- Welcome to the Irish Brigade Website
- News
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- Formation of the Irish Brigade
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- 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
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- Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers – “The Skins”
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- 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.
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- 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
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- October 1944 (1)
- March 1944
- February 1944
- June 1944 (1)
- January 1944
- April 1944
- June 1944 (2)
- May 1944
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- 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
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- 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
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- 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
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- April 1944 (1)
- April 1944 (2)
- April 1944 (3)
- August 1944
- December 1944
- February 1944
- January 1944 (1)
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- September 1944
- 2 LIR – February 1944
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- 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
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- Point 286, Tunisia – Jan 1943 by Lt-Col Jeffreys
- Lieutenant Nick Mosley at Monte Spaduro
- The Skins in Sicily
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- 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
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- 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
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- 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
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- 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
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- 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
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San Angelo
By now, it had become evident that the New Zealand Corps’ plan for the capture of Cassino and the Monastery had failed and it would be necessary for considerable regrouping to take place before the major offensive could be resumed. From December till the big push in May, some parts of this particular front had not changed at all.
There had been a limited success in January near the mouth of the Garigliano River by 10 Corps and there had been an advance by the French and the Americans in December which placed them in the neighbourhood of Cassino. The French had done magnificently in the mountains to the north of the Liri Valley and had got up behind Cassino and the Monastery onto Mount Castellone and Belvedere, mountains of over 2,000 feet and sub features of the mighty Mount Cairo which towered above them. These features were captured in order to facilitate operations against Cassino and the Monastery, but while these places remained in German hands, a pre war Staff College instructor would have labelled ours untenable. Cassino, the Monastery and Cairo remained in German hands.
At this time, the French had been sitting in this unwholesome area for a month. The Monastery was undoubtedly the key position. It completely dominated the French line of control, Cassino and the Liri Valley. On the other side of the Liri Valley, the village of San Ambroglio also dominated the lower ground. I had endeavoured to capture this place in January with the Hampshire Brigade but had been thwarted by the Germans having opened a dam at the psychological moment, making the river completely impassable in front of Ambroglio.
It will be seen from this, that the Germans enjoyed unpleasantly good observation over the Allied positions. The Rapido (Gari), a tributary to the Garigliano ran straight across the Liri Valley from Cassino to Ambroglio and it was on either side of this river that the opposing armies, as they concerned us, sat. The ground rose gradually from 50 to 100 feet on either side of the Rapido (Gari) and the Monastery looked at it all. There was a fair amount of cover owing to the undulation of the ground, with a certain number of broken down houses.
Our job on 22nd March was to relieve 11 Brigade in the middle of the Liri Valley on the banks of the Rapido in front of the village of San Angelo. In the early days, road movement was the greatest problem on this front. Highway Six and the main Rome to Naples railway were both on our axis and had been well demolished in many places. Movement off the roads after rain was disastrous. There were also plenty of mines about.
By the time we came into the picture, Highway Six had been mended, the railway had been converted into quite a good road known as “Speedy Express”, and a certain number of minor tracks had been strengthened. The forward concentration area for this part of the world was around Mignano, from which Highway Six and Speedy Express diverged towards Cassino. Mignano used to receive the unwelcome attention of 170s, especially during the hours of slumber. Speedy Express and Highway Six also had their drawbacks. As one got close to Cassino, these drawbacks became more evident and more noisy.
The normal form of transport for people like myself was a jeep driven as near as 60mph as the road surfaces or track surfaces would permit. We also had about 600 guns varying from 250 to ordinary field pieces in this neighbourhood. Unfortunately, they seemed at this time to have unlimited ammunition and the din was quite appalling. ‘Long Toms’ were apt to creep up behind one’s HQ in the dark without reference to anyone and suddenly start loosing off. I think this was almost worse that the contribution sent over by the other side. There were still a few German aeroplanes playing about but their role seemed to be mostly reconnaissance, though they occasionally had a crack at one of the many gun positions. The ack-ack fire that went up at these odd German reconnaissance planes was of no ordinary intensity.
By the 23rd, the Irish Rifles and the Faughs had taken over from 11 Brigade, while the Skins remained well back in reserve. It was difficult country to defend economically and it was overlooked to an uncomfortable degree in its forward areas. Mortars were the chief nuisance to the forward troops at this time and we started a counter mortar organisation to deal with this. What it really amounted to was the plotting of German mortar positions and infantry positions as far as we could possibly get them, then the moment any German mortar was sufficiently ill advised as to fire, we sent back about a fifty to one bombardment onto all known German positions using everything we had including the invaluable 4.2” mortars. This policy certainly paid quite a good dividend and reduced German harassing fire to a very considerable extent.
Nothing much happened while we were in this sector except what the BBC calls “artillery duels and patrolling”. This always sounds a matter of small interest on the news, but if you happen to be a participant in it, it is one of the most unpleasant forms of war there is, especially in an area like that where there are immeasurable unmarked minefields. By the 27th, we had handed over this place to the New Zealanders and moved back to the Mignano area before indulging in what proved to be the most unpleasant month the brigade has ever spent.
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