1/9th Hampshire, Cyclists

[T8HANTS]

As It happens I have a private memoir from a member of the 9th, it is far from being a work of literature, but I will try and make it available when I have finished transcribing it.

However I am tied up with another project at the moment so I can't promise it immediately.

 

Gareth

[Carol Hayward]

Hi T8Hants

 

Thank you for replying to my post in Jan.  I looked at Winchester Military Museum site and found the following about 1/9th Hants Cyclists:

 

"The 1/9th Hampshires were originally a Cyclists Battalion of the Territorial Army having recruited from Southampton; however soon after mobilisation they had got rid of their bicycles.

By the end of 1918, having spent most of the war in India, comprising of 32 officers and 945 other ranks, with the commanding officer Lt Col Robert Johnson they were sent as reinforcements for the British in Russia. They arrived in Vladivostok on the 28th November in order to be equipped with the clothing necessary for a Russian winter.

They then left for Omsk in the middle of Siberia to relieve the 25th Middlesex. The journey of over 4,000 miles in cattle trucks which had been roofed in and given a stove took 23 days Omsk, arriving on the 7th January 1919.

The Battalion stayed in Omsk all winter, with temperatures reaching 50º centigrade at times. During this 5 month stay, the War Office refused to allow Colonel Johnson to take his Battalion into action, hence one of Johnson’s main problems was keeping his men occupied. He introduced ice-hockey, held 3 dances a week for his men, and got them into amateur theatricals.

The Battalion was ordered to move to Ekaterinburg in the Urals, where it was essential in the formation of the Anglo-Russian Brigade, commanded by British officers but made up of Russian peasants.

Finally, the 1/9th were withdrawn from Ekaterinburg early in August 1919. Orders were received that they were to go to Vladivostok and from there would be transported home. The Battalion arrived back in Southampton December 5th 1919, with only 3 men having been wounded and one killed while in Russia."

Sounds a bit like Mash or Kelly's Heroes.  I live in near Poole, Dorset and will be going to both Winchester and Kew as soon as the weather gets better.  Will post anything I find.  Have found a book by the French teacher to the Tsar's children in which he says the Germans had agreed with Lenin to give the Romanov's refuge in Germany.

[Triumph2000]

I posted this in the Postcards thread some time ago, but thought it may be of interest here too.

 

All the best

Ben

[george57l]

On 11/7/2017 at 14:15, Dever Mayfly said:

For my part, I am trying to track two 1st/9th Hampshire soldiers in a party which was abandoned in Siberia; Sergeant George Lillington and Private James.  I have a photograph of them, but I am not sure why they were left behind in Omsk in November 1919 when the Battalion had sailed to Canada on the 1st.  Do you have anything on them by any chance?

 

Dever Mayfly

Please could you send me a Private Message (apparently I am allowed only zero private messages per day) so that perhaps we might arrange to speak? One of those two was my grandfather,  and naturally I'd be very keen to see the photograph and understand its provenance. I don't know if I can help much more with your research (but you never know) but I would like to understand what you have already uncovered.

 

(PS Apologies if multiple copies of my response appear here, I am used to seeing a post appear when I click 'submit' and nothing happened when I did, so I submitted again.)

 

On 11/7/2017 at 14:15, Dever Mayfly said:

 

 

On 11/7/2017 at 14:15, Dever Mayfly said:

 

On 11/7/2017 at 14:15, Dever Mayfly said:

 

On 11/7/2017 at 14:15, Dever Mayfly said:

 

 

Edited 28 February , 2018 by george57l

[Dever Mayfly]

Dear George571, The system rejected my private message, but I would be delighted to show you the photograph and tell you the story behind it.  I could meet in w/c 19 March in London, Winchester, Portsmouth, or somewhere in between.

[george57l]

On 3/4/2018 at 10:18, Dever Mayfly said:

Dear George571, The system rejected my private message, but I would be delighted to show you the photograph and tell you the story behind it.  I could meet in w/c 19 March in London, Winchester, Portsmouth, or somewhere in between.

Dever Mayfly.

Perhaps you could email me directly so we can arrange to speak - this forum software is hardly conducive....    ;-)

 

Thanks so much for replying.

George

Edited 14 March , 2018 by george57l
Personal data removed once no longer needed here

[Guest]

Hi all,

My grandfather was in the 2/9 Hants Cyclists Battalion. I have two photos of him wearing his cap and standing in full army dress at Bognor. He had been in the Territorial Cyclists before the War (I have a news cutting of his wife and brother at a whist drive) and cuttings of him noting his rank - colour sergeant. The photo mentioned seems to indicate that he was a sergeant major. I believe he was still with the 2/9 when they served at Sandown IOW.

A couple of months before the end of WW1 he was transferred to the Somerset Light Infantry, serving as a Quartermaster Lieutenant (have two photos of him in uniform). This unit has been mentioned before in this thread.

My question is what was the connection (if any) between the Hants Cyclists and the Somerset Light Infantry?

[Alan24]

On 08/11/2018 at 11:00, Ewraysure said:

Hi all,

My grandfather was in the 2/9 Hants Cyclists Battalion. I have two photos of him wearing his cap and standing in full army dress at Bognor. He had been in the Territorial Cyclists before the War (I have a news cutting of his wife and brother at a whist drive) and cuttings of him noting his rank - colour sergeant. The photo mentioned seems to indicate that he was a sergeant major. I believe he was still with the 2/9 when they served at Sandown IOW.

