WW1 regiments - did they mix them up?

EDit · 02-08-2014 10:15am #1

My paternal great grandfather died in WW1 and my dad recently noted that he has a record on the new "everymanremembered.co.uk" website. Anyway, my dad's family hail from North London and have done for several generations, and it am reliably informed that my great grandfather who died had lived his whole life in that area. However, his regiment in WW1 was the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, which is an Irish regiment.

Now I am sure some English soldiers may have been drafted in to the Irish regiments in command positions, but he was a private. So, was wondering if anyone knew if they switched soldiers between regiments while in the field (perhaps to make up numbers when too many soldiers in a regiment had died) or if there would be another explanation for this? He died at the Battle of Cambrai in 1917, btw.

EDit · 02-08-2014 10:21am

Actually, just noticed this guy (http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_Harvey) was also English and a private and ended up in the Inniskilling Fusiliers. Interesting to know how this came about though.

johnny_doyle · 02-08-2014 2:07pm

if you search "Soldiers Died in the Great War" with Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers as the regiment you'll find lots of English born casualties listed. Ditto Royal Dublin Fusiliers, Leinster Regt etc

The 2nd Battalion were stationed in England from 1910 to 1914 and recruited locally. Of 38 deaths listed for the 2nd Battalion on the 26th August 1914 the following were recorded as born outside Ireland

HATTON A Adelaide, Australia
DELANEY C F Aldershot, Hants
SMITH F Barony, Lanark
McCRISTALL M Cotton, Lanark
BACON J J V Eastney, Hants
HORGAN T M Gosport, Hampshire
BRIGHTON H Horsington, Lincoln
KEOWN J Hurst Green, Whalley, Lancs

The above were not fresh recruits.

Fratton Fred · 02-08-2014 7:03pm

My great grandfather fought in the second Boer war and wwi for the inniskilling fusilliers. He was a born and bred Portsmouth lad, but the RIF had a battalion based in Portsmouth for several years before going off to India.

Like most young men, he joined whoever were in town at the time.

EDit · 02-08-2014 8:27pm

Thanks guys. Looks like this was a common occurrence and makes perfect sense when considering that battalions were established in England. Much appreciated.

johnny_doyle · 03-08-2014 12:07am

as service battalions were created during WW1, there were attempts to keep Irish battalions Irish (and Irish Divisions Irish - not totally successful) but recruitment numbers didn't always meet expectations or other number issues brought about compromises resulting in, for example, Guernsey soldiers finding themselves in the 6th Battn Royal Irish Regiment and the 7th Battn Royal Irish Fusiliers.

As casualties mounted, soldiers who became available as a result of completing basic training or returning from hospital were sent to whichever battalion needed them.

WW1 regiments - did they mix them up?

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