THEARMAGHBRIGADE

'The formation and sacrifice of the Ulster VolunteerForce in the Orchard County'

Quincey Dougan1

First Printed October 2002Reprinted October 2006

O The Author

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by anymeans, electronic, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without

prior permission of the author.The author can be contacted at info@armaghbrigade.co'uk

Printed byNorthern Whig Ltd

Bellast

CONTENTS

PREFACE

INTRODUCTION- The origin of the crisisMILITARY DRILLINGTHE ORIGINS OF HOME-RULE IN IRELANDTHE SECOND HOME-RULE BILLCARSON

CHAPTER ONE- The Covenant in ArmaghULSTER DAY

CHAPTER TWO- Volunteer force formedGUN CLUBS,B'COUNTY

SPECIAL FORCES

CHAPTER THREE- Carson in ArrnaghWHY ARMAGH?CARSON ARMVESRICHILLTHE SALUTETHE PARADE BEGINSTHE INSPECTION

CHAPTER FOUR- The Armagh VolunteersTHE COUNTY REGIMENT]'t BATTALION'ARMAGH'2"d BATTALI)N ,S)LITH ARMAGH'3,d BATTALI)N, MID-ARMAGH'4,h BATTALION, PORTADO,T/N,5,h BATTALION,LURGAN'

l0

t4

18

24

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CHAPTER FIVE- Volunteers mobilised- The Gun runningTHE DEMAND FOR ARMSTHE COUNTY ON PATROLI/ETTERLISTHE STATE OF PLAYHISTORY WMTTEN

CHAPTER SIX- Volunteers at WarULSTERDIVISIONDISSENTAN ARMAGH BATTALIONKECRUITMENTTHE WAR BEGINS FOR THE VOLUNTEERS

CHAPTER SEVEN- Our brave VolunteersMASSACRETHE SEQUENCE OF EVENTSAFTERMATHCATHARS-SHILLINGTONFOR LIBERTY

EPILOGUE- THE PEOPLES ARMY

Appendix l- District organisers for the Co Armagh UVFAppendix 2- County Armagh Returns 20'h October 1913Appendix 3- Details of the I't Battalion 'Armagh'Appendix 4- Location of the various battalions of the UlsterVolunteer ForceAppendix 5- War diary of the 9th Batt. Royal Irish Fusiliers

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

Primary locations of the IJVF in County Armagh (@theauthor)UVF enrolment formCo Armagh UVF Volunteer badgeUVF proficiency certificate for Charles Ensor'K' CompanyUVF Armagh Hospital armbandKeady [fVF Nurses (Armagh Guardian)Carsons Armagh Volunteer bodyguardThe bodyguard on parade (Armagh Guardian)Armagh nurses (Armagh Guardian)Carson on his way through Armagh City (Armagh Guardian)The crowdInspectiong the Diamond'J' Company l't Battalion (ArmaghGuardian)The distribution of the 5 County Battalions (Othe author)Armagh UVF (city companies) training at Drumilly1't Battalion UVF armband1't Battalion UVF armbandI't Battalion UVF officers cap badge

79 Milford Company UVF on paradeBannerette of 'K' Company- Annaghmore (AnnaghmoreL.O.L.)Inspection at Richill news report (Armagh Guardian)2nd Battalion UVF armband4ft Battalion UVF armbandPortadown UVF parading, West Street. l9l3Extract from the County Armagh Volunteers Register, 4thBattalion 'E' CompanyHamiltonsbawn Company UVFPortadown UVF cyclistsInstructions for officers commanding Battalions (Co ArmaghRegiment) - ExtractVetterli rifle cross sectionUVF motor car corps vechicle identification badgeArmed Portadown Volunteers on paradeUVF correspondance on recruitment for Army

52

62

72

Royal Irish Fusiliers recruitment advertisement (Armagh

Guardian)UVF- Regimental ordersLieut. Cathars- ShillingtonMcClelland GilmoreTribute to McClelland GilmoreTribute flag to the Co Armagh Ulster Volunteer Force and the

9th Battalion Royal Irish Fusiliers (Armagh True Blues FluteBand)Map showing the location of the various Battalions of the

Ulster Volunteer Force (The London Times)Co Armagh UVF membership numbers (Official UVFHeadquarters Document)Battle honours of 9'h Battalion Royal Irish Fusiliers (Otheauthor)

ALL THOSE ILLUSTRATIONS NOT CREDITED HAVE BEENTAKEN FROM DOCUMENTS / PHOTOGRAPHS / ARTIFACTS

BELONGING TO PRIVATE COLLECTORS. IF ANY GROUPOR ORGANISATION FEELS THEIR COPYRIGHT HAS BEENINFRINGED A FULL LISTING OF SOURCES IS AVAILABLE

FROM THE AUTHOR.SPECIAL THANKS ALL WHO GAVE THEIR PERMISSION TO

REPRODUCE THESE ITEMS IN PARTICULARANNAGHMORE L.O.L., BILLY GILMORE AND ARMAGH

TRUE BLUES FLUTE BAND.

PREFACE

The original spark for the beginning of this book was theaccidental discovery of the existence of a young man whosupposedly lived niar my own home, was killed during the l'tWorld War fighting for the 9'n Battalion Royal Irish Fusiliers andby default was almost certainly a member of the County Armagh

UVF. My investigation revealed that David Giffin, 2l years of age,was also a member of the Redrock Orange Order however to my

annoyance that was as much information as I could find out. Noneof my neighbours had ever heard tell of him, there was nophotograph ofhim and indeed only sparse details existed ofthehappenings in the local area at the time in general. The discoveryhowever had kindled several broader questions for me, namely washe in the UVF? Where was the local UVF based? How was itorganised? How many members were in the ranks?

Information on the Ulster Volunteer Force units that were

formed in County Armagh from I9l2 until 1916 was hard to comeby. Apart from some documents held by the County ArmaghMuseum, whom I also thank for their help, and miscellaneous bitsand pieces kindly given to me by various people with ancestorsinvolved in the Force, there is nothing surviving. This appears to be

a direct result of terrorist action in the eighties that left Sir NormanStronge and his Son dead, and destroyed their home Tlman Abbey'

Sir James Stronge had at one stage been the Commander of the

County Armagh Regiment of the Ulster Volunteer Force, and

allegedly the majority of the records of the Force had been in the7

Abbey when it was destroyed. Motivated by this I began to trawl

through the newspapers of the period, through the resources of the

Irish Studies Library in Armagh, the Public Records office(including the 'closed' original UVF records) and access to private

collections and I began to piece together events ofthe period.The resulting research was complied in the 1't issue of this

book in October 2002, and now reprinted thanks to P.L.A.C'E'Portadown.

Several amendments have been made from the initial print

of the book, most notable being my change in the designation of the

2"d and3'd Battalions. Evidenci attained now points to the 2nd

Battalion being the 'South Armagh' Battalion, namely theMarkethill, feaay and Newtownhamilton areas. The 3'd Battalionappears to have been solely composed of the area stretching from

tandragee to Bessbrook ( I have now titled this the 'Mid-Armagh'

Battalion however the Tandragee or East Armagh Battalion wouldprobably be a fairer designation).

PRIMARY CENTRES OF UVF ACTIVITY IN CO ARMAGH 1912-1916

INTRODUCTION: THE ORIGINOF THE CRISIS

"We, the Unionists of Redrock.... assure our leaders that wewill stand by them loyally in any action they may take, andgive them unwavering support in any danger they may becalled upon to face."

So finished the resolution made by those in attendance atthe formation of a new Unionist Club in Redrock Orange Hall onthe 14ft November 1911. on that evening, despite the rieather beingreported in The Armagh Guardian as bitterly cold, a group of menand women from the rural Mid-Armagh hamlet felt threatenedenough by what they believed to be the impending threat of Home_Rule to organise that opposition.

MILITARY DRILLING

In the same edition of the Guardian, a small article reportedthat the Killylea Orangemen who marched to a service in theEpiscopal Church the Sunday following the Redrock meetingwere:-

'. finely drilled, and marched with the military precisionthat distinguishes well trained men."

The strong nature of the declaration made by RedrockUnionists and the military description of the Killylea Orangemenwas by no means just the use of colourful language by reporters.Throughout the nine Northern Counties of Ireland, and indeed inmany other regions of the island, Unionists were holding meetings,both large and small, to discuss what they believed was theimpending crisis of Home- Rule. The Unionists of Armagh werevery much at the forefront of the movement.

Since the massacres of the164l rebellion, during which theScots and English planter communities of Armagh suffered greatly,a siege mentality had began to develop within the protestanti of

Ireland. compounded during the battles between william of orangeand James II and the reports of the atrocities against protestants in1798 in County Wexford only served to confirm these suspicions,(even to those Presbyterians from Antrim and Down who had takenpart in the rebellion), a hostility and genuine distrust existedtowards the motives of Catholicism.

THE ORIGINS OF HOME-RULE IN IRELAND

Given these factors, when the current prime MinisterGladstone made the assertion that "My mission is to pacify Ireland"upon taking the office in 1868, it is not surprising that the Unionistsof Ireland immediately suspected him of treachery. Their belief wasstrengthened when shortly after, he removed the church of Irelandas the official Church of the State.

In 1885 a new organisation, the Irish National League,switched the emphasis from merely land reforms to home rule andafter the election of that year they saw the opportunity to achievetheir goal. The eighty - six members of parnell's party held thebalance of power at westminster, and Gladstone capitulated to theirdemands to guarantee their support. When he introduced his HomeRule Bill in 1885, Belfast saw serious sectarian rioting and inseveral areas unionists began drilling, however ninety-three of hisown MPs (The Liberals) voted against the bill and it was defeated.Unionist fears had now been proven to be well founded and therioting and drilling continued into 1886, with several Orangemenfrom the Richill area arrested and charged that year for illegaldrilling.

