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The Christmas Truce was not a universal activity along the Western Front and this was clearly illustrated by the very different experiences of the 1st Battalion and the 2nd Battalion The Royal Irish Rifles on the 24 and 25 December 1914. Therein lies a clue to similar events both before and after the much publicised truce.
Infantry colours are among the most sacred symbols of the British Army. These flags embody the honour, spirit and heritage of the Regiment.
On the 6 October 2006, Her Majesty The Queen awarded The Royal Irish Regiment the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross in recognition of the bravery, sacrifice and service of the Home Service battalions of The Royal Irish Regiment and their forebears, The Ulster Defence Regiment.
On the 6 October 2006, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II awarded The Royal Irish Regiment the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross in recognition of the bravery, sacrifice and service of the Home Service battalions of The Royal Irish Regiment and their forebears, The Ulster Defence Regiment.
In February 1811, during the Peninsular War, General Graham's Anglo-Portugeuse division, which included the 2/87th Regiment, sailed from Cadiz to Tarifa. Due to bad weather Graham had to land at Algeciras and then march to Tarifa. The plan was that this force would join a Spanish army at Tarifa and attack the rear of the French who were besieging Cadiz; the intended outcome was that the Allies would compel the French to abandon their siege.
The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland reviewed the Passing Out Parade of Italy Platoon at the Depot The King's Division, The Royal Irish Rangers, St Patrick's Barracks, Ballymena on 13 May 1977.
This is a replica of the French Eagle captured at the Battle of Barrosa.
On Easter Monday 24 April 1916, a force from the Irish Volunteers, the Citizens Army and Cumann na mBan occupied the General Post Office (GPO), the Four Courts, Jacob’s Biscuit Factory, Boland’s Bakery, the South Dublin Union, St. Stephen’s Green and later the College of Surgeons. Once the GPO was occupied, Patrick Pearse read the Proclamation of the Republic.
On 4 July 1941, the Drums and Pipes of the 2nd Battalion The Royal Irish Fusiliers beat ‘Retreat’ through the bomb shattered streets of Valletta, the capital of the island of Malta. The 2nd Faughs had helped defend the island during the repeated Luftwaffe bombing raids from the start of the Second World War. In recognition of its loyalty throughout the siege, the island was awarded the George Cross on 15 April 1942
The official ending of the First World War was not marked by a cessation of fighting or by the Armistice of 11 November 1918. It took another six months of negotiation between the Allied Powers to agree terms to be imposed on Germany. The Treaty of Versailles, between the Allied Powers and Germany, was eventually signed by Germany on 28 June 1919.
It is now widely believed that the terms of the treaty, and the huge reparations required of Germany within it, contributed to the start of the Second World War.
The other treaties signed by the Central Powers' belligerents were:
