Royal Collections Trust - Aud/Libau/Castro Easter 1916

Lurking in the UK Royal Collection are a number of Easter Rising related material :

Russian rifle butt retrieved from the Aud/Libau/Castro scuttled before the Easter Rising

Not digitised but listed is one of the German Imperial Navy flags carried on the Aud. The other flag was given to the Nazis in the 1930s by Admiral Lewis Bayly.

German made bayonet scabbard and frog retrieved from the Aud/Libau/Castro

Russian Mosin Nagant rifle retrieved from the Aud/Libau/Castro

Bayonet and Scabbard fot the Russian Mosin Nagant rifle retrieved from the Aud/Libau/Castro

Na Fianna Eireann banner

1916 tri-colour from Limerick

The search mechanism for the Royal Collections Trust is not particularly good and I may not have found all the Easter Rising related items. If you find any more please leave a note in the comments.

John Joe O'Brien => Digital Repository of Ireland records

Browing the Digital Repository Ireland site looking for some information for another rabbit hole of research and decided to try a search for O'Brien and Galbally.

DRI O'Brien and Galbally search link

Surprisingly 3 hits in relation to 1928 bottling agreements for Jameson whiskey (don't mind if I do with a bit of TK Red), thought the DRI have put his middle name as James.

This would be the year that John Joe married Elizabeth Russell. John Joe worked for his father in the family grocery/public house in Galbally village square. He would later move to Dublin and own a pub near Kilmainham Gaol.

 A bit more of a settled existence after his time in the Irish Volunteers and the events at Knocklong.

New Zealand's Irish Revolution...?

 A couple of posts appeared on LinkedIn announcing the forthcoming publication by UCD Press of  "New Zealand's Irish Revolution".

I'm hard pressed to think of much NZ involvement in the struggle for/against Irish independence. Off the top of my head :

a. the 5 New Zealand servicemen who fought in Trinity College during the Easter Rising against the Irish Volunteers.

b. the transfer of HMS Laburnum to New Zealand after WW1. Laburnum having shelled Irish Volunteers during the Easter Rising.

After that, nothing comes to mind. I suspect I could find an NZ born member of the Black and Tans or the Auxiliaries but that is not an area of research I'm going to delve into yet. There are a few references to New Zealand on the Irish Military Archives online collections, where many appear to be men and women who moved to New Zealand after the creation of the Irish Free State but this will be worth delving into.

When "Dominion" journalists of the Imperial Press Commission visited Ireland in 1918, the 5 New Zealand members weren't photographed meeting with Sinn Fein (even the one who had worked on the shortlived Fenian newspaper The New Zealand Celt at the time of the "Fenian Riot"), whereas Australian MP and journalist Frank Anstey was photographed with members of Sinn Fein at the Shelbourne Hotel.

IWM (Q 28417) Dominion journalists aboard the Guinness light railway tour, Dublin 1918

IWM (Q 28418) Frank Anstey MP with SF members, Dublin 1918

IWM (Q 28419) Frank Anstey MP with SF members, Dublin 1918

IWM (Q 28426) NZ journalists with NZ soldiers, Dublin 1918

While I will have to get a copy of this book at some point in the future to see what perspectives are given, immediate thoughts are that this may be too niche and of little real value. 

More Norwegians and Germans were killed as a result of the Easter Rising than New Zealanders yet little research comes out re these aspects of the struggle. This new book feels like the content may be a bit of a stretch.

Guinness : 7th Bn Royal Dublin Fusiliers => MGC and Tanks Corps

In the Guinness Roll of Honour for World War One are a number of men who ended up in the Machine Gun Corps or Tanks Corps, with one in the Ordnance Corps as an armourer.

Of particular interest are Harold Bright and William Tait who both started out in D Company, 7th Battalion, Royal Dublin Fusiliers, and both have mentions in "The Pals at Suvla Bay" by Henry Hanna.

William Tait

Born on the 21st April 1894, William Tait, a Chemists Assistant, enlisted into the 7th Royal Dublin Fusiliers on the 15th September 1914, number 14240. He had joined Guinness on the 2nd November 1908 aged 14, and is recorded as leaving on the 15th September 1914.

Promoted to Segeant on the 14th September 1915, working in the Machine Gun Section. At Gallipoli he appears to have been transferred from D company to B company and does not have a biography in the Pals book.

