The heroism of Robert Quigg at the Battle of the Somme
Add date

EVER since its foundation at the end of the eighteenth century, the Orange Order has had a close and abiding association with the militarv. This link has continued to the present day with 0rangemen serving in the Royal Irish Regiment, the RUC, and with the UN Peace Keeping Forces in Bosnia. Many early members of the Order had seen service in the ranks of the Volunteers and during the 1798 United Irishmen's rebellion many prominent Orangemen raised and commanded units of the local yeomanry. This link manifested itself in the early nineteenth century when a number of British Army regiments took out military warrants. An Orange warrant was even carried into 'the valley of death' during the glorious charge of the light Brigade at the Battle of Balaclava on 25 October 1854. Such service was to scale new and unprecedented heights during the Great War when three Orangemen received the nation's highest honour: the Victoria Cross.

The Great War

It has been estimated that upwards of two hundred thousand Orangemen served throughout the Great War when taking into account the many brethren from the United States, Canada, Australia, and other countries within the British Commonwealth, along with those serving with the 36th (Ulster) Division and numerous other units. Many Orangemen were decorated for bravery during the conflict and the first Orangeman to be awarded the Victoria Cross in World War One was Brother Private Abraham Acton of Whitehaven, Cumberland, who received the award for his conspicuous bravery on 21 December 1914 at Rouge Blanc, France. (The third Orangeman to receive the Victoria Cross in the Great War was Robert Hill Hanna of Vancouver-based Ontario LOL 2226 for an action on 21 August 1917.) In between times another Orangeman was destined to add his name to the glorious chapter of Orange service to the Crown. His name was Rifleman Robert Quigg, who served with the 12th Battalion, The Royal Irish Rifles.

Robert Quigg was a prominent member of Aird LOL 1195 and was also an enthusiastic musician with the local flute band which accompanied the lodge. He also joined the Royal Black Institution, being a member of the William Johnston Memorial RBP 559, named after Ulster's most enigmatic Orange leader of the nineteenth century. Quigg was born on 28 February 1885 at Ardihennon, County Antrim, and was named after his father, Robert Quigg senior, who worked as a boatman and tour guide at Ulster's most famous tourist attraction, the nearby Giant's Causeway. The young boy was educated at the Giant's Causeway National School under the tutelage of his teacher, Mr David McConaghy, who later described the young Quigg as a 'diligent and reliable pupil'. Upon leaving school, Quigg worked as a labourer on a number of local farms and for eight years was in the employ of Mr David Forsyth of Turfahum. He later worked on the estate of The Honourable Sir E. C. McNaghten. which was situated close to his family home. As the Ulster Crisis deepened, Robert Quigg, a powerfully built man measuring six feet in height, and sporting the almost ubiquitous bushy moustache common to the period, had no hesitation in joining the recently formed Ulster Volunteer Force in 1913. He instantly made a good impression on the commander of his local unit, the Bushmills' Voluneers.

The war clouds gathering over Europe put a temporary halt to UVF preparations and when Sir Edward Carson offered the services of the formation to the British, thousands of its members volunteered for active service. Quigg was no exception, enlisting in the 12th Battalion, Royal Irish Rifles (Mid-Antrim Volunteers), in September 1914, with the Service Number 12/18645 and the rank of rifleman. His platoon officer was none other than Harry McNaghten, the heir to the McNaghten estate that Quigg had worked on some years previously and the two men, though separated in terms of social position, had obviously built up a relatively close relationship. It was during an attempt to rescue this gallant officer that Robert Quigg was awarded the Victoria Cross for 'most conspicuous bravery' on 1 July 1916 at the Battle of the Somme.

Quigg's unit had been located at the small French village of Hamel on the north bank of the River Ancre before the memorable attack on 1 July. During the advance towards the heavily defended German trenches the Mid-Antrim Volunteers met a fierce response from the Germans, who poured out a murderous barrage of machine-gun fire at the Ulstermen. The men also encountered many obstacles including great rolls of wire with barbs as long as a man's thumb. Robert Quigg advanced with his platoon no less than three times during the day only to be beaten back on each occasion. After the assault, in which many hundreds of the 12th Battalion had been killed or wounded, it was reported that Lieutenant Harry McKaghten, Quigg's Platoon Commander; was missing. Robert Quigg immediately volunteered to go out into no man's land to try and locate him. On no less than seven occasions Quigg crawled out of his trench to search for his missing officer, all the while coming under heavy machine-gun and shell fire. Each time, Quigg returned to his lines with a wounded colleague. At one point the redoubtable Quigg crawled to within yards of the German positions to rescue a wounded soldier; whom he dragged to safety on a waterproof ground sheet. For seven long hours the hardy County Antrim man kept up his search but to no avail; the body of Harry McNaght was never recovered.

The award of the Victoria Cross to Rifleman Robert Quigg was gazetted on 9 September 1916. Quigg received his decration from King George V on 8 January 1917 at a ceremony held at York Cottage, Sandringham. Queen Mary was also in attendance. The story goes (whether true or otherwise is open to question) that when presenting the Victoria Cross to Rifleman Quigg the King commented, You're a very brave man Quigg.' You're a brave man yourself King,' the gruff Ulsterman' replied in characteristic style. Naturally enough, on his return to his home town Bushmills, Quigg received a tremendous welcome from the townsfolk, who turned out in force to meet their very own Victoria Cross hero. The McNaghten family were also in attendance with the lady of the household presenting her former employee with a gold watch in recognition of his bravery in endeavouring to rescue her son. Robert Quigg eventually retired from the army in 1926 after he was injured in an accident at the Soldiers' Home Clifton Street, Belfast. There was to be one more meeting with royalty during Quigg's remaining years when, in 1953 he met the young Queen Elizabeth 11, who had recently acended to the throne. Robert Quigg VC died on 14 May 1955 at Ballycastle County Antrim, and was buried, appropriately enough, with full military honours in Billy Parish Churchyard. His Victoria Cross and other decorations, including the Medal of the Order of St George, 4th Class, presented by the Russians, are on display at the Royal Irish Rifles Museum, in Waring Street, Belfast.

Back to Resources Menu