Movements of Royal Warwickshires

[londons]

Hi,

Does anyone out there know anything about the 3/6 and 3/7 units of the Royal Warwickshires ? Any movements within the UK, base etc.

Any information would be very gratefully received. My g grandfather served with them prior to his first overseas posting in June 1917.

Many thanks for looking.

Regards,

Lee

[brindlerp]

Extracted from Chapter XVII, pages 128 and 129, from "The Story of the Royal Warwickshire Regiment (Formerly the Sixth Foot)" by Charles Lethbridge Kingsford.

"The urgency of the need in August 1914 made it impossible to depend solely on the Territorial organisations already in force. Everywhere fresh battalions were raised to form part of the New Armies. In Warwickshire ten such additional battalions were recruited. The two first, the 9th and 10th, were raised at Tidworth under Lieut.-Colonel C. H. Palmer and Colonel B. C. McCalmont, C.B. One who was present writes : "No one who was at Warwick in those breathless days will ever forget the sight of the unceasing stream of men passing up the streets on their way to Budbrooke, where every avail-able corner was turned into quarters, and when they were full the square itself was covered with men sleeping in the open." As the men were attested and clothed they were marched away in drafts to the station en route for Tidworth, where these two battalions had their first training. The 11th was raised at Port Slade Camp under Lieut.-Colonel H. Curtis, and went for training to Shoreham. The 12th and 13th were raised in the Isle of Wight under Lieut.-Colonels G. D. Armstrong, D.S.O., and J. Grove; but these two batta-lions never left England, and eventually became reserves for the supply of drafts to the Service battalions abroad. At Birmingham three battalions were raised under the direction of the Lord Mayor. These were eventually numbered 14th (Lieut.-Colonel G. W. Jervis), 15th (Lieut.-Colonel J. L. Andrews), and 16th (Colonel D. F. Lewis, C.B.). They had at first been styled the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Birmingham, a designation in which they maintained their pride. They had their training at Codford. In August 1915 a 17th battalion was raised for home service, which two years later became the 92nd T. R. Battalion. An 18th battalion, also for home service, was raised in January 1917, when it absorbed the 81st Provisional Battalion; the 18th battalion was disbanded in January 1918.

The Territorial Battalions, when embodied, went to com-plete their training in Essex. Before they left for France in March 1915, four additional battalions had been formed as the 2/5th, 2/6th, 2/7th, and 2/8th. These latter completed their training in 1916 on Salisbury Plain. In May 1915, four more Territorial battalions - the 3/5th, 3/6th, 3/7th, and 3/8th - were formed; but on September 1, 1916, the 3/5th and 3/6th were united to form the 5th (Reserve) battalion, and the 3/7th and 3/8th to form the 7th (Reserve) battalion; these Reserve battalions were to supply drafts for the first and second line battalions of the Territorial Force.

The last battalion was the 1st Garrison Battalion, which was formed in 1915 from men unfit for more active service, and on August 20 was sent under Lieut.-Colonel F. W. Ponder to Egypt. It went straight to Khartoum, where it remained till December 1916. Afterwards it served at Abbasieh, Ismailia and Port Tewfik till it was disbanded in June 1919.

The 3rd and 4th battalions,* under the reorganisation of 1907, became the special reserve of the line battalions ; conse-quently they had not as units any share in the war. But the work of the officers of these battalions, as also of the later reserve battalions, and of those who gave the new battalions their early training, is not in its way less to be remembered, than that of those, who with greater opportunities for dis-tinction commanded in the field. Similar record must be made of the heavy work at the Depot under Colonel F. G. F. Browne, who was in command of the 6th Recruiting Area.

A movement at the end of 1914 for the training of men for Home Defence resulted in the formation of five battalions of Warwickshire Volunteers, of which the 1st, 3rd, 4th and 5th had their headquarters at Birmingham and the 2nd at Leamington. In April 1916 these battalions were accepted by the War Office and became the Volunteer Battalions of the Royal Warwickshire Regiment under Colonel D. F. Lewis as County Commandant.

Upon the causes which led to the Great War in 1914, there is no need to enter here. But, apart from the obligations of Great Britain to France under the Entente Cordiale, when Germany began the war by breaking her plighted word to observe the neutrality of Belgium, every sentiment of duty and interest made intervention imperative. The war, which was thus undertaken at the call of honour, was fought in defence of the great principles of national independence and liberty.

NOTE. — It will be convenient to give here the brigades and divisions of the several battalions : —

1st; in 10th Brigade and 4th Division.

2nd; in 22nd Brigade and 7th Division.

5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th; in 143rd Brigade and 48th Division.

(In September 1918 the 8th was transferred to the 75th Brigade of the 25th Division.)

2/5th, 2/6th, 2/7th, and 2/8th; in 182nd Brigade and 61st Division.

9th; in 39th Brigade and 13th Division.

10th; in 57th Brigade and 19th Division.

11th; in 112th Brigade and 37th Division.

14th and 15th; in 13th Brigade and 5th Division.

16th: in 15th Brigade and 5th Division.

* The 3rd was commanded by Lieut-Colonel J. F. Clyne, and the 4th by Lieut.-Colonel A. E. Williams."

regards

Richard

[londons]

Hi Richard,

What can I say ? Thanks for your time in posting me that great piece.

The attached image was very good too. Is there any chance you may be able to email the attchment offline direct to my email.?

I don't know if other aol users have problems with attach ments but I can never copy them only print from the screen. If you know of a solution that would be great.

Thanks again Richard,

Regards,

Lee

[Terry_Reeves]

3/6 the and 3/7th followed the same route. Formed at Birmingham and Coventry respectively in May 1915, they moved tp Western-Super-Mare 8.4.16. To Ludgershall (nr Tidworth on the Salisbury Plain) 1.9.16 as part of the South Midland Reserve Brigade. Winter 1916/17 was spent at Cheltenham. By March 1917 they were at Catterick. Summer 1917 they moved to Northumberland, in the Blythe area, as part of the Tyne Garrison and remained there until the end of the war.

Terry Reeves

[londons]

Thanks Terry, that's great info.

regards,

Lee

[Arnaud Gabet]

Hello,

 

Iam french ans I search informations about Lieutenant-colonel Edward Joh Mac Farlane from 3/5th (into 5th Reserve) Battalion du Royal Warwickshire  between 04/02/1916 to 01/06/1916  and abut his son Charles William Macfarlane in the 5th batallion of Warvickshire Regiment between 1917 and 1919. Thank you for advance.