4th Batt Norfolk Regt Cyclist

[David Seymour]

Henry Russell, born 1877, signed on for a temp commission in 10 Nov 1914 with the "Bradford Battalion" West Yorks. On his form he claimed three years service with "4th Batt Norfolk Regt Cyclist", and later stated that he had previously applied for a commission with "6th Batt Cyclist Norfolk Regt Oct 17 1914"

Please can anyone help with information about Henry's pre-war service in the 4th battalion? I note from The Long Long Trail that the 1/6th and 2/6th were formed in August and October 1914.

Grateful as always for any assistance.

With best wishes,

David

[Greg Bloomfield]

David

The 1/4th Norfolks were an infantry battalion, not cyclist. The 1/6th were the Norfolk's cyclists and they were pre-war TF and formed on the creation of the Territorial Force in 1908.

Hope this hasn't muddied the waters too much!

Greg

[David Seymour]

Greg,

Thank you.

The muddying seems to have been done by whoever wrote out the form which mentions the 4th as cyclists!

So, it becomes difficult to know which element of the Norfolks he was serving with pre-war. Clearly a territorial but where did he serve? Are there such things as muster books which the Regimental Museum might hold?

Very many thanks for getting in touch.

With best wishes,

David

[Greg Bloomfield]

It might help if you knew where he lived. Most of the market towns of Norfolk had company headquaters in their drill halls and many surrounding villages had small detachments where they used to meet up for training. If you know that it might therefore be possible to have an educated guess at which battalion he may have been in.

Not sure about the muster books but the museum are generally very helpful and there are also a number of Norfolk experts on the Forum who might pick up on this thread and will be able to help.

Hopefully the mud might begin to settle a little!

Greg

[David Seymour]

Greg,

He gave a Bradford address on his form. Previously (1901 census) he been teaching in Pocklington. At that time his parents were living in Thetford, where he had gone to school.

So there seems to have been some loyalty to Norfolk even after he had moved north.

Pocklington College says that he left as a result of an illness but has no date for this, but if he was serving in a Norfolk territorial battalion 1911 to 1914 he must have recovered from whatever it was.

Best wishes,

David

[Greg Bloomfield]

At the outbreak of war there were three TF units with Norfolk affiliations in Thetford.

The 1/4th battalion had a detachment there from "G" Company.

The 1/6th battalion's "D" Company were in the town.

The Norfolk Yeomanry had a deatachment of "D" Squadron there but these were obviously donkey wallopers and not cyclists.

All these had been in existence in their present forms since the TF reforms of 1908 so its more than possible that he was in one or other of them.

I'm not stirring the mud again am I?

[David Seymour]

Greg,

That's most interesting. Thank you.

That he may have been in one of these units should make it easier for me to ask the regimental museum a few questions.

Many thanks,

David