Drake Battalion Strength

[grahamwilkinson]

Is there anywhere I can find out what the strength of Drake Battalion was around the beginning of 1918 ?

Thanks

Graham.

[sotonmate]

The War Diary often has a Unit strength at month's end. WO95/3114/1 is the NA reference.

[horatio2]

The RND as a whole was well below strength in January 1918 because of the fighting that had taken place on Welsh Ridge in late December 1917. DRAKE battalion recorded casualties of 11 officers and 255 ORs. This equates, approximately, to one third of officers and a quarter of ORs.

[Cornwall]

Dear Graham

I noted with great interest your post regarding RND, Drake Battalion. I am probably teaching you 'to suck eggs' but presume you have consulted the oracle, The Royal Naval Division by Douglas Jerrold. A book written just after WW1 and very detailed. I am running a thread (about three down from this posting) at the moment regarding The Countess of Pembroke's Hospital, Wilton House. My father was Sub Lt Sidney Walker of Drake Battalion, he was badly injured at the Canal du Nord in 1918 and I have followed his war exploits with great interest. By the way, I am not in my eighties, he was 59 when I was born in 1956.

I would be very pleased to know why you have a special interest in Drake as I have photos of the CO Commander Beak and his officers taken after The Battle of Arras 1918 and before with many more men in a photo at Rubempre. I also have a photo of my father with his petrol.

You may notice my online name!

Kind regards

Oppy

[Colin Ainslie]

Hi C, My Great uncle was a Sub Lieutenant W.M.Morrison who served in Nelson Battalion 1914 - 1917 as a Leading Seaman then was commissioned 27/3/18 Drake Battalion. Trying to find out what if any battles he would have been involved in as he was twice injured in two separate occasions.

[seaJane]

Do you have the dates of his injuries? That would give us a clue.

 

[Colin Ainslie]

13 minutes ago, seaJane said:

Do you have the dates of his injuries? That would give us a clue.

 

Hi seajane don't know if you got my message so 22/10/14 to 19/1/17  & 1/8/18 to 29/9/18

[seaJane]

I did but I was in bed!

The first period would cover any of the RND actions from Antwerp (October 1914) to Gallipoli (eg 3rd Krithia, early June 1915).

[horatio2]

Full names and official number (as a rating) would help.

[horatio2]

No surprise that I could not find the man as named by the OP. He served as William Morrrison AINSLIE, Clyde Z/92 (CZ/92) later Sub Lt.

'A' Company, Nelson Bn. He did not serve at Antwerp. That operation ended for the RND on 12 October 1914. He came through Gallipoli unscathed but his tim,e with Nelson Bn was interrupted in 1916 by treatment at Malta for gonorrhoea. He was wounded as the Nelsons took over the front beyond Beaucourt on 19 January 1917. He was wounded with Drake Bn in the fighting over the river and canal near Cambrai in late September 1918. More details in the RND history - https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.523461  and the Nelson Bn history -  https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Nelson-at-War-19141918-Paperback/p/16777

Edited 30 December , 2021 by horatio2

[Colin Ainslie]

Hello Horatio2,  Sorry my info was a not enough but new to this.  I see he was a bit of a jack the lad, but many thanks for your info on my great uncle. Cheers

 

Hello seajane, sorry about your beauty sleep and cheers for your help. 

[horatio2]

9 hours ago, Colin Ainslie said:

22/10/14 to 19/1/17

AINSLIE’s actual dates with Nelson Bn (disregarding time elsewhere, e.g. in hospital or serving in 8^th Entrenching Bn) were:-

·       22 Oct 1914 until 17 Feb 1916 (to hospital Malta)

·       22 April 1916 (rejoined Nelson Bn at Mudros) until 22 May 1916 (to hospital on Nelson Bn arrival Marseilles)

·       27 November 1916 (rejoined Nelson Bn at Le Champneuf in a draft of 92 OR reinforcements) until 19 January 1917 (1^st wounding – invalided to UK)

·       19 July 1917 (rejoined Nelson Bn at Wakefield Camp near Arras from Base Depot Calais) until 25 September 1917 ( to Cadet School for commission)

This means he missed the RND's major engagement in mid-November 1916 - the taking of Beaucourt-sur-L'Ancre in the battle of L'Ancre, the last of the 1916 Somme batteles. He also missed the RND's taking of Gavrelle in late April 1917, the slog through the swamps at Passchendaele in October/November 1917, and the major battles in the first half of 1918 (Welsh Ridge and the German's Operation MICHAEL).

[Colin Ainslie]

Hello H, Thank you for info,  I think he was if you can call it luck missing these battles and engagements. Very proud of him and once again cheers for your help.