middlesex regiment

[reserved occupation]

Hi

i'm doing research on personnel connected to the village of Hathersage Derbyshire . We have a german that served ( naturalised british ) . He was originally in the sig coy R E later in the Duke of Cambridge Own Middlesex Rgmt . Going through their service and medal list there seems to be quite a few soldiers of germanic extraction tranferred into the Middlesex Rgmt towards late 1917 . Is there any reason for this or is just a case of putting all the eggs in one Basket

[Stebie9173]

There were a couple of Battalions of the Middlesex Regiment (30th and 31st) specifically designed for the sons of German parents. These were Labour Battalions and did not fight in the front line. Some men were sent to the front with Infantry Labour Companies. They were also barred from certain jobs or areas when they were operating in France and Flanders. Some men had previously served in other units.

See:

http://www.1914-1918.net/msex_aliens.html

Steve.