The 12th Royal Irish Rifles

 

Above: The fife and drum band of the 12th (S) Btn. Royal irish Rifles (Central Antrims). The

men would have marched behind this 'official' band on their travels across France and Belgium

However, it seems that company and even platoon bands existed withthin the ranks of the Battalion!

Many soldiers would have been members of various local bands in civilian life.

 

AFTER a year of training and preparation, the men of the Central Antrim Volunteers arrived on the Western Front in early October 1915.

 The 12^th (s) Bn. Royal Irish Rifles were to serve continuously in France and Flanders for the rest of the war.

 Through their active service war diary, we can follow their path from billets to battles throughout this period.

 

1915

 

Like so many other units before them, the 12^th R Ir Rifles moved from Bordon, their final training and transit camp in England, to the port of Folkestone where they embarked for the continent.

 On arrival at the bustling docks at Boulougne on October 5, the battalion marched to the Ostrohove Rest Camp. For the vast majority of the soldiers it was the first time they had set foot on foreign soil.

 Few had been to England before enlistment. Now they found themselves on a continent at war. Back home they had been the ‘local lads’, after a short sea journey they had become a small cog in the increasingly vast wheel which the British army had become.

 Over the next few days, the battalion drilled and trained while billeted at Pierregot.

 On October 9, the Commander of the 3^rd Army, Lt. General Sir C. Munro inspected 108^th Infantry Brigade en masse.

 Brigade and Divisional taactical exercises were undertaken on October 16 and 17 prior to the departure, via route march, to the Somme sector where the Battalion arrived at Hedauville, a staging area just behind the front lines which they would come to know so well in coming months.

 Like all newly arrived formations, the 12^th R. Ir Rifles were attached to an experienced unit for instruction in the art of trench warfare.

 Their hosts for this ‘sharpening up’ were the 11^th Infantry Bde (4^th Division).

 The war diary records that on October 18 … ‘A coy went into the trenches attached to the Somerset L.I. and B coy to the East Lancs.’

 During this period, the men were taught many ‘tricks of trade’ which no exercise in peaceful England could possibly achieve.

 On the morning of October 20, for instance, Lt. McCluggage notched up the first ‘score’ for the Central Antrims. The diary records that he shot a German while ‘on patrol.’

 It seems that ‘A’ coy emerged from their period of attachment without casualties but on October 21^st, the battalion suffered its first ‘active service’ losses.

 “On the morning of the 21^st, B coy sustained the following casualties from shell fire-:

 “6111 Pte. J. McCahon (McCabe?). 19557 Pte. S. Hill (died of wounds on 22^nd, shrapnel in the head), 887 Pte. D. McNeilly.

 The next day, now undoubtedly aware of the mortal reality of their situation, it was the turn of ‘C’ and ‘D’ companies to enter the strange world of the front line.

 ‘C’ coy went to the Hants and ‘D’ coy to the Rifle Brigade. It was not long before the casualty list was added to with the wounding of 18623 Pte. H. Patton and 2749 Pte. A. McCaughan on October 23.

 Training was also a requirement for the senior ranks of the battalion and on October 24, the commanding officer, Lt. Col. R. McCalmont and his adjutant were attached to the HQ of the Hants. Regt. at Hamel, a once sleepy village which was now only a matter of yards from the front lines.

 The war diary recorded: “All ranks profited greatly by the lessons learned during the time spent in the trenches and acquitted themselves highly creditably. Lts. Furness and Campbell went out with patrols from the Hants. Trenches.”

 After this short period of acclimatisation, the Bn. moved to billets at Puchevillers and then to Bernaville.  There they remained for the rest of the month.

 

November – A new commander arrives.

 

The war diary for November records a major change in the structure of the battalion.

 “Notification was received yesterday that Lt. Col. McCalmont had been appointed to command the 1^st Bn Irish Guards and that Major G. Bull, 1^st Royal Irish Fusiliers, was appointed to commanding the 12^th R. Ir Rifles.

 “Today (November 1), Col. McCalmont left the Bn. which he had raised and trained for a year, amid the regret of all ranks.”

 The following day, the new C.O. received his first independent asessment of the men and officers under his command. Major (soon to be Lt. Col.) Bull would have had good reason to be pleased with the report received from the General Officer of the 4^th Division to which the 12^th R. Ir. Rifles had been attached for instruction.

 The war diary proudly records: “Officers had their men well under control and are keen and capable. NCOs are of fair capacity but still have much to learn and lack confidence in themselves, but displayed keenness and anxiety to learn.

 “Discipline was excellent and above the average of most battalions recently attached. Learning was excellent. Signallers require more training especially on the buzzer (morse code).

 “The Bn. is well commanded and its general system is good.”

 Receipt of ‘this satisfactory report’ was also a matter of pride to the 36^th (Ulster) Division’s GOC, who sent a note to this effect to the battalion.

 Thankfully, a ‘new hand’ takes over the keeping of the war diary on November 3! The entries up that date had been inserted in the frustrating scribble of Captain & Adjutant the Hon. R. W. H. (Hugh) O’Neill, brother of Captain Arthur O’Neill, who as MP for Mid-Antrim had been the first parliamentarian killed on active service in the war.

