Osprey Elite 147 : Irish Regiments in the World Wars

For nearly 250 years, Irish soldiers made up a significant minority of the British Army. In 1914-18, despite the rising movement for Irish independence, more than 200,000 Irishmen volunteered, and won an imperishable reputation. Although independent Eire remained neutral in World War II, more than 40,000 volunteers from the South joined forces from Ulster to serve in the British forces. This book places the records of such heroic names as the Inniskillings, the Munsters, the Dublin Fusiliers and the Royal Irish Rifles in the context of the World Wars, and illustrates a selection of their uniforms and insignia. Text by David Murphy with illustrations by Gerry Embleton.

Contents

• Introduction
• Irish Regiments in Existence 1914
• The Rival 'Volunteer' Forces in Pre-War Northern and Southern Ireland
• World War I : Ypres, Gallipoli, The Somme, Palestine
• Other Irish Units
• The Inter-War Period
• World War II : The 38th Brigade, The Irish Guards
• The Plates