The Connaught Rangers

The Connaught Rangers ("the Devil's Own") was a regiment of the British Army, raised in 1793 from the men of Connacht by John Thomas de Burgh, 13th Earl of Clanricard. Their service in the Crimean War was recognised by the presentation to the City of Galway of a pair of guns in memoriam, which remain on prominent display on the city's main square.

In 1881, the 88th (Connaught Rangers) Regiment of Foot (which formed the 1st Battalion) and the 94th Regiment of Foot (which formed the 2nd Battalion) were amalgamated. The amalgamation of the two regiments into one was part of the British Government's Childers Reforms of the British Armed Forces that was a continuation of the Cardwell Reforms of the forces that were implemented in 1879.

Garrison Duties

The 88th were based in Bengal, British India when they were amalgamated into the new regiment having deployed to India in 1879. The 94th were also abroad when they became the 2nd Battalion. They had deployed to the south of Africa where they had taken part in the Zulu War and in 1880 the first Boer War where in January 1881 Lance-Corporal James Murray of the regiment won a Victoria Cross (VC). The 2nd Battalion returned home the following year where they were stationed in Ireland and in 1887 moved to England.

In 1889 the 2nd Battalion moved to sunnier climes when it deployed to Malta. The 1st Battalion finally departed India in 1890 for Aden and subsequently returned home in 1891. In 1892 the 2nd Battalion remained in the Mediterranean region when it deployed to Cyprus and then in 1895 arrived in Egypt. The following year the 2nd Battalion, as-well as the machine-gun section of the 1st Battalion, deployed to the Sudan as part of the Dongola Expeditionary Force under the command of Lord Kitchener which was the commencement of the reconquest of the Sudan. The 2nd Battalion departed for India the following year, while the 1st Battalion deployed to Ireland. In 1899 the 2nd Battalion returned to the Mediterranean when it arrived in Malta.

Boer War

The 1st Battalion meanwhile deployed to a decidedly more volatile location when it deployed to South Africa as part of 5th (Irish) Brigade which was commanded by Major-General Fitzroy Hart, and where the battalion would take part in the second Boer War. The Rangers would take part in numerous engagements during the war, at times suffering quite heavily in the process. The regiment took part in the Battle of Colenso on 15 December, part of the attempt to relieve the town of Ladysmith, besieged by Boer forces. The Rangers and the rest of the 5th Brigade, who were worn on the left flank, had been forced to perform over 20 minutes of drill more appropriate on a parade ground prior to the advance. The Brigade suffered very heavily during their participation in the battle, the Boers inflicting immense damage on them, causing heavy casualties. Their advance had been met with a withering fire from three sides that had decimated and forced them to withdraw. The battle would end in a defeat for the British. That battle and two previous defeats st Magersfontein and Stormberg became known as 'Black Week'.

The Rangers took part actions at Spion Kop and the Tugela Heights during further attempts to relieve the besieged town of Ladysmith by the British commander, General Sir Redvers Buller. In late February the siege of Ladysmith finally came to an end after it was relieved by British forces. The regiment was awarded the battle honour "Relief of Ladysmith" for its involvement in the relentless attempts to relieve Ladysmith. The 5th Brigade subsequently deployed to Kimberley, to the west of Ladysmith, and took part in further operations against the Boer guerillas.

The British Army's participation in the war wasn't just restricted to fighting battles but to other duties which were at times quite mundane. These included providing a complement for armoured trains, escorting convoys, manning blockhouses and various other duties in operations against the Boers.

The Rangers finally departed South Africa for Ireland after the Boer War came to its conclusion in 1902, and were also awarded the theatre honour 'South Africa 1899-1902' for their involvement in the war. In 1908 the 1st Battalion arrived in India while the 2nd Battalion returned home to Ireland. The 1st and 2nd battalions of the regiment were given new Colours by HM King George V in 1911. The 2nd Battalion had left Ireland and was in England when the "war to end all wars", the First World War, began in August 1914.

First World War

In August the 1st Battalion, stationed in Ferozepore, India was part of the Ferozepore Brigade, 3rd (Lahore) Division of the Indian Army. It arrived in Marseilles, France on the 26 September.

The 2nd Battalion meanwhile was part of the 5th Brigade, 2nd Division that was part of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF). It arrived in Boulogne, France in the month that war was declared, and its marching song It's A Long Way To Tipperary made the song famous.

The 3rd (Reserve) Battalion was based in Galway, Ireland upon the declaration of war and would remain in Ireland until November 1917 when it moved to England. The 4th (Extra Reserve) Battalion had been based in Boyle, Ireland in August and would remain there until November 1917 when it relocated to Scotland. In May 1918 the 4th Battalion was absorbed into the 3rd Battalion. The battalion ended its war at Dover.

