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Remembered Today:

8th Welsh (Pioneer) Regiment


paul.pengelly

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Help required on working out where the 8th Welsh (Pioneer ) Regiment  were 1914-1919.There is not a lot available on line on them and a lot seems contradictory ,or just vague.

 

My Great Uncle William Pengelly 11596 seems to have been one of their first recruits as he attested 15th April 1914 in Cardiff which is when they formed.His service records amount to only eight pages,half of which are letters he wrote to the War Office in the 1930’s requesting information on his missing service / pension records ,as he was unable to get a job and suffering from ill health.

 

I have read of them landing at Anzac and at Sulva and at Helles which seems unlikely all three? ,I know that they were nearly wiped out at Chunuk Bair,not a great place for your first action.

 

Then they went to guard the Suez Canal and wait for replacements before going to Mespot to try to relieve Kut ,unsuccessfully .According to some records I have read they finish the war N.E of Baghdad ,while others have them in India fighting in the 3rd Afghan War ?,not arriving back in the UK till Aug 1919

 

His service record has him posted to Kirkee (India) 14/3/17 till demobbed 11/3/19 ,what was he doing out there? .

 

There was a depot ,hospital and a P.O.W camp at Kirkee,could men have gone out as injured to the hospital then convalesced and worked as guards at the camp till they were fit and ready to come back?

 

Thanks for reading.

 

 

 

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Here's their Gallipoli WD on Ancestry: https://www.ancestry.co.uk/interactive/60380/42871_625537_11854-00001?backurl=&ssrc=&backlabel=Return. The Mesopotamia WD 1916-1919 is available from the National Archives: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/5abfb2aed995475ab2f832180e36304e.

Acknown

Edited by Acknown
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Thanks Acknown.... 

I have just realised that part of the/ my confusion lies with the fact that their were in fact two “Welsh 8th (Service) Battalions” in the New Army ..the Welsh Regiment one I am looking for and the one belonging to the Royal Welsh .

 

One was formed in August 1914,went to Salisbury Plain,then Gallipoli ,then Egypt then Mespot ,while the other one ..............................did exactly the same ...now thats never going to get confusing is it.

 

And no mention of India for either of them !

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32 minutes ago, paul.pengelly said:

I have just realised that part of the/ my confusion lies with the fact that their were in fact two “Welsh 8th (Service) Battalions” in the New Army ..the Welsh Regiment one I am looking for and the one belonging to the Royal Welsh .

That's correct, but only the 8th Bn. of The Welsh Regiment was a Pioneer battalion.

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The 'Royal Welsh' were the Royal Welsh Fusiliers.

Acknown

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