Notably this period saw the formation of an alliancebetween the Irish unionists and the conservative party which wasto last almost one hundred years. Leading Conservative, LordRandolph churchill coined the phrase "Ulster will fight, and Ulsterwill be right." during this time and to British and Irish Unionistsalike the Government appeared to be embarking upon thedismemberment of the United Kingdom. Home Rule, they believed,threatened the very fundamentals of the British Empire.

1011

THE SECOND HOME-RULE BILL

The second Home- Rule bill came in lg93 and wasfollowed by more disturbances in Belfast with this time the billpassing the Commons but being defeated in the House of Lords(unionists came to recognise the Lords as the bulwark of the Unionand it gave them a sense of security).

ULSTER UNIONIST COTINCIL

The Ulster Unionist Council had been formed in 1905,linking the orange order and unionist associations throughout theprovince. It marked their determination to keep the provinie withinthe Union, even if Protestants in the rest of Ireland were ultimatelyforced to yield to nationalist aspirations.

However after the 1906 general election the Liberalsenjoyed a huge majority in the House of Commons, and they werenow firmly committed on the issue.

Finding itself unable to survive without the votes of IrishNationalist MP's after the two elections of January and December1910, the Liberal government entered into a pact with the IrishNationalist MP's whereby in return for their parliamentary supportthe Government would introduce a Home Rule Bilr estabiishing aseparate Irish Parliament in Dublin.

CARSON

In 1910, Irish Unionism gained a new leader in Sir EdwardCarson, an eminent barrister and Mp for Dublin University whowas totally opposed to Home-Rule. Carson was prepared to det, theBritish government and parliament. In l9l l, he told a large rally onthe outskirts of Belfast to prepare to take over the government ofUlster if a Home Rule Bill passed.

The reliance on the House of Lords to prevent the passingof the Home-Rule Bill took a major blow with the parliament Aciof 1 91 I . The I 909 General Election had seen a hung parliamentwhen the Liberals and the Conservatives both won exactly 272seats. For John Redwood, the leader of the 84-seat Home-RuleParty, this was an ideal situation to get what he wanted. Both sides

12

needed the support of his party to form a government, so he couldask for almost anything. The only way the Home-Rule bill couldpass was to reduce the power of the House of Lords. Redwood,sparty provided the extra votes to pass this, and the way was pavedfor his demands. The bill radically reduced the poweri of the Lordsand deprived them of their previously held veto. Now the Lordscould merely delay bills three times, after which they wouldautomatically receive the Royal Assent and become law.

New means would now have to be found to persuadeLiberals and Nationalists that unionists would neither acquiesce in,nor submit to Dublin Rule.

13

CHAPTER ONE: THECOVENANT INARMAGH

Feeling against Home-Rule grew substantially during the month of1912.The Rev J. Lucas, minister of Kilcluney Church of Ireland,Markethill said of Home-Rule:

"Imperially, I believe it is making for the disruption of theempire; religiously, it will be placing in the ascendancy aform of religion that is unfit for that position; materially, inthe best part of Ireland they have shown they are incapableof making the best use of natural resources."

The Rev. R.J. Ballard of Newtownhamiliton gave his simplifiedopinion of Home-Rule as:

"(1) Bankruptcy; (2) Civil War; (3) Re- conquered byEngland or a colony of Germany"

In late September 1912, Carson and Craig introduced the'Ulster Covenant'. It was designed as a means for people to showtheir opposition to Home-Rule and it proved to be a massivesuccess. Almost half a million people signed it during the course ofthe week, many signing in their own blood in a symbolic act ofdedication and loyalty.

Ulster's Solemn League and Covenant, Saturday, 28September 1912.

Being convinced in our consciences that Home Rulewould be disastrous to the material well-being of Ulster

as well as of the whole of Ireland, subversive of ourcivil and religious freedom, destructive of our

citizenship and perilous to the unity of the Empire, we,whose names are underwritten, men of Ulster, loyalsubjects of his Gracious Majesty King George V.,

humbly relying on the God whom our fathers in days ofstress and trial confidently trusted, do hereby pledge

ourselves in solemn Covenant throughout this our timeof threatened calamity to stand by one another in

defending for ourselves and our children our cherishedposition of equal citizenship in the United Kingdom

and in using all means which may be found necessaryto defeat the present conspiracy to set up a Home Rule

Parliament in Ireland. And in the event of such aparliament being forced upon us we further solemnly

and mutually pledge ourselves to refuse to recognise itsauthority. In sure confidence that God will defend theright we hereto subscribe our names. And further, weindividually declare that we have not already signed

this Covenant.

ULSTER DAY

A week of demonstrations accompanying the Covenant,which included a parade on September 25th at Portadown wheremen paraded with dummy rifles indicating things to come, came toan end on the 28th September l9l2 and became known as UlsterDay, when men and women signed the Covenant. In Armagh UlsterDay and the Covenant were treated as massively important. Thatmorning the Protestant population of Ulster thronged theirChurches, after which they signed the Covenant:

"Ulster Day will live in history for the most solemn, mostsignificant, and most fervent declaration ever made by anation. These three qualities have marked its three phases-the solemnity of a religious rite to which the nation soughtthe divine blessing on its efforts to preserve its liberties andto avert civil and religious strife; the significance of acovenant in which men pledged themselves to defend theirheritage even with their lives; and the fervour of ademonstration in which were heard and seen the protest andappeal of a nation."

ARMAGH GUARDIAN SEPTEMBER 1912

1514

In Armagh City it was reported that virtually evcry

Unionist in the City and District attended one of the special services

held. Even though it was not a Sunday, all Unionist owned shops

closed, and many remarked the day seemed like Sunday. In the

Cathedral the service was attended by the Lord Primate, while in St

Marks the Archdeacon presided over the service. The firstpresbyterian church and the Methodist church also held services.

In the evening the Boys Brigade held a parade though the city withthe Company colours and the Union Jack at the fore.

Portadown's Unionist Clubs and Orange Lodges formed at

Carlton Street Orange Hall at2 inthe afternoon, before splittinginto 4 sections and marching to 4 different services. At the close ofthe 4 services all attending marched to the Town Hall where they

signed the Covenant. The Women of the district signed the

declaration in the Orange and Parochial Halls.The members of Milford Unionist Club and LOL 353

attended a service in Aghavilly Church, and afterwards all signed

the Covenant in the church grounds.In Middletown a united service was held in Drumhillery

presbyterian church, while nearby in caledon two united services

were held in St Johns and Brantry Parish Church.Tandragee's Loyalists met in St Marks where The Duke of

Manchester read the declaration to the congregation. The

surrounding areas of Ahorey, clare and Kilmore all had services in

their local churches before signing the Covenant.In the Killyl ea areathe Episcopal Church, Tynan Church andDrumsallen church held services. In the town itself the declaration

was signed in the Orange Hall.Several thousand people gathered early in the afternoon in

Brownlow House, Lurgan before heading for the several services in

the town.The Orangemen of Hamiltonsbawn, Marlacoo, Tirnascobe,

Rockmacreaney and Mullabrack all paraded to the service at

Druminnis Presbyterian Church wearing full regalia, and were ledby the Hamiltonsbawn unionist Flute Band. The Rev Maclaughlinpreached in his service the justification of christian Patriotism,

before all attending adjourned to the schoolroom to sign the

covenant. The orangemen were awarded the privilege of being the

first to sign. 16

In Newtownhamilton a massive parade headed by theDarkly Flute Band and also including the Corkley Flute,Tullyvallen Temperance Brass Band, Ballymoyer Flute andNewtownhamilton Flute Bands marched to the Parish Church.Many were unable to gain admittance and arrangements had to bemade to open the Lecture Hall for signing of the Covenant duringthe following week. Large amounts of Police had been drafted intothe town, but there was no trouble of any kind.

In all it can be estimated that almost all the men andwomen in the County signed the Covenant. The religioussignificance of the day was emphasised at all times during the day'sproceedings, and no dissent is recorded from any Protestant Churchor Minister in the County. In a trend that was to be repeatedthroughout the Home-Rule period, even the Society of Friends tookpart.

The Reverend Hunter of Cladymore Presbyterian Churchsummed up the views of many when he stated:

"An Irishman, I prefer my Country to be under the BritishFlag. I speak as one who has resided in Connaght, Munster,Leinster and Ulster during some part of my life. Better suffersoon than too late, and believing that the governmentproposals would lead to bitter strife and suffering andtyranny, we shall resist every attempt to carry them out,though we suffer, for finally we are fighting the battle of ourunited Country as well as our own."

The whole day passed peacefully which was remarkablegiven the tension in Ulster at the time. Outside of Ulster ex-patriotshad signed a different version of the Covenant in many centres.Throughout the British Isles and in centres as diverse as HongKong, New York, South Africa,Canada and India thousands morehad shown their solidarity with Ulster. The Unionists had carriedout a massive propaganda coup which had made the world takenotice of their case.

17

CHAPTER 2:YOLLTNTEERFORCE FORMED

Under the initiative of the Orange Order and Unionist

clubs, Ulster Loyalists began wide scale military drilling early inlgl2, andthough it was cited by Nationalist and Liberal figures asbeing illegal, it took place without any hesitation on the part of thepartiiipanls. On Septemb er 256 during the pre-Covenant

demonitration at portadown men paraded with dummy rifles. Their

presence had underscored the significance ofthe covenant pledge

of 'using all means necessary to defeat Home Rule'. Despite any

perceived illegalities the British Government never sought to

Lnforce this reading of the law, and indeed the Unionist leaders did

not give any indication that they were even remotely worried that

they might. Carson was to go as far in September 1913 as:

"Drilling is illegal. Only recently I was reading the Act ofParliament forbidding it. The volunteers are illegal' and the

Govemment knows they are illegal. "

18 19

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UVF ENROLMENT FORM

GTIN CLUBS

Gun clubs had been already been established throughoutthe Country, with many areas in Armagh possessing their own club,

and all were aflliated within the National Rille Associltiorr.Loughgall and Richill both had clubs with large membcrships, ittrcl

in Markethill district the 'Kilcluney Rifle Association' was vcry

active. There was no ambiguity in what the intentions of these cfi-rbs

were, it openly being stated in reports of meeting and gatherings

that they were 'preparing'. In the Kilcluney Rifle Club the

chairman was the Rev Lucas of the 10ca1 Church of Ireland while

the vice-chair was William McMullan. Both men were laterprominent in the local corps of Volunteers'

with large scale drilling and the large numbers of mentaking part under the auspices of different bodies, it became

uppur.nt to the unionist leadership that province wide organisation

und di...tion was needed. With this goal the Ulster UnionistCouncil established the Ulster Volunteer Force in January 1913'

The Council stipulated that the membership would be limited to

100,000 men and restricted solely to individuals that had signed the

Ulster Covenant of the previous year.

