Men Separated From Battalions.

[Captain Chip]

Hello there. I know that during the Great War, battalions were destroyed and some men got separated from their battalions. I am wondering if it is possible that some of those men or destroyed battalions would be sent to a different battalion to bolster their strength. And would it have to be their home regiment or could it be a battalion of a different regiment? 

[stevenbecker]

Units were reduced during combat, but few were ever destoryed per say unless surrendered and forced to surrender like Kut

But I have examples in the AIF during the late stages of the war, where units were combined, I am also aware that the British did this a number of times to many units during the war.

Soldiers could and did move around the units in the Army, just because you start in one unit does not mean you will stay there.

Attachments and detachments were very common in all Armies

[Captain Chip]

Ok because I am trying to write a story about a company that was in the 2nd Battalion Royal Irish Regiment. And at Le Pilly they were decimated and most surrendered. The remains of this company are some how able to escape but what was left of the battalion had already left their area and had nowhere to go. I figure the army would just put them with another Irish regiment.  I just need to figure out how man casualties its real counterpart took.

 

[stevenbecker]

Mate,

Out of my wheelhouse but from what I know the Bn was knocked around very badly at La Bassee, but continued to served in minor roles until 1915

One would think they would gather every body they could find to rebuild the unit.

That men would be attached to other units until the fighting stopped, then yes, but that would be temp not perm.

Maybe our British mates can add more, sorry

[PRC]

1 minute ago, Captain Chip said:

2nd Battalion Royal Irish Regiment. And at Le Pilly they were decimated and most surrendered. The remains of this company are some how able to escape but what was left of the battalion had already left their area and had nowhere to go. I figure the army would just put them with another Irish regiment.  I just need to figure out how man casualties its real counterpart took.

The 2nd Battalion would continue to exist for the rest of the war - the survivors of Le Pilly would have been used as a core for the Battalion to be rebuilt around with drafts rushed out from home. If you haven't done so already you might want to see if the Battalion War Diary gives any clues as to what happened next.

War Diaries for units serving in France & Flanders can currently be downloaded for free from the UK National Archive. You do need to sign in with your account, but if you don't have one even that can be set up as part of placing your first order. Just click on "sign in" on any page of the online National Archive catalogue and follow the instructions - no financial details are requested. The relevant page of the catalogue covering the 2nd Battalion War Diary from August 1914 to February 1915 can be found here https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C7352074

Cheers,
Peter

[Captain Chip]

The reason is because I mean during the Napoleonic Wars, soldiers and small detachments of units separated from their parent Battalions or regiments got put into a Battalion of Detachments. Also if I am not mistaken there was a Piper who was separated from his unit and was just with a Manchester Pals Battalion and if he survived the Battle of the Somme he would be sent back to his battalion.

Edited 31 December , 2023 by Captain Chip

[PRC]

You seem to be asking variations of the same question with posts such as this

It really is best to only have one thread on the go about the same thing  - it generally only lead to confusion and frustration as a result of a duplication of effort. Can I suggest you decide which which best reflects what you are trying to ask and then ask the admins to close the others.

6 minutes ago, Captain Chip said:

The reason is because I mean during the Napoleonic Wars, soldiers and small detachments of units separated from their parent Battalions or regiments got put into a Battalion of Detachments.

The Great War was a very different conflict - when you look at France & Flanders the area being fought over was relatively static. Plenty of instances where groups and individuals became detached in the ebb and flow of war, and while things were fluid and attack imminent they might become attached to another unit or be formed into an ad-hoc unit. In the retreat from Mons or the German spring offensive of 1918 this can frequently cause issues with identifying the circumstances in which men died. But once relieved and back in reserve efforts would then be made to unwind things and get the men back to their original units. Whether this was after a few hours, days or even weeks would depend on the circumstances.

Cheers,
Peter

[Captain Chip]

Ok, thanks.