CONNAUGHT RANGERS (3 Volumes)

Official three volume illustrated history of the Connaught Rangers, the Irish regiment with a fighting record second to none in the British army from its formation in 1793 to its disbanding in 1922. Stirring stuff. The Connaught Rangers, with their distinctive Irish harp badge, were one of the most legendary regiments in the British Army - with a long string of battle honours and awards (including several VCs) to their credit between their formation in 1793 and their disbanding in 1922. The Rangers, who took their name from Connaught, the most westerly of the four Irish provinces, were formed from two existing infantry regiments - the 88th and 94th Regiments of Foot. which became the 1st and 2nd Battalions of the new regiment. They saw service throughout the Peninsula War, taking part in most of the major actions including the battles of Fuentes d’Onoro; Ciudad Rodrigo; Salamanca; Vittoria and Nivelle. I In the Crimean War, they saw action in the battles of the Alma and Inkerman before being rushed to India to take part in the suppression of the Indian Mutiny. They later saw service in South Africa in the Kaffir and Zulu Wars. The Rangers suffered heavy casualties during the Boer War, when they helped raise the siege of Ladysmith, but perhaps their finest hour came during the Great War when a Daily Mail correspondent heard the Rangers singing a song about one of their home towns: ‘It’s a Long Way to Tipperary’ - as they marched through Boulogne on their way to the fighting on 13th August 1914. The Mail report made the song the iconic tune of the war. The Rangers’ took part in almost all the major battles on the Western Front including Mons, the Marne, Ypres, Loos, the Somme, St Quentin and the storming of the Hindenburg Line. The 1st Battalion moved to Mesopoptamia (modern Iraq) in December 1915 where they attempted to relieve the British force besieged at Kut. They later served in Palestine and after the war in India, where news of the ‘Black and Tans’ atrocities in their native Ireland sparked a mutiny at Jullundur during which two men were killed. 69 mutineers were court martialled and one executed as a result. The 2nd Battalion took part in the retreat from Mons and resisted the bloody German attack at Langemarck. Its heavy losses caused it to be amalgamated with the 1st Battalion in December 1914. Two more battalions, the 5th and 6th Service battalions, were added to the regiment’s strength during the war. The 5th saw service at Gallipoli and on the Salonika Front; and on returning to France in 1918 rushed and captured the town of Le Cateau, the scene of one of the war’s opening battles, just before the Armistice. The 6th battalion fought at Loos and on the Somme, where they captured the vital village of Guillemont. They then took part in the battles of Messines and 3rd Ypres (Passchendaele); but were practically annihilated in March 1918 during the Ludendorff offensive against the Fifth Army. After the Great War, while on peacekeeping duties in Silesia on the frontier between Germany and Poland, the regiment heard of the decision to disband it following the agreement to Irish independence. This big book, fully illustrated, is a worthy tribute to one of the British army’s finest fighting units. It includes appendices on the Rangers’ uniforms and equipment; its Great War Roll of Honour and medals and awards. Vol 1: 1793-1922 1st Battalion, formerly 88th Foot; Vol II : 1572-1922 2nd Battalion, Formerly 94th Foot; Vol III: 1914-1919 5th and 6th Service Battalions. Officers. The Colours. Music.