The council also decided that the volunteers would be

divided into Divisions, which would subsequently be then divided

into Counties, Regiments and Battalions in relation to strength ofnumbers.

.B'COLINTY

14 County districts were established, with Londonderry

City and North, South, East and West Belfast being treated as

separate counties. Each county was assigned a designation letter.

Aimagh was assigned the letter 'B', Antrim being 'A', and thisletter was used to identify the County. On the reverse of badges

belonging to Ulster Volunteers in County Armagh the letter 'B'would corne first and then that volunteers number would foll0w.

A COUNTY ARMAGH VOLTINTEER BADGE

Committees were established in each area to organise andoverview the activities of the local Volunteer Force. Thesecommittees were a wide representation of the community. The CoArmagh committee listing of late 1913 was typical of othersthroughout the country. Businessmen sat alongside Doctors,ministers of all denominations, farmers ex-Army officers and'gentlemen'. The Ulster Volunteer Force truly was a 'CrtizenArmy'.

The Volunteers were required to attend drills on a weeklyor twice weekly basis. If a Volunteer fulfilled a high standard indrilling, shooting and signaling they were rewarded by the receiptof a proficiency certificate.

The following certificate belonged to Charles Ensor, wholater became the commander of 'K' Company UVF Annaghmore,and also went on to Captain one of the Companies that composedthe 9'h Battalion Royal Irish Fusiliers. The Ensor family were astaunch supporter of the Volunteer movement. The family home,Ardress House, became a Hospital during the duration of the Home-Rule Crisis,, and its grounds were used many times by the localcompany of Volunteers. Charles Ensor also donated a bannerette tohis local company.

20 21

SPECIAL F'ORCES

From the beginning. the Volunteer Force was to possessand develop a range of special units that were 'ahead of their time'in many respects. The ulster Signaling and Dispatch corps was onesuch unit, and counted in its leadership the prominent Armaghunionist Sir James Stronge, also worshipful Master of the coArmagh Orange Order. Indeed the entire US & D corps had anexercise that centered on Sir James home at Tynan Abbey in early1913.

Nursing and ambulance corps were also an integral part ofthe movement. In Armagh corps of nurses existed in Lurgan,Portadown, Loughgall, Killylea, Richill, Markethill and Keady,many with well equipped 'field' hospitals to compliment theirtraining and preparation. It is indicative of the caliber of supporlersof the uvF when it is noted that some of these Hospitals werelocated in Ardress House, Drumilly House, DartanHouse, TynanAbbey, Acton House, The Royal School Armagh, Gosford Castleand Brownlow House.

ARMBAND DESIGNATING ARMAGH UVF HOSPITAL STAFFSpecial Service Forces were also established as units within

the wider force that were well trained and able to respond to ordersat very short notice. Belfast has always been cited as the solelocation of these units, but research has indicated that Richill andLoughgall possessed a U.S.S.F. contingent, all be it on a muchsmaller scale.

An Army now existed to resist Home-rule. It now merelyremained to see if it was going to be necessary to use it.

'x.uafJy u.!{toHrsr voLUl{rgER NrIKSgs.'l

r.. I r t"; tx. .4. I't'E.crr, 1.1. Il{!:.rlj" l.' 1l t;r:| n1\,,1. li, Jl-ri 1lt .

'';it',iletil,

KEADY UVF NURSING CORPS

2322

PROFIENCY CERTIFICATE FOR CHARLES ENSOR OF 'K' COMPANY

CHAPTER 3: CARSON INARMAGH

During the September of 1913, Edward Carson travelledthroughout the breadth of the 9 Ulster Counties to take part in aseries of engagements to review the various Regiments andBattalions of the now well-established Ulster Volunteer Force.These reviews came to a climax with the visit of Sir Edward to theCity of Armagh on Saturday 4ft October. It was to prove a massivesuccess.

WHY ARMAGH?As reported in the Newsletter on October 6ft

' With the exception only of the...review of Volunteers atBalmoral, Belfast.... the Armagh demonstration stands asone of the finest and imposing gatherings of the series'

Prior to the demonstration concern had begun to beexpressed locally why a demonstration had not taken place in theCounty, however, as stated in an Armagh Guardian editorial ofearly September, there had been no earlier visit for the simplereason that Unionist leaders were osure' of County Armagh and didnot believe any meeting was required to stimulate the alreadyprofound opposition to Home-Rule within its boundary. Themassive demonstration the previous year in Portadown was cited asproof of this ascertion. Indeed a repeat demonstration at Portadownhad been suggested, but Armagh City was decided as the venuebecause of both its status as the 'County capital' and the belief thatvast numbers of older people from the country districts were unableto travel to the Portadown meeting because of the lack of space onthe trains.

CARSON ARRIVES

Sir Edward arrived in the County the Friday evening priorto the demonstration, having taken the train directly from the

location of another inspection of Volunteers at Baronscourt. InPortadown he was welcomed by Armagh M.P. Sir John Lonsdale,with whom he then begun the short joumey by motor car to thePrimatial City, accompanied also by an escort of 20 motor cyclistsof the Ulster Signalling and Dispatch Corps under the command ofSir James Stronge. The party travelled first through Portadown,which was bedecked with Union flags and where thousands hadgathered to cheer their 'leader'.

RICHILL

Their journey continued to Armagh via the Stonebridgecrossroads where they then turned into Richill for a pre-arrangedinspection of the Volunteers of the locality. The streets of Richillare recorded as being 'ablaze with bunting' and many arches werealso erected bearing such wording as 'Richill strong for the l-Inion','We wont have Home Rule', oCarson represents Ulster's decision'and 'Hands off Ulster'. Following a brief walking inspection of theVolunteers here, Mr Richard Best, an organiser for the U.V.F. inthe area, gave a brief address offering Carson aheafi welcomefrom the people of Richill. Addressing Sir Edward, theaccompanying party and the crowd that had gathered, Mr Bestassured him that in this neighbourhood he had as loyal and staunch

supporters as he had anywhere, and that they would never submit to

Home-Rule. Sir Edward then addressed the crowd from themotorcar, and during which he expressed his greatest pleasure to

come and visit this loyal district, and than which there was none, hebelieved, more loyal in the whole of Ireland. To loud cheers theparty then made the final short journey to Deansbridge in Armagh,passing on the way many small groups of country people who hadgathered to also cheer their leader.

At Deansbridge the Motor Cyclist escort was handed overto a troop of cavalry, with Sir John Lonsdales Motor Car also beingreplaced by a carciage. The entire travelling parry then proceeded

into Armagh via College Hill, up Mall East, along Barrack Streetand then up Palace Row to the Palace Demesne, the entire time a

cheering throng accompanying the caniage.

2524

THE SALUTE

Upon his arrival at the palace a bugler sounded a salute anda fully armed guard of honour drawn from the local companies ofthe Volunteers presented arms. After an inspection of the guard SirEdward was entertained by the Lord Primate, who hosted alargereception to allow local Unionist leaders and businessmen to meettheir'leader'.

The local council, at the time Nationalist controlled, hadalready refused official permission for the streets of Armagh to bedecorated for the occasion but the decision had little effect. TheArmagh Guardian reported that

'the principal streets of the town were occupied byUnionists' and that this gave ample opportunity fordecoration. The houses along the Mall erected venetianmasts from which lines of bunting were run across the road,with Upper English Street, Railway Street, Scotch Street,Barrack Street, Russell Street and College Street all reportedas being heavily bedecked with arches, bunting and Unionflags. One arch at the head of the Mall displayed theominous slogan 'We are ready, strike when you please',while the Scotch Street arches proclaimed 'Welcome SirEdward' and'Sir Edward leads, we follow, and may Goddefend the right'.

The morning of the demonstration the various companies ofVolunteers were required to form up at Gaol Square at one o'clockIn preparation for the parade due to begin at 2 o'clock, and indeedmany were there early with huge crowds watching the menassemble. No less than 9 trains had been specially chartered for theoccasion, two being run from Lurgan, two from Portadown, onefrom Bessbrook, Poyntzpass, Scarva and Tandragee, one fromTynan and Killylea, one from Markethill, Loughgilly andHamiltonsbawn, one from Trew and Moy, one from Vernersbridgeand Annaghmore and one from Keady.

THE PARADE BEGINS

Sir Edward left the Palace grounds by carriage andproceeded to the Royal School via Scotch Street, Market Street,English Street, Russell Street and then along the Mall. For the entireroute the caniage was accompanied by a mounted guard of honourconsisting of 42 men under Mr J Vogan and Mr J Downey'

At the Royal School undemeath alarge badge and mottoconsisting of the Red Hand and 'For God and Ulster', Sir Edwardprepared to take the salute from the County Armagh Volunteers.Early that morning a bodyguard of 36 armed men from the ArmaghCompanies led by Mr E.Wilson and carrying the Boyne standardtook their place at the location to the accompaniment of loudcheers. They were the only men that day to wear sashes, each manhaving a red, white and blue band over their shoulder.

