london irish rifles 1944

[hardsocks]

I am tracing my family tree and came across my uncle who died of his wounds in 1944.Is there any old members of the above regiment remember him. He was rifleman Joseph Greer 1st bn london irish rifes,he was 33 when he died
on the 10 june 1944, he lived in snugville street belfast. I would like to find out more about him.
 hardsocks

[scrimnet]

London Irish are properly 18th bn London Regt...

If you want the old boys...Here would be a place to start...

http://www.londonirishrifles.com/

Here is where the 1st bn were....

1939.09 1st Battalion, London Irish Rifles, The Royal Ulster Rifles
mobilised in London
  1939 UK 1 Lon Bde, 1 Lon Div
  1940.11.04 UK 168 Bde, 56 Inf Div
  1942.08.24 at sea   
  1942.11.05 Iraq 168 Bde, 56 Inf Div
  1943.04.03 Palestine[in transit]   
  1943.04.08 Egypt 168 Bde, 56 Inf Div
  1943.05.09 Palestine 168 Bde, 56 Inf Div
  1943.06.15 Egypt 168 Bde, 56 Inf Div
  1943.07.08 at sea 
  1943.07.13 Sicily 168 Bde, 56 Inf Div
  1943.10.10 Italy 168 Bde, 56 Inf Div
  1944.03.29 at sea 
  1944.04.03 Egypt 168 Bde, 56 Inf Div
  1944.07.11 at sea 
  1944.07.17 Italy 168 Bde, 56 Inf Div
  1944.09.23 Italy 167 Bde, 56 Inf Div
  1945.05 Italy 
  1945.08 placed in suspended animation at Trieste


The museum details are here...

London Irish Rifles Museum
Connaught House,
Flodden Road, Camberwell,
London,
SE5 9LL

Tel: 020 7820 4040

Fax: 020 7820 4041

Email:
museum@londonirishrifles.com

[hardsocks]

thanks for that scrimnet i will contact the london irish and try to find out more on my uncle.

[Sarmat]

Hello, I'm just recently registered on this site because I would like to know more from anybody who has a story to share about soldiers of the London Irish Rifles, WW2.  I am researching the whereabouts of one Rifleman Lawrence A. Armitage, age 19 in 1943 who was in Italy after Tunis.  His gravesite is not recorded with the CWGC nor can the LIR Museum give me the how's and where's of his death,  They can only guess he was MIA or killed as a deserter, which I don't believe in this case.  His serial number was: 4694638 and he served with "D" Coy. No. 4 Bn and also 9 Sec. 15 Plt. "G" Coy. 2nd Bn. If there is any old soldierr out there or relative or person in the know, I would like to hear from you.  Thank you.

[mmm45]

Have you applied to MOD for his service record? That may throw up some light.

http://www.veterans-uk.info/service_records/service_records.html

£30.00 to get them

Ady

[Pete Keane]

His service number shows he was drafted into the Kings Own Yorkshire Light Infantry.

Not unusual to be drafted, trained by a Regt and then posted elsewhere, but thought I would mention it in case you werent aware.

Both 2 & 4 battalions of the London Regt were Royal Fusiliers, not Rifles, so he should be Fusilier Armitage?  The 18th Bn were were the London Irish Rifles.

In WW2 the 18th were further formed into 2 Battalions ( 1 & 2 ) , both of whom served in Italy - again, I mention this in case your 4 Bn is a typo and should read 2 Bn.

I tend to agree that his service history will help you immensely, although you do seem to have specific units for him - where was the original info from?

I think MIA is most likely, being killed as a deserter? Who by? The British Army didnt execute deserters in WW2, so that seems a bit of a leap in logic.


It may also seem a daft question - but how do you know he died during the war? I've checked both cwgc and geoffs, not a trace of him on either.

Regards

Pete

[Sarmat]

Hi Pete:
All that you say is highly interesting and most probably true.  I am especially intigued that you could determine a soldier's regiment from his service number.  Do tell the secret. However, in this case, I have photo copies of letters found in Italy in the 60's addressed to a soldier of the London Irish Rifles with all those numerical and lettered references - how could they be wrong??  I refer you to an article I was involved in at YEP and I would appreciate very much your getting back to me after you have read it and digested the information:  http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/features/Letters-from-the-frontline-.6141348.jp

[Sarmat]

Hello mmm45,
Thank you for your suggestion.  The price is a little steep, I think.  I received my Dad's service information from Canada Archives without paying a cent; I think as a service to the country and service to theses Vets and their great sacrifices, information requested because of legitimate interest and intent should be released free of charge.  Or at least should cost a very low token sum.      M.

[Pete Keane]

okay, that helps immensely.

The reference to 4 Bn. is to the 4th Bn of the Infantry Recruit Training Unit - NOT the 4th Bn LIR.

The later reference to the 2 Bn. LIR is after he was posted to them - so for his movements we will have to concentrate on the 2/18 Bn LIR.

Give me a little time to study the Yorkshire Post article again, and I will come back to you for more info.

It would be an awful lot easier if we had his service history, at the very least we would know if he survived the war (I suspect he did).

Pete