Home > Army Organisation > Infantry > The Royal Munster Fusiliers
To trace the movements and actions of any battalion, click on the Divisions with which it served
| Regimental Memorial |
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| "In memory of those men of Munster who died fighting for freedom. A tribute erected by the people of the province and Cork its capital city". This beautiful and fitting memorial stands in the shadow of the rebuilt Cathedral in Ypres. |
Battalions of the regular army
1st Battalion:
August 1914 : in Rangoon, Burma. Returned
to UK and landed at Avonmouth on 10 January 1915.
January 1915 : attached
to 86th Brigade, 29th Division.
Between 30 April
and 19 May 1915, following heavy casualties on Gallipoli, the 1st RMF
and 1st Royal Dublin Fusiliers formed one composite
Bn, called the 'Dubsters'.
25 April 1916 : transferred to Lines of Communication.
28 May 1916 : transferred to 48th Brigade, 16th (Irish)
Division.
22 November 1916 : transferred to 47th Brigade, 16th
(Irish) Division.
20 April 1918 : transferred to 172nd Brigade, 57th
Division.
2nd Battalion:
August 1914 : in Aldershot. Part of 1st
(Guards) Brigade, 1st Division.
14 September 1914
: following heavy losses - notably at Etreux during
the Retreat from Mons - transferred as Army Troops to Lines of Communication.
9 November 1914 : transferred to 3rd Brigade, 1st
Division.
3 February 1918 : transferred to 48th Brigade, 16th
(Irish) Division.
19 April 1918 : reduced to cadre strength.
31 May
1918 : transferred to 94th Brigade, 31st Division.
6 June 1918 : reconstituted by absorbing the disbanded 6th Bn.
16 June
1918 : transferred as Army Troops to Lines of Communication.
15 July
1918 : transferred to 150th Brigade, 50th Division.
3rd (Reserve) Battalion:
August 1914 : in Tralee. A training unit,
it remained in Ireland until November 1917, then moved to England.
4th (Extra Reserve) Battalion:
August 1914 : in Kinsale. Remained
in Ireland until November 1917, then moved to Scotland. Absorbed by
3rd Bn in May 1918.
5th (Extra Reserve) Battalion:
August 1914 : in Limerick. Remained
in Ireland until November 1917, then moved to Scotland. Absorbed by 3rd
Bn in May 1918.
Battalions of the Territorial Force
As the TF was not consituted in Ireland, the Royal Munster Fusiliers has no TF units.
Battalions of the New Armies
6th (Service) Battalion:
Formed at Tralee
in August 1914 as part of K1 and attached to 30th Brigade, 10th
(Irish) Division. Moved initially to the Curragh. Went to Basingstoke
in England in May 1915.
9 July 1915: sailed from Liverpool, arrived at Mudros near end of month.
Landed at Suvla Bay on Gallipoli on 7 August 1915.
30 November 1916 : absorbed the 7th Bn.
30 April
1918 : left the Division and moved to France.
5 June 1918 : reduced to
cadre strength.
5 June 1918 : transferred to 117th Brigade, 39th
Division.
3 August 1918 : disbanded in France.
7th (Service) Battalion:
Formed at Tralee
in August 1914 as part of K1 and attached to 30th Brigade, 10th
(Irish) Division. Moved initially to the Curragh. Went to Basingstoke
in England in May 1915.
9 July 1915: sailed from Liverpool, arrived at Mudros near end of month. Landed
at Suvla Bay on Gallipoli on 7 August 1915.
30 November 1916 : absorbed by the 6th Bn.
8th (Service) Battalion:
Formed at Tralee in September 1914 as part of K2 and attached to 47th Brigade, 16th (Irish) Division. Moved initially to Fermoy then in November 1914 to Mitchelstown (Cork) and February 1915 to Templemore. Went back to Fermoy in May 1915. Moved to Blackdown near Aldershot in England in September 1915 and on 18 December landed at Le Havre.
30 May 1916: received
draft of 12 officers and 200 men from 9th Bn.
23 November 1916 : disbanded in France: 21 officers and 446 men
transferred to 1st Bn.
9th (Service) Battalion:
Formed at Tralee
in September 1914 as part of K2 and attached to 48th Brigade, 16th
(Irish) Division. Moved initially to Kilworth then in January 1915
to Ballyvonvare and June 1915 to Ballyhooley. Moved to Blackdown near
Aldershot in England in September 1915 and on 20 December landed at Le
Havre.
30 May 1916 : disbanded in France and troops transferred to 1st, 2nd
and 8th Bns.
Other battalions raised by the regiment
1st (Garrison ) Battalion:
Formed in Cork on 1 April 1917 as a Home Service Garrison Bn., from the 1st (Home Service) Garrison Bn, the Durham Light Infantry. Moved to Prees Heath in England in November 1917, when it was renamed 1st (Garrison) Bn, and proceeded to Italy, where it then remained on Lines of Communication duty.
2nd (Home Service) Battalion:
Formed at Prees Heath in November 1917, from one Company of the 1st (Garrison) Bn. Moved in April 1918 to Cosham and became part of the Portsmouth Garrison.
| Did you know? In the early stages of the retreat from Mons, on 27 August 1914, the 2nd Battalion was acting as rearguard to I Corps. It was cut off and fought in a desparate last stand at Etreux, from which few men escaped. The stand played a large part in the successful withdrawal of the rest of the Corps. The military cemetery in the village contains the graves of 122 officers and men of the battalion as well as a Celtic cross memorial and a plaque describing the action. |