J A Bailey, Royal Naval Div.

[Ken Lees]

Any suggestions or advice on the following would be appreciated as it has me stumped:

Able Seaman R/3713 John Alfred Bailey is shown on a memorial in the UK as a Sergeant.

His service record states that he was posted to the Howe Battalion in October 1917, from the 2nd reserve Battalion at Blanford. He died from wounds on the 5th Jan 1918. On his headstone in the CWGC cemetery at Rocquigny-Gouzeaucourt, he his recorded as serving with the Hood Battalion. Is this likely to be a clerical error or was there an amalgamation of the Howe and Hood battalions?

Thanks,

Ken

[KevinBattle]

Ken, it does appear they were merged

Howe battalion was one of the original RND battalions. It was later merged with Hood Battalion. Howe battalion formed the 188th brigade along with Anson battalion and the first and second Royal Marines.

see: http://www.squidoo.com/royal-naval-division#module133329781

[michaeldr]

My impression from Jerrold's divisional history is that the disbanding of the Howe and Nelson Battalions took place at the end of January 1918, not earlier (see page 273/4)

The Nelson Battalion history suggests that it was in fact February 1918

[Ken Lees]

Thanks for the input.

Could Hood and Howe have amalgamated earlier and later amalgamated again with the Nelson Bn in 1918?

[michaeldr]

While it is difficult, from the above limited information, to say with any certainty when this man was fatally wounded, the major action just before his DoD was Welsh Ridge on 30^th & 31^st December 1917.

In that action the Howe lost

2 Officers and 13 Other Ranks killed

1 Officer and 50 Other Ranks wounded

3 Officers and 63 Other Ranks missing

(figs. Correct to January 8^th, 1918)

details from Len Sellers' magazine RND, issue No.21, June 2002

[michaeldr]

Thanks for the input.

Could Hood and Howe have amalgamated earlier and later amalgamated again with the Nelson Bn in 1918?

No, I do not think that the Howe & Hood amalgamated earlier. Only a few days earlier at Welsh Ridge they fought as a separate unit.

And please do not misunderstand me, I only mentioned the Nelsons as they went through the same process as the Howes. The disbanding of these battalions was to do with the reduction in Infantry Brigades to only three battalions. For the same reason the 5^th KSLI left the 63^rd (RN) Division and went over to the 19^th Div at this time.

regards

Michael

[Ken Lees]

Great stuff. Thanks for that.

Ken

[horatio2]

The CWGC record is in error. He d.o.w. serving in Howe Battalion. He died in 48th CCS of wounds received on 28 Dec 1917, so he was not invloved in the action on Welsh Ridge over the turn of the year. On 28 Dec Howe were in the front line at Villiers Plouich having relieved Anson Bn the day before.

The final day of Howe Battalion (and last entry in the war diary) was 28 February 1918 when the transfer of battalion surplus manpower took place.

[Ken Lees]

Thank you for the confirmation of those details. Mystery solved, it seems.

[sjustice]

Whilst there were rumours flying around in early to mid-January 1918, general orders to reduce brigade establishments were not issued until 23 January 1918. The RND units presented a little more complexity as the discussion over which battalions would be disbanded and where drafts went were conducted between the War Office and Admiralty. On 23 January the fate of battalions had yet to be decided. Nelson and Howe battalions were broken up between 8-23 February and 6-28 February 1918, respectively, with different drafts leaving between those dates. They did not merge with other battalions but the drafts went to Drake, Hood, Anson, 1 and 2/RM and a goodly number to No.7 Entrenching Battalion.

Cheers,

Simon