35-411: The Young Citizen Volunteers refers to either: Young Citizen Volunteers (1912) Young Citizen Volunteers (1972) Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Young Citizen Volunteers . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to
70-615: A Home Rule Parliament in Ireland. And in the event of such a Parliament being forced upon us, we further solemnly and mutually pledge ourselves to refuse to recognise its authority. In sure confidence that God will defend the right, we hereto subscribe our names. And further, we individually declare that we have not already signed this Covenant. We, whose names are underwritten, women of Ulster, and loyal subjects of our gracious King , being firmly persuaded that Home Rule would be disastrous to our Country, desire to associate ourselves with
105-563: A battalion of the UVF. At the time of the merger the YCV had around 400 Catholic members who drifted from the movement rather than switch to the Protestant UVF. From soon after its inception the YCV faced financial problems as it tried and failed to solicit donations from major local businesses. By early 1914 the situation had become so dire that Frank Workman, a wealthy industrialist who was
140-501: A blue-white glow. The test is very sensitive and can detect tiny traces even in old samples. Crawford's signature is still a rich red colour today which would be unlikely if it had been blood. Nevertheless, some unionists are not convinced by the evidence. The term " Solemn League and Covenant " recalled a key historic document signed in 1643, by which the Scottish Covenanters made a political and military alliance with
175-510: A partner in Workman, Clark ship builders, was paying for the upkeep of the group out of his own pocket. Despite Chichester's attempts to fully militarise the group, the British government refused to offer financial assistance to the YCV, in return for placing themselves at the government's disposal. The Ulster Volunteers were most closely associated with the 36th (Ulster) Division during
210-539: A train be sent to carry them instead. Chichester acceded to this demand. This was followed in September when the group mutinied over the cancellation of leave as part of a wider mutiny within the 36th. The mutiny in the 14th was defused however by a "Major B" who convinced the soldiers to abandon their plans. Soon after this they were attached to the 12th Brigade following a reorganisation of the Ulster forces. By 1917,
245-618: Is no direct continuity between the two groups, they share the same emblem of a shamrock surmounted by a Red Hand of Ulster . The YCV had its origins in the Belfast Citizens Association, a conservative ratepayers group. The YCV had its first meeting just prior to the signing of the Solemn League and Covenant (Ulster) , opposing Home Rule , in Belfast City Hall on 10 September 1912. The group
280-493: Is today known as "Ulster Day" to unionists. BEING CONVINCED in our consciences that Home Rule would be disastrous to the material well-being of Ulster as well as of the whole of Ireland, subversive of our civil and religious freedom , destructive of our citizenship , and perilous to the unity of the Empire , we, whose names are underwritten, men of Ulster, loyal subjects of His Gracious Majesty King George V. , humbly relying on
315-654: The British Government in the same year. The Covenant was first drafted by Thomas Sinclair , a prominent unionist and businessman from Belfast. Sir Edward Carson was the first person to sign the Covenant at Belfast City Hall with a silver pen, followed by The 6th Marquess of Londonderry (the former Lord Lieutenant of Ireland ), representatives of the Protestant churches, and then by Sir James Craig . The signatories, 471,414 in all, were all against
350-597: The First World War and the YCV as a unit formed the 14th Battalion of the Royal Irish Rifles , which was part of the 36th. The Battalion was commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Robert Chichester , who addressed the soldiers as "young citizens", and wore the grey uniform of the YCV, although the group's 750 members were augmented by troops from mainland Britain (who made up 25% of the 14th) and the rest of Ireland (17%). A large group of English conscripts in
385-732: The Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI). An online searchable database is available on the PRONI website. In January 1913, the Ulster Volunteers aimed to recruit 100,000 men aged from 17 to 65 who had signed the Covenant as a unionist militia. A British Covenant , similar to the Ulster Covenant in opposition to the Home Rule Bill, received two million signatures in 1914. September 28
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#1732780486524420-664: The 14th was generally seen as one of the poorer combat units of the Ulster Division. A letter by Major General Oliver Nugent to the Adjutant General in December 1917 described them as "totally wanting in any military spirit" and stated that "the Brigadier says he cannot trust them and I know that he is right [as] they are poor stuff either as workers or fighters and have been a constant source of anxiety during
