Leinster Regiment

This article will provide an overview of the services of the Leinster Regiment, or to give the Regiment its full title The Prince of Wales’s Leinster Regiment (Royal Canadians), in the First World War and help you to research soldiers who served with it. I have also written a series of generic research guides:

The Prince of Wales’s Leinster Regiment (Royal Canadians) in the First World War

1st Battalion The Prince of Wales’s Leinster Regiment (Royal Canadians)

On 4 August 1914, the 1st Battalion was stationed at Fyzabad, now Faizabad in India. The Battalion left Fyzabad for Bombay, now Mumbai on 11 October and left India five days later from the port. The Battalion landed at Plymouth on 16 November and moved to Morne Hill Camp at Winchester. Here, the unit mobilized for service on the Western Front and joined the 82nd Brigade of the 27th Division. On 19 December, the Battalion embarked on the SS Lake Michigan which transported the unit to Havre, France where it disembarked the next day. The Battalion served on the Western Front until 26 November 1915 when it boarded a ship for Salonika, now Thessaloniki in Greece. The Battalion joined the 29th Brigade in the 10th (Irish) Division on 2 November 1916 and on 14 September 1917, sailed for Egypt with the Division.

 2nd Battalion The Prince of Wales’s Leinster Regiment (Royal Canadians)

On 4 August 1914, the 2nd Battalion was stationed at Cork and landed as part of the 17th Brigade of the 6th Division at St Nazaire on 12 September 1914. On 14 October 1915, the 17th Brigade was transferred to the 24th Division in which it served until 19 October 1915 when it was transferred to the 73rd Brigade which was also part of the Division. On 1 February 1918, the Battalion joined the 47th Brigade of the 16th Division and absorbed personnel from the disbanded 7th (Service) Battalion and later 6th (Service) Battalion Connaught Rangers. On 23 April 1918, the Battalion joined the 88th Brigade of the 29th Division in which it served for the remainder of the war.

3rd (Reserve) Battalion The Prince of Wales’s Leinster Regiment (Royal Canadians)

The 3rd (Reserve) Battalion was stationed at Birr, a town in Ireland on 4 August 1914 and was one of the Regiment’s training battalions. On 8 August 1914, the Battalion moved to Cork where it remained until November 1917 when the unit moved to Portsmouth. While still stationed at Portsmouth in May 1918, the Battalion absorbed the 4th and 5th (Extra Reserve) Battalions.

4th (Extra Reserve) Battalion The Prince of Wales’s Leinster Regiment (Royal Canadians)

The 4th (Extra Reserve) Battalion was stationed at Maryborough, now Port Laoise on 4 August 1914 and was also one of the Regiment’s training battalions. On 7 August 1914, the Battalion moved to Crosshaven, a village in Cork Harbour before moving to Passage West in November. In May 1915, the Battalion moved to Devonport before moving to the Curragh in Ireland during September. Here, the unit remained until April 1916 when it moved to Limerick, then in August 1917 to Tralee and to Dover in November 1917. In May 1918, the Battalion was absorbed by the 3rd (Reserve) Battalion at Portsmouth.

5th (Extra Reserve) Battalion The Prince of Wales’s Leinster Regiment (Royal Canadians)

On 4 August 1914, the Battalion was stationed at Drogheda in Ireland and on 7 August moved to Queenstown, now Cobh. The 5th (Extra Reserve) Battalion was another training unit of the Leinster Regiment. In October 1914, the Battalion moved to Passage West, then to Plymouth in May 1915. Returning to Ireland in September 1915, the Battalion joined the 25th Reserve Brigade at Mullingar. In April 1916, the Battalion moved to the Curragh, then to Laytown in June 1917, Boyle in August and Birr in September 1917. The Battalion moved to Glencorse in Scotland in November 1917 before being absorbed into the 3rd (Reserve) Battalion at Portsmouth in May 1918.

