The Plugstreet Archaeological Project 1st Btn. Royal Munster Fusiliers

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1st Btn. Royal Munster Fusiliers served with with the 16th Irish Division near the Petit Boise and Maedelstede Farm mines, during the 1917 Battle of Messines.

Those who served with the 1st Btn. Royal Munster Fusiliers at The Battle of Messines. Hedge B. Pte. d.7th Jun 1917

Ireland's Unknown Soldiers: The 16th (Irish) Division in the Great War Terence Denman The Great War of 1914-18 saw the Irish soldier make his greatest sacrifice on Britain's behalf. Nearly 135,000 Irishmen volunteered (conscription was never applied in Ireland) in addition to the 50,000 Irish who were serving with the regular army and the reserves on 4 August 1914. Within a few weeks of the outbreak of the war no less than three Irish divisions - the 10th (Irish), 16th (Irish) and 36th (Ulster) - were formed from Irishmen, Catholic and Protestant, who responded to Lord Kitchener's call to arms. An estimated 35,000 Irish-born soldiers were killed before the armistice came in November 1918. Over 4,000 of those who died were with the 16th (Irish) Division. More information on: Ireland's Unknown Soldiers: The 16th (Irish) Division in the Great War

Letters from the Trenches: A Soldier of the Great War Bill Lamin Harry Lamin was born in Derbyshire in 1877 and left school at thirteen to work in the lace industry, but by December 1916 he had been conscripted into the 9th Battalion, York and Lancaster Regiment and sent to war. Harry's letters home to his family describe the conflict with a poignant immediacy, even ninety years on, detailing everything from the action in battle to the often amusing incidents of life amongst his comrades.Throughout the letters, Harry's tone is unwaveringly stoical, uncomplaining and good-humoured. "Letters From The Trenches" is a fitting tribute to the unsung heroes of the Great War who fought and endured and returned home, and the one in six who did not. The letters describe the war through the eyes of those who really lived it, bringing the horrors and triumphs to life for the twenty-first-century reader. Edited by Harry's grandson, Bill, "Letters From The Trenches" tells the moving story of a brave, selfless and honourable man who endured everything that the war More information on: Letters from the Trenches: A Soldier of the Great War

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