The 2nd Battalion Royal Ulster Rifles And

Famous Irish Regiments

Robert and Henry Mitchell. They carried the colours until Henry was killed at the Battle of Vittoria on the 21st June 1813. The 67th Foot could almost be described as another ' Irish ' Regiment. Led by Lieutenant Colonel William Prevost, the battalion had been raised in Ireland in January 1804, its normal roll of 460 rank and file showing only 23 English and six Scots. At Barrosa the battalion fielded 500 men and was still mainly Irish. Hugh Gough had fought in more campaigns than almost any soldier of his generation. He was much loved by his troops and always wore a white coat in action so that he could be instantly recognised by the men.

Hugh Gough

Gough ended his career as a Field Marshal. Charles John Stanley Gough and his brother Hugh were both awarded the Victoria Cross for their actions during the Indian Mutiny of 1857/58. Charles was awarded the medal for no fewer than four occasions of outstanding bravery, one of which was the rescue of his brother Hugh. John Edmund Gough, son of Charles, won the third family VC in Somaliland in 1903 in one of the small wars of the Empire fought against one Mohammed-bin-Abdullagh Hussan, otherwise known as ' Mad Mullah '. By 1913he had been promoted to Brigadier-General and the following year he accompanied the British Expeditionary Force to France. It quickly became apparent that Gough was one of the finest brains in the Army at that time and his popularity with the men was second to none. It was therefore a tragedy not only for his family, but also for the British Army in general, when this fine officer was hit by a sniper's bullet on the 20th February 1915 near Faquissant, France; he died of his wounds two days later. Unusually, he was posthumously knighted on the 22nd April 1915, 12 years to the day after he won his Victoria Cross. He is buried in the communial cemetary at Estaires. Johnny Gough was not the only member of the family to serve during the First World War. General Sir Hubert Gough was in command of the Fifth Army in July 1916. In 1918 the main German attack fell on his army and, unable to hold the line, he withdrew to take up a shorter and more easily defended position. This action was held responsible for the initial German success and Gough was relieved of his command.

  General Sir Hubert Gough Major ' Freddie ' Gough at Arnhem

Subsequent research into the battle showed that this was the only sensible course of action that could have been taken at the time. Now after all those years of service to the Crown another Gough was to take to the field in the service of the King - Major ' Freddie ' Gough MC, who would lead the 1st Airborne Reconnaissance Squadron at Arnhem. The name Bermingham goes back a long way in Irish military history. It can be found on the Waterloo Roll Call as Private Patrick Bermingham of the 73rd Foot. Patrick Bermingham was born at Templemore, County Tipperary, and left his trade as a labourer to enlist in the regiment on the 3rd April 1813. Described as 5ft 7in tall, with a fair complextion, sandy hair and grey eyes, he served in Number 7 Company and was wounded on Sunday 18th June 1815 at Waterloo. He was discharged on the 27th February 1816, aged 33, with a pension of ninepence per day; the reason given for his discharge was a gunshot wound to the left wrist received at the battle. The nominal roll of the Battalion at Waterloo shows 558 other ranks present for duty on the 18th June 1815, of which 114 were Irish. Many other battalions on the field that day contained similar percentages of Irishmen. At Gallipoli there was Lieutenant William Arthur Bermingham of the Royal Irish Fusiliers; he was killed in action on the 9th August 1915, has no known grave and is commemorated on the Helles memorial. The Galliploi campaign involved many Irishmen the vast majority of whom served in the 10th ( Irish ) Division, although many other battalions boasted an Irish contingent. The Lancashire Fusiliers, famous for their six VCs before breakfast', owed one of them to the actions of Private William Keneally from Wexford. For ' Market Garden ' the Army would have Sergeant John Bermingham from Dublin, an ex-Royal Ulster Rifleman with previous service on the North West Frontier, who would serve in the 1st Parachute Battalion. The Hackett name is familiar to students of military history. During the Indian Mutiny Lieutenant Thomas Bernard Hacket from County Tipperary served with the 23rd Royal Welch Fusiliers. On the 8th November 1857 he led a rescue party that recovered a fellow wounded officer of the 23rd from certain death. The officer had been lying in the open, exposed to enemy fire, and Hackett and his men arrived just in time to save his life. Later that day the Lieutenant climbed on to the roof of a bungalow his men were defending and cut away the thatch to prevent it being set alight by the mutineers. Eventually rising to the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel he returned to Ireland after his military career.

Thomas Bernard Hackett VC ' Shan ' Hackett

His younger brother, Robert Henry had served in the Zulu War of 1879 and had been wounded in action serving with the 90th Foot at the Battle of Khambula in 1879. A gunshot from a Zulu rifle had left him blind in both eyes and Thomas devoted a lot of his time to looking after his brother. It was therefore a double tragedy when Thomas died as the result of an accident, when the breech of his gun exploded while out shooting near his home at Arrabeg, King's County, in 1890. The 4th Parachute Brigade was lucky to have a professional such as ' Shan ' Hackett as its commander during operation ' Market Garden '.