It is interesting to note that the arming of this bodyguardwas a direct contravention of UVF headquarters staff instructionsand the local UVF received a reprimand. A response to Lt- ColMcCammon in the Old Town Hall Befast from from CountyCommittee member George Crozier, Drumadd House Armaghstated the following:-

"I am sorry to learn that our 'Guard of Honour'for SirEdnard Carson acted contrqry to instructions in using the riflesthey did, and im afraid I must confess to being the real culprit aswhen it was suggested by one of our organisers that each memberof the guard should be supplied with a Blackthorn I objected on thegrounds that we would be made a regular laughing stock, andrecommened the use of the real rifles instead. I have no recollectionhowever of ever having received the instructions you refer to until Igot your letter ... . . "

26 27

Here at the Royal School the County Armagh UlsterVolunteers marched past saluting Sir Edward, it taking forty-fiveminutes for the columns, four men deep, to pass. The head of theprocession arrived at the Deans Hill grounds at two thirty pm, ledby Major Stewart Blacker and Colonel William Coulson Fitzgeraldwho were in command of the parade. Here the companies formedup in column after column in front of the stage that had beenspecially erected for the occasion.

In all over 4000 Volunteers were present. Full regimentalandbattalion structure had not been fully finalised at this stage inCounty Armagh, and the parade was grouped, with a fewexceptions, in district order mimicking the 10 Orange Orderdistricts in the County.

First past Sir Edward were 2 troops of the 'Armagh Horss

made up from men from Armagh, Markethill, Glenanne, Keady,Killylea and Caledon, and consisting of about 130 men. Thosecompanies from the Armagh district itself headed the infantryparade and numb ered 420. This 'Battalion' was under of thecommand of William Burgess and Ben Moore.

In order of strength of numbers Lurgan were the largestwith over 950 men present headed by W J Allen JP. Portadown wasnext with the companies of that district numberin g 7 50 headed by a

band. The company commanders of this district were James

Hughes, Samuel McCullagh, James Doagh, James Dalzell, williamKeith and James Shepard.

Next came Tandragee with 620 men under the leadership ofRev H D Montgomery and notable for being accompanied by a pipe

band.The Loughgall contingent of 410 men was next under

James Gilpin followed by Richill's 250 volunteers. TheHamiltonsbawn company within the Richill section was led by theRev Mclaughlin. Killylea came next with 250 men led by W JShaw Hamilton JP and included the Tynan and Caledon companies.

Newtownhamilton companies had an earlier and more

strenuous beginning to the day than most having marched to Keady

to board the train. Still 240 men made the trip, a company fromCullyhanna under the command of R McDonald present in their

numbers.Markethill's 210 men came from Cladymore, Redrock',

Glenanne and the town itself, and it was remarked that the high

29

CARSONS'ARMAGH VOLLINTEER' BODYGUARD

28

standard of their marching and drill was evidence that they hadbeen drilling for a considerable time. Sergeant William McMullan,a veteran of the Boer War, was OC of the contingent.

Bessbrooks 150 men were led by Dr Scott, and Keady atthe end of the parade with 140 men were led by Joseph Mann.

Strong attendance from the nursing sections from Armaghand Lurgan was also evident, with fully operational ambulances andequipment on show. Each company had an allotted position withinthe grounds however the vast numbers meant it took a considerabletime for all to enter the field.

It is estimated that while the co Armagh u.v.F. was not atits full strength at this time, there still was a membership exceeding5000 men (still well below its eventual strength of almost 8000).The reduced figure of 4000 attending this demonstration can be

accounted for by the inabitity of many from the northern part of the

County to obtain the means to travel the distance to Armagh, and

also by the inability of many of the Volunteers from the farming

class to leave their homesteads for what would have been a verylong absence. It should still be noted however that many farmersdid attend leaving wives and children to tend to the farms. lt wasalso noted that if a proposal to allow the Orange Order to take partin the inspection had been passed, it would have most certainlydoubled the numbers on parade.

30 31

DIAMOND 'J' COMPANY INSPECTED BY CARSON

A11 the major newspapers of the period remarked on theamount of men with military experience taking part in theproceedings. Major Stewart Blacker was formerly of the RoyalArtillery while Colonel w C Frtzgerald was formerly the oC of the3'd Battalion Royal Irish Fusiliers. other prominent men frommilitary backgrounds were Major Maxwell Close ex of the DragoonGuards and Captain Greer who was in charge of the Lurgancontingent.

THE INSPECTION

Once all companies were in place the entire parade groundwas inspected by Sir Edward Carson and Sir George Richardsonaccompanied by Major Blacker Commander of the County Armaghu.v.F. and colonel Hacket Pain, Lieutenant colonel Mccammonand Captain Frank Hall from the headquarters staff. The band ofArmagh True Blues LOL109 played during the inspection,subsequent to which the aforementioned took up their positions inthe stand.

The stand itself deserves comment. The largest ever erectedin Armagh, it was also roofed so as to be impervious to rain.Mounted at the front was a massive copy of the Solemn league andCovenant, with the only difference being that rather than a signatureit had the number of people who had signed it. On the stand overone hundred representatives from the County Volunteers sat, alongwith local churchmen and visiting V.I.P.s. Every Protestantdenomination was represented on the stage, including the Society ofFriends and the Reformed Presbyterian Church. Pride of place wasgiven to Carson, the Lord Primate and Lord and Lady Kilmorey.

Sir John Lonsdale opened the meetings proceedings. He

told the assembled crowd, estimated at over 25'000, that theyclaimed no ascendancy over any other group. They merely wishedto be left, as they wer e, a part of the great British Empire. If anyoneattempted to remove them from it a bitter feud would begin.

Carson next took the stage to rapturous cheering andapplause. During his address to the crowd he was full ofconfidence. He believed that everything was in their favour, andthose that had originally raised the idea of Home-Rule were nowbeginning to see the error in their ways. He believed that thegovernment were between the devil and the deep blue sea. Thedevil being John Redmond, by whose votes they were in power, andthe blue sea being the next general election, which would in no

doubt 'kick them out'.

3332

Mr F.E.Smith was next on the stage. He appealed for allorangemen to join the ranks of the Volunteers to raise sufficientarmed and drilled men to meet any force Redmond can produce.

The meeting concluded with Sir James Stronge. Hesummed up the proceedings by saying that no one would compelthe Loyalists to accept a Dublin Parliament irrespective of howoverwhelming or relentless the force used.

The meeting in all was a massive success. Sir Edward waschallenging the govelxment at all occasions and it was believed itwas taking effect. Already talk was beginning that the Northeasterncounties were going to be exclude from Home- Rule.This was notsufficient for Carson or his followers.

CHAPTER4: THtr ARMAGHVOLUNTE,trRS

It was not to be long before the men and women of Armaghwould be able to read of the exploits of their own Volunteers. ByNovember 1913 reports were beginning to appear covering such

events as drills, training camps, manoeuvres, church parades andmobilisations. By the beginning of l9l4 these events werecommonplace, and essentially the media of the period treated them

in a manner as if they had been happening for years. The reports sathappily against world news, church bazaars and advertisements that

would be banned today for the amazing promises they made.The papers of early 1914 were typical of what appeared:

The year began with a string of church parades. The largest parade

appeared to have been on the l lth of January when the entire

membership of the 4th 'Portadown' Battalion attended a service in

their honour at Seagoe Church of Ireland, the sermon being madeby Rev. J.D.Archer. The previous day the Companies ofHamiltonsbawn, Marlacoo, Ahorey and Clare were reviewed by

County Commander Major Blacker at Marlacoo. Major Blacker,after a series of drills, complimented the men on their progress, butenforced on them the importance of regular drill. The same weekthe section leaders, squad leaders and company commanders of the

Loughgall district Companies were engaged in training described as

'all things military'.The following Sunday the Markethill, clady and Redrock

Companies attended worship in Kilcluney Church of lreland, ovel130 Volunteers being present. The Rev Lucas of Kilcluney, whohad also been the chairman of the Kilcluney Rifle Club, welcomedthe Volunteers to the church, and ended his service on the ominous

note "they must be prepared to meet not only the enemy but death".

Such strong sentiment expressed by a Minister was not rare. Otherreported U.V.F. related news that the Guardian reported was that

Colonel Alexander of Acton House, Pontzpass, had placed ActonHouse at the disposal of the Ulster Provisional Government for useas a hospital. These items appearing in the Armagh Guardian, arc

events much typical of the period.

34 35

THE COLINTY ARMAGH REGIMENT

Originally the County Armagh Volunteers appear to havebeen divided into several Regiments. From newspaper reports it canbe deduced that the county was divided into a North ArmaghRegiment, Armagh Regiment and South Armagh Regiment. Thiswas in line with the practice of Antrim and Down. Both of thesecounties had 3 and 4 regiments respectively.

For reasons unknown however, shortly following theCarson demonstration in Armagh it becomes apparent that a CountyArmagh Regiment was in operation consisting of 5 Battalions. Acommunication from Headquarters Staff dated 20th November 1913would back up this assertion of ambiguity in the County Armaghstructure by stating that 'there are seven Counties organised beforeArmagh'.

Offical UVF records of County returns dated 30th Octoberl9l3 also show this with membership figures being listed byOrange Order District and numbering 4158 men. Interestingly ahand written note apparently in pencil appears at the bottom righthand of the 'retums' detailing the following:-

Battalions Suggestedt2r87253992405651544821256l53

135

A small note beside this proposed 5th Battalion says omore'

Under the charge of Major Stewart Blacker, the Regimentspanned every corner of the County, both Unionist and Nationalistdistricts included.

The suggestions on the October retums now appear to have

become the official structure albeit with the Battalion numberchanged. Armagh became the 1't, Markethill the 2"d, Bessbrook the3'd, Portdwon the 4th and Lurgan the 5th.

The following is a brief graphical outline of thecomposition of the structure of the 5 Battalions. This information

has been primarily compiled from both the returns and newspaperreports of the period. In many cases these have reports havecontradictions, but following repeated cross-reference it can beassumed that broadly speaking the following information is correct.

i,.i:

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LurganPortadownArmaghKillyleaLoughgallRichillTandrageeBessbrookMarkethillKeadyNewtownhamilton

36 37

5th Battalio

4th Battalion

1st Battalion

{ TYNAN ARM-AGH.} KILLYLEA - - I* TAND,qAGEEt r|)..

