History of the Royal Regiment of Artillery Vol I (1716-1783)

History of the Royal Regiment of Artillery Vol I (1716-1783)

Author: Captain Francis Duncan

Publisher: Andrews UK Limited

Published: 2012-10-22

Total Pages: 452

ISBN-13: 1781491739

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This two-volume history of the Royal Artillery is one of the earliest published on that subject, and covers the period from its formation in 1716 to Waterloo, a hundred years of history. Volume I takes the story of the Regiment from 1716 to the end of the American War of Independence and the Peace Treaty of 1783. The first few chapters describe the situation regarding artillery before the Regiment came into existence, when all Artillery details came under the care and superintendence of the Masters-General of the Ordnance and the Honourable Board of Ordnance. This Board, apparently, invariably interfered with the duties of the Artillery and "no amount of individual experience, no success, no distance from England, could save unhappy artillerymen from perpetual worry and incessant legislation." Apart from telling the story of the campaigns and battles in which the Regiment took part during its first seventy or so years of its existence, principally the Seven Years War, the Siege of Gibraltar and the American War of Independence, this volume contains plenty of 'domestic' detail including the development and growth of the Artillery, changes of organization, changes in establishments, pay and conditions of service, officer personalities, commanders and the foundation of the Royal Military Academy. The author was Superintendent of the Royal Artillery Regimental Records and was well placed to write a very full and interesting account of the Gunners during the first hundred years of their existence.


History of the Royal Irish Regiment of Artillery

History of the Royal Irish Regiment of Artillery

Author: J. J. Crooks

Publisher:

Published: 2005-02

Total Pages: 380

ISBN-13: 9781845741730

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In 1687 a Royal Warrant was issued for the establishment of an Office of Ordnance and Train of Artillery in Ireland, which had a staff of only 40 distributed among several garrisons, but Ireland lacked its own specialist Artillery Corps. Furthermore, down to 1755 no Irishman whatsoever was allowed to be enlisted for the Army serving in Ireland - a consequence of the Test Act of 1673, directed against Catholics which, among other things, permitted recruiting for the Army on the Irish Establishment only from English Protestants. In February 1756 this was amended to include Protestants from the Province of Ulster. On 1 April 1756 the Train of Artillery was expanded to a company and further increased in 1760 to four companies and designated a regiment with the full title The Royal Irish Regiment of Artillery with the Earl of Kildare as its first Colonel in Chief. By 1800 the Royal Irish Artillery had reached its high point of twenty Marching Companies and an Invalid Company with a total strength of 2,132 men. After the Act of Union in 1801 the regiment was absorbed into the Royal Regiment of Artillery as the 7th Battalion RA. During its forty years as an independent regiment the Royal Irish Artillery saw its fair share of action, either as a unit or in supplying volunteers to the Royal Artillery units overseas. Volunteers fought in RA batteries during the American War of Independence; they were in action in Flanders in 1794 and in the West Indies in 1795 when yellow fever killed more than the French: out of 11 officers and 288 other ranks only 4 officers and 43 men survived. Back home they were engaged in several engagements in the Irish Rebellion of 1798. But the main focus of the book is on domestic aspects, and to this end there are numerous tables giving strength returns, establishment details, pay, recruiting figures and dress. There is the succession of Colonels, the roll of officers who entered the Royal Irish Artillery from 1756 to 1801, giving dates of entry and rank, the rank attained afterwards, dates of retirement or leaving the Regiment or death; and finally there is the list of officers who transferred to the Royal Artillery in April 1801 with details of their service.


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.


Kildare Barracks

Kildare Barracks

Author: Mark McLoughlin

Publisher: Merrion Press

Published: 2014

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781908928467

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This book explores the military life and experiences of the gunners stationed in Ireland's Kildare Barracks over the course of almost 100 years while it was under both British and Irish military commands. Built in 1901 to train British artillery brigades for service in the Boer War, and closed in 1998, the barracks provides an exceptional spotlight for the local history of County Kildare and the military history of 20th-century Ireland. Through numerous personal histories, the book reflects upon the importance of the barracks in shaping the activity and development of the county. These tales - both informative and touching - provide a means of examining landmarks in Irish and international 20th-century history, including the Curragh Mutiny, World War I, the Irish War of Independence, the Irish Civil War and the Emergency - while telling the story of a national military institution and the personnel who passed through. The fascinating personal histories offer poignant reflections on those who served at the barracks.