Royal Munster Fusiliers Regiment (Gallipoli)

[apowell]

Hi,

I have traced a relative my Great Grandmothers cousin who served with the 7th Battalion of the Royal Munster Fusiliers and was sadly killed at Gallipoli on the 16th Aug 1915.

What confuses me he was an Englishman who enlisted at Rotherham in Yorkshire and to my knowledge had no connections to Ireland. He was a private but rose to Sgt at the time of his death.

Would he have requested that regiment or was it common to be posted to any regiment. I assumed that he would have served with a more local regiment or did that come later with the pals Battalions?

Any ideas?

[Jillychris]

My Grandfather lived in the East End of London and joined the Royal Munster Fusiliers I couldn't understand why either I don't suppose we will ever know.

Have you seen this web-site

http://royalmunsterfusiliers.net/a1menu1.htm#p1

Regards
Jill

[apowell]

Hi Jill,

Thanks for your reply at least it clears up any doubt I had if the relative belonged to our family (we don't have any Irish connections). It seems that people were drafted into the Regiment from all over the UK.

I have looked at the web site you recommended and it's a really excellent site.

Take care
Adrian

[ExDevonport]

The Royal Munster Fusiliers has a new home, now located at following address -

www.munsterfusiliers.net

James.

[Lesley Robertson]

Hi,

I have traced a relative my Great Grandmothers cousin who served with the 7th Battalion of the Royal Munster Fusiliers and was sadly killed at Gallipoli on the 16th Aug 1915.

What confuses me he was an Englishman who enlisted at Rotherham in Yorkshire and to my knowledge had no connections to Ireland. He was a private but rose to Sgt at the time of his death.

Would he have requested that regiment or was it common to be posted to any regiment. I assumed that he would have served with a more local regiment or did that come later with the pals Battalions?

Any ideas?

I've been told that once the regiments started taking enormous casualties, recruits were sent to whichever regiment needed them most.

Lesley

[ExDevonport]

I've been told that once the regiments started taking enormous casualties, recruits were sent to whichever regiment needed them most.

Lesley

Hi Lesley,

The above is true, men were sent where need was high.

Before the outbreak of the First World War, the Munster Fusiliers Regular regiment of the British Army consisted of the 1st & 2nd Battalions. It was general practice to have one battalion assigned abroad (India), while the other remained on home duties. The main link between the Royal Munster Fusiliers and its recruiting district was provided by the Depot at Ballymullen Barracks, Tralee, Co. Kerry which had served this purpose since 1873.

On the outbreak of the Great War, the 3rd, 4th & 5th (Reserve) Battalions were mobilized, they remained on home service providing training and supplementing the two main battalions with trained men.

However it became necessary to raise new armies as the supply of volunteers was not high enough to fill the need. The war in France was not going well for the Allies. The National Registration Act was introduced in 1915. Conscription was then introduced on 27 January 1916.

Under Kitchener, new armies were raised. The Munster Fusiliers raised additional battalions, the 6th, 7th, 8th & 9th (Service) battalions. As war progressed and victory was in sight, some of these (Service) battalions were absorded into the 1st & 2nd battalions.

Volunteers and Conscripts called up had no choice of a favourite regiment; they were placed where the need was most required. Needless to say, during the course of the Great War, Irish Regiments had a high percentage of non-Irish born men; the percentage grew as the political stability in Ireland became unstable in the post 1916 period.

If you require a history of the 7th (Service) Battalion, I will be happy to supply.

James.