8th Northern Home Battalion

[Chris_Baker]

I've seen a reference this morning to a soldier of the Lincolnshire Regiment TF who was in mid 1915 "attached to 8th Northern Home Battalion". I have not come across this before, so Googled it, and found a webpage referreing to another Lincolns man with the same attachment and timing.

What was it? Where was it? Were there seven (or more) others?

[Bingo794]

Chris

Was it something to do with Territorials who had signed up, but not to serve abroad?

Then again, was it to do with old time served soldiers who were possibly too old or unfit for front line service, along the lines of the Royal Defence Corps?

This struck a chord with me as I have come accross details of a man who volunteered for service with the 5th Lincolnshire, there is a card with his unit listed and a photo of him with other men at what looks like Brocklesby Park, Lincs., all rather old with Boer War etc ribbons on their tunics. He is the only one without a cap badge, so I take it he was with the Lincolns. April, 1915 was the time of volunteering.

He ended up with the RDC defending bridges and important war work factories. By 1918 he had been transferred to the 37th Northumberland Fusiliers which did not serve abroad. His MIC shows no link to the Lincolnshire Regiment.

Just a thought.

Dick

[Chris_Baker]

It certainly looks like a home service unit, but whether for TF men who had not signed the Obligation or for men medically rated for home service or a mix of the two I can not tell.

[dycer]

Chris,

From Charles Messenger's Book "Call-To-Arms".

Home Service Garrison Battalions-Formed for garrison duties in Britain from those unfit for foreign service.

Just a suggestion though.

George

[Graham Stewart]

They're one of a few osbcure battalions created during the early period of the War and in the main they seem to be the destination for National Reservists from Supernumary Companies sometime around September 1915. I have a few NF records for the 1st, 2nd & 3rd Supernumary Companies, NF, which were affiliated to the 6th BN, NF, who are sent to the "Northern Foreign Service Battalion". Apart from personal records & newspaper reports there is very little to go on as regards these units as they don't appear in either Army Orders or ACI's. Other units you'll come across are the "North Coast Defence Battalions", and I do have the composition of these battalions at home, but can't remember who formed them. Again they aren't mentioned in either AO's or ACI's and as far as I'm aware have no connection to the Home Service Garrison Bn's as mentioned above by dycer.

[Chris_Baker]

Thanks all. Job to be done here, I think.

[Chris]

Chris

What an odd coincedence. Last night i was also perplexed by the same unit when looking at the file of a Lincs TF soldier on ancestry. Walter Haller had enlisted at Scunthorpe on 4th Sept 1914 as Private 2613 in the 5th Battalion, going then to the 2/5th. On the 18th June 1915 he was also posted to the 8th Northern Home Battalion. He later served in France with the 1/5th and was wounded on 17th Oct 1918 at Andigny-les-Fermes. Like you i was trying to work out exactly what this unit was, especially as i pass Haller's old house on the way to work each day. Did your man join the 8th Northern on the same day??

Chris