He transferred to the Machine Gun Corps on the 28th April 1917 and was assigned the new number 104627. There is a document listing him as being in  35 (Cadet) Company MGC  and a note about reporting to No 2 MGC Cadet Battalion on 2nd July 1917. He was discharged as a Sergeant on the 3rd November 1917 , becoming a 2nd Lieutenant in the Tanks Corps.

Tait married Dorothy Love in London in November 1917 and his occupation is listed as a Cadet Machine Gun Corps.

Tait was wounded on the 9th August 1918 at Gressaine Wood, Somme, part of the Battle of Amiens, while serving with 10th Battalion, Tank Corps.

He appears on the Landships site as being with A Company on the 8th August 1918 in tank J14/9264 (a Mark V tank) but is not listed by name in the actions on the 9th or 10th August 1918. Tank J21/9390 (a Mark V tank) on the 9th fits the later MC award description but appears to be in B Company with 2nd Lt Cyphus in command

While recovering from wounds, he was awarded the Military Cross, appearing in the London Gazette on 7th November 1918.

He was not fit to return to the frontline and was discharged from the Army on 30th June 1919 with the rank of Lieutenant.

His Medal Index Card gives his address in Bowden, Cheshire.

In the 1921 census for England, he is living in Cheshire and listed as an Employer at a foundry. He is listed as married to Dorothy Agnes Eileen Tait and living with them is his father in law, 68year old Robert Lindsay Love, a retired Lt Colonel of the Royal Army Medical Corps.

Tait appears on Page 10 in the Brewhouse Department in the Guinness Employees Roll of Honour book.

His promotion to Lieutenant and his Military Cross are not recorded.

Harold Sidney Bright

Born in 1892, Harold Bright was 22years old when he enlisted into D Company, 7th Battalion, Royal Dublin Fusiliers on the 14th September 1914. He was alloted number 14158. 

He has a small biography in the Pals book and is listed amongst the men in No 11 Section, 16 Platoon who survived Gallipoli and left Suvla on 29th September 1915.

He was promoted to temporary 2nd Lieutenant in Gallipoli on the 29th September 1915 and joined the 7th Bn Royal Munster Fusiliers in Mudros on the 5th October 1915. On the 11th May 1916 he transferred to the 30th Brigade (Company), Machine Gun Corps. Shortly afterwards, Bright was awarded the Military Cross which was gazetted on the 2nd June 1916 for action while serving with the Royal Munster Fusiliers. He would gain a Mentioned in Dispatches shortly after this award.

Wounded on the 2nd October 1916, he was admitted to hospital in Malta on the 22nd October 1916 with a Gun Shot Wound (GWS) to the jaw - compound fracture. Invalided to England on 31st October 1916. The subject of several medical boards, he was eventually granted 2 months leave choosing to stay at his parents house at St Thomas's Whitechurch, Rathfarnham, Dublin.

He reported to the Machine Gun Training Centre in Grantham on the 13th February 1917. Little information appears until his discharge on the 1st August 1920 with the rank of Lieutenant. The Guinness Archives give his address as 1 Lines Mess, Belton Park, Grantham.

Bright's medal etc were sold at auction in 2000.

In the Guinness Roll of Honour, Bright appears in the Accounts Department on page 7, where he is listed as a Captain with the Military Cross and 2 Mentioned in Dispatches.

Bright rejoined the Guinness Brewery on 17th August 1920. In the 1926 census, Bright is living at his parents house and is marked as working as a clerk at the Guinness Brewery.

Machine Gun Corps Database

Both Tait and Bright are to be found in the Sacker database put on the UK National Archives website by the Vickers Machine Gun Collection and Research Association (VMGCRA).

Harold Bright

William Tait

Free French, Egypt, 1940.

Not too much in my collection of books and magazines about the French in WW2 even though I an interested in their roles with the LRDG, Eritrea/Abyssinia, Lebanon/Syria, and the Western Desert in general.

The following two Newsweek magazines I have carry little information about the French units depicted on the covers sadly. Both units however have good stories behind them, both deciding Vichy France was not for them and crossing to British lines.

On the left, troops of Captain Paul Jourdier's 1st Moroccan Spahis squadron who arrived from Lebanon/Syria via Palestine On the right, troops of Captain Raphael Folliot and Captain Charles Jean Lorotte de Banes 24e Regiment d'Infanterie Coloniale (24th Colonial Infantry Regiment. Renamed 1st Marine Infantry Battalion aka 1st BIM, and then later merging to form the Marine and Pacific Battalion, BIMP).  

350 men of the 24th based in Cyrpus under Captain de Banes joined 150 men of the 24th in Lebanon/Syria under Captain Folliot in Egypt. About 40 men followed Captain Jourdier from Lebanon/Syria. The two units were based at Moascar Camp, Ishmalia in Egypt in October 1940 when the photos on the magazine covers were taken.

The voice on this film clip is irritating but the film shows the two units depicted above.

British Pathe : Free French Forces In Middle East (1940)

No sound on this longer clip hosted by the Imperial War Museum

IWM AYY 59-1 Free French Troops in the Middle East 1940

The film contains a Vickers Wellington fitted with a Directional Wireless Installation for anti-mine work flying overhead. Interesting but not sure how it fits in with the Free French story.

The 24th had been inspected and awarded a banner in August 1940, with some of the Spahis providing an escort for the visiting dignataries.

Ambassador Review 26th August 1940

Imperial War Museum hosted film clip WPN-4 shows the British Ambassador in Egypt, Sir Miles Lampson, inspecting the 24th. The troops appear to have French rifles and machine guns.

IWM WPN-4 film re Inspection by British Ambassador August 1940

The IWM also hosts a set of photos relating to the inspection :

E-489 https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205542163

E-490 https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205542164

E-491 https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205542165

E-492 https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205542166

E-493 https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205542167

E-494 https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205542168 

E-495 https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205542169

E-496 https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205542170

E-497 https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205542171

E-498 https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205542172

E-499 https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205542173 Spahis

E-500 https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205542174 Spahis

A few months later the 24th and the 1st Moroccan Spahis were photographed and filmed by Captain Geoffrey John Keating, 17th October 1940. War Office Assignment No 56, with two of his photographs (E-765 and E-775) being used on the magazine covers above.

E-753  https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205542421 French rifles and bayonets

E-754   https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205542422

E-755   https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205542423

E-756   https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205542424

E-757   https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205542425

E-758   https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205542426

E-759   https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205542427 Unit officers

E-760   https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205542428

E-761   https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205542429

E-762   https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205542430

E-763   https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205542431

E-764   https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205542432

E-765   https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205234061 Magazine cover

E-766   https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205542433

E-767   https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205542434

E-768  https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205542435 Bugler and flag

E-769   https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205542436

E-770   https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205542437 Soldier eating on a sand dune

E-771   https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205542438

E-772   https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205542439  Spahis

E-773   https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205542440  Spahis

E-774   https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205542441  Spahis

E-775   https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205542442  Spahis (magazine cover)

E-776   https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205542443  Spahis

E-777   https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205542444  Spahis

E-778   https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205542445  Spahis on dune slope

E-779  Nothing found

E-780   https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205542447 Spahis

E-781   https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205542448 Spahis

E-782   https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205542449 Spahis

E-783   https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205542450 Spahi

E-784   https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205542451 Spahi

E-785   https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205542452  Spahi

Both units would evolve from their small beginnings and become Companions of the Liberation after much hard fighting. 

The Marine and Infantry Battalion (BIMP) would form after the fighting at Bir Hakkim/Hakeim in May/June 1942, both battalions having suffered large casualties.  The newly formed BIMP would serve in Tunisia, Italy and Southern France. 

The 1st Moroccan Spahi Marching Regiment would become an armoured reconnaissance unit after fighting Italian troops in Eritrea/Abyssinia and Vichy French in Syria. They would later serve in Tunisia and Normandy. The Moroccan symbol can be seen on the side door of this armoured car and the text "Spahis" appears on the engine cover in this IWM hosted film in Egypt dated 15th to 17th September 1942 :

Fighting French Flying Column

Some of the Men

Captain Raphael Folliot. Companion of the Liberation. Commanded the 1st Company at Moascar.

Captain Charles Lorotte de Banes 

Captain Girod (?not sure of the spelling and if real name) commanded the 2nd Company at Moascar.

Paul Jourdier. Companion of the Liberation

Captain Jacques Savey, posthumous Companion of the Liberation, commanded the 3rd Company at Moascar. Fought in the Eritrean/Abyssinian Campaign and later killed at Bir Hakkim/Hakeim. 

Amongst the original members of the 24th who travelled to Moascar was Polish born Sigismond Blednicki. He appears to have transferred to the Moroccan Spahis and to have served in Eritrea with them.

