Garrison Battalions, Bedfordshire Regiment

[ddycher]

All

Bit of a long shot but I am looking for details on the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Garrsion Battalions of the Bedfordshire Regt in India in 1917 and 1918. I am trying to trace the transfer of a number of Devons from depots in India into the Bedfords on the closure / consolidation of Devons depots in India after TF battalions had left for Mesopotamia and Egypt then France.

Any insights would be very much appreciated.

Regards

Dave

[inniskilling dragoons]

Hello Ddycher

I have a bit of info on the Bedford Garrision Battalions, I am away from my records at the moment. I have a G Uncle who was transfered from the Buffs into the Bedford Garrision Bn after being very badly wounded in the early stages in the war. The Garrision Bn were mainly made with walking wounded etc , a lot got worse with the conditions .

I will add more later

Inniskilling

[inniskilling dragoons]

I have a bit of info 1st Garrison Bn. You are interested in 1917-18 it is about this time that several drafts of men had got fit & left the Bn for service in various places.

These men were replaced from various regiments Devons, Hampshires,East Surreys ,Kings Liverpools and the Bedfords from France.

The Bn was at Chanbattia for about 6 months . In October 1918 the Bn returned to Deli. The next year or so the Bn moved around the hills and forts . In November demobilization began in ernest ,the 1914 men demob earlier.

The Bn had a few thousand pass through it from Dec 1915 and it supplyed men for types of jobs which could be done by men unfit for active service, it also seved as a recuperative establistment.

During the Bn time in India they lost 51 men, they also stopped the Deli riots(one day)

The Bn also had a very good football team.

Hope this helps..

[ddycher]

Thanks Inniskilling

It is the draft from the Devons I am really interested in. Do you have any idea when this happened ?

Regards

Dave

[inniskilling dragoons]

Hello Dave

Between Jan to April 1918 the Bn proceeded to Chuabattia, upto this time several drafts of had got fit & left for service to places like Hong Kong &Agra.

This Bn & others was called upon for clerks & various military offices etc and these were replaced by drafts fom the Devons,Hampshires ,Kings Liverpools ,East Surreys and Bedford B's from France.

October 1918 the Bn returned to Deli, so the new drafts could be Jan- Apri 1918 one way or the other .

There are no war diarys for the Bedford Garrison Bn's, maybe there might be a mention in the Devon's Diary or a clue in SWB rolls.

This is the first time I have noticed an interest in Bedford Garrision Bn's, it is something I hope to dwell more into

Hope you get your lead, if you do let me know.

Regards

Inniskilling

[ddycher]

Iniskilling

Was a long time finding a break on this one but via some service records have now been able to show that men from the 1/5th Devons remaining in India as either unfit or too old for active service in Egypt / Palestine were transferred to the 2nd Garrison Bn., Bedforshire Regiment at Hyderabad in May 1917.

Have not found any detail supporting transfers to the 1st Garrison Bn., Bedfords yet but will continue to dig on this and will post if I find anything further. I am now fairly certain that the 5th Devons did not leave a depot and transfer of these men happened very soon after the battalion embarked from Bombay.

Regards

Dave

[elewis]

Hi,

I am new to this forum so if it is bad form to reply to a thread this old sorry!.

I do not know if the following might help anybody looking at the Garrison Battalions Bedfordshire Regiment, but the locations might be of interest to somebody.

A great uncle of mine, Maurice Evans - private 37240, served in D coy 3rd Garrison Battalion Bedfordshire Regiment from at least Christmas 1917.

From letters to his sister I am aware of him serving at Meiktila - Christmas 1917, Rangoon - 30 August 1918, Meiktila again 27 October to 9 December 1918.

He sailed out on RIMS "Sladen" (record not clear could very well be a variant of this!). He hoped to return home in April 1919.

If anybody has any more information on this unit and what its duties would have been it would be very much appreciated.

Evan

[ddycher]

Evan

Thanks for posting. Dont have very much on the 3rd Bn as I very quickly homed in on the 2nd in my research. That said I will dig out what I do have this weekend and post it.

Regards

Dave

[ddycher]

Evan

Sorry have even less than I thought. Can only tell you the following :

• Raised January 1917 in Bedford.
  
• They arrived in India on the 12th June 1917. I know they were topped up on arrival from downgraded men left behind from the TF battalions who left India for the EEF.
  They joined the Rangoon Brigade of the Burma Division in November 1917 remaining with the Burma Division throughout the war.
  
• Served in Burma March 1918-June 1919
  
• Served in India June-December 1919 in Regimental District 16.
  
• Disbanded January 1920.
  

I can give you some sense of their duties from the history of the 2/5th SLI who the 3rd GB Bedfords replaced in the Rangoon Brigade. Primarily their role in Burma would have been to supply guards and escorts for the Turkish POW camps at Thayetmyo, Meiktila and Shwebo. An overview on these camps can be found here :

http://libluna.colorado.edu/wwi/pdf/i71186025.pdf

The 3rd GB Bedfords relieved the 2/5th SLI at Meiktila. A significant number (>50) of the 2/5th SLI joined the 3rd GB Bedfords at this point.

I believe but can't confirm that HQ and two companies were stationed at Meiktila. The other two companies were I believe at Mandalay. Meiktila being 80m south of Mandalay and 300m north of Rangoon where the Brigade HQ was located (Divisional HQ was at Maymyo).

Sorry cant be more help.

Regards

Dave

[elewis]

Dave,

that is very much appreciated, very many thanks for checking your records and posting the information.

I had looked at other great uncles who served on the Western Front and Salonika in more detail, as active theatres, but had hardly looked at Maurice Evans in the Bedfordshires until spotting this old thread. Had thought they were probably just "protecting the empire" and natural resources of the area, the item about the Turkish POWs was news - a fascinating insight at the pdf you pointed me at.

Once again many thanks.

Evan

[inniskilling dragoons]

Hello Dave & Evan.

It is good to see this post come up again. I did hope that by now I may have found out more about the 1st Bn , but hopefully more we be added over time.

Thanks for the updates.

All the best

Inniskilling.

[johnmelling1979]

Just found this thread I have a website researching the men off the memorial for our 2 villages

I have this chap below

William Justice Jones

Born Whittle le Woods, Living in Chorley

Killed in Action : 21 February 1918

Reg no - 35076

Rank : Private

India

3 Garrison Battalion Bedfordshire Regiment

Formerly 80215 RFA

Husband of Elizabeth Jones, of 22, Black Stone Rd., Chorley, Lancashire.

He is buried at Jhansi Cantonment Cemetery in Jhansi, India

Wondering if anyone has found any more information on the 3 Garrison Battalion Bedfordshire Regiment

Cheers

John

[kenf48]

Just found this thread I have a website researching the men off the memorial for our 2 villages

I have this chap below

William Justice Jones

Born Whittle le Woods, Living in Chorley

Killed in Action : 21 February 1918

Reg no - 35076

Rank : Private

India

3 Garrison Battalion Bedfordshire Regiment

Formerly 80215 RFA

Husband of Elizabeth Jones, of 22, Black Stone Rd., Chorley, Lancashire.

He is buried at Jhansi Cantonment Cemetery in Jhansi, India

An observation, as he did not serve in a theatre of war as evidenced by his campaign medal he was not kia but 'died' (as shown on SDGW). In all probability malaria or some other tropical disease.

As noted at post 2 Garrison Battalions were formed from men who were not fit for active service, but conditions in the tropics would often make their health worse.

Ken