Royal Munster Fusiliers
| The Royal Munster Fusiliers (101st Foot & 104th Foot) | |
|---|---|
Cap badge of the Royal Munster Fusiliers. | |
| Active | 1881–1922 |
| Country | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland |
| Branch | British Army |
| Type | Infantry |
| Role | Line Infantry |
| Size | 2 Regular Battalions at disbandment (11 during the Great War) |
| Garrison/HQ | RHQ: Ballymullen Barracks, Tralee, County Kerry |
| Nickname(s) | Old Contemptibles; The Dirty Shirts |
| Motto(s) | Spectemur agendo "Let us be judged by our acts." |
| March | Quick: St. Patrick's Day Won't You Come Home to Bom-Bombay The British Grenadiers |
| Mascot(s) | "Garry", an Irish wolfhound (1915 – 1922) |
| Insignia | |
| Hackle | White over Green |
| Identification symbol | Bengal tiger |
The Royal Munster Fusiliers was a line infantry regiment of the British Army from 1881 to 1922. It traced its origins to the East India Company's Bengal European Regiment raised in 1652, which later became the 101st Regiment of Foot (Royal Bengal Fusiliers). The Royal Munster Fusiliers were formed in 1881 by the merger of the 101st Regiment of Foot and the 104th Regiment of Foot (Bengal Fusiliers). One of eight Irish regiments raised largely in Ireland, it had its home depot in Tralee and served as the county regiment for Cork, Clare, Limerick and Kerry. At its formation the regiment comprised two regular and two militia battalions.
The Royal Munster Fusiliers served in India before the regiment fought in the Second Boer War. Prior to the First World War, the regiment's three militia battalions were converted into reserve battalions, and a further six battalions were added to the regiment's establishment during the war. The regiment fought with distinction throughout the Great War and won three Victoria Crosses by the conflict's conclusion in 1918. Following establishment of the independent Irish Free State in 1922, the five regiments that had their traditional recruiting grounds in the counties of the new state were disbanded and the Royal Munster Fusiliers ceased to be as a regiment on 31 July 1922.