Liverpool Irish Piper banners.

[Peter Brydon]

Thanks to Captain Jones, the Adjutant, this morning I visited the Drill Hall of 103 Lancashire Artillery Volunteers in St.Helens and was allowed to photograph the Pipe Banners used by the Liverpool Irish Pipes and Drums before 1967.

A picture of the pipers with the Pipe Banners at a parade in Lime Street in 1954 is attached.

There are 4 banners on display in a glass case at the drill hall. The banners were paid for by Vernon Sangster ( of Vernons Pools fame ). Major ( later Lt.Col. Sir Gerard ) McClellan was Chief Executive of Vernons and presumably he persuaded Vernon Sangster to pay for them.

On one side of each banner is the badge of the Liverpool Irish very nicely embroidered in bullion. On the reverse of the 4 banners is the crest of one of the disbanded Irish Regiments, these are:

The Connaught Rangers.
Royal Dublin Fusiliers
The Leinster Regiment and
The Munsters

Also on the reverse are the initials V.E.S. which must be Vernon Sangster initials.

Superb examples of embroidery that you don't often find these days. Certainly made my day.

P.B.

[Peter Brydon]

Also on display at the same Drill Hall is the personal standard of Lt. General Sir Hugh Sandham Jeudwine KCB Commander of the 55th West Lancashire Division 3/1/16 to 15/3/19.

P.B.

[Peter Brydon]

Amazing the stuff that comes up on E bay, I had wondered what Vernon Sangster who paid for the Pipe Banners looked like and a couple of days ago a flyer for Vernons Pools from 1949/50 was being sold on E bay so for £2 I now have a picture of the man himself.

P.B.

[Mike B]

Peter

Excellent research again. A very interesting thread. What quality the Pipe Banners are, and a great tribute to the old Irish Regiments.
It reminded me of something I was watching on I Player recently about VC heroes on the Somme. It rightly had quite a few from 36th Ulster Division. What was interesting was how 'a young Belfast soldier' (Billy MacFadzean) was celebrated after the war, in sharp contrast to a winner from the South who basically went unknown after 1922 - a very interesting contrast.
It is pleasing to see the memory of the old regiments was commemorated by the Liverpool Irish after partition.

Mike