We last looked at the experience of the so-called Irish “named” military nits of the British and other militaries in the context of the Second World War, notwithstanding any mention of them during the Troubles. As mentioned in that general period and at other times, the Irish nature of these regiments had long since passed into the point of mostly symbolism: yes they still had personnel and leaders of Irish birth or Irish ancestry, but to a large degree their Irishness was more a matter of name, flags and traditions than anything else. Still, I find them worthy of at least some note and now, coming as we are to the end of this series, I find that it is a good time to take an entry to discuss their history and current existence in the previous 80-90 years. We will start with those units that left the Second World War victorious, but have in the intervening time ceased to exist.
The 8th King’s Royal Irish Hussars had fought in the North African desert and throughout France in the Second World War, and were then one of the first British units to be sent to Korea in 1950 as part of the Allied effort to stem the advance of the communist north and China. The regiment’s tanks were heavily engaged at different points of that year and the next in an effort first to preserve the South Korea state, and then to push the enemy back over the 38th parallel. Numerous officers of the Hussars gained praise for their bravery and near-suicidal abandon in certain instances, such as during efforts to staunch the advance of the so-called “Spring Offensive” in 1951. In 1952 the unit was moved to Germany, and six years later was amalgamated with the 4th Queen’s Own Hussars to form the Queen’s Royal Irish Hussars. This new unit would serve in Aden and Malaysia in the 1960s, engaging with local guerrilla forces, as well as Cyprus as part of UN peacekeeping forces. Elements of the unit also served in Northern Ireland during the 1980s as guards of the Maze, in-between repeated tours stationed in West Germany. In 1990 the Hussars had a successful deployment as part of the Gulf War, destroying over 300 Iraqi tanks in a few days, and taking no casualties. In 1993 it went through a further amalgamation with the Queen’s Own Hussars to form the Queen’s Royal Hussars, and though no longer a “named” regiment it retains Irish elements, such as the harp in its regimental badge.
The North Irish Horse finished the Second World War in Northern Italy, and and then transitioned from a tank-focused unit into a more mobile reconnaissance outfit, more in the line of armoured cars and the like. Moved back to within the borders of the Territorial Army, the unit returned to an essentially permanent station in Northern Ireland, where it came under the command of various other units. It survives today as a designated squadron of the Scottish and North Irish Yeomanry reserve regiment, with some of its personnel deployed to various conflict zones throughout the years.
The fate of the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, Royal Irish Fusiliers and Royal Ulster Rifles would be shared. The Inniskillings served in Malaya and Kenya fighting insurgents post-Second World War, along with other deployments to Cyprus, India, Germany, Bahrain and Bermuda. The Royal Irish had a similar history in a variety of places, serving in Korea after the war there as well as Swaziland and Aden. The Ulsters had a more combat-orientated post-Second World War history, engaged in Korea in 1950 and 1951, most notably at the Battle of the Injin River in April 1951, when they were part of an Allied effort that prevented a Chinese capture of Seoul. In 1968 the three regiments merged into a new unit, the Royal Irish Rangers. This regiment served in Germany and briefly in Northern Ireland in the late 1980s among other minor deployments. In 1992 it merged with the Ulster Defence Regiment to form the Royal Irish Regiment, which was one of the “home” units of Northern Ireland, serving there throughout the later stages of the Troubles and beyond, as well as stints in Iraq and Afghanistan later.
A number of other “named” units continue to exist within the modern British military. Perhaps the mot notable after the RIR are the Irish Guards, which since the Second World War has served in Palestine, Egypt, Cyprus, Aden, Germany, Northern Ireland, Macedonia, Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan as one of the signature regiments of the British Army. Their role in the Iraq War is especially notable, as they led the British side of the initial advance into Basra. It remains part of the larger Guards Division today, and given its status as a unit based in London is one of the most well-seen and recognisable elements of the British military.
Other units also exist in a reserve state or within the Territorial Army. The London Irish Rifles was reformed in the aftermath of the Second World War, becoming part of the Royal Ulster Rifles and its subsequent merging into the Royal Irish Rangers. In 1993 it was split off to become part of the reformed London Regiment, as part of which it has been deployed to Cyprus, Bosnia, Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan. In 2022 it was merged once again with a larger unit, namely the Irish Guards. The Liverpool Irish were reconstituted into the Territorial Army after the Second World War, becoming an anti-aircraft regiment. Amid numerous merging’s with other units, its members have served in Northern Ireland, Kosovo, Bosnia, Iraq and Afghanistan. It is currently a troop of the 3rd West Lancashire Artillery. Similarly, the Antrim Fortress Royal Engineers was slowly reduced in importance over the decades, becoming part of other units and operating under new names. It currently exists as the 591 (Antrim Artillery) Field Squadron of the Territorial Army. The 206 (Ulster) Battery Royal Artillery unit was created in 1967, initially as an anti-aircraft unit, but is now a reserve entity of field artillery split between bases in Down and Derry. The 152 (North Irish) Regiment RLC was also created in 1967, and serves as a reserve part of the Royal Logistic Corps, based in Down and Derry.
On the other side of the Atlantic, the 69th Infantry Regiment, the “Fighting Irish”, have continued to exist since the end of the Second World War and their service in the Pacific. In the intervening time it has mostly served as a member of the National Guard, not used on international deployments, but instead as assistance for disasters and disturbances within the United States. Aside from a brief spell in the 1990s when it was re-established as an anti-aircraft unit, it has remained an infantry regiment. On 9/11, members of the regiment were among the first to secure Ground Zero and other sites, with two personnel killed in the course of those operations. The 69th was later federalised and deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan at different points: in Iraq part of their responsibilities was the securing of “Route Irish”, a road that connected Baghdad’s airport to the Green Zone of the occupiers administration. They also later served in the Horn of Africa protecting US installations, and continue to exist today as a part of the National Guard.
It behoves me to once again reiterate that the “Irish” nature of these units is essentially just symbolic, something to be seen in the accoutrements: the badges, the regimental songs, the mottos. But also, and perhaps more importantly, it is at the same time in their legacy, of Irish people in previous generations who did fight in various wars, domestic and international, as part of those units, and who are honoured by the continuation of such naming today. The Irish military diaspora continues through such things, and seems likely to continue for some time still.
To read the rest of the entries in this series, click here to go to the index.
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