Inkstand, Royal Irish Regiment, 1924-1925

Silver inkstand, made by Goldsmiths and Silversmiths Company Limited, hallmarked London, 1924-1925.

A silver inkwell in the form of a Royal Irish Regiment drum (with a lid set in the drum skin), on a square stepped base bearing a plaque inscribed, 'Presented to Major-General J B Forster ME the last Colonel of the Royal Irish by the Officers 1924'. Crossed drumsticks (one pair missing) form a pen holder between the drum and plaque.

Major General John Burton Forster (1856-1938) was Honorary Colonel of the Royal Irish Regiment from 1918 to 1922. In November 1872, having attended the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst, Forster was commissioned into the 18th (Royal Irish) Regiment of Foot. He served in the 2nd Afghan War (1878-1880) and in the Sudan in 1884. After serving in India Forster returned home and served as a divisional commander in World War One (1914-1918). He retired from the Army in 1917.

The Royal Irish Regiment was disbanded in 1922 on the establishment of the Irish Free State.