The Bedfordshire Regiment in the Great War
Group Photographs from the 5th Battalion
Officers of the 5th Battalion at St. Albans, 1915
This photo was taken in the summer of 1915, shortly before the Battalion was shipped to Gallipoli. Sadly, many of these officers were killed or invalided out of the army before the end of the year. Surnames and initials were printed with the original photograph and other details are my own additions.
Top Row; Second Lieutenant Philip Robert Chaundler (MC), Second Lieutenant Eric L. Rawlins (wounded 1915), Second Lieutenant Ralph Dalton Jarvis Brighten (KIA 1915), Second Lieutenant John Tristram Yarde (MC & Bar, wounded 1915, KIA 1918), Lieutenant and Quartermaster Gerard Owen Lydekker (died 1917), Lieutenantt Geoffrey Renold Day (wounded 1915, KIA 1916,) Lieutenant FB Hobbs, Lieutenant Frederick William Ballance, Second Lieutenant Thomas Alderman Franklin, MC, C de G (KIA 1917), Lieutenantt Christopher Russell James (MC)
Third row; Captain Captain Robert Forrest (MBE, TD), Second Lieutenant R. Hill, Second Lieutenant L.J. Hunter, Lieutenant Robert O. Clark, Lieutenant Frank Stuart Shoosmith (KIA 1915), Lieutenant William Stuart Chirnside (MC & Bar, MID, went on to become the CO of the Battalion from 1928), Second Lieutenant Hugh Egerton Woodhouse (wounded 1915, died 1919), Lieutenant Christopher Harold Miskin (OBE, MC & Bar, MID, TD) went on to become the Battalions 10th CO, from 1928 onwards), Lieutenant Cyril Richard Lydekker (KIA 1915), Second Lieutenant Oliver Stephen Chandler, Lieutenant Frederick Claude Kemspon RAMC.
Second row; Captain Emil Theodore Maier (MC), Captain Rudolph Meade Smythe (KIA 1915), Captain John Edgar Hill (OBE, TD), Major John Clutton (Serbian White Eagle 4th Class, went on to become the Battalions 8th CO, between 1920 and 1923), Lieutenant-Colonel Edgar William Brighten (CMG, DSO, TD, the Battalions 7th CO, between 1915 and 1920), Captain and Adjutant Harold Younghusband (DSO, KIA 1916), Captain Walter Kendrick Meakin (KIA 1915), Captain Brian Clark(e) Cumberland (KIA 1915), Captain Charles Tanqueray Baker (KIA 1915),
Seated on ground; Second Lieutenant Ernest Roy Campbell, Second Lieutenant Harry Holloway Theobold, Second Lieutenant H.S. Toogood, Second Lieutenant Bartholemew Woollcombe Smythe (MC, MID)
Sergeants of the 5th Battalion St Albans, 1915
The C.O., Adjutant, Warrant Officers and Sergeants of the 5th Battalion in St Albans, 1915. This picture was taken not long before the Battalion went to Gallipoli. Again, over half of the men in this photo were to become casualties in the coming four years, with many not making it through Gallipoli to see Christmas Day of that year. The names in squared brackets are my own additions, being those men I can identify with certainty.
Back Row: Sergeants Tarry [2894 Ernest TARRY], Green [2183 George GREEN, DOW 3/11/1917], Mead [either 2566 Ernest George MEAD KIA 1917, or 3805 Arthur William MEAD KIA 1918], Day [3903 Arthur John DAY, DCM], Odell [CSM 2219 Edgar Thomas ODELL], Wheatley, Penny, Brown
2nd Row: Sergeants Buckingham [possibly 2911 David William BUCKINGHAM, KIA 16/8/1915], Burgess [2769 Thomas Henry BURGESS], Martin, McPheat [2961 John McPheat], Perkins [2918 Samuel Perkins, who was in the Guard of Honour party here], Gilbert [3685 William Thomas Granby GILBERT], W Stapleton [3959 William STAPLETON, KIA 16/8/1915], Barker [2068 Frederick BARKER, discharged 1916; he was the fifth longest serving member of the battalion who went abroad in 1915], Elston [2860 George Thomas ELSTON], Beaumont [2764 Robert James BEAUMONT], Lewzey [200091 W.J. LEWZEY].
Centre Row: Sergeants Robinson, Dracup [3026 Albert Frank DRACUP, KIA 17/8/1915], Whitworth [3195 Herbert WHITWORTH], Davis [2364 George DAVIS], A Hinks [2382 Albert HINKS, KIA 15/8/1915], Rayner, Dudley [3853 Frederick William DUDLEY, KIA 25/4/1917], F Butler [sic. 2445 Thomas Richard William BULTER, DOW 18/8/1915], [?], Mead, Allen [3118 William George ALLEN, discharged 1917], Hoolichan [sic; 3871 Michael HOOLOCHAN, died 7/7/1916], Fellows, [?], Lovell.
