Rifleman Robert Quigg
12th Battalion, Royal Irish Rifles
(1885 – 1955)
The Batman
Quigg worked as a farm laborer before the outbreak of war. When his employer, Lt. Sir Harry Macnaghten, became an officer in the British Army, Quigg was enlisted as his servant, or as they were called at that time, batmen.
The Somme – July 2st, 1916
The morning after the famous “over the top” offensive of the first day of the Battle of the Somme, Lt. Macnaghten was reported missing. Quigg was informed that his master was wounded and laying in no man’s land. For seven hours, the loyal batman looked for his commanding officer. In total, he made seven trips to no mans land, facing constant enemy fire. Although he returned with a new, wounded man after each trip over the top, he never found Macnaghten. For his rescue of those seven men, he was awarded the Victoria Cross (1).
A copy of the London Gazette describing these actions and announcing his V.C. win can be found here
Documentaries
Robert Quigg’s story is featured in a number of documentary films, including:
- The Story of Robert Quigg VC, courtesy of the Robert Quigg VC Commemoration Society (2).
- Heroes of the Somme, a BBC documentary profiling the Somme Offensive through the stories of seven men who fought in it
After the War
A watch presented to Robert Quigg from Lady Macnaghten, Harry’s mother. The inscription reads:
Presented to Robert Quigg V.C. – 12th R.I.R. – by Lady Macnaghten in remembrance of his great bravery in searching for her son Sir Harry under fire on July 1st, 1916
Robert Quigg meets Prince Phillip, Duke of Edinburgh, at Ballymoney, 1953 (right).
- Prince Phillip’s wife, Queen Elizabeth II, would later honor Quigg with a statue in his hometown.
Commemoration and collective memory of Robert Quigg is strong in his native Northern Ireland.
(1). Richard Doherty and David Truesdale, Irish Winners of the Victoria Cross (Dublin: Four Courts Press, 2000), 118.
(2). “The Story,” The Robert Quigg VC Commemoration Society, accessed November 26, 2016, http://www.robertquiggvc.com/the-story.
Further Reading:
The Robert Quigg Commemoration Society, accessed November 26, 2016, http://www.robertquiggvc.com/.