THE IRISH REGIMENTS.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXVIII, Issue 12, 22 March 1900, Page 4

THE IRISH REGIMENTS.

That first of English jingo journals, the Daily Mail, says of the Irish troops now in South Africa :— lrishmen, it is well to note, are rendering to the Empire in tbe present war exceptionally large and distinguished services. For the purpose of this article, one may lay aside the fact that the great Field-Marshal just gone to the Cape is of the Irish race, and that his famous chief of staff, Lord Kitchener, is an Irishman, and his youth was passed amid the wilds of Kerry, so are Kelly-Kenny and French. But this at least is directly and conspicuously in evidence ; that circumstances have somehow conspired to place in Irish hands a remarkably large share of the defence of the virile and hard pressed colony of Natal. The colony is providing itself a precious jewel in the British crown, and Irishmen are guarding it with all that magnificent self sacrifice and valour which are proud traditions of the race. Sir Georsre White is a native of the County Antrim, his fanvly residing in the neighbourhood of B.illymena. Comii g to the fighting masses, it is notable that Ireland has furnished 10 regiments to the war. Seven of them are fighting in Natal — General Gatacre has two, and General French one. The libt is as follows :—: — sth Royal Irish Lancers, in Ladysmith. 6th Inniskilling Dragoons, in Cape Colony with General French. Ist Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, in Natal with General Buller. Ist Royal Dublin Fusiliers, with General Buller. 2nd Royal Dublin Fusiliers, in Ladysmith. Ist Royal Irish Fusiliers, the remnants in Ladysmith. 2nd Royal Irish Fusiliers, with General Buller. Ist Connaught Rangers, with General Buller. 2nd Royal Irish Rifles, in Cape Colony with General Gatacre. Ist Royal Munster Fusiliers, with General Gatacre. Here are 8000 men, at least — regiments which are almost entirely Irish. The Munsters come chiefly from Kerry, Cork, and Limerick ; the Dublins from the home counties ; and the Royal Irish Fusiliers from the North East of Ulßter ; while the Connaughte hail largely from the West.

They found no trouble in swelling their ranks. The Connaughts went away 917 strong ; the Ist Dublins numbered 1004 and the Inniskilling Fusilier Battalion reached 1028. They have suffered greatly, being in the forefront of most of the Natal fighting. At the battle on the Tugela the four Irish battalions which were engaged account for more than half the losses ; they had 84 officers and men killed and 535 wounded or missing. The Dublins had 40 killed and 278 wounded or missing ; of the Connaughts 24 were killed and 130 wounded or missing • the Ist Inniskillings had 18 killed and 93 wounded or missing. ' But the splendid records of these three regiments tell of more glorious sacrifices. For instance, at Waterloo the Inniekillings suffered the heaviest losses of all. They saved the centre ot Wellington's line on that historic day, and every officer of the regiment and two-thirds of the men lay dead or wounded on the field of battle. Sir George White, it may be noted, was a subaltern in that regiment when more than 40 years ago it paraded in the Punjab before the young officer who is now Lord Roberts. Of the Connaught Rangers it need only be said that in its century's existence it has served the Empire in every part of the world — Europe, Asia, Africa, and America. In the Peninsula War alone its losses exceeded 1500, of whom close on 400 were killed. At the smashing Boer defeat at Elands Laagte it was an Irish cavalry regiment, the sth Lancers, which charged through the flying enemy in the darknesss and cut them vp — the only time that our cavalry has got into their midst. The dashing style in which the 2nd Dublins and the Ist Royal Irish Fusiliers stormed the Boer stronghold on Talana Hill, the Dublina being first into the entrenchments, supplies one of the thrilling episodes of the campaign ; as Yule's night march out of Dundee, led by the Dublin's through the dense darkness furnishes one of the weirdest ; and aa the subsequent misfortune of the gallant Faugh-a-Ballaghs at Nicholson's Nek constitutes one of the saddest.

One must know the traditions of these Faugh-a-Ballaghs — how the regiment, for instance, as may be read in the history of the Peninsula War, ' covered itself with glory ' under Lord Gough, and was in recognition styled ' the Prince of Wales'a Own Irißh Fusiliers'— to understand the fierce sorrow which swept their ranks when they found it necessary to surrender to the Boers. As for the 2nd Battalion of the Dublina, the ' Old Toughs,' it ranks among the most renowned which wear the Queen's uniform. Its records go back three centuries ; it boasts one of the greatest marches on record ; its history of the conquest of India for 200 years.

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