The 2nd Battalion Royal Dublin Fusiliers is one of the oldest regiments in the service. It was raised in February and March, 1661, to form the garrison of Bombay, which had been ceded to the Crown as part of the dowry of the Infanta of Portugal, on her marriage with King Charles II. It then consisted of four companies, the establishment of each being one captain, one lieutenant, one ensign, two sergeants, three corporals, two drummers, and 100 privates, and arrived at Bombay on September 18th, 1

CHAPTER I. TALANA. 'The midnight brought the signal sound of strife, The morn the marshalling in arms, the day— Battle's magnificently stern array.' Byron. The 2nd Battalion of the Royal Dublin Fusiliers left India for Maritzburg, Natal, in 1897, and therefore, on the outbreak of the war between Great Britain and the South African Republics, had the advantage of possessing some acquaintance with the topography of the colony, and of a two years' training and preparation for the long struggle whic

CHAPTER I. VRYBURG TO HEIDELBERG. 'None of us put off our clothes.' Neh. iv. 23. Now commenced a different phase of warfare. If, in the constant fighting of the Natal campaign, the regiment had been called upon to prove its fighting capabilities—a call to which their noble response earned them encomiums wherever they went—they were now to be called upon to prove another essential of the true soldier—their mobility. And well they proved it. Day after day, week after week, the tired, footsore, but

CHAPTER I. THE ADEN HINTERLAND 'For this relief much thanks.' Hamlet. The voyage from Durban to Aden was a welcome change, but quite uneventful, with the exception of one sad event, the death of Sergeant Pearson, who had embarked in a state of collapse, with little or no prospect of recovery. He was a most promising N.C.O., and his father had served in the regiment before him. Aden was reached on February 11th, 1902, and the battalion disembarked that afternoon. The year passed without any incid

The South African Memorial, Natal....

I. Roll of Death Casualties. Killed in Action. [Back to Contents] II. Died of Wounds. III. Deaths by Disease. IV. List of Wounded. V. Battle of Talana . Reported Missing since October 21st, 1899....