455-595: The Battalion were nicknamed the "Gawd Blimey Brigade" by the original Belfast members, many of whom came from middle and upper-class families and looked down on the more rough and ready English soldiers. The more well off origins of the YCV members saw the Battalion itself acquire the nickname "Young Chocolate Soldiers". The group mutinied twice in 1915, first in June when soldiers drilling at Shane's Castle near Randalstown refused to march back to barracks, insisting that
490-406: The Covenant were from Ulster , although the signing was also attended by several thousand southern unionists . Acknowledging this, Carson paid tribute to "my own fellow citizens from Dublin , from Wicklow , from Clare [and], yes, from Cork , rebel Cork, who are now holding the hand of Ulster", to cheers from the crowd. Robert James Stewart, a Presbyterian from Drum , County Monaghan , and
525-519: The God whom our fathers in days of stress and trial confidently trusted, do hereby pledge ourselves in solemn Covenant , throughout this our time of threatened calamity, to stand by one another in defending, for ourselves and our children, our cherished position of equal citizenship in the United Kingdom , and in using all means which may be found necessary to defeat the present conspiracy to set up
560-512: The YCV at its onset was stated as being "non-sectarian" and "non-political", and despite its leadership and membership being largely drawn from unionist families it included prominent Belfast nationalist Francis Joseph Biggar as part of its committee. The creation of the YCV had nothing to do with the Home Rule Crisis or Ulster Day on 28 September 1912, which saw the signing of the anti-Home Rule Ulster Covenant . However, by May 1914
595-438: The YCV to remain non-political. The 1st Battalion YCV went ahead and merged with the UVF, leading to a resolution being proposed and seconded at a YCV council meeting declaring regret that they were not consulted beforehand and that the 1st Battalion had no authority to proceed. Some members of the YCV resigned because of the merger, however the majority didn't and on 17 May 1914 it ceased to be an independent organisation becoming
630-449: The YCV. Although officially called the YCV of Ireland it had no members beyond Belfast. Each member was to pay 2s.6d (12.5 p) on joining the YCV and a further 6d (2.5p) each month as well as instalments on a £1.10s fee for purchase of their grey uniform. he was to attend weekly drills to learn "modified military and police drill, single stick, rifle and baton exercises, signalling, knot-tying and other such exercises". If possible, he
665-540: The YCV—despite some controversy—merged with the anti-Home Rule Ulster Volunteer Force . Despite its name implying that it covered the whole of Ireland it never extended outside of Belfast, however there were plans to set up battalions in places such as counties Londonderry and Fermanagh . The YCV's name was later resurrected by the YCV youth movement attached to the 1966 Ulster Volunteer Force (also UVF). Although there
700-670: The establishment of a Home Rule parliament in Dublin . The Ulster Covenant is immortalised in Rudyard Kipling 's poem " Ulster 1912 ". On 23 September 1912, the Ulster Unionist Council voted in favour of a resolution pledging itself to the Covenant. The Covenant had two basic parts: the Covenant signed by 237,368 men and the Declaration signed by 234,046 women. Both the Covenant and Declaration are held by
735-830: The grandfather of Heather Humphreys , the Minister for the Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht in the Republic of Ireland , was one of around 6,000 signatories in County Monaghan, where one quarter of the population was Protestant before the establishment of the Irish Free State . Almost 18,000 people signed either the Covenant or the Declaration in County Donegal . The signature of Frederick Hugh Crawford
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#1732780486524770-456: The intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Young_Citizen_Volunteers&oldid=933260800 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Young Citizen Volunteers (1912) The Young Citizen Volunteers of Ireland , or Young Citizen Volunteers (YCV) for short,
805-668: The leaders of the English Parliamentarians during the First English Civil War . The Ulster Covenant was used as a template for the "Natal Covenant", signed in 1955 by 33,000 British-descended Natalians against the nationalist South African government's intention of declaring the Union a republic . It was signed in Durban 's City Hall – itself loosely based on Belfast's, so that the Ulster scene
840-600: The men of Ulster in their uncompromising opposition to the Home Rule Bill now before Parliament, whereby it is proposed to drive Ulster out of her cherished place in the Constitution of the United Kingdom , and to place her under the domination and control of a Parliament in Ireland. Praying that from this calamity God will save Ireland, we hereto subscribe our names. The majority of the signatories of
