Royal Warwickshire Regiment, Port Tewfik, Egypt

[liliasodell]

I'm looking for more information about the Royal Warwickshire Regiment at Port Tewfik between February and May 1918. Such as - what bit of the Regiment was based there, and what they were doing (I know it was one place where soldiers unfit for frontline service went, but nothing else). Also, any photos - an online search produces many from WWII, but WWI seems to be very scarce.

Thank you kindly

Eljo

[HERITAGE PLUS]

Eljo

The 1st Garrison Battalion of the Regiment, which was formed in 1915, at Weymouth, from men unfit for more active service, was sent in August to Egypt. It went straight to Khartoum, where it remained until December 1916. Afterwards it served at Abbasieh, Ismailia and Port Tewfik until it was disbanded in June 1919.

As the Battalion name suggests they carried out Defensive Garrison duties thus relieving other fitter battalions for frontline service. The Port being to the west of the entrance to the strategically important Suez Canal.

Dave

[liliasodell]

Eljo

The 1st Garrison Battalion of the Regiment, which was formed in 1915, at Weymouth, from men unfit for more active service, was sent in August to Egypt. It went straight to Khartoum, where it remained until December 1916. Afterwards it served at Abbasieh, Ismailia and Port Tewfik until it was disbanded in June 1919.

As the Battalion name suggests they carried out Defensive Garrison duties thus relieving other fitter battalions for frontline service. The Port being to the west of the entrance to the strategically important Suez Canal.

Dave

Thanks Dave - that's really helpful. Hunting for info when all you know is the Regiment name is pretty hard - narrowing it down is great.

Eljo

[Elsie Davis]

My Grandfather shipped out with the 1st Royal warwickshires in 1915, we have his only written diary which decribes the troop ship voyage.

I too am trying to find more out about his time in Egypt and the source of his transfer from the 1st Gloucesters, as having joined up in 1913 and survived 1914 as an old Contemptible as part of the BEF .

My dad remembers snippets but it is all jumbled up as I think his father only gave it out in snippets:

We know he travelled all over and ended up in the Sudan, he worked with heliograph and ended up in the RAF as a wireless operator - but that is another mystery to be solved !!.

We still have his leather wallet that he brought in the Sudan !!

We know he lost all or part of a finger - the original story I was told as a kid was that he was taken off camel duties as he couldn;t hold the reigns correctly - but now I think this was part of his original injury, which got him off front line duties, dad now remembers that he was at first pointed towards mounted duties but was able to use the loss of a finger to avoid this, which he was thankfull for as he didn;t like horses !!

Dad remembers his Enfield 303, which he brought home and they kept, right up until WW2 when he gave it to the home guard....

I would happily share the 2 or 3 photos we have and this voyage description if it helps - I would need time to scan in as all the photos are with my mother at present.

Regards

Neil