Early in October, 1915, the Division landed in France, and we in the R I Rifles may feel proud when it is seen that no fewer than nine Battalions of the Regiment were units in the Division. Also, it is of interest to note that the first soldier of the Division to fall in action was No.19557 Rifleman Samuel Hill, of the 12th Battalion, and the first Officer 2nd/Lieut. R. W MacDermott, of the 8th Battalion.
At first, units of the Division did not serve together, various battalions being attached to divisions already in the line, in order to gain experience. By February, however, the Division had been concentrated and Major General Nugent, C.B., D.S.O., a well-known Ulsterman, who had succeeded Major-General Powell, took the Division into the line at Thiepval, in the Somme area. This area, even in the early part of 1916, could hardly be considered as quiet, and as the Battle of the Somme approached, so the bombardments and raids increased in intensity.
There is no doubt that in June, 1916, the Division was one of the finest of the New Army Divisions then serving in France.
The 1st of July, 1916, witnessed the opening of the great Battle of the Somme,
which, up to that time, was the greatest that the British Army had
ever fought. The story of the attack by the Ulster Division that morning need not be repeated, as it must be known to all Ulstermen, but Colonel John Buchan, in his History of the War, records that :
"North of Thiepval the Ulster Diyision broke through the enemy trenches, passed the crest of the ridge, and reached the point called 'The Crucifix,' in rear of the first German Position. For a little while they held the strong Schwaben Redoubt, which we were not to enter again till after three months of battle, and some even got as far as the outskirts of Grandcourt. It was the anniversary day of the Battle of the Boyne, and that charge, when the men shouted 'Remember the Boyne,' will be for ever a glorious page in the annals of Ireland. Enfiladed on three sides, they went on through successive German lines, and only a remnant came back to tell the tale. That remnant brought many Prisoners, one man herding fifteen of the enemy through their own barrage. In the words of the General who commanded it: 'The Division carried out every Portion of its allotted task in spite of the heaviest losses. It captured nearly 600 prisoners, and carried its advance triumphantly to the limits of the objective laid down.' Nothing finer was done in the war. The splendid troops, drawn from those Volunteers who had banded themselves together for another cause, now shed their blood like water for the liberty of the world."
The casualties ran into thousands, and over one hundred and forty officers of the Rifles alone were casualties.
It was clear that, after sustaining such severe casualties, the Division would not he ready for some time to take part in another large operation. It was, therefore, withdrawn from the Somme and transferred to the Second Army, commanded by General Plumer, in Flanders. The remainder of 1916 was spent in the region of
Ploegstreet, Messines, and the neighbouring areas. During this period new drafts arriving from the reserve battalions were finding their feet, and all at the front realised that the offensive on the Somme had not obtained the results anticipated.
It seemed certain that in the near future the Division would be called upon to take part in s another great offensive.
The spring and summer of 1917 found the Division still in the northern area, and on the 7th of June it took part in that brilliant offensive on the Wytchaete-Messines Ridge which had been in German hands since 1914. The Division,in this attack, was conspicuous, and the Times correspondent recorded that the Ulster Division did all that was required of it. General Sir Hubert Gough also praised the work of the Division. The 8th Division sustained the heaviest losses of the day, but these, it is fortunate to recount, were small to those incurred on the 1st of July, 1916.
A brief period of rest followed the Messines battle, but the beginning of August found the Division heavily engaged in the 3rd Battle of Ypres, or, to give it the more famous name -Passchendaele. Only those who took part in this battle have any conception of what the conditions were like, or of the stubborn resistance put up by the enemy. But, nevertheless, the Division fought with its usual gallantry, but received very severe casualties
-nearly equal to those of the 1st of July, 1916.
The Third Army zone was the next destination of the Division, and in late August it occupied trenches south-west of Cambrai. At this period, owing to the heavy casualties incurred in the summer battles in the salient and the lack of reinforcements arriving from home, due very largely to the number of men employed in the shipyards, the 8th and 9th Battalions of the Rifles were amalgamated, as were the 11th and 13th Battalions. It was at this time that the 2nd Battalion joined the Division.
September and October were spent in the Hermines sector, but the next operation in which the Division took part was on the 20th of November, when the attack on Cambrai and the Hindenhurg Line commenced. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle refers to the part played by the Division in this battle. He says :
"The British front was cut across diagonally by a considerable canal with deep sides-the Canal du Nord. Upon the north side of this was one division. This flank unit was the famous 36th Ulster Division, who behaved this day with their usual magnificent gallantry. Advancing with deliberate determination, they carried all before them, though exposed to that extra strain to which a flank unit must always submit.Their left was enfiladed by the enemy, and they had continually to build up a defensive flank, which naturally subtracted from their numbers and made a long advance impossible. None the less, after rushing a high bank bristling with machine guns, they secured the second line, where they were firmly established by 10-30, after a sharp contest with the garrison. They then swept forward, keeping the canal upon their right, until by evening they had established themselves upon the Bapaume-Cambrai Road."
The Division gained its objectives on the 20 th and 21st, and held on against counter attacks on the 22nd. The amalgamated 8th/9th Battalion of the Rifles distinguished themselves on the 23rd by capturing Round Trench and Quarry Wood, near Moeuvres.
The battalion was isolated and, after very heavy firing, was forced out of Quarry Wood, but retained their hold on Round Trench.
After a period of rest, the Division moved further still to the south-east of the line, taking over from the French in the St. Quintin sector. This was a refreshing area to be in, after the mud and heavy shelling of the more northern sectors. To he in the line was almost a picnic, as the enemy were very quiet, and days and nights passed without hardly a shot being fired. Too uncannily quiet was the opinion of many, and it was not long before both oflicers and men realised that the enemy were preparing for a great offensive.
Early in the year the reorganization of the Army into brigades of three battalions was carried through. The 8th/9th Battalion of the Rifles was disbanded, as were the 10th, llth/l3th and 14th Battalions. The 1st Battalion joined the division at this time, and also the two regular battalions of the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers.
The composition of the infantry brigades in the Division in February, 1918, was as follows :