875-515: The past three weeks". The group was disbanded in early 1918 as part of a wider reduction in size for the 36th (Ulster) Division. Plans were made in 1919 to revive the YCV under the patronage of James Johnston , the serving Mayor of Belfast. Edward Carson however had little enthusiasm and suggested they contact the British authorities at Dublin Castle for their opinion. When this line of contact
910-554: Was almost exactly reproduced. Being convinced in our consciences that a republic would be disastrous to the material well-being of Natal as well as of the whole of South Africa, subversive of our freedom and destructive of our citizenship, we, whose names are underwritten, men and women of Natal, loyal subjects of Her Gracious Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second, do hereby pledge ourselves in solemn covenant, throughout this our time of threatened calamity, to stand by one another in defending
945-412: Was also to gain some knowledge of "life-saving and ambulance work". The constitution of the YCV insisted that members should not take part in any political meeting or demonstration, or wear their YCV uniforms at such events. They were stated as being "non- sectarian and non-political" and their objectives were considered to be: Membership was open to anyone aged between eighteen and thirty-five who
980-586: Was an Irish civic organisation founded in Belfast in 1912. It was established to bridge the gap for 18 to 25 year olds between membership of youth organisations—such as the Boys' Brigade and Boy Scouts —and the period of responsible adulthood. Another impetus for its creation was the failure of the British government to extend the legislation for the Territorial Force —introduced in 1908—to Ireland. It
1015-425: Was claimed by him to have been written in blood. However, this is disputed. Based on the results of a forensic test that he carried out in September 2012 at PRONI, Dr. Alastair Ruffell of Queen's University Belfast has asserted that he is 90% positive that the signature is not blood. Crawford's signature was injected with a small amount of luminol ; this substance reacts with iron in blood's haemoglobin to produce
1050-617: Was created in January 1913 and there is evidence of co-operation between them and the YCV including the Larne gun-running . As the Home Rule crisis escalated, pressure grew for the YCV to become part of the UVF, and such a proposal was made in March 1914. This caused a degree of controversy and division amongst its membership, even with those who were members of both organisations who sought for
1085-587: Was formed in part because the Territorial Force had not been extended to Ireland and members wanted a substitute. The foundation of the YCV was hailed by the Northern Whig , a Unionist daily paper, although the Irish News , a nationalist paper, was less enthusiastic, speculating that the YCV had been set up as an organised strike-breaking force, with memories of the 1907 Belfast Dock strike still fresh. The anti-Home Rule Ulster Volunteer Force
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1120-809: Was hoped that the War Office would absorb the YCV into the Territorial Force, however such offers were dismissed. Not until the outbreak of World War I did the YCV—by then a battalion of the UVF —become part of the British Army as the 14th Battalion of the Royal Irish Rifles . The YCV was launched in Belfast City Hall on 10 September 1912 at a meeting chaired by the Lord Mayor, Robert James McMordie , who became its first president. The ideals of
1155-547: Was ignored the plan was abandoned and the YCV did not return. The name was revived in 1972 for a separate group with no direct connection to the original. Solemn League and Covenant (Ulster) Ulster's Solemn League and Covenant , commonly known as the Ulster Covenant , was signed by nearly 500,000 people on and before 28 September 1912, in protest against the Third Home Rule Bill introduced by
1190-419: Was inaugurated by Robert James McMordie in his role as Lord Mayor of Belfast and was led by Frederick Crawford. Other leading figures in the group's foundation included Councillor Frank Workman and foundry owner James Mackie. The group initially struggled to attract a Commanding Officer before eventually appointing Colonel R Spencer Chichester, a strongly right-wing Unionist who favoured purchasing guns for
1225-460: Was over five feet in height and could present "credentials of good character". Some Roman Catholics did join the YCV, though it was overwhelmingly Protestant in numbers. Made up mainly of middle class members, the YCV was patterned after the Scout movement , albeit for young men who were too old for that group, as well as the Boys' Brigade and Church Lads' and Church Girls' Brigade . The group
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