The Royal Irish Regiment Inter-Company Hockey Shield, the impressive silver shield and surrounding winners' plaques all hallmarked Henry Wilkinson & C

The Royal Irish Regiment Inter-Company Hockey Shield, the impressive silver shield and surrounding winners' plaques all hallmarked Henry Wilkinson & Co Ltd., London, 1912, the shield bearing the regimental crest, lion masks, battle honours, crossed hockey sticks & laurel and inscribed INTER-COMPANY HOCKEY SHIELD, THE ROYAL IRISH REGIMENT, three of the winners plaques engraved with details of team members and dated 1912-13, 1913-14 & 1920-21, mounted on a shield-shaped oak backboard with easel support for standing and metal chain for hanging, 61 by 46cm., 24 by 18in. The Royal Irish Regiment, until 1881 the 18th regiment of Foot, was an infantry regiment of the line in the British Army, first raised in 1684. It was one of eight Irish regiments raised and garrisoned in Ireland. It saw service for two and a half centuries before being disbanded in 1922 with the Partition of Ireland under the Anglo-Irish Treaty. The Inter-Company Hockey Shield was only competed for on three occasions, firstly in 1912-13 when it was won by E Company. The following season, A Company was the victorious team and then the competition was abandoned for the duration of the First World War. The tournament was played for one final time in season 1921-22 and won by C Company before the Regiment was disbanded. In 1992 the Royal Irish Regiment was reformed.