at the outbreak

of war in 1914, the 1st Battalion was in Aden, and the 2nd Battalion at Tidworth; both battalions

spent the entire four years of war in France and Flanders. The momentous events and deeds of the regiment, including the Service Battalions and Reserve ( in all 21 Battalions, most with the 36th Ulster Division ) during these years have been extensively covered in Regimental Histories. Suffice to say that 46-honours were added to an already splendid record. Three Victoria Crosses were awarded, but the Regiment's casualties were great: Over 7,000 officers and men had died.

During the war years when Khaki caps were worn the 1st Battalion had a black regimental cap badge and the 2nd a similar but in white metal. On the 1st January 1921, Army Order 509 of 1920 proclaimed that: " The title of the Royal Irish Rifles be changed to " The Royal Ulster Rifles " and the shoulder-strap badge ordered to be changed from " RIR " to " RUR ". Both battalions were taken completely by surprise when the news of this impending change had leaked out. Even Field Marshal Sir Henry Wilson, Chief of Imperial General Staff and Colonel of the Regiment was unable to intervene successfully. ( The Field Marshall was shot dead in London eighteen months later by a Sinn Feiner ) As usual the history of so many a fine regiment was distinguished by the stroke of a pen from a Government official who had never been in uniform or indeed had never been in action.

During 1920-21, the 1st Battalion was stationed at Albany Barracks, Parkhurst, Isle of Wight, and on 1st January 1921 there was a Battalion parade, led by the band playing Chopin's Funeral March. Then came two parsons, odd looking characters in top hats, dark glasses and white surplices, followed by a coffin draped in a Union Jack borne by NCOs, then a firing party with arms reversed and finally the remainder of the Battalion. An hilarious episode followed during which ashes in an orange box were buried in a grave, into which a Warrant Officer promptly fell, and when solemnity was restored three volleys were fired and the Last Post sounded. A wooden cross carrying the inscription " Sacred to the memory of the Royal Irish Rifles. Departed this life on 1st January 1921 after a brief but glorious existence, aged forty years- RIR,RIR,RUR, " was placed at the head of this grave, later replaced by a small permanent gravestone. It remained in this position for many years but as later it was within the complex of HM Prison, Albany, it was removed for safe keeping to the Regimental Museum Belfast. The 2nd Battalion was in Mesopotamia when it received the disturbing news, and Colonel Corbally in his history recounts the story:

' In far away " Mespot " a company commander ( of the old school ) summoned to his tent his groom ( also of the old school ) and said to him:

" Reid ! "

" Sorr ? "

" To What Regiment - I say to what Regiment - d' ye belong? "

Proudly Rifleman reid drew himself up to his full diminutive stature.

" The Royal Irish Rifles, sorr Av coorse "

( Stabbing a finger ) " Ye do not "

( Indignantly ) " I do, sorr "

" Ye do not. Ye belong - now get this - to The Royal Ulster Rifles - now get that. "

" Be jabers ! "

A very stiff five fingers from his " master's " whisky bottle was required, it is believed to assist Rifleman Reid to

recover from his shock.

The years between the wars were spent in normal garrison duties around the world, the 1st Battalion leaving the Isle of Wight for the Army of the Rhine, back home for a year or two before Palestine, Egypt, Hong Kong and India by 1938. The 2nd Battalion, already in the Middle East in 1921 was then posted via Egypt to Constantinople followed by India, but home during the early 1930s. Before leaving palestine in 1938 the battalion took part in the Northern Command Tattoo and was also on street duty at the Coronation.

During the 1920s an alliance was formed between the Royal Ulster Rifles and the Halton Rifles, an old Canadian militia regiment dating back to 1866 but this regiment amalgamated with a Canadian highland unit in 1931, then to be known as the Lorne Rifles ( Scottish ) both based at Georgetown Ontario. Yet another change of title on amalgamation took place with the allied regiment in 1936, the new title The Lorne Scots ( Peel Dufferin and Halton Regiment ) with headquarters at Barrie, Ontario. All this changed in 1947 when HM King George VI approved an alliance with the Irish Regiment of Canada, to replace the pre-Second World War alliance. During the war the two regiments had fought alongside each other in Italy and a strong link between them was established. During the Second World War the regiment earned ten hard won battle-honours:

" Dyle , Dunkirk, 1940, Normandy Landing, Cambes, Caen, Troarn, Venlo Pocket, Rhine, Bemen, North-West Europe, 1944-45 "

each and every one a story in itself and only the full length histories can do them justice.

Soon after normal routine peacetime soldiering in Ireland had been resumed, when an amalgamation parade was held at Ballykinlar in the summer of 1948 and the regiment was reduced to a single battalion. 1st Battalion The Royal Ulster Rifles ( 83rd and 86th ) North Irish Brigade. The numerical strength of this battalion was well below that of a battalion on the war establishment, so when the 29th Independent Infantry Brigade Group of which it was part, was ordered to the Far East, where a war had broken out in Korea, 400 Reservists were called upon, mainly from the North Irish and Lancastrian Groups. The Group, together with other British Army formations, was badly needed to augment American and South Korean forces against the aggressive armies from the North and the United Nations Organisation also agreed to send troops. From Novemebr 1950 until October of the following year the regiment remained and fought in that hostile country, enduring harsh conditions and suffering 65 officers and men killed and over 30 missing. The battle-honours " Seoul, Imjin, Korea, 1950-51 " were added to the appointments.

For the first time ever in battle the regiment was accompanied by its own pipes and drums, the pipes having been added to the strength in 1948 after becoming a single battalion, in order to bring the Rifles into line with other Irish regiments. From the nucleus of the old London Irish Rifles, the new regimental pipe band was formed under Pipe-Major T. Woods, the first Pipe-Major of the Royal Ulster Rifles. After korea the Regiment served at such stations as Hong Kong, Colchester, Germany and Cyprus etc.

Finally in 1968 the regiment joined two other surviving Irish Infantry Regiments, The Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers and the Royal Irish Fusiliers to become the Royal Irish Rangers.