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  • I think my dad was on that trip as well (46 IRISHBATT), found some of his photos in the attic yesterday while digging out some gear. Sigs Cpl, not sure what Coy he was with though I think he was with HQ. He never mentions any of his trips and when he does he still gives out about eating 'f**king spam for 6 months'.

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    • Originally posted by RoyalGreenJacket View Post
      what does this actually mean holdfast?
      I presume 200 personnel on the trip with 106 Inf Bn

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      • I remember being told the story by the late Chief Jumping Bean on an ex one night.. love to hear it again..

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        • Originally posted by RoyalGreenJacket View Post
          what does this actually mean holdfast?
          From what we were told, it's that from next year they're looking at reducing the trip from Bn size to roughly 200 bodies.

          If it happens, it's completely ridiculous that our only major Overseas mission won't even be a Bn size trip. However, that just about sums up the DF.

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          • Application for a "War Stories" thread?
            I knew a simple soldier boy.....
            Who grinned at life in empty joy,
            Slept soundly through the lonesome dark,
            And whistled early with the lark.

            In winter trenches, cowed and glum,
            With crumps and lice and lack of rum,
            He put a bullet through his brain.
            And no one spoke of him again.

            You smug-faced crowds with kindling eye
            Who cheer when soldier lads march by,
            Sneak home and pray you'll never know
            The hell where youth and laughter go.

            Comment


            • Originally posted by DeV View Post
              I presume 200 personnel on the trip with 106 Inf Bn
              Originally posted by Hello Alaska View Post
              From what we were told, it's that from next year they're looking at reducing the trip from Bn size to roughly 200 bodies.

              If it happens, it's completely ridiculous that our only major Overseas mission won't even be a Bn size trip. However, that just about sums up the DF.
              that's what i thought it meant but i couldn't figure out why the numbers were being reduced if it is a battalion assignment.

              seems daft to me, i guess it's a UN thing and not necessarily the Irish DF's choice, even if it does happen.
              RGJ

              ...Once a Rifleman - Always a Rifleman... Celer et Audax

              The Rifles

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              • Can't see why seeing as how the Finns aren't ready to deploy the coy with us yet?

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                • Originally posted by Infy View Post
                  I think my dad was on that trip as well (46 IRISHBATT), found some of his photos in the attic yesterday while digging out some gear. Sigs Cpl, not sure what Coy he was with though I think he was with HQ. He never mentions any of his trips and when he does he still gives out about eating 'f**king spam for 6 months'.
                  I cant recall getting loads of "SPAM" while with the 46th Bn, in fact the prepared food & rations were of good quality even if the rations portions were small, we all supplemented our rations with chocolate bars and chips obtained in the "mingy" shops during the day.

                  The "C" Company cooks were top notch, Cpl Johnny Gill, out of Longford, Val Kalpin (+RIP+) out of Letterkenny, Freddy Farrel, out of Athlone, John Long out of Galway, to name but a few, did sterling work on the old M59's.

                  Even when I was behind the Enclave lines in "O.P. Mhaibeb" we got enough rations, to sustain us, even when the D.F.F. managed to nick ration items out of the trucks doing re-supply.

                  The only time we had a problem was when the rations for the "Green Rooms" were being sent to the "Black Hole" and we were getting the "Black Holes" allotment, part of my job, along with normal duties was to cook food for the lads going to the O.P.'s and for the sections breakfast and lunch, for dinner we rotated down to the C.O.'s House in Bra-Shit village. Tom "the Bomb" Finerty had to be closely monitored at feeding time during the short ration period as he would eat all the bread available. (when asked by the C.O. Davie Taylor, what would be his first act at home in Ireland after getting back, he modestly replied "to tumble a bullock and slap it between two loaves of bread."

                  Connaught Stranger

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                  • Cheers for the info CS, as I say he never mentions his trips much, think he did 3 to the Leb. I just remember him giving out about spam one day about 6 years ago when he was talking to an old buddy. I must ask him sometime about it all, I'm sure he has many the story that could be told!

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                    • Thanks. I never knew that it got that hairy. Sounds like a busy few hours.

