Irish Brigade website

I don't know if anyone mentioned this site before

Irish Brigade - Welcome...

Really great site, with many information, mostly about two battalions of the London Irish Rifles like war diaries of 2nd LIR, history of both battalions, personal accounts, photos but also history of the 38th Irish Brigade written by TPD Scott, CB, CBE, DSO who commanded the brigade in Italy, awards and roll of honour.

 

Hi there,
I'm doing a search of behalf of my aunt who is trying to find out where her brother was wounded and sussequently died in September 1944. He is buried in Gradara war cemetery near Cattolica and this recent curiosity has been sparked off as my dad made a visit there last week whilst on holiday in Bologna. On cwgc.org he is listed as being in the 1st Battalion London Irish Rifles so maybe someone would be able to let me know their movements during 1944? Much appreciated

 

Hi and welcome to the forum. Try here

Irish Brigade - The official history of the 1st Battalion of the London Irish Rifles

 

Hello,

My personal interest first - Sol kindly referenced my/my brother's (still incomplete) web site. My father served with 2nd Battalion London Irish Rifles (2/LIR) from Oct 1939 to Mar 1946, and the web site has been set up to capture as many personal stories as possible from that era.

Quite a number of 1/LIR are buried at Gradara. May I be so bold as to ask the name of your aunt's brother?

As I'm sure you already know, 1/LIR had a most "difficult" 1944 - they formed part of the 56th (London) Division's Garigliano river landings in January, moved to defensive positions at Anzio during Feb/Mar, and then took part in the rolling assault on the Gothic Line in Aug / Sept.

According to the official history of the regiment,The Battle for the Gothic Line cost the 1st Battalion LIR five officers and eighty other ranks killed (total 85), and eighteen officers and two hundred and twenty-seven (total 245) other ranks wounded -total casualties therefore were about 50% of their infantry company (A-D) strength . Truly dreadful time for all.

An assignment for the Battalion during Sept 1944 reads as below on (I believe) or around 6th-9th Sept.

QUOTE
It was realised that the San Sevino Ridge was the key to Croce, and that Croce was the key to the whole Corps line. The battalion stayed on for three days, enduring heavy bombardments and throwing back strong German patrols probing at danger-spots. Casualties were heavy. Lieutenant Johns in the Support Company was wounded by our own twenty-five pounders; D Company lost several killed and Lieutenant Michael Spiller and others wounded in a direct hit on a house.
B Company suffered the battalion's greatest loss during that period, when Company Sergeant Major Keenan, a magnificent soldier and man, was killed in his slit trench by a mortar bomb bursting in the trees above. Lieutenant Bob Goodall and Lieutenant John Gates were wounded, and Lieutenant Alan Soutar, a newly joined officer, was killed while on a two-man patrol to find out the position at II Palazzo. That patrol had been sent out regularly every day at last light, and Lieutenant Noel Dorrity did it successfully twice across the shell-swept country, and the third time Lieutenant Soutar set out. He was accompanied by a non-commissioned officer, and his orders were to lie up on the position and to report back by wireless what he had observed. When he got within four hundred yards of his objective Lieutenant Soutar told his companion to remain in a ditch under cover, while he went forward alone. Soon afterwards the non-commissioned officer heard Spandau fire and grenades explode. There were loud cries in German, and then in the light of a flare he saw Lieutenant Soutar firing his Tommy gun from the hip. At that moment a "stonk" came down from our own artillery behind. When it ended, the non-commissioned officer found no trace of the officer, but discovered two dead Germans. Lieutenant Soutar did not return, and it was confirmed later that he was killed during his single-handed combat with the enemy by whom he was outnumbered. Lieutenant Soutar came to the London Irish from a battalion of the Highland Light Infantry-a capable and fearless officer. During the battle for the ridge the mortar platoon did some very good shoots, but drew heavy return fire which caused losses to men and carriers. Sergeant J. Coduri was badly wounded when the Germans made another direct hit on a house.

END QUOTE.

More can be found in the regimental history written just after the war.

Hope this helps a wee bit,

Richard

 

Richard,

Your website is indeed excellent, thank you for putting in the effort. Do you remember much of what your father told you about it all (assuming that he did)?

