25th Bn rifle brigade

[sharon44]

Good afternoon all. I am trying to find out any information about my maternal great, great, granddad. His name was Robert cawthorn, service number 208194. He was a rifleman in ww1 and was given an honourable discharge and awarded the silver war badge - due to sickness I think. He enlisted 9/11/14, and was discharged 8/5/18. His badge and certificate number 366,989. That's all I know. Grateful for any information Thanks, Sharon

[GraemeClarke]

Hi Sharon

He enlisted in the Army on 9 November 1914.

He served in the 20th Battalion, Rifle Brigade with regimental numbers 198 and 208194.

He was drafted to Egypt on 17 January 1916 and appears to have served until 20 August 1916 when he returned to England.

From the LLT
http://www.1914-1918.net/rb.htm

18th (London); 19th (Western), 20th (Northern), 21st (Midland), 22nd (Wessex & Welsh), 23rd (North Western) and 24th (Home Counties) Battalions
Formed in accordance with an Army Council Instruction on 29 November 1915. The Bns were made up of supernumerary TF Companies, formed from National Reservists who were used for guarding vulnerable points in Great Britain. The Bns were posted for Garrison duty overseas in 1916. The 18th, 23rd and 24th went to India; 19th and 20th to Egypt. The 21st went to India via Egypt, and the 22nd Salonika via Egypt. The latter was attached to the 228th Brigade in 28th Division.

He presumably then transferred to the 25th Garrison Battalion, Rifle Brigade and was discharged on 8 May 1918 due to sickness aged 56 years.

Regards,

Graeme

[stiletto_33853]

Sharon,

As Graeme has kindly pointed out he was in the 20th Rifle Brigade initially, one of the Territorial Battalions which were placed under the Rifle Brigade by The Director of Personnel Services in late 1915 but managed by The City of London Territorial Association having very little to do with the Rifle Brigade being managed from London with no Rifle Brigade officers or men being placed in these battalions to start with. They were authorized in December 1915 to wear the Regimental Badge with the shoulder title "R.B." surmounted by a "T"

The 20th Rifle Brigade was formed at Denham Camp from men of Northumberland Fusiliers, Durham Light Infantry, East Yorks and West Yorkshire Regiments. In the last days of 1915 it embarked for Egypt in the Olympic and Grampian disembarking at Alexandria on 16th January 1916, nine hundred and thirty two strong. It was commanded by Lt. - Col. Miles Emmet Byrne, T.D., who had been transferred from the 24th Northumberland Fusiliers. The battalions hsitory was an uneventful one, for they spent the rest of the War finding duties and guards over Prisoners-of-War and Internment Camps, and vulnerable points in the Delta Area. In January 1916 HQ was at Benha with one Company at Birket-el-Sada. On the last day of February they moved to Abbassia with two Companies guarding prisoners at Maadi and in July took over the duties of the 21st Rifle Brigade

For the 25th Rifle Brigade, here they were based in Trevethan Camp in Falmouth where their duties involved coast defence and draft finding for the other Territorial battalions

Andy

[sharon44]

Thanks guys. That's great. What type of illness would have caused him to be discharged from the army, and where can I find this information? Please forgive me if I am asking something I shouldn't, but where did you guys get your information. I have checked the records on the forces war records site and came up with no matches for him. thanks again, Sharon

[GraemeClarke]

Morning Sharon,

The Medal Index Card and Medal Rolls, obtainable from Ancestry. Your local library or history centre will most probably have free access. Fortunately, and this is not usually the case, his medal roll shows the dates I have cited above.

Regarding his illness, without his service record, and I searched but could not immediately see it, this is the billion dollar question. It could be anything.

Regards,

Graeme