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The South African Irish Regiment is an infantry regiment of the South African Army. As a reserve unit, it has a status rougly equivalent to that of a British Territorial Army or United States Army National Guard unit. Infantry of the 36th Ulster Division, in the First World War Infantry are soldiers who fight primarily on foot, mainly with small arms and operate within organized military units. ...
A regiment is a military unit, larger than a company and smaller than a division. ...
The South African Army is the army of South Africa, also known in Afrikaans as the Suid-Afrikaanse Leër. ...
In the United Kingdom the Territorial Army is a part of the British Army composed of reserve units, or part-time soldiers. ...
The United States National Guard is a significant component of the United States armed forces military reserve. ...
History
Origins Although all the regular units of Irish origin in the British Army have served for in South Africa at some time during its colonial involvement in South Africa, the first autonomous South African units shaped by Irish influences were the Cape Town Irish Rifles (raised by a Major O'Reilly in 1885) and Driscoll's Scouts (raised by Capt D.P. Driscoll during the Second Anglo-Boer War of 1899 - 1902. The British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. ...
Major is a military rank denoting an officer of mid-level command status. ...
1885 is a common year starting on Thursday. ...
Boer guerrillas during the Second Boer War There were two Boer wars, one in 1880-81 and the second from October 11, 1899-1902 both between the British and the settlers of Dutch origin (called Boere, Afrikaners or Voortrekkers) in South Africa that put an end to the two independent...
1899 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ...
1902 (MCMII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ...
However, it should be noted that an Irish Brigade also fought on the side of the Boer republics. Two Irish commandos fought with the Boers during the Second Boer War (1899–1902) // Irish Transvaal Brigade John MacBride, a friend of Arthur Griffiths, organised the Irish Transvaal Brigade. ...
Boer is the Afrikaans (and Dutch) word for farmer which came to denote the descendants of the Afrikaans-speaking migrating farmers of the expanding eastern Cape frontier. ...
World War I The South African Irish Regiment was formed at the outbreak of World War I in August 1914 when three officers (Major George Twomey, Captain J. Jeoffreys and a Captain MacDonald) met at the Irish Club in Johannesburg in order to raise an Irish regiment from among the citizens of Johannesburg and its surrounding areas. Clockwise from top: Trenches in frontline, a British Mark I Tank crossing a trench, the Royal Navy battleship HMS Irresistible sinking after striking a mine at the battle of the Dardanelles, a Vickers machine gun crew with gas masks and a Sopwith Camel biplane. ...
1914 (MCMXIV) is a common year starting on Thursday. ...
City motto: Unity in Development Province Gauteng Mayor Amos Masondo Area - % water 1,644 km² 0. ...
After a request to The Union Defence Force (UDF) Headquarters, authority was granted to form the regiment and Lieutenant-Colonel Brennan was appointed as its first commanding officer. Major Twomey was appointed as its recruiting officer. The wife of General Louis Botha (a woman of Irish descent with the maiden name of Emmett) was appointed as the regiment's first honourary colonel. Louis Botha Louis Botha (September 17, 1862-August 27, 1919) was an Afrikaner and first Prime Minister of the modern South African state, then called the Union of South Africa. ...
Sources are not clear on the official date of formation of the South African Irish Regiment, but it is either 9 September or 1 December 1914. In any case, the battalion, consisting of six companies, first formed up at Booysens Camp in Johannesburg on the former date. September 9 is the 252nd day of the year (253rd in leap years). ...
December 1 is the 335th (in leap years the 336th) day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...
After training, the regiment was made part of 4 South African Infantry Brigade (part of the Northern Force) and embarked from Cape Town to the (then) German South-West Africa on 21 December 1914. On 25 December 1914 the Force landed at Walvis Bay and went into action immediately. The Regiment itself first came into contact with their German enemy on the following day, barely three months after it was raised. City motto: Spes Bona (Latin: Good Hope) Province Western Cape Mayor Nomaindia Mfeketo Area - % water 1,644 km² 0. ...
Flag of German South West Africa German South-West Africa (German: Deutsch-S dwestafrika or DSWA) was a colony of Germany from 1884 to 1915, when it was taken over by South Africa and administered as South-West Africa, later becoming Namibia. ...
December 21 is the 355th day of the year (356th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...
December 25 is the 359th day of the year (360th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 6 days remaining. ...
Walvis Bay, Namibia Walvis Bay, (Afrikaans: Walvisbaai meaning Whale Bay), is an area in Namibia with a chequered history. ...
