Martin Doyle VC, MM (25 October 1891 – 20 November 1940) was an Irish member of the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurkha ...

during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

, and a recipient of the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previousl ...

, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

and

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the ...

forces. After the war, he joined the

Irish Republican Army The Irish Republican Army (IRA) is a name used by various paramilitary organisations in Ireland throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. Organisations by this name have been dedicated to irredentism through Irish republicanism, the belief th ...

during the

Irish War of Independence The Irish War of Independence () or Anglo-Irish War was a guerrilla war fought in Ireland from 1919 to 1921 between the Irish Republican Army (IRA, the army of the Irish Republic) and British forces: the British Army, along with the quasi-mil ...

, served with the National Army during the

Irish Civil War The Irish Civil War ( ga, Cogadh Cathartha na hÉireann; 28 June 1922 – 24 May 1923) was a conflict that followed the Irish War of Independence and accompanied the establishment of the Irish Free State, an entity independent from the United ...

, in the

Defence Forces The phrase Defence Force(s) (or Defense Force(s) in US English - see spelling differences) is in the title of the armed forces of certain countries and territories. Defence forces *Ambazonia Defence Forces *Artsakh Defence Army *Australian Defence ...

until 1937 and

Reserve Defence Forces , image = , caption = , image2 = , caption2 = , motto = , founded = 1 October 2005 , current_form = , disbanded = , branches = Army Reser ...

until 1939.

World War I

Doyle was born in

New Ross New Ross (, formerly ) is a town in southwest County Wexford, Ireland. It is located on the River Barrow, near the border with County Kilkenny, and is around northeast of Waterford. In 2016 it had a population of 8,040 people, making it t ...

County Wexford County Wexford ( ga, Contae Loch Garman) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Leinster and is part of the Southern Region. Named after the town of Wexford, it was based on the historic Gaelic territory of Hy Kinsella (''Uí C ...

on 25 October 1891. He initially joined the Royal Irish Regiment in 1909 being given the Service Number 9962. He was transferred to the

Royal Dublin Fusiliers The Royal Dublin Fusiliers was an Irish infantry Regiment of the British Army created in 1881, one of eight Irish regiments raised and garrisoned in Ireland, with its home depot in Naas. The Regiment was created by the amalgamation of two Brit ...

in August 1914. After service with the Royal Dublin Fusiliers he joined

The Royal Munster Fusiliers 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 Beng ...

and was awarded the Military Medal In September 1918 as a company sergeant-major in the 1st Battalion, The Royal Munster Fusiliers,

16th (Irish) Division The 16th (Irish) Division was an infantry division of the British Army, raised for service during World War I. The division was a voluntary 'Service' formation of Lord Kitchener's New Armies, created in Ireland from the ' National Volunteers' ...

during the

when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC:

IRA service

In 1920, Doyle joined the

and fought in the

. He served with the pro-treaty National Army in the

, and retired in 1937. Some sources have described Doyle as acting as an intelligence officer for the IRA in east County Clare. He died in Dublin in 1940 from

poliomyelitis Poliomyelitis, commonly shortened to polio, is an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus. Approximately 70% of cases are asymptomatic; mild symptoms which can occur include sore throat and fever; in a proportion of cases more severe sym ...

, aged 49, and is buried in

Grangegorman Military Cemetery Grangegorman Military Cemetery () is a British military cemetery in Dublin, Ireland, located on Blackhorse Avenue, parallel to the Navan Road and beside the Phoenix Park. The Cemetery Battalion badges are marked on the headstones along with th ...

References

Sources

* '' The Register of the Victoria Cross'' (1981, 1988 and 1997) * * ''

Ireland's VCs List of Irish Victoria Cross recipients lists all recipients of the Victoria Cross (post-nominal letters "VC") born on the island of Ireland, together with the date and place of their VC action. The Victoria Cross is the highest war honour of ...

'' (Dept. of Economic Development 1995) * '' Monuments to Courage'' (David Harvey, 1999) * ''

Irish Winners of the Victoria Cross List of Irish Victoria Cross recipients lists all recipients of the Victoria Cross (post-nominal letters "VC") born on the island of Ireland, together with the date and place of their VC action. The Victoria Cross is the highest war honour of ...

'' (

Richard Doherty James Richard Doherty (born 19 May 1948), known as Richard Doherty, is a British military historian and author from County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. Educated at St. Columb's College, he has written more than twenty books about British and ...

& David Truesdale, 2000)

External links

Location of grave and VC medal
*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Doyle, Martin 1891 births 1940 deaths Military personnel from County Wexford National Army (Ireland) officers Royal Munster Fusiliers soldiers British Army personnel of World War I Irish World War I recipients of the Victoria Cross Recipients of the Military Medal Irish Republican Army (1919–1922) members People of the Irish Civil War (Pro-Treaty side) Deaths from polio People from County Wexford Royal Irish Regiment (1684–1922) soldiers Royal Dublin Fusiliers soldiers British Army recipients of the Victoria Cross Burials at Grangegorman Military Cemetery