2nd Battalion Irish Guards.

Discussion in 'The Brigade of Guards' started by dbf, Dec 18, 2008.

  1. dbf

    dbf Moderatrix MOD

  2. dbf

    dbf Moderatrix MOD

    An account by my father:
    At ARMAGH BARRACKS I 'fell in' with a 'Tabs' BYRNE. There were a couple by that name, one was from Tyrone, but he was from Dublin I think.
    He was a pre-war Guardsman about 6' 5" and everything that goes with that.
    He was taken POW in 1940 and did 5 years as a prisoner.

    Liberation report by 2717553 5868 Guardsman John Byrne Stlg 3a Luckenwalde, Brandenburg, Germany
    2nd Battalion Irish Guards
    DOB 31 MARCH 1913
    Enlisted 1 DECEMBER 1931
    Trade SHOEMAKER
    Address 39 WILLIAM STREET, GOREY, CO. WEXFORD
    Captured 25 MAY 1940, FRANCE

    CAMPS
    STALAG 20A POLAND, JUNE TO AUGUST 1940
    STALAG 3A BRANDENBURG, DECEMBER 1940 TO AUGUST 1941
    STALAG 21D POLAND, AUGUST 1941 TO MAY 1944
    STALAG 3A BRANDENBURG, MAY 1944 TO APRIL 1945
    STALAG 2A ANNEBURG, APRIL 1945

    Illness SUSPECTED T.B.

    Interrogation I WAS INTERROGATED AND ASKED TO FIGHT FOR GERMANY AND IRELAND AT FRISACK CAMP.

    Escapes I MADE ATTEMPT TO ESCAPE WITH TWO COMPANIONS. ONE HAD TO LEAVE US. HE HAD A BAD FOOT. HIS NAME WAS CORPORAL GALVIN. SERGEANT PATTERSON AND MYSELF WERE RECAPTURED BY THE POLICE. I MADE A SECOND ATTEMPT THE SAME DAY AS I WAS RECAPTURED. I WAS FREE FOR TWO DAYS AND WAS CAUGHT AT THE FRONT BY THE ARMY AT WITTENBURG.

    Signed JOHN BYRNE, 2 MAY 1945

    http://www.ww2talk.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=46409&stc=1&d=1298631333

    When he came to us he was put in the bunk next to me and the was a great fella. He married an ATS girl from Dublin and she died of cancer. That hit him awful hard. He went out to Palestine and got killed there.

    But when he joined us in Armagh he was getting his gear out next to me, and he took out this oil painting. It was about 2' by 2'. I don't know where it went to, but it was breath-taking.

    The 1st Battalion came back from Palestine in 1938 or so [1st tour] and they went to Paris. The painting - they were marching on the Champs Elysees. Their red tunics on, immaculate.

    I said to Tabs, "Boy I'd love a copy of that"
    He said, "That's one thing I'd never part with"


    http://www.veterans-uk.info/afm2/certificate-hi-res.php?SerialNo=X14496
    Surname: BYRNE
    Forenames/Initials: John
    Rank: Gdsm
    Service: Army
    Service Number: 2717553
    Regiment/Corps: IRISH GUARDS
    Date of Birth: 31 March 1913
    Age: 35
    Date of Death: 06 April 1948
    Cemetery Name: Haifa, israel
    Cemetery Address: PALESTINE
    Grave Section: Plot F
    Grave Row: F
    Grave Number: 13
    Included on Armed Forces Memorial: Yes
    Included on Roll of Honour: Yes

    http://www.ww2talk.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=46410&stc=1&d=1298631333


    Roll of Honour - Databases - Palestine 1945-1948 - British Casualties - Search Results
    Surname: BYRNE, John
    Rank: Guardsman
    Service No: 2717553
    Regiment: Irish Guards
    Date of death: 6 April 1948
    Age at death: 35
    Died how: Killed as men of the 12th Anit-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery, were withdrawing from a large camp which the Army were evacuating near Pardes Hanna, north of Hadera, when attacked by Jews. The sentry and three other members of the guard were held up against the guardhouse wall, shot in the back, and killed. The wireless mast was then destroyed and shots fired into the camp, killing one more soldier and mortally injuring the commanding officer. The attackers were believed to be part of the Irgun.

