BillyH Posted 25 November , 2015 Share Posted 25 November , 2015 Has anyone got the above war diary for April 1919 please? BillyH. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stiletto_33853 Posted 25 November , 2015 Share Posted 25 November , 2015 Billy, Unfortunately the 23rd has no War Diary, I just have a brief record of their service, their Part 1 orders are still around and from these we can see that their life was an uneventful one being employed on Internal Security Duties throughout it's stay in India, first in Multan where it was quartered in the Edwardes Barracks. , then from22nd July 1918 at Bareilly in Clyde Barracks. One Company was at Amritsar, according to the Indian Order of Battle in May 1916 but their was no other detachments. Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillyH Posted 25 November , 2015 Author Share Posted 25 November , 2015 Thanks for that info Andy, As you know, I have been trying to PM you but the Forum still says that you can't receive any new messages. BillyH. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stiletto_33853 Posted 25 November , 2015 Share Posted 25 November , 2015 Emptied some of my inbox, gets full pretty quickly these days. If you need anymore I will send you what I have. Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clive_hughes Posted 25 November , 2015 Share Posted 25 November , 2015 You may know this already BillyH, but just in case...starting in July 1915 members of the National Reserve were medically examined and those who could march 10 miles with a rifle and a certain load of ammunition were transferred to more active service units. Those in the next lowest category of fitness were formed into eight new battalions of the Rifle Brigade. The intention was to send them to places such as Egypt and India in order to release First-Line Territorial units, and most were packed off to those places. The very lowest categories medically became Provisional Battalions. Each new RB unit was subtitled to show where its companies had come from, and the 23rd was the "North Western". So in theory your man was a member of the National Reserve (TF). In 1914 and before the Nat. Reserve (originally the 1910 Veteran Reserve) recruited older men, with previous service in any branch of the Armed Forces. They were graded according to age and fitness, up to age 55. In 1914 these men if not fit for transfer to overseas duties were formed into Supernumerary Companies of Territorial battalions in their area, and wore the appropriate regt. badge; though their numbering is often in a parallel series separate to the main TF. The companies then guarded vulnerable points, staffed POW camps and so on. Your chap would have been in a Supernumerary Company of a regiment in the north-west prior to being transferred to the RB. Clive Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stiletto_33853 Posted 25 November , 2015 Share Posted 25 November , 2015 The 23rd (North Western) Battalion was formed at Halton by drafts principally from men of the King's Liverpool, South Lancs and Manchester Regiments, who previous to their transfer were guarding prisoners-of-war at the Knockaloe Camp in the Isle of Man. It remained throughout under the Command of Lieut. - Col. T.E. Turnbull (V.D.) and sailing in S.S. Euripides from Devonport on 12th January 1916, proceeded via the Suez Canal to Karachi, where the Battalion disembarked on 10th February. From what remains of their Part 1 Orders it would appear that their history was an uneventful one. The Battalion was employed on Internal Security Duties throughout it's stay in India; first at Multan, where it was quartered in the Edwardes Barracks, then from 22nd July 1918 at Bareilly in Clyde Barracks; One company was at Amritsar, according to the Indian Order of Battle, in May 1916, but their were no other detachments. The Battalion was demobilised in India, by 12th July the numbers were reduced to fifty, on 25th October it moved to Sialkot and the cadre was not finally dispersed until 4th February 1920. Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillyH Posted 25 November , 2015 Author Share Posted 25 November , 2015 Thanks to Clive and Andy, useful information. BillyH. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stiletto_33853 Posted 25 November , 2015 Share Posted 25 November , 2015 Billy, I think I have a few postcards from the 23rd, will have to go through the albums to find them if they are of use. Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillyH Posted 25 November , 2015 Author Share Posted 25 November , 2015 That would be great Andy, by the way I still can't PM you! BillyH. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stiletto_33853 Posted 25 November , 2015 Share Posted 25 November , 2015 Strange Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stiletto_33853 Posted 25 November , 2015 Share Posted 25 November , 2015 Billy, I have two postcards from the 23rd, one from Halton the other in India, small unamed groups. These TF battalions are not my core interest but you are welcome to have scans of the cards I have. Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stiletto_33853 Posted 28 November , 2015 Share Posted 28 November , 2015 Billy, Find attached the poscards I have regarding the 23rd. As you can see on this card there are a variety of cap badges so presumably taken before 15th December 1915 when they were authorised to wear the Regiments cap badge. Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stiletto_33853 Posted 28 November , 2015 Share Posted 28 November , 2015 Unfortunately with these Territorial battalions the information is fairly sparse. I have a lot of pictures of the 18th & 24th but very few of the others as they are outside of my core interest in the Regiment. These battalions had very little to do with the Rifle Brigade being managed from the London Territorials, no RB men or officers were placed in them, hence the only tie was being given the right to wear the cap badge, authorised in December 1915. Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillyH Posted 28 November , 2015 Author Share Posted 28 November , 2015 Thanks for posting them Andy. BillyH. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poona guard Posted 4 October , 2021 Share Posted 4 October , 2021 Hi Andy, Do you have any showing what the TF RB battalions wore on their pagri? If so could I use them in my book on TF WW1 badges, please - part 3 of my books on WW1 badges. Dave Bilton Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stiletto_33853 Posted 5 October , 2021 Share Posted 5 October , 2021 Hi Dave, I will have a look at the images I have of these battalions. When they were given permission to wear the RB badge it was specified that on their shoulder they had to wear a "T". Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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