Updated 23 Sep 1999
Transcribed from public records by Michael Cronin and posted here with his kind permission.
These notes on the South Cork Light Infantry Militia were taken from the regimental history: G.S. Ormerod, Regimental Records of the Third Battalion of the Royal Munster Fusiliers (Cork: Purcell, 1906). Available from the LDS film #0824226. In taking these notes I have limited myself to the time the regiment was in County Cork.
"Whereas, a respectable Military Force under the command of Officers possessing landed property within this Kingdom, is essential to the safety and protection of this realm and its constitution, and the Militia laws now in force in this Kingdom have been found incapable of effecting the purposes of their institution, be it therefore enacted by the King's Most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice of the Lord's Spiritual and Temporal and Commons in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, that the Governors of the several counties shall have full power and authority and are hereby required to call together and array, arm, and cause to be trained and exercised, such persons and in such manner as hereinafter directed once a year, …..."
"And be it further enacted, that the number of men to be raised by virtue of this Act shall be as follows, that is to say:- For the county of Cork, if with the city of Cork, if such city and county of the city of Cork shall be made part of the said county of Cork, for the purpose of this Act, 1,464 men. For the city and county of the city of Cork, 488 men. For the county in like case, 976 men."
In the event two county regiments were established: The North Cork, north of the Blackwater; and the South Cork, south of the Blackwater.
The establishment of regiments at this period consisted of from 8 to 12 companies.
The Grenadier Company consisted of 1 Captain, 2 Lieutenants, 3 Sergeants, 3 Corporals, 2 Drummers, 2 Fifers and 57 Privates; the Light Infantry Company consisted of 1 Captain, 2 Lieutenants, 3 Sergeants, 3 Corporals, 2 Drummers and 57 Privates; and each Battalion Company of 1 Captain, 1 Lieutenant, 1 Ensign, 3 Sergeants, 3 Corporals, 2 Drummers, and 57 Privates.
The Regimental Staff consisted of the following:--- 1 Colonel, 1 Lieutenant-Colonel, 1 Major, Adjutant, Paymaster, Surgeon, Assistant-Surgeon (called Surgeon's Mate), Quarter-Master, Sergeant-Major, and Quarter-Master-Sergeant.
Colonel Commandant, £2,000 year, or heir to £3,000 a year
Lieut.-Colonel, £1,200 year, or heir to £1,800 a year
Major, £300 a year, or heir to £600 a year
Captain, £200 a year, or heir to £400 a year
Lieutenant, £50 a year, or heir to £500 personal property a year
Ensign, £20 a year, or heir to £200 personal property a year
The Colonel and Leiut.-Colonel to have one-half their property in the county.
In 1855 an Act was passed in which no property qualification was required for officers in the militia below the rank of Captain, and the existing qualifications were considerably reduced.
In 1869 an Act was passed abolishing all property qualifications.
"About the 24th of December 1796 the French Fleet reached Bantry Bay, where they were drawn up ready for action. At night the lights could be distinctly seen on board from the land, and so certain were the authorities that they intended landing that Mr (later Sir Richard) White sent a message to the inhabitants of the town that all who wished to leave should depart forthwith."
The regiment attempted a forced march from Limerick but got only as far as Cork when the French were blown out to sea, the invasion never took place. They remained in County Cork at Mammoor Camp west of Bandon until 1798.
The staff remained at Rathcormac for the next 40 years. There were several reductions in the size of the staff until 1829 by which time it consisted:
1 Adjutant
1 Sergeant Major
13 Sergeants
1 Drum-Major
6 Drummers
The staff was allowed to decline further over the next 25 years by not replacing those who retired or left.
To quote directly from the regimental history:
"It was towards the end of this year that the so-called Staff of the 87th South Cork Light Infantry, which for nearly 40 years had been calmly resting in the quiet little village of Rathcormac, received orders to proceed to Bandon prior to the embodiment of the Regiment. What a staff it was after long years of neglect and indifference! Colonel the Hon. H.B. Bernard was fond of describing the appearance it presented, when, as commanding officer, he received this small remnant of what was once a crack corps, as it halted on the Barrack Square of Bandon. The whole lock, stock and barrel did not number more than 3 individuals...........from this very small beginning there spread the present South Cork Light Infantry--later still known as the 3rd Battalion Royal Munster Fusiliers."
As in the case of previous embodiments the regiment volunteered for foreign service but this time the offer was not accepted, which may have been just as well considering that this was a very 'green' regiment even by the standards of the time. When embodiment was completed in March 1855 the regiment, consisting 10 companies, marched to Kinsale, but even as late as June recruiting parties were sent out to Mitchelstown, Cork, Kanturk, Skibbereen, Cloyne, and Bandon. It can be assumed from this that they were still not up to strength which reinforces the correctness of the decision not to commit them to active service.
