South African Irish Regiment

South African Irish Regiment
SANDF South African Irish Regiment emblem
Active	1 December 1914 to present
Country	South Africa
Allegiance	Union of South Africa  Republic of South Africa  Republic of South Africa
Branch	South African Army  South African Army  South African Army
Type	Infantry
Role	Motorised infantry
Size	One battalion
Part of	South African Infantry Formation Army Conventional Reserve
Garrison/HQ	Kensington Garrison - Johannesburg
Motto(s)	Faugh a Ballagh (Clear the way) (Irish)
March	"Killaloe"
Anniversaries	1 December (Regimental day) 23 November (Sidi Rezegh Day)
Engagements	World War I South West Africa 1914-15 World War II East Africa 1940-41 Capture of the Fortress of Mega Western Desert 1941-43 Sidi Rezegh Post World war II Operation Savannah Operation Protea Operation Bata Operation Prosper
Battle honours	Battle Honours Awarded South West Africa 1914 - 1915 East Africa 1940-41 Mega Western Desert 1941-43 Sidi Rezegh
Commanders
Current commander	Lt Col. W.W. Kinghorn MMM DWD
Colonel of the Regiment	Colonel B. Molefe
Insignia
Company level Insignia
SA Motorised Infantry beret bar circa 1992	SA Motorised Infantry beret bar

1 December (Regimental day)

World War I

World War II

Post World war II

The South African Irish Regiment is an infantry regiment of the South African Army. As a reserve unit, it has a status roughly equivalent to that of a British Army Reserve or United States Army National Guard unit.

Although all the regular units of Irish origin in the British Army have served in South Africa at some time during its colonial involvement in South Africa, the first autonomous South African units shaped by Irish influences were the Cape Town Irish Volunteer Rifles (raised by a Major O'Reilly in 1885) and Driscoll's Scouts (raised by Capt D.P. Driscoll during the Second Anglo-Boer War of 1899 – 1902).

However, an Irish Brigade also fought on the side of the Boer republics.

The South African Irish was formed at the outbreak of World War I in August 1914 when three officers (Major George Twomey, Captain J. Jeoffreys and a Captain MacDonald) met at the Irish Club in Johannesburg to raise an Irish regiment from among the citizens of Johannesburg and its surrounding areas.

After a request to The Union Defence Force (UDF) Headquarters, authority was granted to form the regiment and Lieutenant-Colonel Brennan was appointed as its first commanding officer. Major Twomey was appointed as its recruiting officer. The wife of General Louis Botha (a lady of Irish descent with the maiden name of Emmett) was appointed as the regiment's first honorary colonel.

Sources are not clear on the official date of formation of the South African Irish, but it is either 9 September or 1 December 1914. In any case, the battalion, consisting of six companies, first formed up at Booysens Camp in Johannesburg on the former date.

After training, the regiment was made part of 4 South African Infantry Brigade (part of the Northern Force) and embarked from Cape Town to the (then) German South-West Africa on 21 December 1914. On 25 December 1914 the Force landed at Walvis Bay and went into action immediately. The Regiment itself first came into contact with their German enemy on the following day, barely three months after it was raised.