 The diary notes that O’Neill (who was to become MP for Mid-Antrim after the war) left to take up duties at Divisional HQ as claims officer. His position as adjutant was filled by Captain G. Thompson.

 What this says about O’Neill’s ability is a matter for debate but from a historical perspective, one can only rejoice at the neat, legible writing and attention to detail which characterised Thompson’s work!

 From November 3 to 14, the Bn.remained at Bernaville, taking part in various Brigade training exercises.

 On the 14^th of the month, the Central Antrims marched off to billets in Halloy on a route which took them through Doullens. Thompson recorded: ‘No men fell out on the march.’

 After an overnight stay, the Bn. was on the move again. ‘A’ and ‘B” coys. went to the trenches at Fonquvillers (inevitably Funkyvillers in the trench argot) where they were attached to the 5^th and 7^th Warwicks respectively. HQ, ‘C’ and ‘D’ coys went to Bayencourt where they camped under canvas in snowy weather which had the extra bite of a bitter frost.

 In the following few days, the situation remained unchanged although the men of ‘C’ and ‘D’ coys were given an introduction to what many infantrymen regarded as the curse of the trenches … the dreaded ‘working party’.

 On the 20^th, ‘A’ and ‘B’ coys were relieved by ‘C’ and ‘D’.

 The diary noted that time spent in the trenches was ‘very trying’ owing to their ‘wet and dirty condition’ … in months and years to come the Bn. would experience the full spectrum of Western front weather and ground conditions.

 On November 23, the diary recorded that ‘No. 18003 Lance Corpl. H. Kellet of ‘B’ Company, a stretcher bearer, was wounded in the arm.

 The following day, the 12^th R. Ir. Rifles played their first football match on French soil, recording a 4-1 victory over the 5^th Royal Warwicks.

 After this sporting success, it was back on the road for the 12^th Bn. with matches to Puchevillers (‘no men fell out’) and onwards during the next few days until they reached Les Quesnoy.

 

 

On the 29^th the battalion practiced with ‘tube helmets’ – a reference to the gas masks which had become a vital piece of every soldier’s kit since the introduction of chemical warfare in early 1915.

 

December – Christmas at the front

Vauchelles Les Quesnoy

 

“Last night, No. 18914 Rfn. T. Colville of ‘C’ Cpy and No. 19162 Rfn. A.Orr of ‘A’ Coy were accidentally wounded by the bursting of a shell.

 “A court of inquiry was held this morning whereat it transpired that Rfn. Orr was working at a piece of shell with his entrenching tool when it exploded and wounded the above named two men.

 “Orr’s injuries are considered by the medical officer to be of a serious nature but Colville’s are slight. The court were of the opinion that the injuries were caused accidentally. They were both sent to hospital after temporary treatment by the medical officer.”

 

Rifleman Alexander Orr, 12th Btn. RIR who belongs to Glenarm, has been severely injured in France. He was trying to separate the two parts of the nosecap of a shell which he had found in the trenches and which he had brought to his billet as a souvenir. There was an unexploded fuse on the cap and it went off with the result that he was injured in the had, leg and hands. He was immediately removed to hospital.

Ballymena Observer December 1915

 

On December 5, the Bn. was visited by Brig. General Hacket Pain who was relinquishing command of 108 Brig.

 The diary records that his leaving was a matter of ‘profound regret’ for all ranks.

 The following day, Brig. General C.R.J. Griffiths CMG,DSO assumed command of the brigade. Lt. Col. Bull left for Ireland on leave.

 Another court of inquiry was held on December 10, when it was found that wounds received by 2420 Rfn. J Stevenson of C coy. had been sustained by accident and were of a slight nature.

 Rfn. Stevenson will have heaved a huge sigh of relief. If there had been any suspicion that he had deliberately inflicted his wounds he would almost certainly have faced a Court Martial and, potentially, a death sentence.

 The 12^th Rifles enjoyed a relatively peaceful if busy month. Route marches, drills and training kept the men on their toes.

 On Christmas Day, services were held and a band promenade was held in the afternoon with the other ranks sitting down for dinner at 5pm. The contents of this meal are unfortunately not recorded for posterity!

 The officers dined at 7.30pm. Lt. Adamson and Capt. Hon. H. O’Neill were the only officers absent.

 On Boxing Day, there was a flurry of excitement when a French soldier was ‘arrested on suspicion’ and detained pending enquiries. The Frenchman was released the following day.

 Major General O.S.W. Nugent DSO, ADC inspected the 12^th Bn. billets on December 28.

 Nugent, a thorough regular, pronounced himself pleased with the general conditions and urged the establishment of a Bn. laundry and baths.

 Football was on the menu the following day when the 12^th Bn. team were beaten 4-2 by the Lancashire Fusiliers in a match at Buigny L’Abbe.

 On New Year’s Eve, the officers took on the NCOs and men of the battalion in a game of rugby. The officers won by ‘1 goal and one try, to one try’