Sunday 27 November 2016

Dublin - British Units on the opening day of the Easter Rising

Following up on a query on one of the groups on Facebook, there were a variety of units in Dublin on the opening day of the Easter Rising.


Sir John Maxwell's despatch following the Rising states :

The fighting strength of the troops avail- 
able in Dublin at this moment were:— 

6th Reserve Cavalry Regiment, 35 officers, 
851 other ranks. 

3rd Royal Irish Regiment, 18 officers, 385 
other ranks. 

10th Royal Dublin Fusiliers, 37 officers, 430 
other ranks. 

3rd Royal Irish Rifles, 21 officers, 650 other 
ranks. 

Of these troops an inlying picquet of 400 
men, which for some days past had been 
held in readiness, proceeded at once, and the 
remainder followed shortly afterwards.

Headquarters at Parkgate
Colonel Kennard - in charge of forces in Dublin
Colonel Henry Cowan - Adjutant and Assistant Adjutant General
Major Owen Lewis

Army Service Corps
615 MT Company were located in Parkgate. American Clive Wilson Warman was with this unit.

Ordnance Corps
At the Magazine Fort in the Phoenix Park

Pay Corps
A number of Pay Corps personnel were located in Linenhall Barracks

Royal Dublin Fusiliers
10th (Service) Battalion RDF were located in Royal Barracks (now Collins Barracks)
37 officers and 430 men

Royal Irish Rifles
3rd (Reserve) Battalion were located in Portobello Barracks (now Cathal Brugha Barracks)
21 officers and 650 men

Royal Irish Regiment
3rd (Reserve) Battalion were located in Richmond Barracks.
18 officers and 385 men
Commanding Officer : Lt Colonel Robert Owens
Adjutant : Major Edmund Roche-Kelly

6th Reserve Cavalry Regiment
Located in Marlborough Barracks.
35 officers and 851 men
Made up of 5th (Royal Irish) Lancers, 12th Lancers, 3/1st County of London Yeomanry, 3/1st City of London Yeomanry, 3/1st Welsh Yeomanry


Other soldiers were posted to positions at :

Dublin Castle (8 soldiers in the Guardroom)
GPO Telegraph Room (8 soldiers)
Ship Street Barracks (approx 25 soldiers)
Trinity OTC
Beggars Bush Barracks
Islandbridge Barracks





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