The Guernsey Irishmen – The Men from Guernsey who fought with the Irish in WWI

Guernseymen departing for the 16th Division Irish Regiment. White Rock, St. Peter Port Harbour, 1915

The first contingent of Guernsey Militia men, consisting of 7 Officers and 239 other ranks leaves Guernsey to join the 6th Battalion Royal Irish Regiment (RIR) at Fermoy in Ireland. They will form D Company.

D Company in the 6th Royal Irish Regiment is joined by a further 39 men and 1 officer.

Other drafts will soon follow consisting of :

The 6th Royal Irish Regiment has its first Guernsey Casualty. Private Pasquire is killed in an accidental shooting during training.

33 officers and 996 men of the 6th Royal Irish Regiment, including the Guernsey contingent, travel via Southampton and Le Havre to join the 47th Brigade, 16th (Irish) Division of British Expeditionary Force in France.

The 6th Royal Irish Regiment land in France and go into billets at Drouvin. From here parties of officers and men are attached to the 8th London Regiment (Post Office Rifles) and go into the trenches for two days at a time for instruction.

The battalion is withdrawn from the Front for a course of bombing training.

Although parties of men have previously been into the line in December with the 8th London for instruction, this is the first time the 6th RIR go in for a full tour of duty. This time they are attached to 44 Brigade again for more instruction. A Company goes into the trenches with the 9th Black Watch, B Company with the 10th Gordon Highlanders, C with the 7th Cameron Highlanders and D (the Guernsey contingent) with the 8th Seaforth Highlanders.

Major G W Le Page

The first Guernsey casualties from enemy action occur when 40 year old Major George Le Page is killed. A number of other men are also wounded.

The 7th Royal Irish Fusiliers along with its Guernsey contingent arrives in France

The Royal Irish Regiment Guernsey contingent alternates between short periods in the front line and support line, training in rest camps and being attached to work parties mending roads and carrying stores.

5 men of D Company are killed in a training session by a grenade.

Royal Guernsey Militia marching along Smith Street to the White Rock and sailing away on board the “Ibex” to join the Royal Irish Regiment in March 1916.

The Royal Irish Regiment moves up to Hulluch, near Loos and goes into the line on the 9th April relieving the 6th Connaught Rangers.

The war of attritions continued to take it’s toll on the Guersey volunteers and 5 more Guernseymen become casualties :

The Germans launch a fierce attack with chlorine & tear gas against the Irish Division. The 7th RIF were in the front line with the 6th RIR in the reserve trenches. The Fusiliers suffered heavy casualties before the Royal Irish could relieve them the next day.

The routine at this time for men in the trenches was typically :

The 6th Oyla Irish Regiment spend May alternating between the front line and Brigade Support. Casualties for the whole Regiment for this period were 45 killed and about 100 wounded, of which 3 Guernseymen are killed. They are :

During June 1916 the 6th Royal Irish Regiment become known for their trench raids, again leading to heavy losses. 6 more Guernseymen are killed they were :

The Division is not directly involved in the opening phase of the 1916 Battle of the Somme. During this time (July and August) the Division remains in the north near Loos continuing with their alternate periods in and out of the line.

The 6th RIR lose 3 more Guernseymen in July. They are :

In August the 6th Royal Irish Regiment lose 5 more Guernseymen. They are :

The 6th Royal Irish Regiment leave the Loos area and move by road and rail to the Somme to join the offensive.

The 6th Royal Irish regiment attack the village of Guillemont as part of the middle stages of the battle of Somme. They take it, consolidate the line, and hold it against three successive counter attacks. However it is only achieved at the cost of heavy casualties including 21 Guernseymen of whom 18 are killed most of which have no known graves. They are :
September 3rd :

September 8th :

It is during this action that Sergeant Don Bisset of the Royal Irish wins his Distinguished Conduct medal. His citation states that

The 6th Royal Irish Regiment are relieved by the 12th Kings Royal Rifles and spend the next couple of days in bivouac at Carnoy.

The Royal Irish Fusiliers attack Combles Trench. Attacking through waist high corn they stumbled into hidden belts of barbed wire. They eventually achieve their objective but at a terrible cost with 236 killed and wounded. Amongst them 3 Guernseymen are killed.