6th (Service) Battalion The Prince of Wales’s Leinster Regiment (Royal Canadians)

The 6th (Service) Battalion was formed at Dublin in August 1914 and joined the 29th Brigade which was serving with the 10th (Irish) Division. On 9 July 1915, the Battalion left England for Gallipoli on board the SS Mauretania and landed at Mudros on 20 July. The Battalion landed at Anzac Cove on 5 August 1915. On 29 September, the Battalion was withdrawn to Mudros and landed in Salonika in early October 1915. The Battalion served in the Salonika Campaign until 14 September 1917 when it embarked at Salonika, now Thessaloniki, for Egypt, arriving on 19 September. In May 1918, the Battalion was ordered to France and landed at Marseilles on 1 June. It then served briefly with the 14th and 34th Divisions in June and July, before joining the 198th Brigade in the 66th (2nd East Lancashire) Division on 20 July. The Battalion was disbanded on 12 September 1918 at Abancourt.

7th (Service) Battalion The Prince of Wales’s Leinster Regiment (Royal Canadians)

Raised at Fermoy in October 1914, the 7th (Service) Battalion joined the 47th Brigade of the 16th Division. In January 1915, the Battalion was stationed at Kilworth and in September was sent to Britain where it was stationed at Kilworth. On 18 December 1915, the 7th (Service) Battalion disembarked at Havre with a strength of 27 officers and 950 other ranks. On 14 February 1918, the Battalion was disbanded at Tincourt, with its personnel sent to either the 2nd Battalion or 19th Entrenching Battalion.

Researching Soldiers who Served in the Leinster Regiment in the First World War

Start off by looking at my generic research guides, especially those concerning medal and service records along with my page of British Army abbreviations and acronyms. Once you know what battalion a soldier served with, I would recommend downloading or obtaining the relevant war diaries which I have discussed below.

Officers: There are over 400 service records for officers held at the National Archives in London. A service record is a very important source of information but not all have survived. Officers are frequently recorded in the war diaries of the Leinster Regiment so these are always worth checking. I have written guides on British Army Lists, Hart’s Army List and using the London Gazette which will help you to research an officer of the Leinster Regiment.CYRIL EGREMONT GAITSKELL Leinster Regiment WW1

This portrait of Lieutenant Cyril Egremont Gaitskell 2nd Battalion Leinster Regiment was published in The Sphere after his death in October 1914. The Sphere is an excellent newspaper to search as it published thousands of portraits of officers who lost their lives during the war. The Sphere has been digitized and can be searched on Findmypast. There is a service record for Gaitskell at the National Archives which will contain a lot of information you won’t be able to find elsewhere.


Other Ranks: The most important document to find is a service record but many were destroyed in the Blitz in 1940 when the warehouse in which they were stored caught fire. If a soldier served outside of Britain and Ireland there will be a medal index card and at least one medal roll to consult. For many soldiers, this will be the only surviving documentation. Some of the Battalion war diaries do mention those who served in the ranks but only a small fraction of the total. Casualty lists are a good resource to consult as well as contemporary newspapers. There are two sources online for other ranks of the Leinster Regiment which should be searched if you suspect a soldier served after the war:

  • The enlistment books of the Leinster Regiment 1920-1922 which are available to search, view and download for free on the National Army Museum’s website. These record the soldiers serving with the regiment in 1920-1922 and are full of useful information, including a soldier’s war service and if they had served in another regiment.
  • The November 1922 Army Census of the Irish Free State (Republic of Ireland). When the Leinster Regiment was disbanded in 1922, many soldiers joined the National Army (Army of the Irish Free State). You can search and download the images for free.

War Diaries of the Leinster Regiment

War diaries were written by an officer of a unit and recorded its daily activities and location. They are the most important documents for researching a unit during the war and often contain appendices in the form of battle reports, maps, orders etc. The war diaries are held at the National Archives in London and some have been digitized. The 6th (Service) Battalion’s war diary covering its service in the Gallipoli Campaign can be viewed and downloaded on Ancestry. There are no war diaries for the 3rd (Reserve), 4th (Extra Reserve) or 5th (Extra Reserve) Battalions.