A couple of months before the end of WW1 he was transferred to the Somerset Light Infantry, serving as a Quartermaster Lieutenant (have two photos of him in uniform). This unit has been mentioned before in this thread.

My question is what was the connection (if any) between the Hants Cyclists and the Somerset Light Infantry?

 

 

I don't think there was any particular connection between the Hants and SLI...men were sent where most needed.

 

However, IIRC, in July 1916 (presumably as replacements) a batch of men from the 2/9th were sent to the SLI...they have SLI numbers in the 29900-29959 range. 

A small batch men with SLI numbers running upto 29900 came from the 6th Dorsets, presumably at the same time.

 

Regards

 

Alan.

Edited 9 November , 2018 by Alan24

[Guest]

On the 100th anniversary of the day most soldiers were told, "War's over. You can go home", my granddad, Walter William Buxton, spent another year abroad, in India and Vladivostok. I do have some photos of his time in the service, if anyone's interested, and I would like to find out more about this episode. I do have vague memories of meeting him, but he passed away in 1951, when I was 4.

 

[Guest]

On 08/11/2018 at 11:00, Ewraysure said:

Hi all,

My grandfather was in the 2/9 Hants Cyclists Battalion. I have two photos of him wearing his cap and standing in full army dress at Bognor. He had been in the Territorial Cyclists before the War (I have a news cutting of his wife and brother at a whist drive) and cuttings of him noting his rank - colour sergeant. The photo mentioned seems to indicate that he was a sergeant major. I believe he was still with the 2/9 when they served at Sandown IOW.

A couple of months before the end of WW1 he was transferred to the Somerset Light Infantry, serving as a Quartermaster Lieutenant (have two photos of him in uniform).

I have now written up my grandfather's WW1 history,including his involvement with the 2/9 Hants Cyclists Battalion together with photos. Should any readers be interested, here is a link: http://www.myfamilymatters.org.uk/page3.html#charlesedithmills

[John Galloway]

I recently found a newspaper clipping from October 1916 from the Newbury Times (I think) detailing my grandfather's role following the downing of a Zeppelin in Essex on 24th September 1916. After quite a bit of research I now believe that he was with the 1/9th bicycle corp based in West Mersea on Mersea Island. 

I know that he spent time in India and in Vladivostok, but according to the records I am aware of the 1/9th went to India in February 1916. I wonder if anyone knows what this group were doing in Mersea Island in September. And also, whether there is any regimental record of their involvement following the downing of Zeppelin L33. 

His name was Private Herbert Eggleton. He enlisted in 1914. 

Any information about his unit's activities would be greatly appreciated. 

[Steven Broomfield]

Welcome to the Forum, John.

 

The 1/9th Hampshires had sailed for India (on the SS 'Ceramic') on 4th February, 1916, so not them.

 

The 2/9th were dotted around the south coast - Sussex and the Isle of Wight. There may have been a detachment at Mersea, but it seems a little distant.

 

There was a 3/9th Battalion, but it was formed at Fort Southwick (near Fareham) in April 1916 but absorbed by the 5th Reserve Battalion in September.

 

I can see no mention of a Zeppelin in the Hants and IoW TF War Record.

 

It might be worth starting a whole new thread, outlining what you know already; that will serve better to attract new people - not everyone looks at time-expired threads!

[Fovant]

My maternal grandfather was Lance Sergeant Thomas Archer who joined the 9th Hampshires in March 1914 at Romsey (465), he later developed health problems and remained on home duties until discharged as unfit in April 1917.

 

Looking at the records it appears he served with the 9th until transferred to the 84th Provisional Battalion in December 1916 and then to the 17th Battalion in January 1917 (380452).

 

His National Roll of the Great War entry mentions coastal defence duties against Zeppelins, so I was interested to see the mention of Mersea Island in an earlier post.

 

As someone who worked in Airfield Operations at North Weald until I retired at the end of last year, Zeppelins are of great interest as well. because 39 Squadron were based there to combat Zeppelin and Gotha raids and I have done a fair bit of research into London's WW1  air raid defences.

 

My grandfather died when I was little and I can just about remember him, and have no idea where he served with the Hampshires as obviously at some stage he was with the 2nd Line Battalion. The family story was that he had suffered heart strain. He was awarded the Wound Badge, but I don't remember every seeing or hearing about it.

 

I was also interested to see the Edwin Jones van picture. My father and mother both worked there in the 1930s and was where they met.

[John Galloway]

The Mersea Museum has a good account of the occasion when one crash landed. https://www.merseamuseum.org.uk/mmresdetails.php?col=MM&ba=cke&typ=ID&rhit=1&pid=DJG_ZEP

 

I know my grandfather was there because he wrote home to his mother about it, and thereby got a mention in the local, Newbury, paper. But I can find no record of what he was doing in West Mersea when the records suggest he should have been in India

 

[CharlotteMM]

I have what appears to be an album of photos from the 1/9th Hants Battalion which I have uploaded on the following link: 
 

 

[PRC]

On 23/01/2018 at 22:10, T8HANTS said:

As It happens I have a private memoir from a member of the 9th, it is far from being a work of literature, but I will try and make it available when I have finished transcribing it.

However I am tied up with another project at the moment so I can't promise it immediately.

 

Gareth

Gareth,

In the thread that @CharlotteMM has linked to she has listed a number of places in India that are referred to in postcards and photo titles. The pictures feature men from at least two units - one Artillery - and possibly others, so it would be good to know how strongly those place names tie up with a 1/9th source.

Hope you can take a look.

Cheers,
Peter