royal irish rifles

[zion]

Hi, Does anyone know how long the Royal Irish Rifles were in Burma from 1911 my grandfather
is listed as in Burma but I do not know they returned and to where
thanks Zion

[aghadowey]

Might be good idea if you asked for this to be moved to ARMED FORCES so that the experts there can help with your question.

[zion]

please move this to armed forces

[km1971]

He was in the 1st Battalion. By 1914 they had moved to Aden -then see this - http://www.1914-1918.net/ririfles.htm

However he may have been transferred to the Army Reserve between 1911 and WW1. In which case he would have been recalled at the start of WW1, and been probably placed in the 2nd Bn. You should look at his medal card on Ancestry as this will tell you when he went overseas during WW1.

Ken

[bugle boy]

you can send for his service record.

[zion]

thanks for the replies but what I wanted to know was did the RIF return to the uk before WW1
I wondered if my granda had come back to Ireland or England first, there does not seen to be a service record available only a medal card and it says he deserted after the war started yet no record of his punishment he died in 1954 the year I was born so I never knew him.
regards Zion

[millymcb]

As far as I can tell - these were the movements of the 1st Battalion

1909    Burma   
1911    India: Kamptee   
1913    Aden   
1914.11   France and Flanders   8 Div

So it doesn't look as though the 1st Battalion were back in Britain for any significant time (if at all)
But as Ken says - he may have been transferred back to the Reserve and then recalled for WW1 in which case he could have come back home. Is there a date on his medal card for entry in theatre of war?  And if so - is it November 1914? (the date given here for movement from Aden to France and Flanders.

Where did you get the info that he was in Burma in 1911?

Milly

[zion]

Hi, I got info from England 1911 census it  said Robert Pollock  Mandalay Hill Mandalay Burma
his medal card is dated 26 8 14 which I took as 26th August 1914 but his reg  no was 2/8261  I thought he may have transferred from the 1st to the 2nd Royal Irish Rifles there was a rumour he was on guard duty and shot and officer by mistake but I do not know if that is true or not his 2 brothers Charles and James both served and died in WW1
Regards  Zion

[km1971]

The link in my first post gives the answer. The 2nd Bn landed in France on 14 August 1914. He followed two weeks later. So he was almost certainly in the Army Reserve when WW1 started, recalled and given three weeks 'drill' and joined the 2nd Bn in France. As a Reservist he would have received two weeks training each summer in exchange for half-pay - about 6-7d a day.

Here is his medal card - http://search.ancestry.co.uk/iexec?htx=View&r=5538&dbid=1262&iid=30850_A001247-01741&fn=Robert&ln=Pollock&st=r&ssrc=&pid=5645509

He would have received the 1914 star in 1918 and deserted after November 1918. The regiment returned his BWM and Victory Medal to the medal office under a Kings Regulation of 1923. He must have deserted after the end of WW1 as they would not have struck the last two medals if he had already deserted.

You need to find out when 8261 was issued to a Regular soldier. You should ask on the Great War Forum putting the regiment in the title of the message. '2/' was added by the clerks looking after WW1 medal records as there were 8261 in other (non-Regular) battalions. Normal enlistment was 12 years usually comprising 7 years in uniform followed by 5 years in the Army Reserve. As his seven years was up while he was abroad they may have exercised the right to keep him in uniform for another year. Either way when he had completed his '12' he must have extended, as even though it was war time he had the right to take his discharge. If he was Irish he could have stayed out as conscription was not introduced in Ireland.

Ken