Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers

[Guest kate]

Gentlepeople, my grandfather Patrick J. Beattie, servied with The Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers from 1890- 1919. On his papers he fought in the East Indies, then the Boer War and then the Great War. Can you tell me what he was doing in the East Indies? Also in the Great War which he joined again at the age of 44 (apparently he had always been in the Reserves) he is down as being in the Balkans. Exactly where in the Balkans would he have been. I do not see anywere that he fought in France.

I also have a picture of him and a friend I would like to post, but do not know where I an do so on this board. The friend I do not know and perhaps someone will recognize this young man.

Thank you for your help and your time.

Sincerely

Kathleen

[Kate Wills]

Kate,

Welcome to the Forum.

Could he have served with the 5th or 6th Inniskillings, who were with the British Salonika Force? Take a look at the Salonika Campaign Society website, which you will find in the links section on the main site.

If he was with one of these units, he would have been involved in fighting around Monastir. Take a look at a map of Macedonia (Northern Greece, Serbia, Albanian borderlands).

Please post his photo on this thread.

Kate (whose grandfather was also in Salonika)

[trooper]

Kate

I would also be interested in anything about your grandfather as I am currently researching the 10th (Irish) Division, which included both the 5th and 6th Battalions Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers for a PhD thesis. I would be particularly interested in where he was born and when he joined up in 1914. If he was in the Inniskillings during the Boer War he probably served with my Great-Grandfather who was in the 1st Battalion throughout its full service in South Africa.

I have a copy of the Regimental History and will try scanning in the relevant section for the Balkans. It could take a few days though until I am next home.

Best wishes

Trooper

[MartinWills]

Kate,

To post a picture just put in the location of the picture file (on your PC) in the box under file attachments (below the post icons and under where you type in your post).

Best not to make it too large - 450 pixels wide is good, otherwise the thread itself becomes more than one screen wide. If you still need help - please ask.

Regards,

Martin

[trooper]

Kathleen

Thanks for your email which came to me direct rather than appearing on the forum. Like your grandfather my great-grandfather served throughout the Boer War period with the 1st RInnisF although he was a good 10 years younger than your grandfather. The was also at the actions you name plus a number of other actions at which your grandfather also took part.

At the beginning of the Great War the 1st Battalion was in India, so it may have been there rather than the East Indies where your grandfather saw service after the Boer War although it is not impossible that the Battalion was sent there for a short time. From the information you provided your grandfather could have joined the 6th Battalion by a number of ways. Either being posted to the battalion on its creation by enlisting direct or by rejoining from the reserve being posted as a number of old soldiers were to "add stiffing to the new unit" and help to train them. Or by a circuitous route through the 1st Battalion. The regimental history records that when the 1st Battalion returned to the UK at the end of 1914 10 NCOs were posted as instructors to the New Army units such as the 6th Battalion.

On 25 April 1915 the 1st Battalion landed at Gallipoli as part of the 29th Division. A small number of men who were wounded and shipped to a base hospital in Eygpt were later transferred to to the 5th and 6th Battalions in Salonika because by the time they recovered the original battalion had been transferred to France.

The most likely reason for your grandfather being in the 6th Battalion is that having joined up orginally in 1890 he had completed any commitment he may have had to the army including the reserve and like may old soldiers just joined up for social, economic, patriotic or some other reason. I am still trying to post the section on the 6th Battalion in the Balkans but will not be able to do so until after the week end.

Best wishes

Trooper