Preston 1881-1882
At the end of the summer 1881 the 2nd Battalion Leinster Regiment was ordered to Preston Lancashire, and on the evening of 2nd December 1881 moved out of Aldershot for Preston.
Preston does not figure largely in the history of the Battalion. In 1882 war broke out with Egypt, and in the same year occurred the tragedy of the Phoenix Park murders when Lord Frederick Cavendish and Mr. Burke were assassinated. These events led to a considerable movement of troops with a result that the 2nd Battalion's stay in Preston lasted just seven months. The Battalion were quartered in a Fulwood Barracks, (interestingly enough the barracks at which the author of this web site joined the British Army in 1962). Fulwood was situated some distance from the town. Also at Preston was the depot of the Loyal North Lancashire Regiment and a Squadron of the 5th Dragoon guards.