At War with the 16th Irish Division 1914-1918
At War with the 16th Irish Division 1914-1918

Author: John Hamilton Maxwell Staniforth

Publisher: Casemate Publishers

Published: 2012

Total Pages: 296

ISBN-13:

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The letters of John 'Max' Staniforth are among the most perceptive, graphic and evocative personal records of a soldier's life to have come down to us from the Great War. They cover his entire wartime career with the 16th (Irish) Division, from his enlistment in 1914 till the armistice, and they have never been published before. From his first days in the army, Staniforth wrote fluent, descriptive weekly letters to his parents and, in doing so, he created a fascinating record of his experiences and those of the men around him. When the division arrived on the Western Front in 1915, he related his impressions in detail, and went on to give an unflinching account of the drama and the cruelty - and the grueling routine - of trench warfare. After he was gassed in 1918, he wrote about his feelings and the treatment he received just as thoroughly as he did about every other aspect of the conflict. A striking aspect of the letters is that Staniforth enlisted as a private soldier and went through the training of the ordinary recruit before rising through the ranks. The letters also show how the Irish division was influenced by the turmoil of contemporary politics in Ireland.

At War with the 16th Irish Division, 1914–1918
At War with the 16th Irish Division, 1914–1918

Author: J. H. M. Staniforth

Publisher: Pen and Sword

Published: 2012-12-19

Total Pages: 448

ISBN-13: 1783032111

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The letters of John Max Staniforth are among the most perceptive, graphic and evocative personal records of a soldiers life to have come down to us from the Great War. They cover his entire wartime career with the 16th (Irish) Division, from his enlistment in 1914 till the armistice, and they have never been published before. From his first days in the army, Staniforth wrote fluent, descriptive weekly letters to his parents and, in doing so, he created a fascinating record of his experiences and those of the men around him. When the division arrived on the Western Front in 1915, he related his impressions in detail, and went on to give an unflinching account of the drama and the cruelty and the grueling routine of trench warfare. After he was gassed in 1918, he wrote about his feelings and the treatment he received just as thoroughly as he did about every other aspect of the conflict.A striking aspect of the letters is that Staniforth enlisted as a private soldier and went through the training of the ordinary recruit before rising through the ranks. The letters also show how the Irish division was influenced by the turmoil of contemporary politics in Ireland.

Ireland's Unknown Soldiers
Ireland's Unknown Soldiers

Author: Terence Denman

Publisher:

Published: 2017-03-21

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9780716532583

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This pioneering study, originally published in 1992, remains the definitive history of the 16th (Irish) Division in the First World War. This year, the centenary of the outbreak of the war, sees its timely re-issue as the Irishmen who fought in that war re-enter the national memory after decades of indifference and hostility. Nearly 135,000 Irishmen volunteered and no less than three Irish divisions - the 10th (Irish), 16th (Irish) and 36th (Ulster) - were formed from Irishmen, Catholic and Protestant, who responded to Lord Kitchener's call to arms. An estimated 35,000 Irish-born soldiers were killed before the armistice came in November 1918. Over 4,000 of those died with the 16th (Irish) Division. In Ireland's Unknown Soldiers Terence Denman tells the powerful story of the Irish Division whose largely Catholic, nationalist composition encapsulated the complexities that surrounded Irish involvement in First World War. Denman recalls the sombre, compelling story of the lesser-known 16th (Irish) Division on the Western Front: gassed at Hulluch, victorious at Ginchy and Guillemont, the Division suffered heavy casualties in the carnage at the Somme, Messines Ridge and Passchendaele, before its final destruction in March 1918. Denman brings to life the extraordinary resilience and camaraderie of the men in the trenches and the tragedy of the thousands who made the ultimate sacrifice. This was the last chapter in the long history of the Catholic Irish soldier's contribution to the British army.

Neither Unionist Nor Nationalist
Neither Unionist Nor Nationalist

Author: Stephen Sandford (Accountant)

Publisher:

Published: 2015

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9780716532613

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This book is a major history account of the 10th (Irish) Division during World War I. Unlike the 36th (Ulster) and the 16th (Irish) Divisions, which have been well served by historians in recent years, the history of the 10th has been largely overlooked. The book emphatically rectifies this long oversight and, in so doing, brings to completion the complicated story of the Irish divisions during World War I. Using newly available sources, regimental medal rolls, newspaper reports, obituaries, census returns, and Commonwealth War Graves records, the book subjects the 10th Division to a ground-breaking analysis, unearthing an unprecedented amount of evidence crucial to understanding its formation, composition, and battle history, from Gallipoli to Palestine. Fascinating and vital details - concerning ethnicity, age, religion, employment, and social background - confound expectations and reveal that the 10th Division was neither as Irish nor as nationalist as previously believed. The research sheds new light on the effects of regimental morale and discipline on combat performance. All told, the book can lay legitimate claim to being the definitive account of the 10th (Irish) Division and will be the benchmark against which future histories of the Division are written. [Subject: Military History, Irish Studies, World War I]