The 6th Royal Irish regiment return to the front line to relieve the 8th Inniskilling Fusiliers.

The 6th Royal Irish Regiment attack the village of Ginchy but fail to take it. The enemy was said to be “well prepared” with five machine guns lining the parapet of their objective. 7 Guernseymen from D Company are killed. The Royal Irish Fusiliers then attack and finally take the village that evening, however, 3 Guernseymen from their own D company are also killed in the action.

The Guernseymen from 6th RIR lost at Ginchy or died of wounds soon after are :

When the Royal Irish Fusiliers finally take Ginchy that evening the 3 Guernsey casualties are :

Although the majority of Guernseymen in the Irish Division are serving in the 6th Royal Irish Regiment and the 7th Royal Irish Fusiliers some have been drafted into the 7th Royal Irish Rifles. On the same day as the Royal Irish Regiment and Royal Irish Fusiliers sustain 10 Guernsey casualties 2 more Guernseymen from the 7th Royal Irish Rifles are also killed. They are :

On the 10th September the 6th Royal Irish are relieved at dawn by the 4th Grenadier Guards. However the Royal Irish Fusiliers stay on and in holding the positions that were captured the Royal Irish Fusiliers continue to loose men.

A further 3 Guernseymen are lost over the next 2 days :

The 16th Division is relieved from the line and sent to the Kemmel-Poperinghe sector to rest and recouperate from their ordeal.

Because of heavy losses on the Somme the 7th Battalion of the RIF is amalgamated with her sister 8th Battalion to form the 7/8 Batallion RIF.

During the winter of 1916-17 the Division cycle in and out of the line :

During this time the battalions also get on with the task of training and assimilation of new soldiers.

The States suspends the Militia in Guernsey & introduces the Conscription Act. Unlike the English act introduced earlier that year, no provision was made for conscientious objectors.

The R.G.L.I. has formally come into being. All the Guernsey Officers in 6th RIR & 7/8 RIF except 1 company will eventually be transferred to the 1st Service Batallion of the R.G.L.I.

By April 1917 approximately one-third of the original volunteers will be on the strength of the RGLI and the two Guernsey Companies in the 6th Royal Irish Regiment and 7/8th Royal Irish Fusiliers are losing their purely Guernsey characters.

As a prelude to what would later be known as “3rd Ypres” the 6th Royal Irish Regiment and the 7/8th Royal Irish Fusiliers attack Wytshaete ridge in Flanders. The attack is proceeded by the exploding of 19 mines under the German lines. The 7/8th Royal Irish Fusilers see 25 men killed, including 1 Guernseyman, and 145 wounded. The attack would later be regarded as one of most successful ever on the western front.

On the 31st July 1917 ‘3rd Ypres’ officially starts. Unseasonable torrential rain and continual shelling have turned the battle field into a quagmire. Men literlly drown in the mud. Into this maelstrom the 6th Royal Irish Regiment and the 7/8th Royal Irish Fusiliers are thrown. The 7/8th Royal Irish Fusiliers lose 24 dead, 105 wounded and 90 Missing. 3 of the dead are Guernseymen.

The 16th Irish Division attacked Tunnel trench at Croiselles as part of the Battle of Cambrai – the first ever en masse attack with tanks. It is a huge success and the 7/8th Royal Irish Fusiliers achieve their goal in minutes. However 1 Jerseyman Sergeant Peter Lorier, who’d enlisted with the Guernseymen in 1915, is killed.

The RGLI is blooded as a Regiment on this day too and joins the offensive on Nine wood.

The war of attrition takes it’s toll on the BEF and Brigades are reduced in size from 4 Regiments to 3. The 6th Batallion Royal Irish Regiment is therfore disbanded and it’s members incorporated into other units.

The following day, February 10th, the 7/8th Royal Irish Fusilliers is also disbanded.

Following the disbandment of the 6th Royal Irish Regiment and the 7/8th Royal Irish Fusiliers the remaing 42 Guernseymen in 6th are transferred to the 2nd Battalion and then to the 1st service Battalion of the RGLI.

The remaining 23 men in 7/8th Royal Irish Fusiliers are also transferred to the RGLI on this day.