    Buried or Commemorated: Haifa War Cemetery, Palestine
    Bur or Com Ref: Plot F Row F Grave 13
    Place of birth: Gorey, Co. Wexford
    Biography:
    Born 31 March 1913


    see also Quarterly Historical Reports: 1st Bn IRISH GUARDS, January 1947 - March 1949
     

    Attached Files:

    Pieter F likes this.
  3. dbf

    dbf Moderatrix MOD

    See post no 12

    Thanks to ADM199 for this archived document.

    TNA Catalogue No. DO 35/1211

    THE IRISH GUARDS

    The Irish Guards [1st Battalion] are among the troops serving in the First Army in North Africa. They have not bee in Tunisia very long, but they quickly made their mark, and did splendidly in the attack on Jebel Aoukaz on 27th April and in the capture of Sidi Abdallah next day. They also took part in the advance from the Medjez el Bab area during which their Division took the high ground at Djebel Aug and Djebel Tiour, repelled the enemy counter-attacks and retained these important hill features.

    The Irish Guards were one of the first British Regiments in action in this war, for a unit of the Regiment [1st Battalion] reached Norway on April 15 and did not return to the U.K. until Jun 10. They were in the Liland area from April 18 to May 13 when they left by sea for Bodo. Two days later their ship was bombed, set on fire, and abandoned. The Regiment reached Harstad where they remained until May 20, withdrawing under heavy pressure until it entered Bodo on the 29th.

    The Irish Guards also fought in the campaign in France and the Low Countries. At Boulogne, a sergeant of the Irish Guards with five other ranks from the regiment, held at bay and finally beat off a German tank attack. By sheer bluff and hard fighting they convinced the enemy that they had to deal with a considerable force, and thus won time for their battalion to cross the town and take up a favourable position.


    MILITARY AFFAIRS
    M.O.I. No. R.P. 478/E543
    24th May, 1943.
     
  4. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    Thank you for post :poppy: It reminds us that some of these chap's war continued long after 1945 and never made it home.
     
  5. Wills

    Wills Very Senior Member

    In study periods we read of units fighting not equipped to war scale. when you read the above account and you study commanders like Montgomery who would. to the best of his ability demand the proper war equipment scales. Here we read of - no grenades, no mortars, no radio signals. lack of motor transport - no mobility combined with no immediate signals a nightmare situation. The comment about the Anti Tank Rifle which in 1940 would have been the Boys .55 Anti Tank, I chatted to an old hand in the mess years ago at a reunion he said of the Boys, bloody great heavy thing lots of bang and recoil my end, bugger all to worry about in front! At a trials unit (1977) they had one in the armoury but we could not get a miserable chief instructor to sign out a few rounds so we could have a play. A very optimistic training film was produced - Disney Boys Rifle Training (Part 1).
     
  6. dbf

    dbf Moderatrix MOD

    Thanks for that :D

    Part 1: YouTube - ‪Disney Boys Rifle Training (Part 1)‬‏
    
Part 2: YouTube - ‪Disney Boys Rifle Training (Part 2)‬‏
    Part 3: YouTube - ‪Disney Boys Rifle Training (Part 3)‬‏
     
    Last edited: Aug 21, 2019
  7. dbf

    dbf Moderatrix MOD

  8. crunch

    crunch New Member

    Mate this is outstanding ive been looking for info for years as this is my great uncle. He was know as big jack around Gorey, my Dads Dads Johns brother was to sign up with him at the same time but got promoted to manager in the leather and shoe factory instead so decided to stay which was probably a good thing for me if you have any more information that would be amazing
     
    Last edited: Jul 10, 2017
  9. dbf

    dbf Moderatrix MOD

    Hi Crunch, welcome to the forum and thanks for your reply. Always good to hear from IG relatives.

    Sorry but I have no further information about your g. uncle, nor can I ask my father any questions as he died a while back.

    If none of your family have done so already, I'd recommend that you apply to IG RHQ at Wellington Barracks for copy service records which should detail when exactly he joined, transfers, courses, etc.



    The ICRC should also have some information about his time as POW, listing camps etc possibly even a photo, but they are currently only accepting applications under certain conditions
    Requests for information about people held during the Spanish Civil War or the Second World War: Quarterly limit reached

    "The maximum number of requests that our staff can deal with has been reached. Service will resume on 1st October 2017.

    We may still be able to deal with requests of a humanitarian nature before then if:

    • you are the person concerned;
    • your request is linked to administrative formalities or a compensation claim;
    • you are seeking to determine the identity of a natural parent or grandparent."

    Best of luck with your research,
    Diane
     

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