The Formation of the
Royal Irish Rangers
During the 20th century, the strength of the British infantry
expanded and contracted in response to the needs of government
policy and in particular to the two World Wars, the Cold War and
their aftermath. The early years of the century saw Infantry
Regiments linked to a particular locality within the United
Kingdom. Each Regiment had two regular battalions and the
territorial affiliations were further emphasised by the
incorporation of militia and volunteers. Each Regiment also had
its own Depot. On the eve of the First World War there were eight
Irish infantry regiments accounting for sixteen regular and
twenty-six battalions of militia. During the war that followed
these eight regiments expanded to ninety-two battalions, of which
sixty-three served overseas.
Once the war was over, the Army soon reverted to its pre-war
establishment, and on account of the national economic situation
many militia battalions were placed in suspended animation. In
Ireland the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1922 caused
a further reduction. The intention was to retain The
Royal lnniskilling Fusiliers and The Royal Irish Rifles
because of their obvious connections with Northern Ireland and to
disband the other six Irish infantry regiments. There were strong
arguments to retain The Royal Irish Fusiliers and eventually a
compromise was reached whereby The Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers
and The Royal Irish Fusiliers combined to form
one Corps each with one regular battalion and a common depot at
Omagh. At the same time, The Royal Irish Rifles were re-designated
The Royal Ulster Rifles.
In 1937 the second battalions were restored to The Royal
lnniskilling Fusiliers and Royal Irish Fusiliers. At the same
time, The London Irish Rifles were incorporated
into the Corps of The Royal Ulster Rifles but still retaining
their regimental identity.
Mobilisation in 1939 thus saw six regular Irish battalions of the
Line and two territorial battalions of The London Irish Rifles
prepared for active service. Further battalions were raised
during the course of the War, but the scale of expansion of the
First World War was not repeated. Each of the three Irish
regiments was represented in 38th (Irish) Brigade, which served
with distinction in North Africa and Italy. The actions of all
battalions can be followed in their respective histories.
Despite the decision to augment voluntary enlistment with
National Service in the post-war Army, line infantry regiments
were reduced to a single regular battalion each by 1948. The 2nd
Bn. Royal lnniskilling Fusiliers was one of six battalions raised
as a result of the Cold War in 1948 but was again disbanded in
1955. For the three Irish regiments of the Line, this reduction
was balanced by the raising of three Territorial Army battalions
in Northern Ireland in 1947, whilst The London Irish Rifles
contributed one battalion to the post-war Territorial Army on the
mainland.
National Service continued until 1962. Whilst there was
no 'call up' in Northern Ireland, many men of Irish
stock living in Britain were called up with their colleagues and
posted to the Irish Regiments. By this time it was apparent to
all that there were to be significant cuts in the Armed Forces.
Infantry reorganisation was inevitable as the new, all Regular
Army, would require fewer battalions.
Although the Irish Regiments were not involved in the first
amalgamations ordered in 1957, they did not escape other aspects
of the reorganisation. The three regiments had been
administratively grouped as the North Irish Brigade since 1948,
but such groupings were now to be given greater emphasis. The
three Regimental Depots were closed in 1959 and their functions
transferred to a North Irish Brigade Depot initially at Eglinton,
but which transferred to St Patrick's Barracks, Ballymena in 1964
after the rebuilding and enlargement had been completed. At the
same time individual regimental cap badges were abolished and in
1960 the North Irish Brigade cap badge was introduced. Apart from
these changes, each of the three regiments was still able to
maintain its separate identity.
In the mid 1960s great changes were also taking place in the
Territorial Army, when it was recognised that Britain did not
require as large a reserve force as was then constituted, but
that a smaller reserve should be better trained and equipped.
This led to the establishment of the new Territorial and Army
Volunteer Reserve. The three former Territorial Army battalions
in Northern Ireland and The London Irish Rifles were required to
merge into one TAVR battalion. This new battalion was designated The
North Irish Militia, later to become 4th Bn.
Royal Irish Rangers and was raised on 1 April 1967.
Those elements of the three old Territorial Army battalions that
had not transferred to the Militia remained in existence as home
defence units, but were given a very low priority for both
equipment and training and there were soon serious doubts over
their viability. In 1969 each of these battalions was reduced to
a cadre of six officers and men.
