown reappeared on cap and home service helmet badges, in silver on a green background.[44]

Nickname[edit]

In the mid-19th century a tradition grew up that the 88th had been given the nickname 'Devil's Own' by Major GeneralThomas Pictonduring thePeninsular War,"as a compliment to their dauntless bravery in presence of the enemy, and their uniform irregularity in camp and quarters",[45]a tradition that was inherited by the Connaught Rangers when the 88th and 94th were joined to form the new regiment in 1881. However, there is no contemporary record of the 88th receiving this sobriquet, and subsequent regimental histories and memoirs make no reference either to the nickname or its origins.[46]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^abHarris, Appendix II, pp. 216–217: Table listing the eight Irish Regiments of the British Army July 1914, their Depots, Reserve Bns., and local Militia.:Royal Irish RegimentDepotClonmel,Royal Inniskilling FusiliersDepotOmagh,Royal Irish RiflesDepotBelfast,Royal Irish Fusiliers (Princess Victoria's)DepotArmagh,Connaught Rangers DepotGalway,Leinster RegimentDepotBirr,Royal Munster FusiliersDepotTralee,Royal Dublin FusiliersDepotNaas.
  2. ^abMurphy, p. 30 quote: "Following the treaty that established the independent Irish Free State in 1922, it was decided to disband the regiments that had their traditional recruiting grounds in southern Ireland: The Royal Irish Regiment; The Connaught Rangers; The Prince of Wales' Leinster Regiment; The Royal Munster Fusiliers; The Royal Dublin Fusiliers; TheSouth Irish Horse"
  3. ^"No. 24992".The London Gazette.1 July 1881. pp. 3300–3301.
  4. ^Harris, pp. 2–3
  5. ^abcdefg"Connaught Rangers".National Army Museum.Retrieved16 July2016.
  6. ^"Connaught Rangers".Anglo-Boer War.Retrieved16 July2016.
  7. ^Churchill, p. 208-10
  8. ^"Territorial and Reserve Forces Act 1907".Parliamentary Debates (Hansard).31 March 1908.Retrieved20 June2017.
  9. ^These were the 3rd Battalion (Special Reserve) and the 4th Battalion (Special Reserve).
  10. ^abcd"Connaught Rangers".Regiments.org. Archived from the original on 3 January 2006.Retrieved16 July2016.{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  11. ^abcdefg"Connaught Rangers".The Long, Long Trail.Retrieved16 July2016.
  12. ^Reagan, p. 179
  13. ^Phelan, Mark (29 February 2016)."Beyond the Liffey and the Somme: Irish soldiers at the Tigris River, 1916".History Ireland, 24:2 (March/April 2016).Retrieved17 January2017.
  14. ^"Forgotten Rangers suffered horrific losses in the War".Belfast Telegraph.Retrieved24 January2020.
  15. ^The 6th Connaught Rangers: Belfast Nationalists and the Great War,Ulster Historical Foundation
  16. ^Denman, p. 101
  17. ^Jourdain, Vol. 3, p. 273
  18. ^Sinn Féin Rebellion Handbook.1917. Archived fromthe originalon 12 November 2013.Retrieved16 November2010.{{cite book}}:|work=ignored (help)
  19. ^Boyle, pp. 127–152
  20. ^abc3rd Battalion, The Connaught Rangers War Diary for April/May 1916
  21. ^abMartin, p. 208
  22. ^abMcCarthy, pp. 25-101
  23. ^Alan Shepperd, page32, "The Connaught Rangers", SBN 85045-083-7, Osprey Publishing Ltd 1972
  24. ^Murphy, p. 29
  25. ^"The Connaught Rangers' Mutiny of 1920".11 March 2020.Retrieved17 June2020.
  26. ^Murphy, p. 30
  27. ^"The Connaught Rangers' Mutiny of 1920".11 March 2020.Retrieved17 June2020.
  28. ^Manchester, Reading Room."Casualty Details".Retrieved16 July2016.
  29. ^"The Connaught Rangers' Mutiny of 1920".11 March 2020.Retrieved17 June2020.
  30. ^"The Connaught Rangers' Mutiny of 1920".11 March 2020.Retrieved17 June2020.
  31. ^"Connaught Rangers mutiny: a far-away conflict brought home in a new archive".The Irish Times.17 January 2014.Retrieved5 March2017.
  32. ^abSilvestri, Michael (July–August 2010)."Commemoration: Nationalism, empire and memory: the Connaught Rangers mutiny, June 1920".History Ireland.18(4).Retrieved9 August2018.
  33. ^Pollock, p. 101
  34. ^"Statement by William T. O'Keeffe"(PDF).Bureau of Military History. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 3 March 2016.Retrieved16 July2016.
  35. ^"Connaught Rangers (Pensions) Act, 1936".electronic Irish Statute Book (eISB).Attorney General of Ireland. 8 August 1936.Retrieved9 August2018.;"Connaught Rangers (Pensions) Bill, 1936—Second Stage".Dáil Éireann debates(in English and Irish). Oireachtas. 29 April 1936.Retrieved9 August2018.
  36. ^Bartlett, Thomas (Spring 1998)."The Connaught Rangers Mutiny India, July 1920".History Ireland.6(1).Retrieved9 August2018.
  37. ^Army Order 78 of 11 March 1922
  38. ^Harris, p. 209
  39. ^Cottrell, p. 23
  40. ^"For King and Country".Galway Advertiser.Retrieved16 July2016.
  41. ^"War Memorial in Galway, St. Nicholas' Church, Galway".Irishwarmemorials.ie. 12 June 2014.Retrieved18 October2017.
  42. ^"No. 27177".The London Gazette.27 March 1900. p. 2040.
  43. ^Carman, W.Y. (1968).British Military Uniforms From Contemporary Pictures.The Hamlyn publishing Group. p. 152.
  44. ^Dress Regulations for the Army 1900.p. 98.
  45. ^The Naval & Military Gazette and Weekly Chronicle of the United Service October 8th 1853, p.652
  46. ^Historical Record of the Eighty-eighth Regiment, Or Connaught Rangers,Richard Cannon 1837;Adventures with the Connaught Rangers,William Grattan, Lieutenant, 1847, The Connaught Rangers. (The history of the regiment.) By Lieut.-Colonel H. F. N. Jourdain and Edward Fraser,1924.

