Mail, Rail, and Submarine Warfare in the Irish Sea

Curated by David Snook

In the late nineteenth century, connections between Ireland and Wales were transformed by new mail and rail routes between Dublin and London. With the outbreak of the First World War in 1914, these routes took on a new strategic importance, and the Irish Sea became a critical maritime battleground. This tour covers the years 1882-1920 from a variety of perspectives.

Dublin Mail and Rail, 1882-1920

After the introduction of the uniform penny post in the United Kingdom in 1840, postal volumes grew rapidly and were an increasingly important part of goods traffic between Great Britain and Ireland. In 1849, the Post Office invited tenders for a…

Dublin Mail and Rail, 1914-18

The London North Western Railway Company (LNWR) maintained their Holyhead to Dublin express service by switching the two Greenore ships to the Dublin service. An older ship was on standby. The potential of U-boats to destroy shipping had hardly been…

U-Boats in the Irish Sea, 1917-18

Throughout the First World War, the UK imported significant amounts of food from the United States, Canada and through Gibraltar. The German naval command calculated that they could starve Britain into surrender and win the war with a five-month…

Transporting the US Army to France, 1918

Prime Minister David Lloyd George was aware that Britain’s manpower resources were dwindling. He had prioritised shipbuilding, tanks and aircraft production before army demands. The army wanted 1.25 million new entrants. Lloyd George was only…

The Question of Escorting, 1918

The British Admiralty had several factors to consider when they thought about escorting the mail and rail steamers. For example, the steamers were capable of 21 knots, which was fast, and they could maintain a reasonable speed even in bad weather. In…