In 1967 further reductions in the size of the Regular Army were
announced. It now seemed probable that each of the 'Geographic'
Infantry Brigades would lose one battalion, and the Ministry of
Defence invited Colonels of Regiments to make proposals. Unless a
consensus could be agreed, it seemed likely that the junior
regiment of the North Irish Brigade -The Royal Irish Fusiliers in
our case would be doomed. Unlike other Brigades, The North Irish
Brigade had a unique mix of two Fusilier regiments and a Rifle
regiment which caused additional problems when considering
amalgamation or disbandment. The Representative Colonel of the
North Irish Brigade in 1967 (Maj. Gen. T. P. D. Scott) called a
meeting at Ballymena to make recommendations to MOD. Each regular
battalion was to be represented by its Commanding Officer, a
Major, Captain and the RSM. In addition all officers at ERE in
Northern Ireland and at the Depot were required to attend; - also
in attendance were the Regimental Secretaries.
There were a series of alternatives facing this unique gathering.
These were:
(a) To disband the junior regiment (Royal Irish Fusiliers)
leaving The Royal lnniskilling Fusiliers and The Royal Ulster
Rifles intact.
(b) To amalgamate the two junior regiments - The Royal Ulster
Rifles and The Royal Irish Fusiliers and to leave The Royal
lnniskilling Fusiliers intact.
(c) To amalgamate the two fusilier regiments - The Royal
lnniskilling Fusiliers and The Royal Irish Fusiliers and to leave
The Royal Ulster Rifles intact.
(d) To invite The Royal Ulster Rifles to join The Light Brigade
composed of the other Light Infantry battalions.
(e) To amalgamate all three regiments into one large regiment and
to disband one battalion.
(f) For the Depot to assume the title and style of the junior
Regiment - The Royal Irish Fusiliers.
This momentous meeting took one whole day, and at the end it was
the unanimous decision that the regiments of North Irish Brigade
should form one large regiment, thus keeping alive all the
traditions of each of the former regiments. The title of the new
regiment became the next problem -several ideas emerged but
eventual inspiration was derived from the distinctive designation
of one of the disbanded Irish Regiments of 1922. No other line
regiment had been categorised as 'Rangers' which thus offered the
basis of a designation for the new Regiment that would be both
distinctive and of Irish origin. The adoption of this designation
would also mean that the fusiliers and riflemen of the old
regiments would be able to assume an exclusive rank designation
within the British Army rather than having to revert to becoming
private soldiers. All three former regiments had been 'Royal' and
all three regiments were 'Irish' - the proposed new title met
with rapid agreement.
At the same time it was agreed
that the new regiment would wear 'black buttons'. The
recommendation was made to the Ministry of Defence that in the
event of the requirement to cut a battalion from The North Irish
Brigade, a large regiment to be called The Royal Irish
Rangers should be formed. If necessary, one battalion
could then be disbanded. Attention then turned to the emotive
question of dress. It was the wish of Regimental Committee that
the dress of the new regiment should be distinctive and striking
as well as maintaining certain aspects pertaining to the former
Regiments. The caubeen was adopted as the headgear for the new
Regiment as all the former regiments had worn it and it was
certainly distinctive! The green hackle was formerly worn by The
Royal Irish Fusiliers. The Castle collar badges had been worn by
The Royal lnniskilling Fusiliers whilst the black buttons had
formerly been the prerogative of The Royal Ulster Rifles. The
brown crossbelt was a compromise between the brown Sam Browne
belts worn by the Fusiliers and the black crossbelt worn in the
Rifles. All ranks of the new regiment were to wear piper green
trousers which complemented a very distinctive and unique uniform,
(which soon became the envy of the rest of the Army!)
As the new Regiment took shape, plans were also made to bring it
into being. The regular battalions of the three regiments were
stationed at Worcester (1st Bn. Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers),
Gibraltar (1st Bn. Royal Ulster Rifles) and at Catterick (1st Bn.
Royal Irish Fusiliers).
The Ministry of Defence required The Royal Irish Rangers to
continue to provide battalions at Catterick and Gibraltar but
directed that the commitment at Worcester was to cease from
December 1968. It was therefore decided that the new Regiment
would come into being on 1 July 1968, on which date the
battalions at Worcester, Gibraltar and Catterick would become the
1st, 2nd and 3rd Battalions respectively of The Royal Irish
Rangers. The 1st Battalion would then take over from the 3rd
Battalion at Catterick and the latter would disband. The whole
purpose of the creation of The Royal Irish Rangers was to merge
the identities of the three old regiments into a new regimental
identity.
