Regiments involved in the Easter Uprising 1916

[the scot]

can anyone tell me the regiments that where involved in the easter rising in dublin in 1916.

[leigh kitchen]

Osprey have a book put on the Rising, the British units are listed there - I will dig it out & post, unless somebody beats mme to it.

Here you go - from "Easter Rising 1916 Birth of The Irish Republic by Michael McNally, illustrated by Peter Dennis, no. 180 in the "Campaign" series, Osprey Publishing 2007, ISBN 978 1 84603 067 3 (?14.99).

The "Regular" Garrison units had been transferred off to the war, hence the 3rd Lne units now, "Reserve", Extra- Reserve", "Service", which provided cadres of traned recruits for their first & second line parent formations.

According to the book, as far as can be ascertained, the organisation such that The 15th (Ulster) Reserve Infantry Bde, responsible for the north of Ireland, was based at Belfast, the 25th (Irish) Reserve Infantry Bde at the Curragh, resonsible for the middle of the country as well as the garrisoning of Dublin. A third Reserve Bde was based in & around Cork.

Infantry Battalions were chronically understrength in terms of manpower & experienced officers & NCOs.

Officers & men on leave from other units helped to offset these defficiencies, but as strangers, could be suspected of being rebels - at least 2 officers were shot by men under their command who suspected them of being rebels or sympathisers.

Like their infantry counterparts, Reserve Cavalry Brigades were primarily training units, they differed in that instead of providing trained men for a battalion within the same regiment, each of the reserve cavalry regiments incorporated the training squadrons of severall individual units, rotated through basic training before being returned to their parent formation, so regimental strength fluctuated wildly.

The reserve cavalry squadrons were'nt grouped by type or parent formation, so any subunit could consist of a mixture of eg Lancers & Yeomanry, Hussars & Yeomanry. This gives rise to mistaken reference to a unit being comprised of eg "Lancers" when they were in fact a mixed unit of Lancers & Yeomanry.

Also, as the reserve cavalry were temporay formations their members are almost invariably referred to as being a member of their parent regiment eg as being a member The 4th Hussars, rather than 10th Reserve Cavalry Regiment.

The Imperial General Staff ordered elements of 59th Div, which was designated as the "reaction force" for the Home Army to entrain for Ireland via Liverpool, when it became apparent that additional forces would be required to put down the rebellion. The 59th was a Territorial Force division, formed in early 1915 & still undergoing training at all levels. Asthe reaction force it was deployed in cantonments across the rail network north of London.

Edited February 4, 2009 by leigh kitchen

[leigh kitchen]

British Order of BNattle, Dublin, 1916:

Dubln Garrison - Colonel Kennard:

Marlborough Barracks, Phoenix Park - 6th Reserve Cavalry Regiment (Ex-3rd Reserve Cavalry Bde) - 35 officers & 851 Other Ranks (5th/12th Lancers, City of London/1st County of London Yeomanry)

Portobello Barracks - 3rd (Reserve) Battalion, Royal Irish Rifles - 21 officers & 650 Other Ranks

Richmond Barracks - 3rd (Reserve) Battalion, Royal Irish Regiment (Lt Col R L Owens) 18 officers & 385 Other Ranks

Royal Barracks - 10th (Service) Battalion, Royal Dublin Fusiliers - 37 officers & 430 Other Ranks

[leigh kitchen]

The Curragh Camp - Colonel (Temporary) Brigadier) W H M Lowe:

Elements 25th Reserve Infantry Brigade

5th (Extra Reserve) Bn, Royal Dublin Fusiliers

5th (Extra Reserve) Bn, The Prince of Wales' Leinster Regiment

3rd Reserve Cavalry Brigade - Colonel Portal

8th Reserve Cavalry Regiment (16th/17th Lancers, King EDward's Horse, Dorsetshire/Oxfordshire Yeomanry)

9th Reserve Cavalry Regiment (3rd/7th Hussars, 2nd/3rd County of London Yeomanry)

10th Reserve Cavalry Regiment (4th/8th Hussars, Lancashire Hussars, Duke of Lancaster's / Westmoreland / Cumberland Yeomanry

[leigh kitchen]

Athlone:

5th Reserve Artillery Brigade - 8 x 18 pounder field guns (only 4 x of which were found to be servicable)

Belfast:

Composite Infantry Battalion (drawn from elements of 15th Reserve Infantry Bde) - 1,000 all ranks

Templemore

4th (Extra Reserve) Battalion, Royal Dublin Fusiliers (Ex-25th Reserve Bde)

[leigh kitchen]

59th (2nd North Midland) Division - Major General A Sandbach:

B Squadron, The North Irish Horse

59th (2/1st North Midland) Divisional Cyclst Company

C Squadron, 2/1st Northumberland Hussars

59th Dvisional Signal Company

176th Infantry Bde (2nd Lincoln & Leicester) Brigadier C. G. Blackader:

2/4th Bn, The Lincolnshire Regiment

2/5th Bn, The Lincolnshire Regiment

2/4th Bn, The Leicestershire Regiment

2/5th Bn, The Leicestershire Regiment

177th Infantry Bde (2nd Staffordshire) Brigadier L G Carlton:

2/5th Bn, The South Staffordshire Regiment

2/6th Bn, The South Staffordshire Regiment

2/5th Bn, The North Staffordshire Regiment

2/6th Bn, The North Staffordshire Regiment

178th Infantry Bde (2nd Nottingham & Derby) Colonel E W S K Maconchy:

2/5th Bn, The Sherwood Foresters

2/6th Bn, The Sherwood Foresters

2/7th Bn, The Sherwood Foresters ("The Robin Hoods")

2/8th Bn, The Sherwood Foresters

295th Brigade, Royal Field Artillery

296th Brigade, Royal Field Artillery

297th Brigade, Royal Field Artillery

298th Brigade, Royal Field Artillery (H)

59th Divisional Ammuniton Column

467th Field Company, Royal Engineers

469th Field Company, Royal Engineers

470th Field Company, Royal Engineers

2/1st North Midland Field Ambullance

2/2nd North Midland Field Ambullance

2/3rd North Midland Field Ambullance

59th Divisional Train

59th Mobile Veterinary Section

59th (North MIdland) Sanitary Section.

[leigh kitchen]

Miscellaneous Units:

Trinity College, OTC

Detachment, Army School of Musketry - Dollymount (Major H F Somerville)

Home Defence Force "Georgius Rex"