- Welcome to the Irish Brigade Website
- News
- Formation of the Irish Brigade
- Roll of Honour 1939-45
- 2 LIR – January to October 1942
- 2 LIR – November 1942
- 2 LIR – December 1942
- 2 LIR – January 1943
- 2 LIR – February 1943
- 2 LIR – March 1943
- 2 LIR – April 1943
- 2 LIR – May/June 1943
- 2 LIR – July 1943
- 2 LIR – August/September 1943
- 2 LIR – October 1943
- 2 LIR – November 1943
- 2 LIR – December 1943
- 2 LIR – January 1944
- 2 LIR – February 1944
- 2 LIR – March 1944
- 2 LIR – April 1944
- 2 LIR – May 1944
- 2 LIR – June 1944
- 2 LIR – July 1944
- 2 LIR – October 1944
- 2 LIR – November 1944 to February 1945
- 2 LIR – March 1945
- 2 LIR – April 1945
- 2 LIR – May 1945
- Honours and awards
- They Shall Not Grow Old – 1 London Irish Rifles
- They Shall Not Grow Old – 2 London Irish Rifles
- War Diaries of 1 London Irish Rifles
- Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers – “The Skins”
- At Rest in Rome and Egypt
- In Sidi Bishr
- Back To Italy
- With the 5th Army
- Plan to capture Imola
- The Spaduro battles
- The Rains come
- Patrolling and Artillery Duels
- San Clemente
- And with the Skins and Irish Rifles
- Clamping Down for the Winter
- With the Faughs
- Raid on Casa Tamagnin
- Continuing in the Mountains
- Goodbye to the Mountains
- The Beginning of a New Phase
- Preparing for the Final Battles
- Senio Floodbanks
- London Irish Raid on the Floodbank
- Visitors to the Irish Brigade
- St Patrick’s Day in Forli
- Ready for Action
- The Last Offensive – The Plan and Opening Phase
- The Po and the End of the War
- Northern Italy
- Into Austria – Settling Frontiers
- Balkan Troubles
- Postscript
- Irish Brigade Awards: May 1944 to March 1945
- Irish Brigade Awards: April to July 1945.
- December 1942
- February 1943 (1)
- January 1943 (2)
- January 1943 (1)
- January 1943 (3)
- April 1943 (3)
- April 1943 (4)
- July 1943
- June 1943
- August 1943 (1)
- 38 (Irish) Brigade – November 1942
- March 1943
- 38 (Irish) Brigade – December 1942
- 38 (Irish) Brigade – January 1943
- May 1943 (1)
- May 1943 (2)
- May 1943 (3)
- December 1943 (1)
- 38 (Irish) Brigade – March 1943
- December 1943 (2)
- November 1943
- 38 (Irish) Brigade – May 1943
- October 1943 (1)
- October 1943 (2)
- 38 (Irish) Brigade – June 1943
- 38 (Irish) Brigade – July 1943
- October 1943 (3)
- 38 (Irish) Brigade – August 1943
- September 1943
- 38 (Irish) Brigade – September 1943
- April 1943 (1)
- 38 (Irish) Brigade – November 1943
- 38 (Irish) Brigade – December 1943
- April 1943 (5a)
- February 1943 (2)
- February 1943 (3)
- April 1943 (2)
- February 1943 (4)
- November 1942
- October 1944 (1)
- March 1944
- February 1944
- June 1944 (1)
- January 1944
- April 1944
- June 1944 (2)
- May 1944
- October 1944 (2)
- November 1944 (1)
- July 1944
- August 1944
- November 1944 (2)
- December 1944
- September 1944
- 38 (Irish) Brigade – January 1944
- 38 (Irish) Brigade – March 1944
- 38 (Irish) Brigade – April 1944
- 38 (Irish) Brigade – May 1944
- 38 (Irish) Brigade – July 1944
- 38 (Irish) Brigade – August 1944
- 38 (Irish) Brigade – September 1944
- 38 (Irish) Brigade – October 1944
- 38 (Irish) Brigade – November 1944
- 38 (Irish) Brigade – December 1944
- Officers’ Roll : November 1942 to December 1943
- Officers’ Roll : January 1944 to May 1945
- April 1944
- July 1944
- June 1944
- March 1944
- May 1944
- 1 RIrF – January 1944
- 1 RIrF – February 1944
- 1 RIrF – March 1944
- 1 RIrF – April 1944
- 1 RIrF – May 1944
- 1 RIrF – June 1944
- 1 RIrF – July 1944
- 1 RIrF – August 1944
- 1 RIrF – September 1944
- 1 RIrF – October 1944
- 1 RIrF – November 1944
- 1 RIrF – December 1944
- Officers’ Roll : November 1942 to June 1944
- Officers’ Roll : July 1944 to May 1945
- April 1944 (1)
- April 1944 (2)