-_ _r MARKETHI'_L{ KEADY o \

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3nd Battalion { \srdBattation{ r t*}I CU LLYHAN NA T

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ILURGA]U

1'. BATTALION .ARMAGH'

Under the charge of Lieutenant Colonel W.C. Frtzgetald,the 1" Battalion could possibly be regarded as the best trained, best

equipped, largest and most active of the County Battalions.

covering the west of Armagh, it consisted of both town andcountry areas (the Armagh, Killylea, Loughgall and Richill OrangeOrder Districts), and was divided into 13 distinct Companies withdesignations 'A' Coy to 'M' Coy. With its headquarters at TynanAbbey the Battalion also had grounds at Annaghmore, Ardress

House, and at Drumilly at its disposal.

tPORTADOWN

ILOUGHGALL I

RICH ILLt.^'\./hltthr I

DISTRIBUTION OF THE 5 CO.ARMAGH BATTALIONS

393B

ARMBAND WORN BY SQUAD LEADER IN THE lst BATTALION

ARMBAND WORN BY A COMPANY COMMANDER OF THE lstBATTALION

Companies included in the Battalion were Armagh (2),

Milford, Lisnadill, Killylea, Tynan, Loughgall, Drumhillery,Birches, Diamond, Summerisland, Annaghmore and Richill.

The Battalion had regular mobilisations; most notable is

their training during the first week of April in 1914. On EasterMonday the 'left' companies of the Battalion- Armagh 'A' and 'B',Milford ,c" Lisnadill 'D" Killylea 'E" Drumhillery 'F' and Tynan.G" all assembled at Milford where they took part in variousattacks and field oPerations.

Meanwhile the 'right' companies- Loughgall 'H', Birches'I', Diamond 'J', Annaghmore 'K' and Summerisland 'L', allrendezvoused at Ardress House where they went through similar

practice.

40

MILFORD UVF ON PARADE

41

I,t BATTALION OFFICERS CAP BADGE

The 1't Battalion commander, Lieut. Colonel W.C.Fitzgerard, had been a former commander of the 3'd Battalion RoyalIrish Fusiliers, and his vast military experience appears to havebeen a major factor in the activities and subsequent expertiseattained by the 1't Battalion. It membership numb ered,227l makingit the largest in the Regiment and one of the largest Battalions of theUVF in Ulster.

2"d BATTALION . SOUTH-ARMAGH'

Spanning the Orange districts of Markethill, Keady andNewtownhamilton, little is known about the leadership structure ofthis Battalion. A general returns list of early 1915 has itsmembership numbered 1340 (significantly more than the IgI3 20'hOctober returts of iust 249) with a note stating:- ' Temporarily split

up and coys attach-ed to I't, 3''d and 4'h Battalions'.

42 43

Its organisational structure is somewhat of an enigmawithin the County Regiment in that it appears that there never wasan officer appointed to lead the Battalion. Most of the Companiesincluded in its ranks were very active according to the newspaperreports, but it never manifested itself in a specific Battalionmobilisation. Inspections tended to be of either Markethillcompanies or Keady companies, with Newtownhamilton recordedas visiting both on several occasions. No specific headquarters forthe Battalion is apparent.

The right half of the Battalion consisted of Companiesbased in Markethill, Redrock, clady, and Glen annel Loughgilly,with the other smaller areas being subsumed into these companies.Richill and Tandragee are mentioned early in the Home-Rule crisisas being part of the 2"d Battalion (Tandragee was allegedly 'B'Coy), however both appear to have moved into the l't and 3'dBattalions respectively. These companies were inspected and putthrough manoeuvres several times, inspections being carried out bythe commanders of the 3'd and 4th Battahons. For this reason thenewspapers sometimes got their Battalion wrong when reporting ontheir activities.

As was consistent and common practice with many units ofthe Ulster volunteers, in many field manoeuvres carried by thesecompanies they joined together with those other companies thatwere close to their area. This was irrespective of whether theybelonged to the same Battalion, or sometime even the sameRegiment. In the following article the Companies involved in theday activities appear to be from the 1 "t, 2n0,3'd and 4'h Battah ons.

@

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tr,b+ reverity of tho waailher, a hrgr nwrbtrr*I pooph s,smmbied on Todd'a Hdll, Eeeil-tffibewn, be*ide Rb$hill, to witnru bhe in-Wrwri pf fu k;wbxltkLll, }#4l;d;wn *;ich*hff, Waw**w*bfi-rysr, Mr*ck, rd \xlryt",veJa eornprnier il th,* C,ounty Amisgh AGgi.m*at (4t,h Bs,t"tslion.] ,fu men tTry mn^ert eppeers${? sa ttmy ewung jnto

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3r!d;liiffitl w btw Vw&-ryund, forrning up inb*ttalion order, ffid nwaiting t& *dvent of&h* in*pmeeiag afficer, Mojor W., W" WeBlscker, J.F., Portadown. AL half-prut t"hrue

t&@ rut-*eprrffily frrrd armmthw& en vs,ri-om field ircticr, being afterys'*t6" e*biectndb* * Lrying Lwt im *oltlseffiy dr.ill, &v*metry,w* r*tiridg, deplorS*ing: and . *J';wnwbryoelw&, &d& &r:tng, t&* inry*c*,i*n \&W {}wrtrto hours. At the cmrclmion of tbo ap*r*-t"i*ns h{aior Rlmkrlr &,fuwe efu WW,complirnent ing thnr on tlreir uo}*ierly *P'pffirencg and efficiencu, and irrrrprwing up-tri ther* bhs abanlut* n*nemity *t &aLrJ &v,o*ltlt*ens and mer?ffiur-res and c*;rnp*ng in tlra*pen- TW hwwW wz" pffi,x r@"W,M *b*w+-W, *nd csrrird &milt*, bmfrwg ry*MfoW&xpL.lfr rifu wue rye&,Mer&companJ- ako having its frull cwlplemont ot'ffiwx beryd d e?wW,Wy1 pfi &*W*xkim ffi tM W

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44

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The Markethill Company of the Battalion was headed bySergeant William McMullan, the Worshipfull master of KilcluneyOrange Lodge. He was an experienced soldier and a veteran of theBoer war. The Redrock Commander was William Bell and theClady Commander was John Taylor. These 3 companies tended tomobilise together and Church services and parades happened in thedistrict on almost a forlnightly basis throughofi 1.914.

The left half 'Keady' in contrast appeared to have a greaterassociation with the 1't Battalion, and was inspected by LieutColonel Fitzgerald several times. The left half of the Battalion, theKeady Companies, consisted of Keady, Annvale, Tassagh, Darkly,Crosskeys and Armaghbreaguel Corkly Companies. The Keadydistrict UVF had a very impressive membership of upwards of 400men, and it is particularly worth mention that it had a veryimpressive nursing colps. It was reported on several occasions thatit consisted of over 40 nurses and was rivalled in the County onlyby Portadown. A significant achievement for a small town in aNationalist dominated area.

Keady Company itself was under the command of A.Gordon, Darkly was under H. Calvert and Annvale was under thecommand of B. Gifford. Armaghbreague Company was under thecharge of J. Vance.

Little is known of Newtownhamilton UVF companies orstructure however Aughnagurgan, Tullyvallen and Cullyhanna hadCompany's Company as did Ballymoyer, which also apparentlyhosted some local mobilisations.

Co Armagh 2'd Battalion UVF Armband" Aughnagurgan Colz

Little is known about the Cullyhanna Company other thanthey were present in numbers at the Carson demonstration inArmagh. Led by a McDonald, a name still prevalent in the area, it islikely that the Company experienced a lot of hostility in their area.

The membership of the Coy apparently was drawn from as far as

Dundalk, in fact one of the organisers for the area was himself from

County Louth. Indeed it has been suggested that Major Blacker was

approached by men representing a body of almost 700 rnen in

f-outh who wished to become part of the Co Armagh Regiment, but

it is alledged that Major Blacker dismissed them and urged them to

form their own Battalion. This plainly did not take place. It is

known that a contingent from Omeath did involved themselves with

the South Down Regiment, and it can be safe to assume that the

more committed Unionists near the South Armagh border travelled

to Cullyhanna, albeit in small numbers.While the 2"d Battalion had no entire Battalion mobilisation

(indeed there were no reports of the left and right halves evercombining), there does appear to have been one arranged for Darkly

in March lgl4',but the meeting was cancelled due to bad weather'The Company Commanders, Section leaders and Squad

Commanders did have several joint engagements though. Twicethese officers joined with the 1't Battalion officers in camps ofinstruction in Drumilly, Loughgall, and once they journeyed to

Carrickblacker to take part in a coulse of instruction under Major

Blacker (Feburary I9l4). The Largest of these camps appears tohave been in June Ig14 when night manoeuvres where carried out'

3'd BATTALION'MID-ARMAGH' (Tandragee)

The officer in command of the 3'd Armagh Battalion was

Major Maxwell Close of Drumbanagher Castle outside Poyntzpass,

whose home was the Battalion headquarters. Strictly speaking the

Battalion consisted of the East of the County, and Tandragee'

Ahorey, Clare, Scarva, Poyntzpass, Bessbrook (2), Mullaglass and

Tullyhappy appear to be the main Companies within its structure.The 2 Bessbrook companies led by Major Young were

very active in drills and mobilisations, however on the majority ofoccasions their engagements tended to be with the NewryCompanies of the South Down Regiment.

Its peak membership is listed as 1071 volunteers making it

the smallest in the Regiment.

47

4'r' BATTALION'poRTADowN'

Led by the regimental commander Major Stewart Blacker,the 4th Battalion was very active in entire Battalion training andmanoeuvres. Using Blackers grounds at Carrickblacker as theBattalion headquarters and consisting of 8 separate companiesstretching from the Town of Portadown itself to Tartaraghan and toLaurelvale, what few figures are available indicate the Battalionwas the third largest in the Regiment (1482 men).

when referring to the Battalion company designations wereonly used (ie. 'A', 'B', etc..) so it is difficult to attach a location ofbase to each company.

