British 16th (Irish) Division

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16th (Irish) Division
Image:British_16th_(Irish)_Division_Insignia.png
Active World War I
September 1914 - 1919
Country United Kingdom
Branch New Army
Type Infantry
Battles/wars Battle of Hulluch
Battle of the Somme (1916)
Battle of Guillemont
Battle of Ginchy
Battle of Messines
Third Battle of Ypres

The 16th (Irish) Division was a division of the New Army, raised in Ireland from the Irish National Volunteers in September 1914 as part of the K2 Army Group. In December 1915, the division moved to France, joining the British Expeditionary Force (BEF), under the command of Major General William Bernard Hickie, and spent the duration of the First World War in action on the Western Front. The division required a substantial refit in England between June and August 1918, which involved the introduction of many non-Irish battalions.

The Division began forming towards the end of 1914 after Irish recruits in the early days of the war from England and Belfast first filled the ranks of the 10th (Irish) Division before being assigned to the 16th Division. Initial training began in Ireland at Fermoy and Buttevant, when it was moved to Aldershot Barracks in England for more intensive training in September 1915. After thirteen weeks, the unit was deployed to Etaples, France, where they left on December 18 for the front at the earlier Battle of Loos salient.

At Loos they got their introduction to trench warfare in January and February 1916, and suffered greatly in the Battle of Hulluch, April 27-April 29, 1916. They raided German trenches all through May and June, and in late July they were moved to the Somme Valley where they were intensively engaged in the Battle of the Somme.

The 16th Division was critical in capturing the towns of Guillemont and Ginchy, though they suffered massive casualties.

In early 1917, the division took a major part in the Battle of Messines along side the 36th (Ulster) Division, due to both their recognition and reputation. Their major actions ended in the summer of 1917 at the Battle of Passchendaele after moving under General Hubert Gough's Fifth Army command. He had little regard for the Irish and in July 1917 during the Third Battle of Ypres , although both divisions were totally exhausted after 13 days of moving heavy equipment under heavy shelling he ordered their battalions advance to the east of Ypres through deep mud towards well fortified German positions left untouched by totally inadequate artillery preparation. By mid August the 16th (Irish) had suffered over 4,200 casualties and the 36th (Ulster) had suffered almost 3,600 casualties, or more than 50% of their numbers, which General Haig was very critical of him for "playing the Irish card" (Robin Prior and Trevor Wilson: Passchendaele, the untold truth (1997) pp 102-105).

In early 1918, the division held an exposed position at Ronssoy during the German Spring Offensive. They suffered heavy losses here and during the retreat which followed, also under Gough's command, for which he was dismissed. They helped finally halt the German attack at the Battle of Hamel.

Contents

[edit] Formation

47th Brigade 
  • 8th (Service) Battalion, Royal Munster Fusiliers (disbanded November 1916)
  • 6th (Service) Battalion, The Royal Irish Regiment (disbanded February 1918)
  • 7th (Service) Battalion, The Prince of Wales' Leinster Regiment (Royal Canadians); (disbanded February 1918)
  • 6th (Service) Battalion, Connaught Rangers (until June 1918)
  • 1st Battalion, Royal Munster Fusiliers (from November 1916 until April 1918)
  • 18th (Service) Battalion (2nd Glamorgan), The Welsh Regiment (from May 1918)
  • 14th (Service) Battalion, The Leicestershire Regiment (from June 1918)
  • 9th (Service) Battalion, Black Watch (from July 1918)
  • 2nd Battalion, The Prince of Wales Leinster Regiment (Royal Canadians) (from February 1918 until April 1918)
48th Brigade 

The 8th and 9th Battalions of the Royal Dublin Fusiliers combined to form the 8/9th Battalion in October 1917 which was subsequently disbanded in February 1918.

49th Brigade 
  • 7th (Service) Battalion, Royal Irish Fusiliers (merged with 8th Battalion October 1916, disbanded February 1918)
  • 8th (Service) Battalion, Royal Irish Fusiliers (merged with 7th Battalion October 1916, disbanded February 1918)
  • 7th (Service) Battalion, Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers (merged with 8th Battalion August 1917)
  • 8th (Service) Battalion, Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers (merged with 7th Battalion August 1917)
  • 2nd Battalion, The Royal Irish Regiment (from October 1916 until April 1918)
  • 7th (Service) Battalion, Royal Irish Rifles (from August 1917 until October 1917)
  • 7th (South Irish Horse) Battalion, The Royal Irish Regiment (from October 1917 until July 1918)
  • 34th (County of London) Battalion, The London Regiment (from June 1918)
  • 6th (Service) Battalion, Somerset Light Infantry (from July 1918)
  • 18th (Service) Battalion, The Gloucestershire Regiment (from July 1918)

The 7th and 8th Battalions of the Royal Irish Fusiliers combined to form the 7/8th Battalion in October 1916 which was subsequently disbanded in February 1918. The 7th and 8th Battalions of the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers combined to form the 7/8th Battalion in August 1917 which was subsequently disbanded in February 1918.

[edit] Battles

[edit] See also

[edit] Great War Memorials

[edit] External links

[edit] Further reading

  • Thomas P. Dooley: Irishmen or English Soldiers: ?
    the Times of a Southern Catholic Irish Man (1876-1916)    .
    Liverpool Press (1995), ISBN 0-85323-600-3.
  • Myles Dungan: They Shall not Grow Old: Irish Soldiers in the Great War
    Four Courts Press (1997), ISBN 1-85182-347-6.
  • Keith Jeffery: Ireland and the Great War
    Press Syndicate of the University of Cambridge (2000), ISBN 0-521-77323-7.
  • Terence Denman: Ireland's unknown Soldiers
    the 16th (Irish) Division in the Great War.
    Irish Academic Press (1992), (2003) ISBN 0-7165-2495-3.
  • Desmond & Jean Bowen: Heroic Option: The Irish in the British Army
    Pen & Sword BooKs (2005), ISBN 1-84415-152-2.
  • Steven Moore: The Irish on the Somme (2005). ISBN 0-9549715-1-5.
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