Royal Munster Fusiliers (New Army)

By the time they transferred to Basingstoke England in May they had a variety of regular, retired and reserve officers designated from other battalions.

Disease reduced battalion strength from 1000 to 800 even before the planned landing at Suvla Bay on the Gallipoli peninsula.

Their objective was to capture the Kiretch Tepe Sirk ridge along the North side of the bay.

Held up by concealed trenches, lack of water, heat and exhaustion, they lost over 70 killed by dusk when they withdrew.

Although they outnumbered the Turks, a further day was lost due to lack of leadership at Corps level, during which the enemy reinforced its position.

August, the battalions played a supportive role, after which static trench warfare ensued to the end of September.

[11] The division received extensive training as well as reinforcements from non-regimental sources changing the character of the two battalions.

Still wearing summer uniforms the severe snow and frost at high level caused many casualties.

At Kosturino it held the rearguard as the 10th Division, which included Connaught Rangers and Royal Dublin Fusiliers, was ordered to retreat at the end of December.

Having failed to prevent the fall of Serbia, the Allied forces remained at Salonika, where during early 1916 the two RMF battalions were built up to strength again.

The 10th Division was first sent into action in August along the Struma River valley, coming into action against the Bulgarians on 30 September in the 'Struma offensive', crossing the river and taking the village of Yenikoi (present-day Provatas in Serres Prefecture, Greece),[13] then reoccupying it again after a Bulgarian counterattack, but at the cost of 500 men.

Now well below strength due to the malaria in summer and lack of recruits, it resulted in the amalgamation, on 3 November, of the 7th into the 6th RMF after they returned again to Yeninkoi.

November, the 6th RMF encountering considerable sniper fire on the way to the capture of Jerusalem, which was entered unopposed on 9.

Heavy losses had been encountered on the Western Front after the great German March offensive, resulting in the transfer of 60,000 men from Palestine to France, their place taken by Indian battalions.

These had been a closely knit unit with relatively low losses since Gallipoli but were soon to suffer heavily in fierce combat during the Hundred Days Offensive and the final weeks before the Armistice in November 1918.

Other rebuffs were the rejection by the War Office of distinctive regimental colours and shamrock cap badges.

Then in August it crossed over to Blackdown camp Aldershot, Hampshire, England, undergoing harder training.

[21] Sailing from Southampton the 8th RMF landed in France with the 16th (Irish) Division under its new commander Major-General William Hickie on 19.

During June and July it took part on several raids along the Loos sector with its brigade, suffering significant losses, often the battalion's best soldiers.

After the initial attack on Ginchy failed, it was left open to a counter-attack, then withdrawn to recover from its losses.

With inadequate cover, by 9 September 1916 it was inflicted with heavy casualties and was unable to bury its dead.

After initial training at Kilworth near Buttevant it was stationed at Mallow then moved to Fermoy in June 1915, before crossing to Blackdown camp, Aldershot.

December, it joined the 8th Battalion on the Loos Salient near Aire, described as 'hideous territory', suffering first casualties of its short history in January.

Constant enemy activity, vile weather and appalling trench conditions greatly fatigued the battalion.

He had previously raised the Second Irish Brigade to fight for the Boers in the South African War, for which he had been sentenced to death by the British, which was later commuted.

He only managed to get a special uniform approved for his six pipers, they were to be kilted, their hat badges with the design of an Irish Wolfhound rather than the traditional Munster's emblem of a Bengal tiger.