On October 29 they went by rail to Limerick but remained there only until December 8 when they went by rail to Dublin for garrison duty. They returned to Cork July 11, 1856. The old colours were retired to Ballymodan Church on July 1, and the regiment was disembodied on August 11 at Cork.
1856-81
On disembodiment the permanent staff of the regiment returned to Bandon. At this time it consisted of:
1 Adjutant
1 Quarter Master
1 Sergeant Major
1 Quarter Masters Clerk
20 Sergeants
10 Drummers
Starting in 1858 the regiment began annual training, usually in the summer months. Because there was no rifle range at Bandon the training consisted mostly of drill, in fact it was not until 1874, when the venue was changed to Fermoy, that any shot was fired in training. In 1872 control of the militia was transferred from the Lord Lieutenant to the War Office.
The following table sums up this period:
1858 The regiment assembled at Bandon on July 15 them marched to Kinsale for training.
1859-65 Annual training at Bandon commencing July 1.
1866-70 No training due to the 'disturbed condition of the country'.
1871 Training resumed at Bandon.
1872 No training.
1873 Training at Bandon. A Militia reserve was also formed this year.
1874 Training at Fermoy including musket practice for the first time.
1875 Training at Fermoy.
1876 The number of companies was reduced to eight. A trial mobilisation was carried out in July involving all available military forces including militia and regular army. The South Cork went to England and trained as part of the 3rd Brigade, 2nd Division, 2nd Army Corps near Horsham, Sussex (the North Cork and Galway militias were also part of this brigade). They returned to Cork on July 26.
1877 Training at Fermoy.
1878 Because of the Russian war scare the reserve were sent to Belfast to join the 104th but were soon disembodied and returned home.
1879-80 Training at Fermoy.
In 1881 the army reforms saw the amalgamation of the line and militia regiments, the South Cork became the 3rd Battalion of the Royal Munster Fusiliers but retained its militia status. Regimental HQ was at Tralee in Co. Kerry but battalion HQ remained at Bandon. Training was discontinued for three years but resumed in 1884:
1884 Training at Fermoy and Curragh.
1885 Training at Kinsale.
1886 Training at Fermoy.
1887 Training at Charles Fort, near Kinsale.
1888 Training at Kinsale. New colours were presented in August by the Countess of Bandon and in September the old colours were retired to Warren's Court.
1889 Training at Fermoy
1890 The permanent staff moved from Bandon to Charles Fort near Kinsale.
1891-6 Training at Charles Fort.
1897 Training at Kilworth Camp as part of the Munster Militia Brigade.
1898 Training at Charles Fort.
On arrival the battalion consisted of 24 officers and 426 men but during their time there the received a number of reinforcements:
30 April 1900: 104 men from the 4th battalion and 118 from the 5th.
13 July 1900: 134 men from the 1st battalion.
15 April 1901: 22 3rd battalion men.
During their time in South Africa 3 were killed in action, 6 wounded, and 10 died from disease.
They returned to Cork in March 1902 and were disembodied.
This is a list of officers and the year they were commissioned starting in 1800. For the full list see Ormerod’s book. Land owning qualifications applied to all officers until 1869 and for this reason officers joining before that date were almost certainly wealthy land owning Protestants.
1800
William Blair
George Laughton
John Heuson
1801
Lord Riversdale
George Atkins
Thomas Poole
1803
Chambers Corker
John Browne
Richard Newman
1804
Jonas Morris
Edward Evanson
Arthur Browne
William Gregg
Henry Harris
John Bernard
1805
William Kirby
Richard Bagley
Francis Bernard
William Elwood
Raymond Barry
1806
Devonshire Penrose
Henry Hungerford
George Jackson
George Bennett
James Godsell
Roger Langley
Charles McCarthy
Edward Barnet
Thomas Baldwin
Michael French
Thomas Townsend
Richard Carey
William Morris
1807
Horace Townsend
Capel Garde
Henry Daunt
Emanuel Hungerford
William Wellstead
John Payne
1808
Eyre Bruce
John Lloyd
Hays St Leger
John Crowe
Jonas Morris
Francis Heard
Michael Carey
Edward Foot
Thomas Lindsay
Kilney Barry
John Harris
Robert Stewards
John Chambly
Charles Miller
Samuel Godsell
Edward Long
1809
Thomas Nash
Thomas Beamish
1810
Henry Wallis
James Ludlow Stawell
Thomas Hungerford
William Stawell
Percy Scott
Edward Scott
Goff Ashton
1811
J D Freeman
Charles Stawell
Samuel Bennett
Phil Somerville
St Leger S Watkins
William Austin
S Walton
Gumbleton Daunt
1812
E Evans
William Long
Jonathan Bruce
John Sealy
Ralph Evans
1813
John French
Henry Baldwin
Thomas Hungerford
J H Whiteney
George Willis
1814
John Sealy
Pascoe Goggin
Hugh Nurcott
John Milward
1816
James Crowe
1830
Viscount Boyle
Viscount Bernard
1834
Sampson French
Hewitt Poole
1846
George Bowles
Francis Jones
Crewe C Townsend
William Bowles
William Ryder
Joseph Deane Freeman
George Robert Bruce
Arthur Hyde Lucas
Vere Hunt Bowles
John Glover Gregg
John Nagle
Robert Heard
John Lucas
1848
W St Leger Alcock Stawell
1852
Edmund A Shuldham
William Broderick
1853
John Peter Hardy
Richard W Doherty
1854
Hon. Henry Burgh Bernard
J R Wheeler
Michael Wall
Richard Tonson Rye
Chambers Baldwin
S L Newman
Frederick Cornwall
1855
Hon. W Evans Freek
Sir James Lawrence Cotter Bt.
