Royal Dublin Fusiliers Recruiting in Essex?

[Gardenerbill]

I am researching a soldier from Lonodn who attested in 1900 at Warley the home barracks of the Essex Regiment, but joined the Royal Dublin Fusiliers. So my question is why were the RDF recruiting in Essex?

[Guest]

Warley distributed men to  all the regiments of Eastern Command.  A  posting from Warley in 1900 to RDF might not be surprising given events in South Africa. Was there a RDF draft going off to South Africa?  Possible that recruits were posted to make drafts for South Africa up to strength. On the other hand, he might just have asked.

    Are we allowed to know who he was?

[Hedley Malloch]

Because they could not make their numbers in Ireland. Most (all?) of the Irish based regiments did the same. This was especially true of the regiments based in the west of Ireland which suffered from massive depopulation during the nineteenth century,

[Gardenerbill]

Thank you GUEST and Hedley, both replies make perfect sense. The soldier in question is Ernest Bedingham, one of 3 brothers who were all in the military. They were orphaned in 1899 the oldest brother Walter went to live with grandparents, before joining the KRRC, he was killed in action in September 1914, I have his service record. Ernest joined the RDF in 1900 at the age of 14, again I have his service records and they contain an interesting set of letters. He became a bandsmen at 16 but was soon deperate to leave due to concerns over the impoverished state of his Aunt and younger sister, he even wrote to the King asking to be discharged, one of the letters refers to him as an Exmouth man a reference to the Training Ship Exmouth where orphaned boys were placed, I believe he probably went from there into the RDF shortly after his 14th birthday. In another letter it mentions his brothers being in the military, Walter with the KRRC and Henry in the R.M.A. (Royal Marines Artillery) at Portsmouth, this suggest Henry may also have been on the T.S. Exmouth. I can find no military records for Henry and only Walter has WW1 service as far as I can find. I have most of family records, births baptism, marraiges census etc. and I am pulling together the whole story for a friend of my Father-in-law.

[Guest]

 Hi Mark-  Just taking a guess here- did your man go out to South Africa?  2 RDF took a hammering in the early months of the Boer War, esp. Colenso. Your man- or rather, boy- looks too young to have gone for certain. Any QSA/KSA?

[Gardenerbill]

I don't think he went overseas but I will check when I get home tonight.

[Gardenerbill]

No evidence he went to South Africa, this is a detail from his statement of service:

 

Edited 23 October , 2017 by Gardenerbill

[Gardenerbill]

I have completed the story of Walter Bedingham and I am now writing up the story of Ernest. I have a couple of question realating to Ernest's service with the 2nd RDF, he is first posted (see above) at the age of 14 to the depot, where was the Royal Dublin Fusiliers depot? In his service papers there are references to Kilworth camp, was this where the 2nd RDF were based in the early 1900s?