ramsey 1940s weekend
formation of the group
Hello, and a very warm welcome to our new website. My name is Steve ( Mad Paddy ) This website is a result of my other website dedicated to Irish Regiments and History. I thought that it was about time that i created a seperate website totally dedicated to Living History and our involvement in portraying the Royal Ulster Rifles, and other Irish Regiments, such as the Irish Guards and the London Irish Rifles. The aim of our group is to educate others about the sacrifices made by Irishmen during World War 2, and to keep the memory of those men and their Regiments alive. We are the only group in the UK doing this.
The group and display filmed at Ramsey 1940s weekend in 2009.
The reenacting, living history scene is a multi-million pound business, involving tens of thousands of people in the Uk, and indeed the world. It covers all historic and military periods. I had already been collecting from the age of 14, and only recently decided to get involved in World War Two living history. The question was which regiment was i to portray? That came quite easily. Being an Irishman from Ballina, Co Mayo i wanted to represent an Irish Regiment. I had noticed a few years back, that there were no living history groups out there representing the Irish and the sacrifices made by Irishmen from both north and south duing World War Two.
Items Featured on this Website
A Regimental History of the Royal Irish Rifles and the Royal Ulster Rifles
Andy, Ed and myself with part of our display at Ramsey 2008
Uniforms and Head Gear
Although Eire remained neutral during World War II many men from the south also served in the ranks of the Royal Ulster Rifles. As many as 150,000 Irishmen from the south volunteered to fight for the British Armed Forces alone. That is not including those who fought with other Commonwealth countries and also within the armed forces of the United States. The group at present consists of myself ( Steve ) Andrew, Ed, Chris, Luke and David. David comes all the way over from Co Sligo to be with us for the various events we attend. We also have Lucy and Karen who have a 1940s Home Front display with some excellent exhibits. You can see more about them at www.thehomefront.webeden.co.uk If you have an interest in Irish Regiments and would like to read more about them, you may like to visit my other website at www.irishregimentsandhistory.com
A portrait by Andrew of his grandfather wearing the uniform of the 2nd Battalion
Royal Ulster Rifles.
World War 2 Infantry Weapons
Andrew, with his original PIAT at Cherry Hinton, Cambridgeshire.
I met up with Andrew in 2005 and the group was formed. Andrew's grandfather landed at Sword Beach on the 6th June 1944 with the Rifles and fought his way to Germany. He survived the war.
British Infantry Equipment
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Sword Beach: The Brave, The Frightened, The Dead.
Military Collectables
The Royal Ulster Rifles were part of 9th Brigade, British 3rd Infantry Division when they landed on Sword Beach, Normandy on the 6th June 1944.
As a group we are mainly based in East Anglia. We are currently looking for new members to come along and attend various shows this year 2010.
If You have an interest in World War 2 history and would like to help us preserve the memory of those who served in Irish Regiments, drop us a line through the ' contact us ' page we would love to hear from you !!
I hope you enjoy viewing this site, as you will see it is still being constructed, but i hope that it will give you an insight into the Royal Ulster Rifles. If you wish to view one of the Videos on this website, background music can be turned off at the music box below.
Mad Paddy
Website Designed By Mad Paddy
the 2nd battalion royal ulster rifles
World War 2 Living History Group