H D Gaynor
William Johnson
Godfrey Baldwin
Robert Holmes
Denis Cummins
John Harding Cole
J J Tresillian
Charles Deane
Francis Heard
Richard White
W P Hosford
James H Morrogh
Samuel Hawkes
William H Bird
Thomas Deane Perry
Richard Ager
Thomas H Markham
Thomas Somerville
John Penrose Warren
Robert Cole Bowen
Walter Humphries
Beaumont Hotham
Thomas George Walker
C F Tuckey
M Alcock
Lancelot J Kiggell
H Slovach
1856
W C Seton
S Medlicott
Francis Rowland
1858
James H F Donegan
Richard Nettles
1861
Henry Lucas
1863
Edmund Roche
1864
Frederick Bell
1865
Sir Augustus Riversdale Warren Bt.
1866
Percy Broderick Bernard
1867
William Belcher
1868
James F W L B Bernard
James P Furlong
1869
Stephen P Coppinger
1871
J Byrne
H G Kelly
Thomas F Lyons
John R Newman
1872
A Poole Beamish
A D Jackson
T H Baylor
J T F Otway
Sir Ludlow Cotter
1873
George Lucas
Walter Baldwin
1874
A C Donovan
Hon. C A Winn
1875
J T Brinkley
T D O’Grady
1876
Christopher M Davidson
Brooke R Brazier
A J Lucas
1877
G R Westropp
Cunningham Fowler
J C Swete
Thomas Hone
1878
H Pratt
Ivone Kirkpatrick
1879
Ludlow T Bowles
Thomas H Underwood
Henry Comins
George W Dowell
1880
C W Murphy
1881
Richard W Cooper
P J W Considine
J E H Herrick
F H B Connor
G S Riach
M W O’Donovan
C J Butler Kearney
H L Helyar
1882
W W Newenham
A Riversdale J B Warren
William Sullivan
1883
J G P Glynn
A L Coppinger
C M Davidson
Frank Burke Graves
1884
C J T Blakeway
John H Cramer
T R Sarsfield
Henry Wrixon Becher
Henry Innes L’Estrange
1885
J H O’Connell
J W Jopp Parker
Alexander Deane
1886
W P Sellar
B N C Roberts
R F Creighton
1887
A L E Des Barres
E O J Allen
George L’Estrange
1888
Ludlow Strange Payne
Thomas Gosselin Elliott
A J Moseley
J McNamara
1889
H G L Davidson
1892
C C Mahony
F A Clarke
1893
W D Beamish
1894
C Gravice
G W C Soden
H G Richardson
1895
R H Townsend
G R Braddell
T W S Green
1896
D S MacCarthy Morrogh
1897
W H Forsdick
B V S Domvile
A W J F Abbott
1898
P W Brooks
R S Popham
1899
E P Conway
A St Leger Goldie
P C Shaw
A W S Brock
A C Ferguson
F Bleazby
H S L Maydwell
G O B Harley
W T R Browne
1900
A B J Webber
S D Nash
S H Dix
R W Oldnall
A Arnott
L C Richardson
F G Wintour
H G C Perry Ayscough
W S Browne
H B T Rye
A E King
D H Powell
1901
R Leahy
Fitz G B Crosbie
W J Hewett
D de C C MacGillcuddy
H B S Stephenson
H B Purdon
F F O’Halloran
F S Popham
G H Powell
H StJohn Hazeldine
1902
H W Powel
1903
R J Meade
R E E B Doherty
H E MacCarthy Morrogh
J C Cullimore Lee
R F Penrose
A H Darnell
R Hutchins
S G S Payne
1904
T C W Fowle
G S Ormerod
G M H Wright
R H Maunsell-Eyre
1905
A E Saunderson
T A Wise
H StJohn Hazeldine
1906
E N Appelbe