At the end of the campaign in South-West Africa, Active Citizen Force regiments were by law not permitted to proceed to other theatres of war as such. Special war service units were thus created to fight in East Africa and Europe. Volunteers from the the South African Irish Regiment was formed, together with members of other units, into the composite 9 South African Infantry Battalion. 9 Battalion campaigned in East Africa, where it earned the honours Kilimanjaro and East Africa 1916-17. East Africa is a region generally considered to include: Djibouti Eritrea Ethiopia Kenya Somalia Tanzania Uganda Burundi, Rwanda, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, and Sudan are sometimes considered a part of East Africa. ...
A satellite composite image of Europe // Etymology Picture of Europa, carried away by bull-shaped Zeus. ...
Kilimanjaro is a mountain in northeastern Tanzania. ...
On 29 January 1921, at a ceremony in Johannesburg, the South African Irish Regiment was presented with the King's Colour by Prince Arthur of Connaught, the (then) Governor-General of the Union of South Africa, in recognition of its service in South-West Africa. Some years later, the regiment was disbanded. January 29 is the 29th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...
1921 (MCMXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ...
Prince Arthur of Connaught (Arthur Frederick Patrick Albert) (13 January 1883 - 12 September 1938) was a member of the British Royal Family, a grandson of Queen Victoria. ...
Flag of Governor-General, Union of South Africa, 1910 The Governor General of the Union of South Africa was the representative of the British Crown in South Africa between May 31, 1910 and May 31, 1961. ...
World War II At the outbreak of World War II in 1939 the First South African Irish Regiment was reformed through the efforts of Major Twomey, Captains Jeoffreys and Cullinan (the latter was the son of Sir Thomas Cullinan, of diamond fame). Combatants Allied Powers Axis Powers Commanders {{{commander1}}} {{{commander2}}} Strength {{{strength1}}} {{{strength2}}} Casualties 17 million military deaths 7 million military deaths World War II, also known as the Second World War, was a mid-20th century conflict that engulfed much of the globe and is accepted as the largest and deadliest...
1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ...
Although the unit was designated as the First South African Irish a second battalion was never formed as the men intended for this second battalion were drafted to the first. In practice, the usual designation for the regiment was thus the South African Irish.
The South African Irish initially consisted of a regimental HQ, a Support Company and three infantry companies; a pipe band was later added.
After a period of training, the regiment was mobilized on 16 June 1940 under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel D.I. Somerset. It was grouped together with 2 Botha Regiment and 3 Transvaal Scottish to form 5 South African Infantry Brigade. In July of the same year, the brigade was shipped to Kenya via the port of Durban. June 16 is the 167th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (168th in leap years), with 198 days remaining. ...
1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ...
The Transvaal Scottish Regiment is an infantry regiment of the South African Army. ...
Central area of Durban Durban is a city in KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa. ...
After concentrating at the town of Gilgil in Kenya, the regiment took part in the invasion of Southern Abyssinia on 1 February 1941; it distinguished itself during the fighting at El Gumu, Hobok and Banno in early February as well as during the capture of Mega on 18 February. This article needs cleanup. ...
February 1 is the 32nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ...
For the movie, see 1941 (film) 1941 (MCMXLI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ...
February 18 is the 49th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ...
5 Brigade, including the South African Irish, then returned to Kenya and embarked at Mombasa on 18 April. The Brigade reached Suez in Egypt on 1 May. Mombasa is the second largest city in Kenya. ...
April 18 is the 108th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (109th in leap years). ...
Suez is a port town (population ca. ...
May 1 is the 121st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (122nd in leap years). ...
In November 1941 the invasion of Libya and relief of Tobruk began. 5 South African Infantry Brigade, together with the Transvaal Horse Artillery Regiment, were part of the defeat at Sidi Rezegh on 23 November 1941, when the German panzers overwhelmed the Allied forces and "plunged straight into Egypt". Tobruk or Tubruq (Arabic: طبرق) is a town, seaport, municipality, and peninsula in eastern Libya in Northern Africa. ...
November 23 is the 327th day of the year (328th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 38 days remaining. ...
PzKpfw V-D, a Panther tank Panzer? is German for armour. ...
