{"id":16158,"date":"2025-11-23T14:26:22","date_gmt":"2025-11-23T14:26:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.londonirishrifles.com\/?page_id=16158"},"modified":"2026-04-01T16:43:36","modified_gmt":"2026-04-01T16:43:36","slug":"38-irish-brigade-in-north-africa-december-1942","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.londonirishrifles.com\/index.php\/second-world-war\/38-irish-brigade-1942-1947\/monthly-reviews\/month-by-month-review-november-1942-to-june-1943-tunisia\/38-irish-brigade-in-north-africa-december-1942\/","title":{"rendered":"38 (Irish) Brigade in North Africa \u2013 December 1942"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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During the first part of December 1942, both 6th Inniskillings (6 Innisks) and 2nd London Irish Rifles (2 LIR) established themselves in central northern Tunisia before taking part in defensive and forward patrolling activity. The brigade\u2019s third battalion, 1st Royal Irish Fusiliers (1 RIrF), joined the other two battalions later in the month and, by the end of December, they all took part in several sharp encounters with the German outlying forward units. The end of the year would see enemy aircraft activity across the whole area continuing to harass the Irish Brigade\u2019s positions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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‘Battle of the Mosques’<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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War Diaries<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\"\"\/<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
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Key Dates:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

1st December<\/strong> \u2013 2 LIR remain in Bougie until 6th December, while 6 Innisks embark from Algiers to travel onto Bone.  1 RIrF are still at sea on route for North Africa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3rd December <\/strong>\u2013 6 Innisks arrive in Bone and remain there until 7th December.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

6th December <\/strong>\u2013 2 LIR leave Bougie on route for Teboursouk in Tunisia via Constantine, taking three days to reach their defensive positions there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

7th December<\/strong> \u2013 The ship carrying 1 RIrF is involved in a collision with another vessel and has to dock at Gibraltar for three days of repairs. 6 Innisks leave Bone for Teboursouk and arrive there on 9th December at the same time as 2 LIR.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

9th December <\/strong>\u2013  6 Innisks and 2 LIR establish themselves at Teboursouk, and start to undertake defensive duties and then commence aggressive forward patrolling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

10th December<\/strong> \u2013 1 RIrF arrive in Algiers, before sailing onto Bougie and arrive there on 11th December.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

11th December <\/strong>\u2013 1 RIrF remain in Bougie until 18th December.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

18th December<\/strong> \u2013 1 RIrF travel from Bougie to Djebel el Alkhout arriving there on 21st December.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From 19th December onwards<\/strong> \u2013 6 Innisks and 2 LIR continue on active defensive\/forward patrolling duties south and east of Goubellat towards Bou Arada and El Aroussa, and are joined in the area on 21st December by 1 RIrF.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

20th December \u2013<\/strong> Lt-Col Macartney-Filgate, CO of 6 Innisks, is wounded by enemy air action. Major Heaver Allen takes over command of 6 Innisks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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December 1942 Roll of Honour:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

8th Dec \u2013 Sergeant Rowland Farthing, 6 Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

10th Dec \u2013 Rifleman Ronald Childs, 2 London Irish Rifles.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

11th Dec \u2013 Rifleman Charles Brady, 2 London Irish Rifles.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

11th Dec \u2013 Lance Corporal Richard Clutterbuck, 6 Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

21st Dec \u2013 Fusilier James Purdy, 6 Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

26th Dec \u2013 Rifleman Harold Kershaw, 2 London Irish Rifles.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

27th Dec \u2013 Lieutenant Desmond Moore, 1 Royal Irish Fusiliers (attached from Worcestershire Regiment).<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

27th Dec \u2013 Fusilier Leonard Thoroughgood, 1 Royal Irish Fusiliers.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

27th Dec \u2013 Fusilier Thomas Williams, 1 Royal Irish Fusiliers.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

27th Dec \u2013 Fusilier Daniel Downing, 1 Royal Irish Fusiliers.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

28th Dec \u2013 Fusilier Joseph Roche, 1 Royal Irish Fusiliers.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

28th Dec \u2013 Fusilier Jack Rodin, 1 Royal Irish Fusiliers.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

28th Dec \u2013 Lance Corporal Samuel Kane, 1 Royal Irish Fusiliers.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

28th Dec \u2013 Fusilier James Montgomery, 1 Royal Irish Fusiliers.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

28th Dec \u2013 Fusilier Alfred Robinson, 1 Royal Irish Fusiliers.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

29th Dec \u2013 Fusilier Albert Deakin, 1 Royal Irish Fusiliers.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

29th Dec \u2013 Fusilier Norman Kyle, 1 Royal Irish Fusiliers.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

29th Dec \u2013 Fusilier Richard Eales, 1 Royal Irish Fusiliers.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

29th Dec \u2013 Fusilier Arthur Cross, 1 Royal Irish Fusiliers.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

31st Dec \u2013 Fusilier William Farnan, 6 Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

During the first part of December 1942, both 6th Inniskillings (6 Innisks) and 2nd London Irish Rifles (2 LIR) established themselves in central northern Tunisia before taking part in defensive and forward patrolling activity. The brigade\u2019s third battalion, 1st Royal Irish Fusiliers (1 RIrF), joined the other two battalions later in the month and, by […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":16093,"menu_order":1,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-16158","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.londonirishrifles.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/16158","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.londonirishrifles.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.londonirishrifles.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.londonirishrifles.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.londonirishrifles.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16158"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/www.londonirishrifles.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/16158\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23027,"href":"https:\/\/www.londonirishrifles.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/16158\/revisions\/23027"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.londonirishrifles.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/16093"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.londonirishrifles.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16158"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}