Unveiling Ceremony of the Information Panel at the site of the Battle of Happy Valley
On 26 June at 3pm, the formal unveiling ceremony will take place for the Information Panel marking the Battle of Happy Valley. Col W R H Charley, Veteran of the Royal Ulster Rifles Regiment, has arrived in Korea to attend the event commemorating the battle in which he fought sixty-four years ago as part of the 1950-1953 Korean War.
The Battle of Happy Valley took place on the night of the 3-4 January 1951 and held back the advancing Chinese and North Korean forces helping to facilitate the evacuation of Seoul. In this battle the Royal Ulster Rifles, supported by the VIII Kings Royal Irish Hussars and the Royal Artillery, sustained very significant losses.
The Information Panel is a permanent and poignant reminder of the sacrifice made by the men of the Royal Ulster Rifles, the 8th Royal Irish Hussars, and the Royal Artillery at the Battle of Happy Valley for South Korea’s freedom and the rule of international law.
The Information Panel was erected with funding from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and coordination from the Embassy of Ireland, with the support of the Irish Association of Korea, the British Embassy, the families of veterans, and local and international historians.
While Ireland was not a member of the UN at that time, many Irish volunteers fought under the flags of the UN nations in Korea. Happy Valley is the Korean War battlefield most emblematic of the sacrifices of those of Irish birth and heritage in the cause of South Korea’s freedom. Previously, there was a Memorial Pillar in Happy Valley which was carved by a Korean mason and erected on the 3rd July 1951, overlooking the battlefield. This memorial was moved in 1962 to Northern Ireland and now stands in the grounds of the City Hall in Belfast.
Col. Charley, an Irish Korean War Veteran who fought at the battle of Happy Valley, re-visited Korea in 2011 as part of the Commonwealth War Veterans Association. Together with his daughter, Catherine Champion, and The Royal Ulster Rifles Association, they have worked with The Somme Association, the Embassy of Ireland to the Republic of Korea and the Irish Association of Korea to commemorate the contribution made by the Irish during the Korean War.
Col. Charley will also visit the War Memorial of Korea in Seoul, where he will lay a wreath at the memorial to all those of Irish birth and heritage who died in the Korean War.
Col. Charley’s visit is sponsored by the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs Korea. The unveiling ceremony is being held by the Embassy of Ireland in coordination with the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs, Yangju City Council, the British Embassy, and the Irish Association of Korea.
Contacts: Embassy of Ireland to the Republic of Korea, David Murphy: +82 10 4997 7202
Notes for Editors
The text of the Information Panel:
Battle of Happy Valley January 3rd-4th 1951
(also known as Battle of Chaegunghyun and the Battle of Pulmijiri)
The famous 1.4 withdrawal of Seoul (January 4th 1951) is a significant moment in Korean history. It was the last night that citizens were able to flee Seoul across the frozen Han River, before the Chinese and North Korean forces reached the city. United Nations and Korean troops had been defending the city for over two weeks as citizens escaped. Here in this key valley, just north of Seoul, on the freezing night of January 3rd-4th 1951, soldiers of The Royal Ulster Rifles (RUR) – supported by two other British Regiments, The King’s Royal Irish Hussars and The Royal Artillery - fought a ferocious battle after being attacked by Chinese forces.
The Royal Ulster Rifles and 8th Kings Irish Hussars were British units, but included many men from all over the island of Ireland. While Ireland was not a member of the UN at that time, many Irish volunteers fought under the flags of the UN nations in Korea. Happy Valley is the Korean War battlefield most emblematic of the sacrifices of those of Irish birth and heritage in the cause of South Korea’s freedom.
In July 1951, a memorial pillar of Korean granite was erected overlooking this valley. Dedicated to the memory of the fallen, it bore the regimental motto of The Royal Ulster Rifles: Quis Separabit (Who Shall Separate Us). In 1962, the pillar was relocated to Northern Ireland and today stands outside Belfast City Hall.
Overview of the Battle
On New Year’s Day 1951, 237,000 North Korean and Chinese troops launched an offensive aimed at Seoul. As United Nations positions on the Imjin River disintegrated, the United Kingdom’s 29th Infantry Brigade was rushed into the line to hold a 12-mile front on the city’s north-western approaches.
Two key valleys were held by 1st Battalion, Royal Northumberland Fusiliers, and 1st Battalion, Royal Ulster Rifles, with armour and artillery in support. At dawn on January 3rd, elements of two Chinese divisions struck. Close fighting raged all day. At dusk, the Fusiliers were ordered to withdraw, in conjunction with a general UN withdrawal. They successfully broke contact and pulled back.
However, here, in Happy Valley – the name is a grim irony - on the freezing night of January 3rd-4th, the battle’s most desperate events took place. Having held the Chinese ‘human wave’ all day, infantry of The RUR, supported by tanks of the 8th King’s Royal Irish Hussars and elements of the Royal Artillery, were ordered to withdraw. A night withdrawal in contact with enemy is one of the riskiest operations of war, yet things went well until the column, moving down a frozen river bed, was mistakenly illuminated by UN aircraft. The Chinese opened fire from the hills then surged down into the valley. Intense, close-range combat broke out; men and tanks fought through a gauntlet of fire.
The RUR suffered 157 men killed, wounded or captured; the Hussars lost all their tanks. The commanding officers of The RUR battalion and the Hussar squadron were both killed in action.
Previous revisit:
In 2013, there was a revisit of 12 Veterans of Irish birth and from the north and south of Ireland to Korea, organised in Ireland by The Somme Association. The group joined a group of Commonwealth Veterans to make the pilgrimage back to Korea. This was also an occasion for the Veterans to attend the dedication ceremony for the new Irish Monument at the Korean War memorial, to honour those of Irish birth and heritage who died in the Korean War.
In October 2014, the Minister of Patriots and Veterans Affairs, Mr Sung Choon PARK, came to Ireland and visited the memorial plaque in recognition of the contribution of the Irish who fought in the Korean War. He also met with a number of Korean War veterans from the island of Ireland.