The casualties of the South African Irish were extremely heavy (only 140 men of all ranks survived) and included its commanding officer at that time, Lieutenent-Colonel Dobbs. In addition, several members of the unit drowned while on their way to Italy by ship as prisoners of war. The survivors of the regiment served with New Zealand forces until the end of November, when they rejoined the remnants of the decimated Brigade at Mersa Matruh. Geneva Convention definition A prisoner of war (POW) is a soldier, sailor, airman, or marine who is imprisoned by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict. ...
Due to their heavy losses, the South African Irish and 3 Transvaal Scottish ceased to exist as independent infantry units in February 1942, the survivors joining either Regiment Botha or 11 Battery, 4 Field Regiment of the South African Artillery. In this form the remnants of the South African Irish were once again in action during September 1942, during the fighting at El Alamein. This article is about the year. ...
El Alamein is a town in northern Egypt on the Mediterranean Sea coast. ...
11 Battery, 4 Field Regiment, South African Artillery, returned to the Union of South Africa in 1943 and was reconstituted as 4/22 Field Regiment, South African Artillery. This unit later returned to North Africa as a component of the South African 6th Armoured Division and also took part in the subsequent fighting in Italy. National motto: Ex Unitate Vires (Latin: From Unity, strength} Official languages Afrikaans, English. ...
The South African 6th Armoured Division was an armoured division of the South African Army during World War II. History This division - the first armoured division in South African military history - was formed in South Africa on 1 February 1943 out of the remnants of the earlier South African 1st...
The regiment received four battle honours (see below) for its service during World War II, but they were not awarded immediately because, at the time of the publication of the honours, the unit was an artillery regiment - artillery regiments in the South African Army do not carry any honours. However, when the regiment was later converted back to an infantry unit it became entitled to those honours and they were incorporated into the colour of the regiment.
Post-War At the end of World War II it was requested that the Regiment be reformed as an infantry unit. However, as there was no intention at that time to establish additional Active Citizen Force infantry battalions, this request was refused. However, as a form of compensation, authority was granted for the formation of an artillery unit with the designion of 22 Field Regiment (South African Irish), South African Artillery. This unit was formed in June 1946 and it operated until 31 December 1959 as an artillery regiment. However, on 1 January 1960 the regiment was converted back to an infantry unit and regained its old nomenclature, the South African Irish Regiment. 1946 (MCMXLVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ...
December 31 is the 365th day of the year (366th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ...
1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
January 1 is the first day of the calendar year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. ...
1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ...
Regimental Symbols - A green hackle is worn by this regiment.
- The original (1914) motto of the regiment was "Quis Separabit?" ("Who will separate us?"), but during World War II it changed to "Faugh-a-Ballagh" ("Clear the way"), which it has remained to the present day.
- The regimental cap badge consists of the Irish harp and the regimental motto.
- The regimental march was "The County Down Militia" but was later changed to "Killaloe".
- When the regiment was re-formed in 1939 a Pipe Band was raised, which remained with the it until 1949, after which it became the South African Irish Regimental Association Pipe Band.
- This regiment was affiliated with the the London Irish Rifles in 1949.
- The Freedom of the City has been conferred upon the South African Irish Regiment by both the Johannesburg and Barberton Municipalities.
The hackle is a feather plume (most plumes are made of horsehair) that is attached to the headdress. ...
1949 (MCMXLIX) is a common year starting on Saturday. ...
Freedom of the City is an award made by towns and cities, to esteemed members of its community; such people may then be termed Freemen or Freewomen of the City. ...
Barberton is the name of different towns, including: Barberton, Ohio Barberton, South Africa This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...
Battle Honours The following Battle Honours have been awarded to the regiment: A battle honour is an official acknowledgement to recognize a military units achievements in specific wars or operations. ...
Note: As the regiment was virtually wiped out during the fighting at Sidi Rezegh in November 1941, no further World War II Battle Honours were awarded. South-West Africa is the former name (1884-1990) of Namibia under German (as German South-West Africa, Deutsch Süd-West Afrika) and (from 1915) South African administration when it was conqured from the Germans during World War I. Following the war, the Treaty of Versailles declared the territory...
1915 (MCMXV) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ...
East Africa is a region generally considered to include: Djibouti Eritrea Ethiopia Kenya Somalia Tanzania Uganda Burundi, Rwanda, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, and Sudan are sometimes considered a part of East Africa. ...
1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ...
For the movie, see 1941 (film) 1941 (MCMXLI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ...
For the movie, see 1941 (film) 1941 (MCMXLI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ...
1943 (MCMXLIII) is a common year starting on Friday. ...
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