I'd really like the opportunity to speak with you regarding it.

Tom

 

Tom,

Fortunately, my father put pen to paper,and then to typewriter and then to second hand PC, and after extensive 1-1 discussions, we published his story about 4 years ago.

We've put his story up on the web site:

Irish Brigade - All My Brothers: the story of London Irish Colour Sergeant Edmund O'Sullivan

Over the last couple of years of my father's life, my brother and I followed the route my father took from Centuripe to Villach, and we were able to report back to him on our adventures, and reviewed with him the battlefields that he well remembered - Centuripe, Simeto river, Termoli, San Salvo, Sangro river, Castellone, Sinagoga, SanFatucchio and Argenta amongst others. On the day of his death in 2009 at the age of 90, I played back to him videos of my visit that week to join in the 65th anniversary of the 4th battle at Cassino,where quite a few of his mates died. When he heard the Garryowen - he was marching again with his beloved pipers in Tunis and Rome.

We plan to visit the Tunisian battlefields later this year.

yours
Richard

 

All,

I would like to add this quick update to confirm that I shall start adding the following war diaries to the Irish Brigade web site Irish Brigade - Welcome... over the next couple of weeks:

1st Royal Irish Fusiliers (Nov 1942 to May 1945).
6th Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers (from Nov 1942 to Aug 1944)
2nd Royal Innskilling Fusiliers (from Aug 1944 to May 1945).

Amongst other things included on the web site, I have already added the 2nd Bttn London Irish Rifles war diaries from Nov 1942 to May 1945, and Brigadier Nelson Russell's and Brigadier Pat Scott's accounts of their front line service with the Brigade in Tunisia and Italy.

Our roll of honour covers over 1000 men who served with the 38th (Irish) Brigade and lie at peace in Africa and Italy, and this listing continues to be updated by personal accounts from their comrades and families.

The time spent on maintaining this web site continues to be an extremely humbling experience as I learn more about the background to the service of my father and his many comrades in arms. Only yesterday I was able to meet with a 1st Army veteran who was conscripted on the same day and place as my father - 18th October 1939 at Liverpool St.

Next weekend, I'm in the Liri Valley with Damiano.

best,
Richard

 

Excellent site - best of luck with it.

 

Mathsmal,

Thanks again - getting some fantastic contacts from the site - the difficulty is capturing the stories effectively.

Richard

 

Richard
Your statement that the Irish bde had a "difficult" 1944 has to be the understatement of this week if not many weeks to come - as going fast forward to their return from Egypt to be thrown into the Gothic Line- especially at Croce/ Gemmano where they were lucky to ONLY have all those casualties when they could have been wiped out entirely and Gradara filled as soon as it was built...not even including Coriano Ridge cemetery as well where I noted many of them - that was a real blood bath and as someone said at the time that it was worse than Cassino- which was bad enough on the Kiwis - 4th Indians and the 78th Div.
Cheers

 

Tom,

Understatement was my father's second name, which I haven't quite yet mastered.

Yes, 1/LIR indeed had a dreadful 1944, after a horrible end of 1943 in the Camino area, and a desperately awful July 1943 south of Catania.

I don't think I have disagreed with any of your previous historical factual clarifications, but I think I shall need to slightly finesse one sentence of your recent comment, I'm sure just a typo with reference to the "Irish bge".

1/LIR wasn't part of the Irish Brigade but was part of 56th (London) Divison for most of the duration of 1942-45.

The 38th (Irish)'s rebaptism of fire after their R'n'R at Sidi Bishr was Monte Spaduro - a walk in the park clearly.

thanks,

Richard

 

Richard -
I admit I was a little mixed up with that as I KNEW they were at Croce/Gemmano whereas the Irish bde was with 78th Div over nearer the 5th US army area at the time - they - 56th and 46th took a helluva beating at Coriano - as we all did - even we lost 30 Churchill Tanks in that series of Battles- as witnessed by the seven cemeteries all around there from Gradara to Cesena with 14,000 dead as you probaly saw in your trip...
cheers

 

Just to complete Hibbert's MC tracking...a copy of the original citation.

best wishes