No Officer, Warrant Officer, Non Commissioned Officer, Fusilier
or Rifleman was posted back to his original Regiment once the
decision was taken to form a large Regiment. This ensured a
mixing of spirit, habit and tradition prior to Vesting Day. Each
battalion was to assume its new regimental identity completely on
1 July 1968 and would not be permitted to claim exclusive
representation of its previous parent within The Royal Irish
Rangers. In this way the disbandment of the 3rd Battalion in
December 1968 would not be seen as the extinction of 1st
Battalion The Royal Irish Fusiliers under another title, but as
the simple reorganisation of The Royal Irish Rangers into a two-battalion
Regiment. The term 'amalgamation' had no place within this policy;
1 July 1968 was to be known as Vesting Day (and thereafter as
Rangers Day) to emphasise that the traditions of the old
regiments were henceforth to be vested in The Royal Irish Rangers.
In respect of the title, strong feelings emerged that the
historic designation 'lnniskilling' should somehow be preserved,
as there had for the past 300 years always been an infantry
regiment with 'lnniskilling' in its title. There was obvious
difficulty in perpetuating this within a title that had already
been agreed and also concern that The Royal lnniskilling
Fusiliers should not be accorded disproportionate prominence in
an aspect that had proved to be particularly emotive during
initial consideration. The matter was resolved by according each
regiment representation within an expanded designation of 'The
Royal Irish Rangers (27th [lnniskilling] 83rd and 87th)'.
Under this title the new Regiment came into being on 1 July 1968.
At Worcester, the occasion was marked by a special parade at
midnight 30 June / 1 July and similar daytime ceremonies took
place at Gibraltar and Catterick on 1 July. In Northern Ireland a
parade was held at Ballymena to mark the transformation of
Headquarters The North Irish Brigade and The North Irish Brigade
Depot into the Regimental Headquarters and the Depot of the new
regiment.
During the remainder of 1968, the 3rd Battalion in Catterick
prepared to hand over to the 1st Battalion. 150 men from the 1st
Battalion were taken under command and participated in the 3rd
Battalion's exercise deployment to Germany in September/October.
The main move of the 1st Battalion from Worcester started in
November and the handover was completed by early December. Those
officers and soldiers not required to bring the 1st Battalion to
full strength were either warned for posting to the 2nd Battalion
or the Depot or made available for extra-regimental employment.
The 3rd Battalion officially disbanded on 3 December 1968.
The occasion was not marked by
ceremony, as the two battalions had been gradually integrating
for several weeks and distinctive groupings of 1st Battalion and
3rd Battalion soldiers no longer existed. The first issue of the
new regimental journal (The Blackthorn) records:
'On December 3, RSM Veale held a Mess Meeting at 2 p.m. to speak
to the 3rd Battalion members for the last time as RSM of that
Battalion. At 2.15 p.m. he handed over the meeting to RSM
Lattimore and we all emerged as members of the 1st Battalion.'
In Gibraltar the 2nd Battalion had already received substantial
drafts from Worcester and Catterick earlier in the year.
The manner of the passing of the 3rd Battalion, without fuss or
ceremony, confirmed the wisdom and foresight behind the decision
to form The Royal Irish Rangers. Notwithstanding the loss of a
battalion, the position of Irish infantry of the Line had been
consolidated and the traditions of three famous Irish regiments
had been given new life. Credit for this success is due to all
members of the three regiments in 1967 and 1968. Some had the
responsibility to point the way and others the duty to follow,
but the final outcome reflected a determination by all involved
to build a firm foundation for the future.
Field Marshal His Royal Highness The Duke of Gloucester, Earl of
Ulster and Colonel in Chief of The Royal lnniskilling Fusiliers
became Colonel in Chief of The Regiment on its
formation. He died in 1974 and the appointment was vacant until
the appointment of Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Gloucester
in 1989 - an appointment made to coincide with the Tercentenary,
thus keeping alive the family connection with her father-in-law.
The first Colonel of The Regiment was Lieutenant
General Sir Ian Harris who had previously been Colonel of The
Royal Ulster Rifles. Royal approval was obtained in 1968 to the
appointment of two Deputy Colonels to assist the Colonel of The
Regiment in his duties and this arrangement has continued ever
since. The first Deputy Colonels were the former Colonels of The
Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers (Major General E. H. W. Grimshaw)
and The Royal Irish Fusiliers (Major General T. P. D. Scott). An
Honorary Colonel was appointed for The North Irish Militia and
also for D (London Irish Rifles) Company. A second Honorary
Colonel was appointed on the raising of the 5th Battalion.
Much regimental business was conducted through the Regimental
Committee, which met twice a year and included the Colonel of The
Regiment, the Deputy Colonels and the Commanding Officers of the
battalions and the Regimental Depot. A wider variety of military
and civilian experience was found within the Regimental Advisory
Council, which was established in 1973. The Council met as
necessary to assist the Colonel of The Regiment in formulating
regimental policy on a range of issues.
