The Origins and History of the Tyneside Irish Brigade
Lord Kitchener, Secretary of State for War called for volunteers, and the call was answered in September 1914 by local dignitaries with Irish connections such as Alderman O’Hanlon, the Mayor of Wallsend, Councillor Bennett from Felling and John Mahoney, secretary of the Irish National Club to raise battalions among the Tyneside Irish.
The fledgling Tyneside Irish Battalion initially offered its services to the 16th Irish Division being formed in Southern Ireland but the Commander of the 16th Lt. Col. General LW Parsons declined the offer saying that he didn’t want any ‘slum birds’ in his division but rather the clean, fine, strong hurling playing country boys found in other Irish regiments!
Despite this setback recruits were enrolled. One of the first was Patrick Butler whose grandson and family are here at today’s service. With the British army in retreat at Mons an impetus was given to recruitment and the first battalion raised was to be eventually followed by 4 more, in total over 7,000 men.
So who were the Tyneside Irish? From John Sheen’s book it is clear that they were not all from Tyneside nor were they all Irish. Some were firstborn Irish but many more were second and third born Irish. Surnames like Kelly, O’Neill and O’Reilly liberally sprinkle all five battalions. They came from Newcastle, Sunderland, the wilds of Co. Durham and Teesside in their droves. But they also came from all parts of Ireland, London and Scotland. Indeed, the 2 Victoria Crosses awarded to the Tyneside Irish were to men from well outside the area, one was a miner from Castleford and the other from Mossley, near Ashton under Lyne.
Some joined because they worked alongside somebody with an Irish background. They joined for a variety of reasons not all of which were truly patriotic. Many joined simply because it guaranteed them three square meals a day and money in their pockets.
“We didn’t plan on joining the Tyneside Irish. In fact we would’ve preferred the Durhams; but me and my brothers ended up in Sunderland. We couldn’t find the DLI recruiting office so we went to the pub where this bloke told us where to find it. It was for the Tyneside Irish so we thought “Oh well” and took the shilling.” (Lew Shaughnessy, 27th Battalion).
Affiliated to the Northumberland Fusiliers they became the 24th, 25th, 26th, 27th and 30th Reserve battalions and following limited training on Tyneside, field training began in Alnwick in March 1915 in the shadow of the castle, on land donated by the Duke of Northumberland. The first St. Patrick’s Day of the war was celebrated there by the 24th. The 26th celebrated the great day in Newcastle, where, as the shamrocks were being handed out, a band played a selection of Irish airs.
Capt. Arnold of the 24th recalled those days in Alnwick. “How the towns and villages sprang into life in those days, when a battalion descended on them. The male inhabitants did not respond to the invasion but the females certainly enjoyed the time of their lives, and welcomed the troops with open arms.”
The officers’ mess was in the White Swan Hotel while the men lived in huts in the camp. Sgt. Patrick Butler named his hut ‘Tara’s Hall’, others got called ‘Shamrock’, ‘Hibernia’ and ‘Killarney Cottage’. In fact one of these huts survived up until a few years ago, owned by a local resident.
Further training took place on Salisbury Plain. The journey south was poignantly recalled by Capt. Arnold. “Somewhere about 5am on a wet morning near the end of August the whole Brigade entrained and rumbled along south through the long length of a summer day. The dull grey fields and dykes of Northumberland and Durham gave way to the softer tints and flat reaches of the Midlands. About noon we swung over towards the west and the type of country changed again. We skirted the Quantocks and the Mendips. Instead of the stark mining villages each with its slag heap and cage tower surmounted by two big pit wheels, we came to the old villages of Gloucestershire, some of mellow stone, some with thatched roofs and whitewashed walls – we were in a different world. The men gaped out of the windows in silence, home was left far behind and the war was drawing near at last.”
The Origins and History of the Tyneside Irish Brigade
Lord Kitchener, Secretary of State for War called for volunteers, and the call was answered in September 1914 by local dignitaries with Irish connections such as Alderman O’Hanlon, the Mayor of Wallsend, Councillor Bennett from Felling and John Mahoney, secretary of the Irish National Club to raise battalions among the Tyneside Irish.
The fledgling Tyneside Irish Battalion initially offered its services to the 16th Irish Division being formed in Southern Ireland but the Commander of the 16th Lt. Col. General LW Parsons declined the offer saying that he didn’t want any ‘slum birds’ in his division but rather the clean, fine, strong hurling playing country boys found in other Irish regiments!
Despite this setback recruits were enrolled. One of the first was Patrick Butler whose grandson and family are here at today’s service. With the British army in retreat at Mons an impetus was given to recruitment and the first battalion raised was to be eventually followed by 4 more, in total over 7,000 men.
So who were the Tyneside Irish? From John Sheen’s book it is clear that they were not all from Tyneside nor were they all Irish. Some were firstborn Irish but many more were second and third born Irish. Surnames like Kelly, O’Neill and O’Reilly liberally sprinkle all five battalions. They came from Newcastle, Sunderland, the wilds of Co. Durham and Teesside in their droves. But they also came from all parts of Ireland, London and Scotland. Indeed, the 2 Victoria Crosses awarded to the Tyneside Irish were to men from well outside the area, one was a miner from Castleford and the other from Mossley, near Ashton under Lyne.
Some joined because they worked alongside somebody with an Irish background. They joined for a variety of reasons not all of which were truly patriotic. Many joined simply because it guaranteed them three square meals a day and money in their pockets.
“We didn’t plan on joining the Tyneside Irish. In fact we would’ve preferred the Durhams; but me and my brothers ended up in Sunderland. We couldn’t find the DLI recruiting office so we went to the pub where this bloke told us where to find it. It was for the Tyneside Irish so we thought “Oh well” and took the shilling.” (Lew Shaughnessy, 27th Battalion).
Affiliated to the Northumberland Fusiliers they became the 24th, 25th, 26th, 27th and 30th Reserve battalions and following limited training on Tyneside, field training began in Alnwick in March 1915 in the shadow of the castle, on land donated by the Duke of Northumberland. The first St. Patrick’s Day of the war was celebrated there by the 24th. The 26th celebrated the great day in Newcastle, where, as the shamrocks were being handed out, a band played a selection of Irish airs.
Capt. Arnold of the 24th recalled those days in Alnwick. “How the towns and villages sprang into life in those days, when a battalion descended on them. The male inhabitants did not respond to the invasion but the females certainly enjoyed the time of their lives, and welcomed the troops with open arms.”
The officers’ mess was in the White Swan Hotel while the men lived in huts in the camp. Sgt. Patrick Butler named his hut ‘Tara’s Hall’, others got called ‘Shamrock’, ‘Hibernia’ and ‘Killarney Cottage’. In fact one of these huts survived up until a few years ago, owned by a local resident.
Further training took place on Salisbury Plain. The journey south was poignantly recalled by Capt. Arnold. “Somewhere about 5am on a wet morning near the end of August the whole Brigade entrained and rumbled along south through the long length of a summer day. The dull grey fields and dykes of Northumberland and Durham gave way to the softer tints and flat reaches of the Midlands. About noon we swung over towards the west and the type of country changed again. We skirted the Quantocks and the Mendips. Instead of the stark mining villages each with its slag heap and cage tower surmounted by two big pit wheels, we came to the old villages of Gloucestershire, some of mellow stone, some with thatched roofs and whitewashed walls – we were in a different world. The men gaped out of the windows in silence, home was left far behind and the war was drawing near at last.”