- April 1944 (3)
- August 1944
- December 1944
- February 1944
- January 1944 (1)
- January 1944 (2)
- July 1944
- June 1944 (1)
- June 1944 (2)
- March 1944
- May 1944
- November 1944
- October 1944 (1)
- October 1944 (2)
- September 1944
- 2 LIR – February 1944
- 2 LIR – March 1944
- 2 LIR – April 1944
- 2 LIR – May 1944
- 2 LIR – June 1944
- 2 LIR – July 1944
- 2 LIR – August 1944
- 2 LIR – September 1944
- 2 LIR – October 1944
- 2 LIR – November 1944
- 2 LIR – December 1944
- Officers’ Roll : Nov 1942 to Dec 1943
- Officers’ Roll : Jan 1944 to May 1945
- Point 286, Tunisia – Jan 1943 by Lt-Col Jeffreys
- Lieutenant Nick Mosley at Monte Spaduro
- The Skins in Sicily
- Percy Hamilton – On Route to Africa
- Percy Hamilton – To The Front
- Percy Hamilton – Djebel Mahdi
- Percy Hamilton – Tanngoucha
- Percy Hamilton – Advance To Tunis
- Percy Hamilton – Guelma/Hammamet
- Percy Hamilton – Arriving in Sicily
- Percy Hamilton – From Centuripe To Randazzo
- Percy Hamilton – To Mainland Italy
- Percy Hamilton – Termoli
- Percy Hamilton – Crossing the Trigno River
- Percy Hamilton – Assault on San Salvo
- Thursday 4th November 1943 (1)
- 4th November 1943 (2)
- Saturday 6th November 1943
- Tuesday 9th November 1943
- Friday 12th November 1943
- Monday 15th November 1943
- Tuesday 16th November 1943
- Thursday 18th November 1943
- Sunday 21st November 1943
- Tuesday 23rd November 1943
- Friday 25th November 1943
- Monday 28th November 1943
- Captain David Schayek – March/April 1943
- Colin Gunner at Argenta
- Ted O’Sullivan joins the London Irish Rifles
- Day 2
- The making of Rosie
- Training at Wimbledon
- Invasion alerts
- From Lowestoft to Haverfordwest
- Onto Goodwood
- Joining the Irish Brigade
- Operation Dryshod and ready for War
- Setting sail from Glasgow
- Arrival in Algiers
- Christmas in Tunisia
- Point 286
- Stuka Ridge
- Rest and recovery
- The Djebels north of Medjez-el-Bab
- Entering Tunis
- Rest and renewed training
- Stormy Mediterranean crossings
- The Sicilian campaign
- From Termoli to the Trigno
- Crossing the Sangro River
- Interlude at Campbobasso
- Meeting the new OC
- German raid at Montenero
- In clear sight of Vesuvius
- Defensive positions at San Angelo
- Ascending Monte Castellone
- The Liri Valley
- North of Rome
- Back to Rome and onto Egypt
- Hospitalised in Alexandria
- Out of the Line
- Back to the London Irish at last
- Resting in Forli
- St Patrick’s Day
- From Argenta to Austria
- Peace at Last
- Home on Leave
- At Ease in London
- The Atomic Sergeant Major
- RQMS Edmund O’Sullivan goes home
- Irish Brigade at Termoli, October 1943
- Termoli. 5/6 October 1943
- Campaign Narrative
- Unit Accounts – 11 Brigade
- Unit Accounts – Other Arms
- Unit Accounts – Royal Artillery
- Unit Accounts – 36 Brigade
- Unit Accounts – 38 Brigade
- Unit Accounts – Royal Engineers
- 78 Division
- Unit Accounts – Maps
- Casualties/ Prisoners of War
- 11 Brigade
- 2 Lancashire Fusiliers
- 1 East Surreys
- 5 Northamptons
- 5 Buffs
- 8 Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders
- 38 (Irish) Brigade
- 38th Brigade
- 2 Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers
- 2 London Irish Rifles
- 1 Royal Irish Fusiliers
- 1 Kensingtons
- The Queen’s Bays
- 9 Lancers
- 10 Royal Hussars
- 48 RTR
- Royal Artillery
- 17 Field Regiment RA
- 132 (Welsh) Field Regiment RA
- 138 Field Regiment RA
- 64 A/Tk Regiment
- Royal Engineers, 78 Division
- Honours and Awards – 38 (Irish) Brigade
- Honours and awards – 6 Innisks
- Honours and awards – 2 Innisks
- Honours and awards – 1 RIrF
- Honours and awards – 2 LIR
- Honours and Awards – Tunisian Campaign
- Honours and Awards – Sicilian Campaign
- Honours and Awards – From Termoli to the Moro
- Honours and Awards – Cassino/ Trasimene