The 5th (Service) Battalion was a battalion of Kitchener's Army, a term coined after the Secretary of State for War Lord Kitchener. He had called for the expansion of the Army due to Kitchener's belief that the war would not be over by Christmas, contradicting a view espoused by the media. The 5th Battalion was part of the K1 Group, the first New Army to be formed, and it was formed in Dublin in August 1914. It subsequently joined the 29th Brigade, 10th (Irish) Division at County Cork and in 1915 it was dispatched to Gallipoli, Turkey, where it fought along side the Royal Dublin Fusiliers and the Royal Munster Fusiliers.

The 6th (Service) Battalion was another Connaught battalion of Kitchener's Army. It was part of the K2 Group and was formed at County Cork in September 1914 and joined the 49th Brigade, 16th (Irish) Division. On the 18th December 1915 the battalion landed in Le Havre, France.

Some 2,500 Connaught Rangers were killed in World War I and their graves lie in France, Belgium, India, Iran, Iraq, Israel, and England. In just over a week’s fighting in the Battle of the Somme (September 1916), the 6th Batallion lost 23 officers and 407 other ranks (Denman, 1992, p. 101). In March 1918, the same Battalion was “practically annihilated” during the German Spring Offensive breakthrough at St. Emilie in France. In one week, the battalion lost “22 officers and 618 other ranks” (Jourdain, 1999, Vol. 3, p. 273).

Mutiny in India, 1920

When news of the Anglo-Irish War, especially of the behaviour of the Black and Tans and the Auxiliary Division (paramilitary reinforcements of the Royal Irish Constabulary from England), reached the veterans of the 1st Btn at Jalandhar, India, the mutiny began. On 28 June 1920, five men from C Company refused to take orders from their officers, declaring their intent not to serve the King until the British forces left Ireland. The Union Jack at Jullundur, on the North-West Frontier, was replaced by the flag of the Irish Republic.

Within three days, the mutiny was ended and the mutineers taken to prison camp at Dagshai. At Solan, rumours began in the Rangers detachment there that the prisoners had been executed. Under the command of Private James Daly, about 70 Rangers joined the mutiny and attacked the armoury. The guard successfully defended it: Privates Sears and Smyth were shot dead while other mutineers were taken prisoner. In all, about 400 men had joined the mutiny, of whom eighty-eight were court martialled. Fourteen men were sentenced to death and the rest given up to 15 years in gaol, other than a few who were acquitted. Thirteen of the men sentenced to die had their sentences commuted to life imprisonment. The defendants were apparently unaware that they could have had a defence counsel . A historical account of the Mutiny can be found in 'Mutiny for the Cause', Sam Pollock, Lee Cooper, London, 1969.

21-year-old Daly was shot by a firing squad in Dagshai prison on November 2, 1920, and was therefore the last member of British Forces to be executed for mutiny. Pte Sears and Pte Smyth were buried at Solan; Daly and John Miranda (who died in prison) were buried at the Dagshai graveyard (until 1970, see below). Jim Daly was eventually awarded the Victory & General Service Medals for his active service in WW1.

Regimental Banners and other memorabilia

The banners of the regiment are displayed in the 14th century Collegiate Church of St Nicholas in Galway. The Regimental HQ was in Renmore Barracks (now Dún Ui Maoilíosa, Mellows Baracks) a few miles from the city centre and has small museum of Rangers memorabilia.

Disbandment

As a result of the foundation of the Irish Free State, the Connaught Rangers and five other Irish infantry regiments, were disbanded in 1922. On 12 June the Rangers Colours, along with those of five other Irish regiments, were laid up in a disbandment ceremony at St. George's Hall, Windsor Castle in Berkshire in the presence of King George V and the five other disbanding regiments. The Rangers detachment included the commanding officers of the 1st and 2nd Rangers, Lieutenant-Colonels W. N. S. Alexander and H. F. N. Jourdain. The regiment was formally disbanded on 31 July, after which there was no regiment of rangers in the British Army until 1968. Many of the Irish officers and men helped form the Western Command of the National Army of the new state.

The Rangers after 1922

In 1936, the Oireachtas (Irish Parliament) passed the CONNAUGHT RANGERS (PENSIONS) ACT, 1936 An Act to provide for the payment of pensions, allowances, and gratuities to or in respect of certain former members of the 1st Batallion, the Connaught Rangers, and to make provision for other matters connected with the matters aforesaid. August 1936. The effect of the Act was to give the Mutineers parity of esteem with veterans of the Anglo-Irish War.

In 1970, the remains of Sears, Smyth and Daly were taken back to Ireland and given a military funeral with full honours.

Today, the Irish Army Rangers are the Special Forces unit of the Irish Defence Forces.

Great War Memorials

National War Memorial, Islandbridge Dublin.
Island of Ireland Peace Park Messines, Belgium.
Menin Gate Memorial Ypres, Belgium.

External links

Homepage of the Island of Ireland Peace Park Memorial

The Battle for Messines Ridge Homepage

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