1st Battalion Leinster Regiment

  • Date: 27 September 1914 – 31 October 1915
  • 82nd Brigade, 27th Division
  • Reference: WO 95/2266/3
  • Notes: Overall, a good war diary with lots of information. There are no appendices.
  • Date: 01 November 1915 – 31 October 1916
  • 82nd Brigade, 27th Division
  • Reference: WO 95/4895
  • Notes: Overall this is a good war diary considering not much occurred during this period. Rather than daily entries, there are usually summaries covering a period. Appendices include operation orders, a nominal roll of officers who embarked for Salonika, and “Orders for Defense of Struma Line” from October 1916. This war diary can only be viewed at the National Archives.
  • Date: November 1916 – August 1917
  • 29th Brigade, 10th (Irish) Division
  • Reference: WO 95/4834
  • Notes: This war diary can only be viewed at the National Archives.
  • Date: September 1917 – June 1919
  • 29th Brigade, 10th (Irish) Division
  • Reference: WO 95/4579
  • Notes: This war diary can only be viewed at the National Archives.

2nd Battalion Leinster Regiment

All three war diaries for the 2nd Battalion have been digitized and can be downloaded for a small fee by clicking on the blue links below.

  • Date: 05 August 1914 – 31 October 1915
  • 17th Brigade, 6th Division
  • Reference: WO 95/1612/2
  • Notes: A good war diary with lots of detailed entries and a wide variety of appendices including a three-page “narrative of operations 18th to 20th October 1914” and a map of the “Action at Premesques on 20th October 1914”.
  • Date: 01 November 1915 – 31 January 1918
  • 73rd Brigade, 24th Division
  • Reference: WO 95/2218/1
  • Notes: Another good war diary with a variety of appendices including a “Narrative of Operations of 2nd Battalion The Leinster Regiment from 9 pm 11th April 1917 to 10 am 14th April 1917”.
  • Date: 01 February 1918 – 23 June 1919
  • 88th Infantry Brigade, 29th Division
  • Reference: WO 95/2308/2
  • Notes: Another good war diary with detailed entries when the Battalion was in action and a variety of appendices. March 1919 is missing from the diary.

6th (Service) Battalion Leinster Regiment

  • Date: 01 July – 30 September 1915
  • 29th Infantry Brigade, 10th (Irish) Division
  • Reference: WO 95/4296
  • Notes: This is a good war diary with lots of detail, especially for the Battle of Sari Bair on 10 and 11 August. This war diary is available to view on Ancestry.
  • Date: October 1915 – August 1917
  • 29th Infantry Brigade, 10th (Irish) Division
  • Reference: WO 95/4835
  • Notes: This war diary can only be viewed at the National Archives.
  • Date: September 1917 – May 1918
  • 29th Brigade, 10th (Irish) Division
  • Reference: WO 95/4579
  • Notes: This war diary can only be viewed at the National Archives.
  • Date: 01 June -16  September 1918
  • 198th Brigade, 66th Division
  • Reference: WO 95/3140/5
  • Notes: A good war diary with lots of detail which is available to download from the National Archives’ website for a small fee by clicking on the blue link above.

7th (Service) Battalion Leinster Regiment

  • Date: 16 December 1915 – 23 February 1918
  • 47th Infantry Brigade, 16th Division
  • Reference: WO 95/1970/4
  • Notes: A good war diary which contains a lot of appendices, including maps, from late 1917 onwards and can be downloaded for a small fee by clicking on the blue link above.

Further Sources for The Prince of Wales’s Leinster Regiment (Royal Canadians)

Each battalion of the Leinster Regiment to serve abroad during the war was part of a brigade which had its own headquarters war diary. The brigade headquarters’ diaries will cover the activities of all the units under its command and they often contain information, including maps and reports, which you don’t find in a battalion’s war diary. They are also part of the WO 95 series.

There is a two-volume history of the Leinster Regiment, with the first volume covering its pre-war service. The second volume covers the First World War up until the Regiment was disbanded in 1922. This is a good history to use in combination with battalion war diaries. The history has been reprinted by the Naval and Military Press.

The Imperial War Museum holds a collection of private papers to those who served in the Regiment. These haven’t been digitized and can only be viewed at the museum. The Regiment published a journal, The Journal of the Leinster Regiment from 1909 which is held by the British Library. I haven’t seen a copy and I don’t know whether it was published during the war, most regimental journals weren’t. A regimental annual was also published from 1922 onwards with some copies available at the British Library.