A listing of weapon location in the district dated 3OthAugust l9l4 and some other small existing membership recordsdoes however suggest that the Battalions 8 Company's werePortadown (A), Carrickblacker (B),, Seagoe(C), Levaghery, Dobbin,Kilmore(E), Derrinraw and Drumcree.

EXTRACT FROM 4th BATTALION REGISTER

For some reason the Battalion manouvres also frequentlymentioned the Hamiltonsbawn Company. There is no explanationfor this, however Hamiltonsbawn was a particularly activeCompany of Volunteers.

The Portadown Battalion took part in many camps ofinstruction, most notably in late July when a weeks camp ofinstruction was held in Carrickblacker.

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49

ARMBAND WORN BY AN OFFICER IN THE 4'I'BATTALION

HAMILTON SBAWN COMPANY VOLLINTE,ERS

48

tended to use only company designations. It can be safely assumedhowever that 'A', 'B', 'C' and 'D' companies were all based in thetown itself. 'I' Coy was unable to attend many field days because ofits 'remote location', so it may be reasonable to assume that 'I' wasthe contingent from the Aghagallon area. Both Bleary and Kinnegowere also Companies in the Battalion, and reports would suggestDrumgor was another.

The Battalions main Hospital was located in BrownlowHouse and until the onset of the war the Battalions headquartersalso appeared to be based in the grounds.

Whether because of a slightly less sympathetic localnewspaper or because they simply did not seek coverage, the

Volunteers of the Lurgan district did not receive a great deal ofcoverage in the media of the day. They did however carry out somelarge field operations, using the grounds at Oxford Island on morethan one occasion.

5.h BATTALION .LURGAN'

The Lurgan Battalion was the second largest Battalion inArmagh and made up of 9 Companies, taking in most of theCraigavon area and stretching right up to the remote Aghagallonarea.

Led by Major Greer, the exact place of origin of all thecompanies is difficult to learn because like the 4th BattaILon, they

PORTADOWN UVF CYCLISTS CIRCA. MARCH 19I3

PORTADOWN UVF ON PARADE IN WEST ST

51

CHAPTtrR FIVtr: COLINTYARMAGH MOBILIStrD:

THtr GLIN RLINNtrRSBy March 1914 the ulster volunteer force was essentially a fullyfunctioning army. Already its infantry, mobile special forces,medical corps, motorcar co{ps, signal and despatch corps andtransport corps were in many ways ahead of their time in terms ofmilitary thinking of the period.

The one area where many believed they were not up toscratch however was in their armaments. There is no doubt that thevolunteers of the period did have a large selection of weapons,indeed in an official uvF document dated 31" March, almost I fullmonth before the major gun-running took place, the CountyArmagh Regiment was assessed as having 3010 rifles for its 73g7men. In the same document the county was acknowledged asperhaps the best equipped behind co cavan Regiment who, thanksto a committed and daring leadership, had 2676 guns for its 3406volunteers.

As early as November 1913 county Armagh's possessionof weapons had been confirmed. In that month the Armaghguardian covered a 'route march' that the Markethill uvF hadcarried out on a Monday evening. In it, it stated that upwards of 100men took part and all were fully armed. Great interest had beenaroused because it was the first appearance of the local corps inpublic with arms. It is certain that most of these may have beenshotguns and obsolete weapons that were the properly of veteransof the British arrny and bygone wars. weapons brought home fromcampaigns such as the Boer War. Irrespective of weapon typehowever, the rest of the county must have been similarly equipped,at least ln relation to number of guns.

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j'Lr tri!riicrr rlrl {-}*lrt,l* *f lhr-r* {ltrf{.s rthdr}d lrt' ittfi,rtilr'ri i.tr ' ;1i!lir ttrrit tirr:r

b{"llrpg, otrrJ $L{ruld hrofl Ille 1}lil{l f{rr ttsctnifitrtllu rrl tlteil L*nrprrl'.

|ll, 'l\e quf61j$11 rrf llqtipr*rnt !t{ri f,l}lnitlfrfd L,r. thr' [r$rrtiv.: Tlltarrl nI litl]

Cr)llnt5 {lLrnrotttp: rhet il rrar dr'r:idtd 1ldll $ll nti{r'rili{f3 }iqailtnti'rrt i!t tlre n}tu !ih*qld

;rl uxrr l;r ribtrrilrrrrl uld.:r' llll.tir:liiril nrl?lriirrlttlrit, irt]d lIti1 il:hilultl lJ.] rr{rl}" f*r iggn*

,l 1.lJe tsl.rurtr,$t, lloti{r,

It {'ar fii t.lrr a8nrs l.iilf rlrcirluil thst thc minil}1un nrrriiilrr F:,lnilm{nt. rxrrji'titrl' tlrrr nun rhruld c$rsisl ilt' lh* lirll'rrhg, liz. :--

I IIn.rrx#L {tl} r1i[lrliI lti]lf illl'fr rlltittl5l.

EQUIPHEI*Y,

-t llts*'J'iu"1 linifr.I ]rnrL,.l lillorrn.L llorvrl anr! pir:tr rif $r:ep.t 1'nir lrrxrkn,

I l'iir I+rhr1 l,:1{rt'5.1 lln'rl, t"]rr[tr,I 'Iin einr (}il"

fLlilXET8, fj,ll'r linttslii.trrB sill nlako llrfir,l{ir frilr]Iflttnt'rltll hrr lh* r[Jr1rl1 L1f lllriokrti lr]thrir rnrn. It ifi, Jloerf(,r, euggrslrrl that r:rch rDln 6houl{l brirrg Jric 1,wu lll0uliet !r IlIfrn lloblintiru it hr eaD slforil tc il l no, ttl er$ine it b pr*1tr.rrrl 1l:rl irr: sh,:nld ht *u1;rlilr.ljrl hrtlf.llrice ufl d.{:r liatt*lion &nnngrm{rlte.

\ -1^-.INSTRUCTIONS FOR OFFICERS COMMANDING BATTALIONS OF TI IE

COLINTY ARMAGH REGIMENT

5352

A document issued on the 2nd February 1914 headed'lnstructions for Officers Commanding Battalions (ArmaghRegiment)', stated that a requisite of equipment men should carrywas I tin of rifle oil and 50 rounds of ammunition. This was to beincreased to 100 rounds if 'engagement was considered imminent'.

There is no doubt that some small scale gun running toomust have been in operation in Armagh as well as the existingweapons. This could be confirmed in the immediate aftermath ofthe April gun running when the Armagh Guardian stated that'manyrifles were purchased long since, and these have been added to'.

For many of the UVF officers that had come from longmilitary careers, irrespective of their proliferation, many differentweapons was not enough to organise an effective army. Apart fromit not being enough weapons (County Fermanagh had only 183weapons for its 3000 Volunteers) they were also concerned with thedifficulty in obtaining the many different types of ammunitionrequired if a full military campaign began. A secondaryconsideration was the acknowledgement that continuity of weapontype, and general uniformity in the ranks, made it much easier tomaintain discipline. Small scale gun running was already takingplace from early in 1913, but by early 1914 many of these Countyofficers were pressurising the leadership for more substantialgunrunning, not least because it was believed that Home Rulewould be invoked by the summer. Armed resistance, they believed,would become absolutely necessary.

THE DEMAND FOR ARMS

The pressure mounted to such a degree that eventually theUnionist leaders, some of whom did not agree with the plan, gavethe go ahead for a mission to arm their Volunteer Force. Major FredCrawfords mission to Germany resulted in the arrival to Larne,Donaghadee and Bangor of several large consignments of rifles andammunition. Reports of the time referred to 50'000 weapons beinglanded, however 35'000 is a more realistic figure.

These weapons were distributed pretty evenly, and thoughthey already had a large miscellaneous arsenal at their disposal, CoArmagh too took part in the mobilisation to get their share of thenew weapons, and to help make sure other Counties safely got their

54

allocation. All of the 5 county Battalions were involved, newspaperreports and recollections of the time confirming that almost the -entire membership of the force in the county was mobilised on the

evening of the 24ih of April. The Impartial reporter in EnniskillenallegeJthat 7000 Volunteefs were active in the County during the

evening.

THE COLTNTY ON PATROL

TheArmaghcompaniesmobilizedintheDemesneatabout8.30 pm, under the command of company Commanders J C Boyle

and iesley Anderson. The Mounted infantry was also mobilized

under theieadership of Mr. J Downey. From time of mobilization

until4.30 the following morning, sections of Volunteers were

placed at strategic points in the city and all the roads leading into it.

ihe local .onrtubu1ury, sensing that something major was afoot,attempted to infiltrate the Volunteers, but no information was

forthcoming. In fact in truth the vast majority of volunteers had no

idea of what they were actually mobilizing for' The Company

commanders had only been informed that afternoon, and the

majority of the volunteers responded to the order to mobilize

believing it was merely an exercise. Reports from a local newspaper

suggest ihat the police, having made no headway in their

iniJstigationr, uttoully returned to barracks at2 am,while the UVF

were to-remain active until the early hours of the morning'

Elsewhere in the County the Loughgall company had

charge of the road from Loughgall to Armagh, and lined theroad in

secti-ons the entire length. The Loughgall police, who were slightly

more committed than their City counterparts, stayed with the

company until they retumed home at 3am' A Guardian reporter

claimed that the police 'went to bed, as wise when they left the

village'.The Ardress, Summerisland, and Annaghmore companies

guarded the roads that were to be used by those cars travelling to

bounty Tyrone and further afield (as well as delivering packages to

their own area). This particular part of the night's work was

important enough for l't Battalion Commander Lieutenant Colonel

Fiizgeraldto ovirsee. They joined with the Portadown companies

outside Portadown, and lined the road by Scotch Street, cranagill,55

Ardress to Derrygally bridge, where the cars passed into CountyTyrone.

The Richhill company (Mr Allen, officer commanding)also joined hands with Portadown on the Armagh-Portadown road,and like many of the other units, were re-enforced by a couple ofbewildered police, who asked a lot of questions which wentunanswered.

The Keady and Markethill contingents too were mobilizedready to receive deliveries, while the main duties of the Laurelvale,Tandragee, Poyntzpass and Jenetzpass Companies was to keep theroad guarded all the way to Newry.

The Lurgan Battalion was out in record numbers to keepthe various towns in its jurisdiction under guard, and its largenumbers stretched out to meet both the Portadown, Moira andTandragee Volunteers. The Volunteers of this Battalion, half ofwhom were informed of the mobilization the previous evening, didnot mobilize until l lpm that night and guarded the town while over100 vehicles passed through.

In the aftermath of the evenings activities, the mainnewspapers in the county reported that the almost 7000 Unionistvolunteers who had mobilized in the County, representedapproximately 90% of the entire membership. It was the first andremained what can be regarded as the sole full County mobilizationof the Co Armagh Volunteers. Each Volunteer had responded toorders by arriving at their various drill centers with I days rationsand the operation was a resounding success.

VETTERLIS

While the majority of the Volunteers 'patrolled' that nightapproximately 180 volunteers had spent the night in other pursuits.They had manned the 100 vehicles that had left the County tocollect their allocation of rifles. The County's allocation ofweapons actually did not come to Larne. They had come intodonaghadee and were Vetterli rifles. The County Armagh Vetterli'swere packed in bales of 4, and included 850 rounds of ammunitionin each bale. Each Vetterli bale was marked with 4 black markscrosswa'S'

56

VETTERLI RIFLE CROSS SECTION

The motor- cars on their retum journey from Donaghadee

entered first Lurgan and then Portadown, accompanied all the while

by motor cyclists from the Dispatch corps' ever vigilant for

attempts of ambush by Police or Nationalists. Many rifles were

stacked in some of the vehicles in such a way that no concealment

was even attempted.In Portadown the cavalcade entered at 4 am from the

direction of Belfast, maintaining a slow pace, so as not to alarm the

many residents. Many in the Edenderry district however were

aroused from sleep and watched the unusual sight from bedroomwindows. One Enniskillen newspaper reported that approximately

10'000 rifles were deposited in Portadown, but 1000 is more

realistic.

57

VECHICLE BADGE OF THE UVF MOTOR CAR CORPS

The majority of those vehicles were not bound forPortadown itself and headed on through the fruit districts of EasternArmagh. The rest were on route for Armagh and Tandragee, withvehicles leaving the procession at different stages on route to theirown drill centers. There the rifles were unloaded and spirited awayfor distribution during the coming weeks.

Folklore in different areas has many tales of what becameof many of these parcels. Many ingenious ways were invented to

sprit the guns past the police force in different areas. A few weeksafter the gun running the Lurgan Mail published a small articleentitled 'Rifles as Manure', which is perhaps typical of theactivities the many rural based Volunteers were up to:

' . . .the contents of the carts looked like manure to a numberof police who were keeping a strict watch for an attempt atgun running. Had these officers only had the curiosity to

look a little deeper they would have found, stowed snuglyunder the manure, rifles which were intended for distributionamong the Ulster Volunteers. Need it be added that the'manure' was safely conveyed to the several destinations forwhich it was intended'.

The incident is reported as taking place in County Armagh.

While it most probably took place several times in several areas,many maintain this particular event took place outside Markethill,where Volunteers attempted to get guns into the town from the

Kilcluney Rectory (where incidently it is alledged that a largeamount of weapons were stored right into the 1950's).

A number of companies were now fully armed and armedparades began to take place on a more regular basis. lnter-County

ihooting competitions, which had already taken place a number oftimes, now also began to increase.

THE. STATE OF PLAY

Other Companies however still had only enough weaponsfor a percentage of their men. A hand written list of the membershipof the Hamiltonsbawn section of the Hamiltonsbawn CompanyUVF, showed that even atthat stage, of the 22 men listed only 9

had rifles. It can be safely assumed however that this merely meantthat these were those that had been 'issued' weapons. Several

official communications from the UVF headquarters instructedBattalion Commanders to ensure that only the best drilled, reliablc

and trustworthy Volunteers should be issued with a rifle. Oncinteresting anecdote from the County concerning the isstrc ol'

59

weapons came from an Ulster Volunteer belonging to the Redrockcompany. He maintained he was never given a rifle because he wasnot a member of the local orange order, and had to be content witha wooden replica for the bi-weekly drills.

While many were distributed, a small percentage of theguns were not. Some bundles of rifles remained unopened duringthe period, many perhaps still being buried in various locationsaround the county. Some not needed, others genuinely forgot aboutwith the onset of the war. occasional tales, passed through families,tell of guns being found in unusual places virtually every decadesince their first entry into Ulster. Renovations of Orange Halls andold houses have throughout the century yielded a find of rifles.Some still greased and wrapped in cloth, others unusable due torust.

The Rev Mcconnell of warrenpoint, who was raised inMarkethill where his father was the minister of the l't presbyterianChurch, described in his recent autobiography of an incident in thelate 1920's that:

'One day my father and a workman had occasion to go up aladder into the roof space which was entered by a trapdoor inmy bedroom ceiling. I climbed up the ladder after them.There I saw a number of packets among the rafters andbecame vividly aware that my father and his companion hadnoticed them too, and were exchanging knowing smiles witheach-other...nothing was said but in later years my fatherssuccessor, (Rev) Tom Withero told me (in reminissing) "Mydear Sir, when I went up there during the war to take air-raidprecautions I found an arsenal of guns".

HISTORY WRITTEN

Overall the gunrunning episode had been the firstmobilization of the entire force, and proved a massive success.Response from the volunteers had been prompt, and orders hadbeen obeyed without question even though many had no idea whatwas happening. In a special order issued to all BattalionCommanders on the 9'h May 1974, Colonel Hacket pain, UVFchief Staff officer, expressed his admiration of all who carried out

60

so successfully the operation. More ominously the order stated his

belief that he was fully confident that all future mobilizations would

be equally as successful.- The night of the 24'h Aprtl and the morning of 25tr'April

was the first wide scale manifestation of the discipline that the

leaders of the UVF had sought to achieve, and was perhaps a very

important indication to the British Government and the Nationalist

leaders that the UVF was in no way a pretend army. Prime Minister

Asquith on the Monday following the Gun Running described the

proieeding as a grave and unprecedented outrage, however from

this moment on even the previously skeptical militant Nationalist

leaders treated the UVF with a respect that had been hithertomissing.

61

CHAPTER SIX: VOLTINTEtrRSATWAR:

On the 4t" of August Igl4 the United Kingdom of GreatBritain and Ireland, after much posturing, was formally at war.From the very beginning many thousands of Ulster volunteersbecame active in the British Army. Some were officers that hadmerely resumed their commissions in various regiments; otherswere ordinary Volunteers, some exsoldiers, who felt it was theirduty to join in the battle against the 'Hun'. It was not to be longbefbre there was public plan for the Ulster Volunteer Force tobecome an active part of Kitcheners new Army.

THE ULSTER DIVISION

The first indication of the possibility of a Divisioncomposed of the Volunteers came when Carson had his firstmeeting with Kitchener on the Jth ofAugust. Although the meetingwas at his request, Kitchener was not amiable to Carsons stipulationthat any new Division formed from the Ulster Volunteers shouldhave 'Ijlster' in its designation, and the meeting ended in a less thanamicable fashion. However by late August, reeling from bad newsfrom the battle fronts, Kitchener was significantly worried enoughto change his mind and agree with Carsons demand.

The Home Rule crisis that had been the inception of theulster Force had by no means abated, indeed Asquith was adamantthat Home Rule would pass. Irrespective of this, Carson privatelyand publicly confirmed that to fight for and maintain the Empirewas of primary importance, irrespective of how they were treated.He announced the formation of the Ulster Division and therecruitment process began.

Initially forms were distributed that asked the volunteerswhether they would be willing to serve in either class A- unitedKingdom Service or Class B- Foreign Service. The strict provisionwas however that "Men are only asked to serve in class A & B onthe distinct understanding that Carson notifies he is satisfied withthe situation regards Ulster".

tffiliH*a{tqHtnt6r*!

l3fri T*wn l,iu1l,t3 [! LFAS'r

lir i :i ctielt, .11*1; i.rren'i al- anii I gr: L ir 1, ln r: 0 r, n;:. :-ar-le t,:).

liiii', r'*ili::'r::rii:': r:r

,j'i1"li ,tY,]*tU;:i; *C?11 ,'t)\.tL,! t:t"

1- i, f [: *{ti{4 rt:t, ;,:::;'2.

a:. icl-Io'/,.s:-

"]dlll t3E c]{LT 1,5r,:EiJ rn sIJtTt,; IIf

IIX|I TiIi:Tn lrD??{,} TH nT C AR51: }l fiC?7f ll ilij

:rT1l'tt1e n trl frll*.{lfi$ lt]-Stil3t

fhil *h*tlhl 1r* ,xn:r.ri::ic;trrd tg

t*rt:rn{ll*

*Lr.:: t L :1, slq llli:]itTlici

:tE r3 SnTT$F',IE? l'fT.rlt rfit

al.l tl*r.;,ar.y t;*,J. 1:,rt- !

t:g,:,;:* r,i _ 1,*:_Bl.l t;"&*+l"ll

Lll n0 :r{jlqnt trr aerrt t+

that 'b:1s ir-'lnrhe}]s rtg (;Rltt:i{:l*i:t j:r]' tlliltr;:* i:ll"as,-i:r r*nt ir:r.