Fighting Irish
Fighting Irish

Author: Gavin Hughes

Publisher: Merrion Press

Published: 2015-10-05

Total Pages: 250

ISBN-13: 1785370499

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Fighting Irish is a meticulous and engaging account of the First World War from the perspective of the men of the Irish Regiments of the British Army, revealing the extent of the Irish military commitment to the Great War effort from 1914-1918. Startling and sympathetic matters, from campaign strategy to the soldiers’ intimate war experiences, are addressed with fascinating documentary evidence and poignant eye-witness accounts. Persisting humour and unexpected trials; mounting reputations and the mundane drudgery of routine military life – all is touched upon in the lives of these men, and undercut by the pervasive loss of life. Whether fighting at Ypres, the Somme, Gallipoli, Kostorino or Nablus, the story of the Irish Regiments is compelling and evocative, with reasons for enlistment as varied as the men themselves. Though entrenched in warfare, many minds were set on the increasing unrest at home, swaying their interests and shaping the communications they left to posterity. Fighting Irish defines the diverse backgrounds of all those who served with the Irish regiments in these years, recounting their deeds through exacting historical research within a gripping and affecting narrative.

The Irish regiments in the Great War
The Irish regiments in the Great War

Author: Timothy Bowman

Publisher: Manchester University Press

Published: 2013-07-19

Total Pages: 258

ISBN-13: 1847795536

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The British army was almost unique among the European armies of the Great War in that it did not suffer from a serious breakdown of discipline or collapse of morale. It did, however, inevitably suffer from disciplinary problems. While attention has hitherto focused on the 312 notorious ‘shot at dawn’ cases, many thousands of British soldiers were tried by court martial during the Great War. This book provides the first comprehensive study of discipline and morale in the British Army during the Great War by using a case study of the Irish regular and Special Reserve batallions. In doing so, Timothy Bowman demonstrates that breaches of discipline did occur in the Irish regiments but in most cases these were of a minor nature. Controversially, he suggests that where executions did take place, they were militarily necessary and served the purpose of restoring discipline in failing units. Bowman also shows that there was very little support for the emerging Sinn Fein movement within the Irish regiments. This book will be essential reading for military and Irish historians and their students, and will interest any general reader concerned with how units maintain discipline and morale under the most trying conditions.

The South Irish Horse in the Great War
The South Irish Horse in the Great War

Author: Mark Perry

Publisher:

Published: 2019-02-07

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781526736956

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On 12 June 1922 King George V received at Windsor Castle representatives of the six disbanded Irish regiments. While five had long and distinguished service records, the South Irish Horse (SIH) had only been raised in 1902, as a result of the second Boer War, but too late to take part. On the outbreak of The Great War a single squadron of the SIH was sent to Flanders which was involved in the retreat from Mons and the Marne and the early battles of Ypres, Neuve Chapelle. The remainder of the Regiment followed and over the next four years, won ten battle honors including Loos 1915, Somme 1916 and 1918, Albert, St Quentin, Courtrai and finally France and Flanders 1915-1918. Losses were severe and there were many acts of gallantry. This book, while not an official history, fills a void by describing the achievements of this unique and short-lived regiment and the colorful characters who served in it. Certainly there is a fine story to tell and it will be invaluable to those researching former members.

Ireland's Unknown Soldiers
Ireland's Unknown Soldiers

Author: Terence Denman

Publisher:

Published: 1992

Total Pages: 216

ISBN-13:

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The Great War of 1914ñ18 saw the Irish soldier make his greatest sacrifice on Britainís behalf. Nearly 135,000 Irishmen volunteered (conscription was never applied in Ireland) in addition to the 50,000 Irish who were serving with the regular army and the reserves on 4 August 1914. Within a few weeks of the outbreak of the war no less than three Irish divisions ñ the 10th (Irish), 16th (Irish) and 36th (Ulster) ñ were formed from Irishmen, Catholic and Protestant, who responded to Lord Kitchenerís call to arms. An estimated 35,000 Irish-born soldiers were killed before the armistice came in November 1918. Over 4,000 of those who died were with the 16th (Irish) Division. Yet, in spite of these facts, serious historical study of Irelandís major involvement in the War has been neglected. Indeed Easter 1916 dominates Irish historiography to such an extent that the period 1914ñ18 is rarely considered as a distinct era in Irish history.

Ulster Will Fight
Ulster Will Fight

Author: David R. Orr

Publisher:

Published: 2016

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781910777633

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"Volume 1 summary: The various attempts at Home Rule for Ireland ultimately culminated in the Third Home Rule Bill which directly contributed to the creation of the Ulster Volunteer Force. The UVF spanned not just the geographic rural and urban Protestant Ulster from the Atlantic coast of Donegal to the shipyards of east Belfast but also the diverse political ideals of individuals. By the outbreak of the Great War it had become an organisation of armed volunteers, the first to use motorcycle despatch riders and motor transport on a large scale and the first to use armoured lorries in street patrols. It was also one of the first in the twentieth century to recognise the varied role for women in warfare against a backdrop of a rise in women's suffrage in the United Kingdom and the United States of America. The importance, role and significance of the existence of the UVF are well summed up in Sir Winston Churchill's book, Great Contemporaries, that 'if Ulster had confined herself simply to constitutional agitation, it is extremely improbable that she would have escaped forcible inclusion in a Dublin Parliament.' This book tells both the story of the Home Rule period and the Ulster Volunteer Force formed in response to the Home Rule crises. An important period in Irish politics and history this book draws on a number of first-hand accounts, contemporary newspaper reports, UVF papers and records from the Somme Museum. It is illustrated by a number of images never before published"--Publisher description.