Sources[edit]

  • Boyle, John F. (2009).The Irish Rebellion of 1916: a brief history of the revolt and its suppression.BiblioBazaar.ISBN978-1290147095.
  • Churchill, W.S. (1900).London to Ladysmith via Pretoria, London.Longmans, Green & Co.ISBN978-1557423825.
  • Cottrell, Peter (2008).The Irish Civil War 1922–23.Osprey Publishing.ISBN978-1-84603-270-7.
  • Denman, Terence (1992).Ireland's unknown soldiers: the 16th (Irish) Division in the Great War, 1914–1918.Irish Academic Press.ISBN978-0716525615.
  • Harris, Major Henry E. D. (1968).The Irish Regiments in the First World War.Mercer Press Cork.ISBN978-0853420729.
  • Jourdain, Lieutenant-Colonel H. F. N. CMG.The Connaught Rangers – 1st Battalion, Formerly 88th Foot.London, Royal United Service Institution, 1926 3-volume regimental history. Vol.1: 1st Battalion, 1793–1922; Vol.2: 2nd, 3rd and 4th Battalions, 1793–1922; Vol.3: 5th and 6th (Service) Battalions, 1914–18.
  • Martin, Francis (1967).Leaders and Men of the Easter Rising: Dublin 1916.Cornell University Press.ISBN978-0801402906.
  • McCarthy, Mark (2012).Ireland's 1916 Rising: Explorations of History-Making, Commemoration & Heritage in Modern Times.Ashgate Publishing.ISBN978-1409436232.
  • Murphy, David (2007).Irish Regiments in the World Wars.Osprey Publishing.ISBN978-1846030154.
  • Pollock, Sam (1971).Mutiny for the Cause.Lee Cooper, London, 1969.ISBN978-0722169315.
  • Reagan, Geoffrey (1992).Military Anecdotes.Guinness Publishing.ISBN0-85112-519-0.

Further reading[edit]

  • Atwal, Jyoti (2021).India, Ireland and anti-Imperial struggle: remembering the Connaught Rangers Mutiny, 1920.Aakar Books Delhi.ISBN978-9350027387.
  • Babington, Anthony (1920).The Devil to Pay: The Mutiny of the Connaught Rangers.India.ISBN0-85052-327-3.
  • Grattan, William (1989).Adventures With the Connaught Rangers 1809–1814.London: Greenhill Books.ISBN978-1853675317.
  • Kilfeather, T. P. (1969).The Connaught Rangers.Tralee: Anvil Books.ISBN978-0900068089.
  • Maxwell C.B., General E. H. (1883).With the Connaught Rangers in Quarters, Camp and on Leave.Hurst & Blackett, London.

External links[edit]

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