- Welcome to the Irish Brigade Website
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- 2 LIR – January to October 1942
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- 2 LIR – January 1943
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- 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)
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- February 1943 (3)
- April 1943 (2)
- February 1943 (4)
- November 1942
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- 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
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- April 1944
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- Officers’ Roll : November 1942 to June 1944
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- April 1944 (1)
- April 1944 (2)
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- 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
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- 1 East Surreys
- 5 Northamptons
- 5 Buffs
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- 38 (Irish) Brigade
- 38th Brigade
- 2 Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers
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- The Queen’s Bays
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- 48 RTR
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- 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
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14th December 1943
Typed letter
A summary of each day will give you some sort of idea of what we went through. For several days we lay up in a concentration area right across to the artillery guns and the noise at times was deafening and we got very little sleep during that period.Then one night, we marched about 10 miles, waded across a river. It was icy cold in the middle of the night and about 2 miles the other side dug slit trenches and spent the remainder of the night in them.
DAY 1 (Nov 28th). We stayed in this area all day unable to move about much as we were close to the enemy and slowly our clothes dried on us.
DAY 2 (Nov 29th). We moved forward to an assembly area and were very heavily shelled and suffering a number of casualties. We stayed here all day and had a miserable night.
DAY 3 (Nov 30th). The big attack was launched and it was the day of very fierce fighting but we had an easy time regarding casualties. We took up positions on the ridge that night and as I was going back I slipped on a cliff and fell 40 feet which left me feeling rather sick for a time. I got no sleep that night.
DAY 4 (Dec 1st). We spent the day mopping up small enemy pockets of resistance and must have covered 20 miles over rough country.
Day 5 (Dec 2nd). Had managed to get most of the Company in farm buildings for the night but we had to move at 4 am. However a quiet day after we had “dug in” in the new area.
DAY 6 (Dec 3rd). I was sent for early in the morning to take command of “A” Coy as the Company Commander had been wounded. My new Coy was very depleted in strength and I spent the day reorganising them. That night we moved forward about 10 miles and took up positions on the ridge, the most forward troops of the 8th Army. No sleep again.
DAY 7 (Dec 4th). An incredible day. While we had gone up one side of the ridge the Germans had come up the other side and when dawn broke, the two armies faced each other with a very small distance in between. The most confused battle imaginable occurred, my Company was down below in reserve being the weakest in manpower. Suddenly, the Germans broke through in the centre and brought very heavy fire to bear on Battalion HQ. The CO sent for me and said “Take your Company up to ridge, Lawrie, and clean them off”. What an order and my God what an afternoon it was. They had managed to get well concealed positions and fired heavily upon us and we could not for a long time find where the fire was coming from. Finally we got to near close quarters with them and engaged in a fierce fire duel which ended in us killing and wounding most of the Germans. The CO was delighted but no more so than I was relieved. My batman told me a few days later that the men said I led them with great coolness and always went to the front myself. That night we dug in and again had no sleep.
DAY 8 (Dec 5th). A most unpleasant day. We were very heavily shelled and I had to go forward twice on most unpleasant recces made all the more unpleasant by the knowledge that we were to be relieved that night. However pulled through safely and at night fresh troops took our places but even as we marched back we were shelled, the Hun would not leave the Irish Brigade alone.
We are now well back resting and never has there been a rest more well deserved or appreciated. The “Faughs” have, as usual, put up a magnificent show but have suffered very heavily and many good friends of mine have gone.
Lawrence
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