- Honours and Awards – Monte Spaduro / Tamagnin
- Honours and Awards – Senio/Argenta Gap
- Mentions in Brigade Orders – October 1944 to March 1945
- Mention in Brigade Orders – April 1945
- Contact Us
- Site Map
Irish Brigade In Italy February 1944 to Jul 1945 By Brigadier TPD Scott
Over the following linked pages, the Irish Brigade website reproduces Pat Scott’s account of his time as Brigade Commander of 38 (Irish) Brigade from February 1944 when he took over command from Nelson Russell until July 1945 when the brigade were involved in ongoing security duties across southern Austria.
“I am taking up the Irish Brigade story from where Nelson Russell left off. I am only too conscious of the fact that it will be quite impossible for me to write this story in anything like Nelson’s brilliant style, which was guaranteed to bring laughter and tears to your eyes on almost any page of it which you read.
I had left the brigade, with rather mixed feelings, to command 12 Brigade on 7th July 1943, and so missed seeing the brigade perform in Sicily and the first part of the Italian campaign. In November, I was switched to the 128 (Hampshire) Brigade, who were operating on the River Garigliano on the west coast of Italy.
Soon after the crossing of the Garigliano in January, I broke my ankle and retired from active operations for what the doctors told me would be about three months. After about three weeks in hospital, I limped off to see the military secretary who lived around the corner, and told him that I was to go to a convalescent depot for about six weeks. I said that, if by any accident of war, the Irish Brigade became vacant, I would be available at once, but it would be at least two months before I would be available for any other brigade.
I had been at the convalescent depot for just twenty four hours when the military secretary rang me up to ask if I would be fit to go back to the Irish Brigade, as it was going vacant. Next day, I saw General Keightley, the Divisional Commander, an old friend of ours from 6 Armoured Division days, and told him that the one thing I really did want to do above all else was to return to the Irish Brigade, but that I would not be able to walk for about three weeks and goodness knows when I would be able to climb the Djebels again. This limitation did not seem to worry him and he promised that we would be the last brigade to do anything, and that if we could be kept out of the mountains we would be, if not I would have to be content to sit at the bottom and let a CO carry on…………….He kept his promise well.”
FEBRUARY to JUNE 1944.
Taking over from Nelson Russell.
Defensive positions near Cassino.
Cracking the Gustav Line.
Advance towards Ripi.
North of Rome.
Battles at Lake Trasimene.
JULY to SEPTEMBER 1944.
Resting in Rome and the move to Egypt.
Resting at Sidi Bishr.
OCTOBER 1944 to FEBRUARY 1945.
Back to Italy.
Joining the 5th Army north of Florence.
A plan to capture Imola.
Monte Spaduro battles.
The Rains come.
Patrolling and Artillery Duels.
New Positions near San Clemente.
With the Faughs on Monte Grande.
The Irish Brigade ready to move forward.
Clamping down for the Winter.
Raid on Casa Tamagnin.
Still in the Mountains.
Goodbye to the Mountains.
FEBRUARY 1945 – MARCH 1945.
Beginning of a New Phase.
Preparations start for the Final Battles.
The Senio Floodbanks.
London Irish raid on the Floodbank.
The Irish Brigade receive a number of visitors.
BRIGADE AWARDS AND HONOURS.
Awards since Cassino.
Mentions in Brigade Orders.
APRIL 1945.
St Patrick’s Day.
Readying for action.
The advance to the River Po.
The Po and the End of the War.
MAY 1945.
Northern Italy.
Into Austria – Settling Frontiers.
Balkan Troubles.
JULY 1945.
Postscript.
Awards from April to July 1945.
Leave a Reply