Cap Badge - 18th Battalion, The London Regiment - "London Irish Rifles" The London Irish Volunteers were founded at the Freemasons' Tavern, Great Queen Street on 5th December 1859 during concerns over the threats posed by Napoleon III, and which prompted the rise in the Victorian Volunteer Movement. The Marquess of Donegall presided at the original general meeting. The formal formation of the Regiment took place in February 1860, and at that time was named the 28th Middlesex (London Irish) Rifle Volunteer Corps. During the First World War, the LIR raised three Battalions, one of which stayed in reserve in England. The 1st Battalion was sent to France in 1915 and saw its first action at Festubert in May, before taking part in many of the major battles on the western front during the next three years. The 2nd Battalion served in France, Greece and Palestine. At the Battle of Loos, the 1st Battalion LIR particularly distinguished itself. While storming across No-Man's Land to capture the enemy trenches, Rifleman Edwards, the Captain of the football team, kicked a football along in front of the troops. This earned the LIR probably their most famous Battle Honour - "Loos, 1915". The Loos football is still preserved in the Regimental Museum, and to this day, the memory of Rifleman Frank Edwards and his comrades is commemorated every year at Connaught House on Loos Sunday. Over 1000 London Irishmen were killed during the conflict. The following battle honours were gained by the two battalions of the London Irish Rifles during the First World War: "Festubert, 1915" "Loos, 1915" "Somme, 1916,'18" "Flers-Courcelette" "Morval" "Le Transloy" "Messines, 1917" "Ypres, 1917" "Langemarck, 1917" "Cambrai, 1917" "St Quentin" "Bapaume, 1918" "Ancre, 1918" "Albert, 1918" "Pursuit to Mons" "France and Flanders, 1915-18" "Doiran, 1917" "Macedonia, 1916-17" "Gaza" "El Mughar" "Nebi Samwil" "Jerusalem" "Jericho" "Jordan" "Palestine, 1917-18".