The secretariat for Committee and Council meetings was provided
by the staff of Regimental Headquarters, which occupied the
premises in Waring Street, Belfast, which were formerly the home
of the Regimental Headquarters of The Royal Ulster Rifles and
which still houses the museum of that Regiment. The retired
officers and civilian staff at Waring Street became Regimental
Headquarters The Royal Irish Rangers, responsible for
the regimental business of both The Royal Irish Rangers and The
Royal Ulster Rifles. Regimental Offices at Enniskillen and Armagh
remained primarily concerned with the regimental business and
regimental museums of The Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers and The
Royal Irish Fusiliers respectively.
When The Regiment formed on 1 July 1968, it comprised three
regular battalions, The North Irish Militia and three Territorial
battalions. The three Territorial battalions were effectively
disbanded on 31 March 1969, but were permitted to retain two
officers and four soldiers each to form cadre battalions. These
cadre battalions were attached to The North Irish Militia with
the intention of providing the basis for any future expansion of
the Territorial and Army Volunteer Reserve in Northern Ireland.
The cadre battalions retained the dress of their parent regiments
but were allocated designations that also emphasised their
integration within the Corps of The Royal Irish Rangers.
The integration of The North Irish Militia within The Regiment
found expression in the authorisation of a revised designation of
The North Irish Militia (4th [Volunteer] Battalion The
Royal Irish Rangers) in 1970. This was further changed
to 4th (Volunteer) Battalion The Royal Irish Rangers (North Irish
Militia) in 1978.
On 1 April 1971 the cadre battalions of The Royal Ulster Rifles
and The Royal Irish Fusiliers were transformed into 5th
Battalion The Royal Irish Rangers. The new battalion was
initially restricted to two rifle companies at Killyleagh and
Lurgan, but since then it has steadily expanded and some
adjustments have been made in the subordination of companies to
the 4th and 5th Battalions.
5th Battalion The Royal lnniskilling Fusiliers (The Royal Irish
Rangers) (cadre) remained in existence until 1975 when it was
decided that the few surviving cadre battalions should be
disbanded. The members of the cadre paraded for the last time at
Enniskillen on 3 May 1975 to lay up the Colours of the old 5th
Battalion The Royal lnniskilling Fusiliers (Territorial Army) in
St Macartan's Cathedral. These Colours had been in the custody of
the cadre since 1969.
The Regimental Depot has remained at St Patrick's Barracks
Ballymena since 1968. It was unique in being the only traditional
infantry depot in existence supporting two regular battalions in
broadly the same way as was introduced for the whole Infantry
under Cardwell's reforms of 1872. The Depot acted as the focal
point for a wide range of regimental activities in Ireland in
addition to its obvious recruit training task.
A large number of detachments and contingents of The Army Cadet
REGIMENTAL
Force and The Combined Cadet Force are affiliated to The Royal
Irish Rangers and wear the uniform of The Regiment.
Before concluding this brief outline of The Regiment's
infrastructure, mention must he made of the Regimental
Chapel in St Anne's Cathedral Belfast. The Bishop of
Connor dedicated this on 6 June 1981. A large multi-coloured
window displaying the badges of The Royal Irish Rangers and the
four predecessor regiments dominates the Chapel.
The Amalgamation
Order 1992
30th JUNE 1992
ORDER OF THE DAY
BY
MAJOR GENERAL R N WHEELER CBE
COLONEL
THE ROYAL IRISH RANGERS
(27th (INNISKILLING) 83rd AND 87th)
Twenty four years ago you were encouraged by the first Colonel of
the Regiment to carry forward the great traditions of our former
Regiments, to ensure that the Rangers established a reputation to
stand with that of our forebears. As your last Colonel of the
Regiment, who has served proudly throughout our short history, I
can tell you with absolute confidence that you have carried out
that instruction to the letter. The Royal Irish Rangers have
indeed established a reputation throughout the Army for
professionalism, courage, determination and a fierce pride in all
that we have done. Go forward into the new Royal Irish
Regiment with all these qualities, for I am sure that
not only do we have much to contribute towards the establishment
of our new Regiment, but that you are all ready to take the lead
in seeing that we remain the envy of the British Army at large as
the last Irish Infantry Regiment of the line. Good luck to you
all.
FAUGH A BALLAGH
From: "The Royal Irish Rangers 1968-1992", editor D. T.,
in the Royal Ulster Rifles Museum library, on 29th August 2000 at
shelf 55 rank 297. The used text is pages 6, 7, and back inside
cover