                      Could you only shoot back when ordered to?
                      'He died who loved to live,' they'll say,
                      'Unselfishly so we might have today!'
                      Like hell! He fought because he had to fight;
                      He died that's all. It was his unlucky night.
                      http://www.salamanderoasis.org/poems...nnis/luck.html

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                      • As I recall being told at the time, Private Stephen Griffen (+ Rest In Peace +) was part of a section attack advancing towards a local house held by the D.F.F., in front of the OUT-HOUSE, a burst of fire from the D.F.F. (from a czech-made Scorpion sub-machine gun) was directed at the Irish troops, 1 round hit Private Griffen in the eye, entering the skull, and severely wounded, he fell to the ground, his comrades managed to evacuate him still alive out of the field of fire and he was Medevaced to Israel, where despite all efforts to revive him, failed, he was placed on a life support machine, (I believe subsequently afterwards that his parents being informed of his condition gave permission for the machine to be turned off, and his kidneys were donated to a Jewish person and a Arab person.)

                        Connaught Ranger.

                        Comment


                        • Originally posted by atiri
                          DAY ONE The way it worked was that if there was any trouble in the irish ao with a coy b coy or c coy the bn .reserve would be used So lots of times we were called to haddath school but they turned out to be false alarms So when we were called we thought here we go again wait an hour and then be stood down but this time it was different we were told we were going into at tiri to support c coy who were have trouble a christian half track had broken through their check point and was in the village.we mounted the trucks and went over hill 880 down into the village dismounted and a were told to take cover we went to the back of the house at the cross roads with the check point being at the front of the house Later my self and another guy moved to the porch of the house for better firing position than the christians put in a attack we could see them coming but we were not given any order to fire the guys at the back of the house were captured and Stevie Griffen who was on the gpmg got a bullet in his eye he died later from his injuries i cannot remember if it is at this stage that the christians brought up the tank to the check point but the tank approached with its gun facing away from us we had a ninety on the check point when it reached the check point it turned its gun around .They also had a half track at a ruined house about 200 meters from the checked point to the right Lots of the timing is muddled in my hesd but our prisioners were released the tank withdrew meanwhile the christian ferried in lots of children to pelt us with stones while this riot was happens their snipers were firing and they shot a fijian in the head we were then given the order to attack the old house but the christians had retreated they then started shelling us the dutch on hill 880 fired milan missiles at the tanks thats when the ninty went into the village and destroyed the half track that was there killing the gunner iv left out loads of stuff here maybe one of the other guys that was with me can fill in
                          How about some punctuation and paragraph guy's . Trying to read this is a bit hard on the eye's but thank's for the story anyway .

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                          • Originally posted by atiri
                            Sorry about the punctuation . Just to mention the Dutch soldiers who helped us,they came down hill 880 in an A.P.C under heavy fire from an Super Sherman. They were brave soldiers i think there was 8 of them all privates, The Netherlandsshould be proud of them,
                            There were at least 4 DUTCHBATT DAF YP- 408, 8-Wheel Dutch Armored Car's with tow missiles deployed at Hill 880 and at least two DAF YP-408 infantry carriers, mounting .5's and one Red Cross marked Ambulance version, used to medevac a Irish N.C.O. with a suspected twisted / broken ankle out of At-Tiri.

                            The T.O.W. version DAF YP's were responsible for at least 2 confirmed "kills" against D.F.F. Super Sherman's and a third was a narrow miss when the guide wire to the missile broke causing the tow to erratically fly off unguided into the Enclave area, later "Major" Saad Haddatt was to rant on the Voice of Peace (?) radio station how the Irish tried to assassinate him with a rocket.

                            Connaught Stranger.

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                            • Originally posted by atiri
                              No Stevie and Martin kelly were manning a GPMG and facing the attack when the christians attacked The attack on the derilict house came days later a corporal from signals got theDSM for rushing to Stevies aid
                              The list of DSM's for At-Tiri were:-

                              Capt Adrian Ainsworth
                              2nd
                              At Tiri, Lebanon

                              Lt Anthony Bracken
                              2nd
                              At Tiri, Lebanon

                              Cpl Michael Jones
                              2nd
                              At Tiri, Lebanon

                              Pte Michael John Daly
                              2nd
                              At Tiri, Lebanon

                              Lt. Anthony Bracken of the 4th Motor Squadron for driving a landrover under fire to retrieve a wounded Irish soldier, (I believe Private Stevie Griffin was the wounded soldier).

                              Can anybody post the citations for the other awards as I have never found them.

                              Connaught Stranger.
                              Last edited by Connaught Stranger; 29 June 2011, 11:35.

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