Quiz question: what is the connection between . . .

[stockwellpete]

. . . the Easter Rising 1916 and Suvla Bay/Sedd el Bahr? Bet you haven't got the foggiest!

[stockwellpete]

Not doing very well here. Have you all given up?

[BillRunacre]

I'm guessing that a British army unit served at all three places?

[stockwellpete]

ORIGINAL: BillRunacre

I'm guessing that a British army unit served at all three places?

That might be true as well, Bill. I would have to look into it. But I was reading about Gallipoli today and it mentioned that many Irishmen were killed in the fighting there. And the link between the three places is to be found in the Irish nationalist folk song "The Foggy Dew" . . .

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ws6JyALaFHM

There have been a number of versions. This one is by the excellent "The Wolfe Tones". The Dubliners and Sinead O'Connor also have recorded the song.

Full lyrics . . .

The Foggy Dew

It was down the glen one Easter morn to a city fair rode I.
Their armoured lines of marching men in squadrons passed me by.
No fife did hum nor battle drum did sound it's dread tattoo.
But the Angelus bell o'er the Liffey swell
Rang out through the foggy dew.

Right proudly high over Dublin Town they hung out the flag of war.'
Twas better to die 'neath an Irish sky than at Sulva or Sud El Bar.
And from the plains of royal Meath strong men came hurrying through.
While Britannia's Huns, with their long range guns sailed in by the foggy dew.

'Twas England bade our Wild Geese go
That small nations might be free.
But their lonely graves are by Silva's waves
Or the fringe of the Great North Sea.
Oh, had they died by Pearse's side or fought with Cathal Brugh.
Their names we will keep where the fenians sleep 'neath the shroud of the foggy dew.

But the bravest fell, and the solemn bell
Rang mournfully and clear.
For those who died that Eastertide in the springing of the year.And the world did gaze, in deep amaze, at those stout hearted men, but few.
Who bore the fight that freedom's light
Might shine through the foggy dew.

Back to the glen I rode again and my heart with grief was sore.
For I parted with those valiant men whom I never would see no more.
And to and fro in my dreams I will go
And I'd kneel and I'd pray for you,
For slavery fled, O glorious dead,
When you fell in the foggy dew.

[stockwellpete]

Bill, I have had a quick look. The first group of regiments were the Irish ones who were in Ireland at the time of the Easter Rising. I don't think any of them were at Gallipoli except for the Royal Dublin Fusiliers. The other Irish regiments that were sent there included the Royal Munster and Inniskilling Fusiliers. The second group of regiments were those sent from England to Ireland. You will see one had a certain Brigadier Blackader in charge of them! the interesting regiment is the last one, which included battalions of Sherwood Foresters and this regiment was at Gallipoli from August 1915. I am not sure where they landed yet but they could have been at Suvla Bay and/or Sedd El Bahr.

Royal Dublin Fusiliers
Royal Irish Regiment
6th Reserve Cavalry
Royal Irish Rifles

2nd North Midland Division under Major General Sandbach
2nd Lincoln and Leicester Regiment under Brigadier C.G. Blackader
2nd Staffordshire Regiment under Brigadier L.R. Carleton
2nd Nottingham and Derby Regiment under Colonel E.W.S.K. Maconchy

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Order_of_ ... i_campaign

[stockwellpete]

Here we are. The Royal Dublin Fusiliers were at Suvla Bay . . .

https://royaldublinfusiliers.com/books/ ... 20Division.

It looks like the Irish that died at Sedd El Bahr were from the Royal Munster Fusiliers . . .

https://www.irishpost.com/news/irish-so ... e%E2%80%99.

[stockwellpete]

And from what I can make of it, the Sherwood Foresters of the Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regiment who went to Gallipoli were their . . .

9th (Service) Battalion
Formed at Derby in August 1914 as part of K1 and came under orders of 33rd Brigade in 11th (Northern) Division. Moved initially to Grantham. Moved to Frensham in April 1915.
Sailed from Liverpool in early July 1915 for Gallipoli, landing at Suvla Bay 7 August 1915.
Evacuated from Gallipoli December 1915, moved to Imbros.
29 January 1916: departed Imbros for Alexandria in Egypt, landing on 3 February.
5 July 1916: departed from Egypt and landed at Marseilles in France on 10 July.

https://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/re ... -regiment/

. . . but they never served in Ireland. It was the 2/5th and 2/6th battalions that were sent there to suppress the Rising.

[BillRunacre]

I'm not very up on Irish nationalist songs, though do remember being in a taxi in Dublin many years ago and their stereo was blaring out a song about killing English soldiers.

Good research there, and maybe Brigadier Blackadder was related to this earlier soldier: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Blackadder_(soldier)

[stockwellpete]

ORIGINAL: BillRunacre

I'm not very up on Irish nationalist songs, though do remember being in a taxi in Dublin many years ago and their stereo was blaring out a song about killing English soldiers.

Good research there, and maybe Brigadier Blackadder was related to this earlier soldier: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Blackadder_(soldier)

Ha-ha! Very welcoming. Was it "One Shot Paddy" or "Kinky Boots" by any chance?

While I was researching I came across this on You Tube - "The Irish Soldier's Experience of the First World War" which has particular focus on Gallipoli and the Easter Rising. It is a lecture given by Lar Joye, the curator of Irish Military History at the National Museum of Ireland, and he was speaking at the National Army museum in London about 5 years ago. Very, very interesting.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1eAQOfYvow