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Irish Guards (1900)Note: Irish Guards articles were split into three articles to avoid one large article exceeding 35 kilobytes.
The Irish Guards are a regiment of the British Army. It was formed in 1900. First World War In May 1902, at Horse Guards Parade, the regiment's first Colours were presented by King Edward VII. The Irish Guards were stationed in the United Kingdom for the first fourteen years of its existence, performing a number of ceremonial duties in London during that time, until, in 1914, the 'Great War' began. The 1st Irish Guards deployed to France, eight days after the UK had declared war upon the German Empire, as part of 4 (Guards) Brigade of the 2nd Division. The 1st Irish Guards would remain on the Western Front for the duration of WWI. The battalion took part in the Battle of Mons and the subsequent arduous and bloody Retreat from Mons, which began on the 24th August and would not end until the 5th September. The Irish Guards were one of the units of the rearguard during the retreat and took part in a small-scale action at During the retreat, the 1st Irish Guards took part in a small-scalle action at Landrecies against the advancing Germans. The 1st Irish Guards also took part in another rearguard action at woods near Villers-Cotterets, on the 1st September, during the Battle of Le Cateau in which their CO Lieutenant-Colonel the Hon. George Morris and the Second-in-Command were killed. Le Cateau was a successful action that helped delay the inexeorable German advance towards Paris, inflicting very heavy losses on the Germans in the process. In August that year, the 2rd (Reserve) Battalion was raised at Warley Barracks. The 1st Irish Guards later in September took part in Marne and the advance towards the Aisne. It was already becoming a bitter time for the Irish Guards, having lost their CO only a few weeks after they had reached France month, would face one of the bloodiest battles of 1914, Ypres, which began on the 19th October. The battle would rip the heart out of the old Regular Army, just like the Somme would rip the heart out of the New Army. The battalion was in the thick of it for the duration of 'First Ypres', taking part in the major actions of 'First Ypres, at Langemarck, Gheluvelt and Nonne Bosschen. By the end of 'First Ypres' on the 22nd November, the battalion had sufferered over 700 casualties. The 2nd Division that the 1st Irish Guards were part of, suffered 5,769 officers and men killed. The rest of 1914 and early 1915 was spent in the trenches with little happening, yet still danger faced the British soldier everyday from snipers and shells. In February 1915, Lance-Corporal Michael O'Leary performed an astonishing act of bravery at Cuinchy, where attack and counter-attack had been taking place between the British and Germans there from the 29th January to early February. On the 1st February, the Lance-Corporal was part of a storming party which attacked an enemy barricade, during the attack the party suffered casualties and a group of the storming party then got caught up in their own artillery bombardment. The Lance-Corporal rushed forward, shooting five Germans before attacking a further three in a machine-gun position at the next barricade, capturing two Germans in the process. The trench and many prisoners were taken thanks to the actions of the Lance-Corporal. He was awarded the Victoria Cross, the first VC the Irish Guards won in the war. In May 1915, the 1st Irish Guards took part in the Battle of Festubert, though did not see much action, no doubt a good thing to many of the Guards in the trenches. In July 1915, the 2nd (Reserve) Battalion was redesignated the 3rd (Reserve) Battalion, and another battalion, the 2nd Battalion was formed at Waverley Barracks. In August that year the 1st Irish Guards, and the rest of the 4th (Guards) Brigade was moved to the Guards Division. The brigade was redesignated the 1st Guards Brigade. In September that year, the battalion, as-well as the 2nd Irish Guards, who had reached France in August, took part in the Battle of Loos, which lasted from the 25th September to early October. The 1st Irish Guards spent much of the remainder of 1915 in the trenches, but, on 1st July 1916 the Battle of the Somme began, it was, and still is, the bloodiest day in British military history. The 1st Irish took part in an action at Flers-Courcelette where they suffered rather severe casualties in the attack but performed bravely in the face of terrible withering fire from the German machine-guns. The battalion also took part in the action at Morval. They were involved in the capture of the northern part of a village, during the action and were relieved the following day by the 2nd Irish Guards. The 1st Irish Guards suffered quite heavily during the Morval engagement. In 1917 the Irish Guards took part in the Battle of Pilckem which began on the 31st July during the Third Battle of Ypres. Further actions took place at Menin Road and Poelcapelle. During 'Third Ypres', at Broenbeek, in September, Lance-Sergeant Moyney and Private Woodcock of the 2nd Irish Guards, were part of an advance post that became surrounded by Germans. During the fifty day of the defence, the Lance-Sergeant attacked the advancing Germans with grenades and with his Lewis Gun. He, and his men, then charged the Germans, breaking through them and reaching a stream where he and Private Woodcock performed a rearguard while the rest of the party withdrew. They then subsequently began to withdraw too, crossing the stream, but Private Woodcock heard cries for help and he then returned, retrieving the wounded man and carrying him back to British lines under machine-gun fire. They had held out for astonishing ninety-six hours. The Irish Guards took part in the Battle of Cambrai, the first large use of the tank in battle took place during the engagement. In 1918 the regiment fought at the same area that had caused so much pain to the British Army in 1916, the Somme. The regiment fought in a number of engaments during the Battle of the Somme, including at Arras and Albert. The regiment took part in a number of battles during the British offensives against the Hindenburg Line. On November 4th 1918 at the Sambre-Oise Canal, Acting Lieutenant-Colonel James Marshall of the Irish Guards but attached to the 16th Battalion, The Lancashire Fusiliers, organised repair parties who were trying to repair a damaged partly finished bridge. The first party soon came under fire and all were killed or wounded. The Lieutenant-Colonel, disregarding his own safety, stood at the bank, encouraging and helping the men as they worked on the bridge. Once it was repaired the Lieutenant-Colonel then began to lead his men across the bridge but was killed in the process. He was awarded the posthumous VC. The Irish Guards took place in the last advances on the Western Front On the 11th November 1918 the Armistice was signed. The 1st Irish Guards were at Maubeuge when the armistice was signed, it was near to where the Irish Guards began their war in 1914 at Mons, yet there would not be many survivors of that first battle by the 11th Novemeber. On the 11th December the regiment marched into Germany, drums beating, no doubt reflecting on the many experiences they had during the war, no doubt remembering the men that had fell in this deadly war that had effectively destroyed a generation. The Irish guards sacrifice during WWI was immense. Over 2300 officers and men were killed and well over 5000 wounded. The regiment won 406 medals, including four VCs during WWI. Inter-War In 1919 the 2nd and 3rd Irish Guards were disbanded, and the 1st Irish Guards returned to the UK victoriously, though no doubt being scarred by their experiences in the First World War. In 1920, for St Patrick's Day, the regiment donned its full-dress for the first time since WWI. In 1922 the regiment then deployed to Constantinople as part of an allied force during the troubles in that region. In late 1923 the regiment deployed to the garrison at Gibraltar. They returned to the UK in 1924. They were then based in the south of England until 1936 when they deployed to Egypt. While stationed there, the regiment deployed to Palestine for a number of months on internal security duties against Arab militants. The regiment returned to the UK in 1938. The following year the 2nd Battalion of the Irish Guards was re-formed five months before World War II began. World War II and Post-War See: Irish Guards (1939)
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