Manchesters and Loyals transferred to East Lancs - Why?

[Stephen Barker]

I'm researching an East Lancashire battalion.

In the 'original' battalion were many men who had enlisted in the Loyals and Manchesters and then been transferred to the East Lancs after about a fortnight.

Could this have been because.

1. All three regiments shared Fulwood as a depot. The Silver War badge rolls held at Kew were administered at Fulwodd for all three.

2. Therefore the East Lancs unit needed more men, while there was a glut of Loyals, Manchesters.

We are talking here of men enlisting in the Loyals and Manchesters in October 14 and being moved by the end of the month.

Tricky this - I would appreciate your thoughts.

Thank you

Stephen

[CROONAERT]

Fulwood , since 1881 (when it moved from Burnley - much to the delight of locals but to the woe of the local innkeepers) was the depot and RHQ of the East Lancashire Regiment but was the administrative centre for this part of Lancashire as a whole no matter what the regiment. It remained so for many years, not just WW1 (my grandad-in-law (Border Regiment 1918), my dad (King's Own 1950), and myself (QLR 1988) all had dealings of some sort with Fulwood initially. No real surprise there in my case due to my regiment, but because the other two were from the area, they also "passed through" so to speak. Probably something to do with Preston being the administrative county town of Lancashire really.

Dave

[Stephen Barker]

Cheers Dave,

Thanks for that.

Anyone else have any thoughts?

Stephen

[John_Hartley]

Stephen

I'm entirely with Dave. Fullwood was the administrative centre for the seven regiments based in Lancashire (and may also have been for the Borders and Cheshires) so it's certainly easy to think that this is where the shuffling of men took place.

And you have to be right about gluts. I've recentl researched a chap who travelled from Stockport to Chester with several mates with the intent of making sure they were accepted into the Cheshires. His letter home about a month later indicates they were clearly unthrilled about being transferred to the South Lancs within days.

John

[Stephen Barker]

Thanks John

The majority of the recruits in the 8th East Lancs were Loyals or Manchesters recruits. There must have been a lot of whingeing, especially when the rain started to pour on the bell tents and the fields flooded at Codford.

Stephen

[John_Hartley]

Rain? Rain?

These are Manchesters we're talking about. It'll have been a few spits and spots to them. Torrential downpour to others.

[Stephen Barker]

Mutinies at Codford John, though I think that the final straw was the flooding in fields surrounded by streams on three sides.

The food wasn't great either.

Even mancunians have their limits! Mind you, what do I know - I'm from that part of Cheshire where Mike Baldwin used to take his girlfriends for a trip out in Corrie!