Hervé Coué

Other Resources

Forgotten Fights: The Free French at Bir Hacheim, May 1942

Cédric Mas speaking on WW2TV, YouTube : The Battle of Bir Hakeim 1942

Bir Hakeim: Seventy-Five Years Later

The Marine Infantry Battalion

Fighting a coalition war: the experience of the Free French soldier in the British 8th Army

Archibald Wavell and irregular soldiers - Harley Fox-Davies

Quite a bit of work this year on Wavell and Allenby as part of on going studies/course, that lead to an essay on Wavell.

Wavell credits his grandfather as having been an irregular soldier who he seems to have thought highly of. He appears to have enjoyed working with and encouraging soldiers with thoughts on irregular warfare. The minor story of one soldier caught my eye as he would later serve in the Western Desert..

Harley Fox-Davies is an officer Wavell alludes to when discussing Bernard Fergusson in the foreword to Fergusson's book "Beyond the Chindwin" but does not give his name.

Fox-Davies is mentioned by name in Fergusson's book "Wavell. Portrait of a Soldier"

Gott and Wavell appear to have signed off on a Military Cross for Fox-Davies following a raid on Sallum (Sollum) on the 14/15th April 1941, probably against an infantry element of the newly arrived 15th Panzer Division (Gruppe Knabe) who reported an attack at Solum at 5:30am on 15th April 1941, noting the attack was initially unseen and about company strength.

Fox-Davies would be killed shortly afterwards and later buried in Sollum.

Radley College appears to have a photo of Fox-Davies and a write up that seems to suggest he wrote an unpublished book called "Guerilla". I can't help but think this may have been the paper Fox-Davies presented to Fergusson to pass to Wavell.

Fox-Davies is listed as being involved with 50 and 52 Middle East Commando and to have led one LRDG patrol. I've not come across Fox-Davies yet in any of the LRDG books I have or archives viewed to date.

https://www.specialforcesroh.com/index.php?threads/fox-davies-harley-edmond-fitzroy.852/

https://www.commandoveterans.org/HalfayaSollum

As an aside, Robert Pipon, a Royal Fusiliers officer approached alongside Gordon Shephard to crew the Asgard in 1914 but who turned down the venture, appears in Victoria Schofield's excellent book re Wavell.

Wavell was working in London for Henry Wilson at the time of the Curragh Mutiny.

Beggars Bush Barracks : NLI Photographs and Military Archives maps

The National Library of Ireland has a very nice set of early 1900's photographs by Robert French available to view on its website. I was particularly interested in one of the NLI photos of an early Vickers machine gun loaded on a cart used on the Mount Street Bridge site but was taken in by the following photo which (zooming in) has a laundry cart and horse :

NLI photograph of Beggars Bush Barracks Dublin

The zoom feature on the NLI site is fantastic and allows easy zooming in and out. 

The ghost like figure of a soldier and a dog walking towards the two soldiers at the back, and the detail on the laundry cart :

a. the advert on the back of the cart re "Dublin's Most Progressive Laundry" and 

b. the little sign at the front of the cart "Pioneers in Modern Methods"

I half expected to find the cart belonged to the Swastika Laundry Company which opened around 1912 in  nearby Ballsbridge. A search on FindmyPast newspapers though delivered a similar text for the Inchicore based Metropolitan Laundry, with the adverts appearing in the 1911-1912 timeframe.  May need some help in checking the Irish newspaper archives.

The Irish Military Archives site has a nice map showing the layout of the buildings in the barracks but no context to it sadly. I think the route being marked may be the route taken by Captain Gerrard and CQMS Robert Gamble went they ventured from the barracks to attack members of the 3rd Battalion Irish Volunteers during the Easter Rising.

The archives also have a map showing the electrical layout of the barracks giving the building letters. This means we can position the NLI photos as they carry some of the building letters e.g. the laundry horse and cart is outside the back of building U. The soldiers on parade and the Vickers machine gun crew stand in front of the large building that contains U, and are between it and building D. My rough labelling below (let me know if you think this is right or wrong) :

Behind the left most man in the machine gun photo, by zooming, in L can be seen just above his head on the building doorway behind him

Machine Gun Section photo

D Block building photo

Modern photo of Block D on Wikipedia

Additional Resources

British Pathe Film Clip. National Army soldiers march in and parade in front of Block D.

British Pathe Film Clip. The Tricolor is hoisted above Block D. Lines of men in a civilian clothing and uniform are lined up with their backs to the entrance/guard room/detention room and facing towards Block D.