':" TL; r-1-c 1u:-""; lr;,iiL i':i;rln ,n -;ir,:: cJ;]',;r-i:tl!r' il*to i:ti:

;ii-i.er:*ii ;: z i t'. in,': :: : -

i:1. ilJ r i

li,:::r 11 i

T * d:;n wa

INSTRUCTIONS TO BATTALION COMMANDERS REGARDINGCONDITIONS OF RECRUITMENT TO THE REGULAR ARMY

62 63

call$ 0r1nrfn lg

enlist irrl

DISSENT

Many Volunteers actively disagreed with the suggestion

they should join the British army. In a letter from the members ofAlans Hill section (between Armagh and Markethill) of theHamilitonsbawn company uvF dated August 8th 19I4 andaddressed to Major Blacker, a typical view was expressed very

forcefully (this has been reproduced as written):

"Dear Sirwe the members of the Alans Hill club- out last night,friday, Rev Mclaughlan came to drill us but none was done.He told us that himself and his son had offered their services

to the government to go to the front and was accepted. And

that we may not see him agarn and he told us nothing ofwhat we were to do. So practically we are left as sheep

without a sheppard. No instructor, no section leader, no one

to give us advice. He pushed us very hard to sign our

services to the government but no one done as he told that

over 2000 UVF Co Tyrone were going to the front and that a

Batt of 800 Belfasts were for the front. We came to the

conclusion that we signed the covenant to defend Ulster

against a Dublin parliment and any of our commanders who

asks us to leave Ulster or to fight for this notoriousgovernment now in office is betraying Ulster. Men and

women worse than Lundy in Derry. We hope and pray our

great leader Carson will never allow one Ulster volunteer toleave us until this bill is finished. For by doing so we wouldbe giving nationalists the biggest opportunity of sweeping

down on us and killing our women and children anddestroying what they could not kill. Now this is as certain aswhat they will do as the sun is shining if our volunteers aretaken from us. This is not the opinion of one man but the

mind of the whole country atlatge."

This view, and many like it, appears to have been widely

held in rural areas, more so than in the urban areas. However the

grealfaith that the Volunteers had in Carson for the majority was

puru-orrnt, and the devotion was such that many disregardccl cvcrt65

ERF.U

YOUR K.TNfiANN COUNTRY

I{EEN YOU !WII,L you answsr your Corrntr.y's' ' Call ? Each day is fraught rriflrthe gravest possibilitiesftanrl :rt thisvery momeat the ErppiFe is on ilrcbrinli of the great6st \l'ar in fh*history of the world.

I N this crisis your Ctiuntry' all hcr yrluu;; unrn:rrrictlrally .o.,rrd :the Slag andthe rar:k$ clf hsr Army..

I lt everv patriotic :/ourg fu*n ars.rycrs' hcr call, Eugl*nd anrl .her llrrpir*r*'ill 'cmerge strernger' ancl ltrorcunitetl thnn ever.

lr'#"atl$lvcrst) td

are un:llarrietl anil b*tw,ggnand $O' ycar"s o1d, will ),orl

y{}ul' Onunfry's C;rll'l :rurlthc nearcst llegruiter*rvhusc

:tdtlr*ss you c&n gct :rt :ur]' llust0ffi*e, and

JOIN THN INISH$ILI s.

such strongly held views as these. when he said on the 4th ofSeptember that they should join for the honour of Ulster andIreland, wide scale recruitment began.

AN ARMAGH BATTALION

From an early stage it was expected that acounty ArmaghBattalion would be formed from the ulster volunteers. Majorstewart Blacker, the commander of the county Armagh Rlgimentulster volunteer Force, was appointed as commander of the newBattalion. Portadown and Lurgan volunteers started to join in greatnumbers shortly following carsons 4th September announcementand in Armagh city of 120 men who attended a drill on the l6thSeptember, 84 gave their names. Initially know as the 7,h BattalionRoyal Irish Fusiliers, the Battalion became know as the 9th after 2other Battalions became operational first.

The fact that many wilring volunteers had already joineddifferent regiments quickly became apparent,and the new

-

'Armagh' battalion also was to entail volunteers from Monaghanand cavan to reach the necessary numbers. Additionally the Factthat the 2nd 'Pioneer' Battalion of the co Down volunteers wasbased in Brownlow House in Lurg an, attracted many Lurganvolunteers, and so left an even smaller recruiting base foitheArmagh Battalion. Despite this contemporary reports of the periodstill refened to the Battalion as the 'Armagh; nattalion, anddescribed the contribution from their Monaghan and cavancounterparts as minimal.

':f Hf 0f flSEN? *0.mmAil!lfiG TH AHIdAGH llEGlfiffiT i! lully,rnribte $t thr l*sx Hhieh

thr fsroe ftc$ sr$t*ined b! ihc tedrpsrflri y*ithdrilrnl s! th0!e fiIrntbsrr Hho haf,* iound then-

rrlvrs ablf i{: rf{p*!rd l* th* fall et thcil c*unty b} .islnifig tie a{med f0rtrr of lht Cr{i$n. ail{i

he roilld ilrgE lhr Sfficrr comffiandiflg Sattatisnf, *n* tll s1h*rr ufidct hi! c0m$trad, 16 rnrk0

tpqfial fltsrk l0 m*intsifi rmcieney during lhc ab:enc* ol s0 msny 0l 0{r beit men.

ln ctrer !eh{r* there &m $iill yr.taocif{ in lhe coilmamds ef C0mp0iie$, Hett edi$Fanjee,

0r 5*f1idni, thsne ihsuld bf fifl(d nt dncc,

ofilcert e6mffien{inti Batlatio[$ ffurt &ffnnRc thet fill lgE]pani0r tor lesr firill"Uniht nn

mustercdslrcgllarl*tcrva{g, Th?t$isuldbee.{rr{iredinOr$icndi*{tiffspraclioeilhnporsibl8 i

b|}t sqae e $hsrl &notc Frlarch rdill &e sgeist in nl&inldininB th8 hehit o[ ffting t*fr]thr"

Olifiicr$ comm&fldiag Baltglisni murt takc itEpr *itho!t dsl*y k s$f,ertai[ *'hRt lntiruflt$r5

r*main iil lheir ttirtricts, ilnd mu$t arran&s that ahe*E lnitrsrtffc viril saeh s+mpady gi reg!.t6t

iRl* rYrh-

A rrpsri in wriTing an trle nilhb*r flnd 0rooosed trorr{ 0t ldrlru*tor: {hsuld be r$fid* lo thf,

fiftirer Gonmfrnding lfu Re{ir$ent rt the nl*{tidg d! thB F{dc{tjy* Cafffriner 9n Wed'|esdsy,

Elt,L in:{t"

MEMO ISSUED BY SIR JAMES STRONGE

Sir James Stronge, who had taken over the command of theCo Armagh IJVF following Major Blacker departure, issued thefollowing statement to the County Regiment-

l,i l-i

ftegimentaf $rders.

66 67

"Fellow Volunteers- you will all of you have read ourleaders magnificent speech at Belfast on the 3'd ofSeptember, and no true heart must but answer the his call on

us to prove at this supreme crisis our loyalty to King andEmpire. The older members of the Force can do their share

by keeping the Country in peace till the war is over. To theothers of you has been given an opportunity, such as we

scarce dared hope for, offighting, not amongst strangers, butside by side with your kindred, your friends and neighbours,for the honour of our Country and the safety of our homesagainst a brutal enemy, as well as for the maintenance of theUnion that we love so dear."

By late September around 600 Armagh Volunteers were in

camp in Clandeboye, Bangor. Approximately 400 were fromPortadown, Lurgan and Tandragee, 100 were from Armagh and the

remainder were from the country districts, namely Glenanne,Keady, Kilcluney, Redrock, Bessbrook, Clady and Loughgall.

RECRUITMENT

It is admitted that recruitment was slow. The attitudespreviously described still held dear to many. Additionally therecruitment among the farming community was minimal, however

as one Volunteer from a farming background was to describe inlater years:

' You cannot get up and leave afarm the way youcan walk away from a loom in a factory'.

Local poets were already attempting to do their part forrecruitment and whip up support, through the forum of the local

paper:

.THE ARMAGH VOLLINTEER'''

Whenever danger threatened this motherland of ours,

Her sons were ever ready in war to prove their powers;

And once again we're hearing the message loud and clear:-

"O come, come, come and follow the drum as an Armagh

Volunteer"

The call " To Arms! " we'll answer' we're ready as of yore,To carry Britain's banner to victory once more;

We'll conquer, or we'll perish, and never yield to fear,

"O come, come, come and follow the drum as an ArmaghVolunteer"

At Agincourt, and Cressy, just as at Waterloo,Our dthers showed the wide world what Britain's sons can do!

And we'll serve her just as well' who love her just as dear,"O come, come, come and follow the drum as an Armagh

Volunteer"

O home's a place for women, for old men, and for weak;

And all who're worth their manhood to-day for glory seek

Where midst the shock of battle there comes the ringing cheer,

"O come, come, come and follow the drum as an ArmaghVolunteer"

Though some must fall for Britain, there's others who'll come

back,With laurels fresh adorning the dear old Union Jack;

In words of gold we'll write it, and ever more revereThe name and fame of each who came as an Armagh Volunteer'

Harold Vesy Damer

By the 1l'h December the Armagh Guardian stated in its

editorial that 500 more men were yet needed to make up oour

County Armagh Battalion', and from the 4th February a County

recruiiment march began. In all 250 men, from each part of the

county, under the leadership of Lieutenant colonel Fitzgerald

began-a route march in Lurgan than would see them through every

to,in in the County in the following fortnight. Towns and villageswere asked to welcome the Volunteers, and were told through the

---:

68

pages of the local papers that ' the Union-Jack above all should bedisplayed'.

Throughout the recruitment march the Volunteers weregreeted with great vigour in every locality. In all the schedule wasas follows:-

lurgun- Portadown 4'hBirchesLoughgallRichillArmaghKillylea & TynanKeadyNewtownhamiltonBessbrookPoyntzpassMarkethillTandrageeB_e,!&,s,Iby lo..ry,

were taken to the old town hall where they were given a paper bagin which to place their clothes. Their names were written on the

side and the clothes were sent home. Then it was immediately back

onto the lorries for the joumey to the Bangor camp' It was a

daunting experience for what were on the whole, country boys and

It was not to be long following this that the battalion was to see

action.

THE WAR BEGINS FOR THE VOLLINTEERS

The first County Armagh Volunteer to be killed however

was not a member of the 9'h Battalion' Sapper McKee, Royal

Engineers, was killed by a Ge