Ray Westlake - British Battalions on the Western Front

Regimental Index

Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders,

Artists Rifles,

Bedfordshire Regiment,

Black Watch,

Border Regiment,

Buffs, East Kent Regiment,

Cambridgeshire Regiment,

Cameron Highlanders,

Cameronians (Scottish Rifles),

Cheshire Regiment,

Civil Service Rifles,

Coldstream Guards,

Connaught Rangers,

Devonshire Regiment,

Dorsetshire Regiment,

Duke of Cornwalls Light Infantry,

Duke of Wellingtons Regiment,

Durham Light Infantry,

East Kent Regiment,

East Lancashire Regiment,

East Surrey Regiment,

East Yorkshire Regiment,

Essex Regiment,

Gloucestershire Regiment,

Gordon Highlanders,

Grenadier Guards,

Hampshire Regiment,

Hertfordshire Regiment,

Highland Light Infantry,

Honourable Artillery Company,

Irish Guards,

Kings Liverpool Regiment,

Kings Own Royal Lancaster Regiment,

Kings Own Scottish Borderers,

Kings Own Yorkshire Light Infantry,

Kings Royal Rifle Corps,

Kings Shropshire Light Infantry,

Lancashire Fusiliers,

Leicestershire Regiment,

Leinster Regiment,

Lincolnshire Regiment,

Liverpool Regiment,

Liverpool Scottish,

London Irish Rifles,

London Regiment,

London Rifle Brigade,

London Scottish,

Loyal North Lancashire Regiment,

Manchester Regiment,

Middlesex Regiment,

Monmouthshire Regiment,

Norfolk Regiment,

North Lancashire Regiment,

North Staffordshire Regiment,

Northumberland Fusiliers,

Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regiment,

Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry,

Post Office Rifles,

Queen Victorias Rifles,

Queens Own Royal West Kent Regiment,

Queens Royal West Surrey Regiment,

Queens Westminster Rifles,

Rifle Brigade,

Royal Berkshire Regiment,

Royal Dublin Fusiliers,

Royal Fusiliers,

Royal Highlanders,

Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers,

Royal Irish Fusiliers,

Royal Irish Regiment,

Royal Irish Rifles,

Royal Lancaster Regiment,

Royal Munster Fusiliers,

Royal Scots,

Royal Scots Fusiliers,

Royal Sussex Regiment,

Royal Warwickshire Regiment,

Royal Welsh Fusiliers,

Royal West Kent Regiment,

Royal West Surrey Regiment,

Scots Guards,

Scottish Rifles,

Seaforth Highlanders,

Sherwood Foresters,

Somerset Light Infantry,

South Lancashire Regiment,

South Staffordshire Regiment,

South Wales Borderers,

Suffolk Regiment,

Welsh Regiment,

West Yorkshire Regiment,

Wiltshire Regiment,

Worcestershire Regiment,

York and Lancaster Regiment,

Yorkshire Regiment,

By the same Author

Collecting Metal Shoulder Titles (Leo Cooper, 1980)
British Battalions on the Somme (Leo Cooper, 1994)
British Regiments at Gallipoli (Leo Cooper, 1996)
British Battalions in France and Belgium 1914 (Leo Cooper, 1997)

Contents

First published in Great Britain in 2000 by
LEO COOPER
an imprint of Pen & Sword Books
47 Church Street, Barnsley, S Yorks S70 2AS

Copyright 2000 Ray Westlake

ISBN 085052 768 6
PRINT ISBN: 9780850527681
PDF ISBN: 9781783377701
EPUB ISBN: 9781783379965
PRC ISBN: 9781783379903

A CIP catalogue for this book is available
from the British Library

Typeset in Plantin by
Phoenix Typesetting, Ilkley, West Yorkshire

Printed in England by
Redwood Books Ltd, Trowbridge, Wiltshire.

FOR
MY PARENTS

Introduction

My previous three books in this series British Battalions on the Somme, 1916 (1994), British Regiments at Gallipoli (1996) and British Battalions in France and Belgium, 1914 (1997) have achieved all that they set out to do. On the historical side it is now agreed by a large number of grateful historians, researchers, museum curators, librarians etc that, for the first time, they are able to establish quickly and conveniently what part each unit played in these important campaigns. It was also intended to provide family historians with a means of tracing the war service of their relatives. This again has been accomplished reports from delighted battlefield visitors telling of how some old soldiers footsteps have been well and truly followed now being received almost on a daily basis.

British Battalions on the Western Front, JanuaryJune, 1915 sets out with the same objectives in mind. As with the three previous volumes, no attempt has been made to produce a history of the first half of the 1915 campaigns. What has been provided, however, is a unique account of the 291 infantry battalions of the British Army that served in France and Belgium from 1 January to the end of June, 1915, detailed records of movements, both in and out of battle areas and on a day-by-day basis, being covered in the same meticulous style as before.

Normally locations given are those where the majority of the battalion bivouacked or billeted. Often small parties (or individual companies) moved away for temporary attachment to other formations, or on work detail, and this has been mentioned where known. Normally a front (or firing) line would be occupied by part of the battalion, part being further back holding support and reserve trenches or resting up in a village close by.

Each regiment appears in the book according to its order of precedence. Battalions are then located by their numerical seniority. Regimental titles are those appearing in The Army List for 1915. Battle honours awarded for service during the period covered, and subsequently shared by all battalions of the regiment, are listed below each regimental heading.

The preceding maps are reproduced from the late Arthur Banks Military History of the First World War, and invaluable work of reference which is still available from the publishers of this book.

Sources of Information

The main source of information for this book has been the war diaries and unit histories of the regiments concerned. The latter amounts to some 250 volumes, so making a list is impractical. War diaries are held at the Public Records Officer under WO95 classification. References drawn from published memoirs, letters, diaries, etc, have been acknowledged in the text. My own records (RAY WESTLAKE UNIT ARCHIVES) have been put to good use the 6,000-plus files formed over the last twenty-five years providing in many cases hitherto unpublished information. The following works have been essential:

History of The Great War Order of Battle of Divisions Part 1 The Regular British Divisions. Major F. Becke, HMSO, 1935.