Sitting: CQMS Holt [2332 Thomas Henry HOLT], CQMS Sugars [3736 George William SUGARS], CSM Aleck Milton, MC, DCM [2092 Aleck MILTON, MC, DCM, TD], CSM Brazier [4391 Walter T. BRAZIER], RSM Munson [8916 Henry Patrick MUNSON], Lieutenant-Colonel Edgar William Brighten (C.O.), Captain Younghusband (Adjutant), RQMS Scott [3458 Edward SCOTT, died 12/1/1918], CSM Odell, CQMS Bateman [2980 Frederick Arthur BATEMAN], CQMS Chilton [2681 Thomas CHILTON, discharged 1916].
Lying: Sergeant-Cook Finding [2129 Eli FINDING, discharged 1916], Sergeants WH Foster [2958 William FOSTER, KIA 15/8/1915), Buckingham [possibly 2911 David William BUCKINGHAM, KIA 16/8/1915], and Wheeler [3549 George WHEELER, discharged 1916].
Sergeants of the 5th Battalion, 1915
Although this photo does not come with names, this clearer image includes many of those in the St Albans photograph
[With thanks to Melanie Chesnel for sharing the photo]
Spring and Summer 1915, before Gallipoli
A Company at Bury St Edmunds, early in 1915
A Company (Bedford) taken while they trained around Bury St Edmunds. The tallest standing officr (centre) is Captain Cumberland who was killed leading the company on 15 August 1915.
B Company at Bury St Edmunds, early 1915
B Company (Leighton and Dunstable) taken while they trained around Bury St Edmunds. Seated front and centre is Captain Baker who was killed leading the company on 15 August 1915 and two rows directly above him is my own Great Grandfather.
(With thanks to Ian Mould who found the photo on EBay in 2015)
Taken at St Albans just before their deployment to Gallipoli, with Lieutenant F.W. Ballance standing in the centre
(With thanks to Mark Stuart, Lt. Ballance's son, for the photo)
5th June 1915 at the Luton Town Hall
5th June 1915 in Luton Town Centre
Transport Section approaching Luton June 1915
At Barton Cutting on the A6, June 1915
1922, St Pauls Square, Bedford
One company of the 5th Battalion, Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment 'at ease' in St Paul's Square, Bedford, outside the Corn Exchange.
Lieutenant H. Chenevix-Trench (left) and Second Lieutenant William Herbert Ridgewell (right) are to the fore; probably taken on 1 August 1922, during the ceremony that saw the battalion's Company colours being laid up at Shire Hall.
(With thanks to Grant Ridgewell for sharing this photo, from his fathers collection)
H.R.H. Prince of Wales Guard of Honour, November 1926
The Prince of Wales presented the 2nd Battalion with new colours on 17 November 1926, with the 5th Battalion providing the Guard of Honour for the occasion.
Captain William Herbert Ridgewell M.B.E (with sword) commanded the Guard of Honour, and The Lord Lieutenant of Bedfordshire, Samuel H. Whitbread Esq. can be seen accompanying him. Second Lieutenant L.I. Barford parades the King's Colour on the left of the photo and although Lieutenant C.A. Mouse was also present, he is not visible in the photograph.
The Guard was comprised 100 men of the 5th Battalion, with the Colour Escort being:
RQMS (later Lieutenant and Quartermaster) A Milton, MC, DCM
CQMS Samuel Perkins [initially Sergeant 2918, later W.O.II 200064, who is also in the 1915 Sergeant photo here]
CQMS (later RQMS) AE Field
(With thanks to Grant Ridgewell for this copy of the photo, which can also be seen in the 5th Battalion history)
1929 Summer Camp, Arundel Camp; Officers
1929 Summer Camp, Arundel Camp; Sergeants
This is C Company and the battalion band, taken on 9 August 1931, with Captain William Herbert Ridgewell, MBE seated seventh from the left, on the front row.
(With thanks to Grant Ridgewell for sharing this photo, from his fathers collection)
1935 Summer Camp, Colchester; the Band
This is C Company and the battalion band, taken on 9 August 1931, with Captain William Herbert Ridgewell, MBE seated seventh from the left, on the front row.
(With thanks to Grant Ridgewell for sharing this photo, from his fathers collection)
1935 Summer Camp, Colchester; the Officers
This innocuous looking photograph contains some remarkable stories and individuals:
Back row; left to right:
Captain James MacCunn, B Company C.O.
Second Lieutenant The Hon. Hugh de Beauchamp Lawson-Johnson
Second Lieutenant R. H Hansford
Second Lieutenant Thomas Capper Wells, who was killed on the night of 13 to 14 February 1942, leading "Wells Force" at the Battle for Singapore
Second Lieutenant Richard G B Thompson
Lieutenant Ian Harvey MacCunn
Lieutenant A.V le Maistre
Captain and Quartermaster Alec Milton, MC, DCM, MM (French), MID, TEM & Bars
Front row; left to right:
Captain Ian St. John Lawson-Johnson (later KCVO, TD. At the time he was A Company C.O., who went on to become a Lieutenant-Colonel in the Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment, the 2nd Baron Luke of Pavenham, Deputy Lieutenant of Bedfordshire, Justice of the Peace for Bedfordshire, High Sherriff of Bedfordshire, Chairman of Bovril between 1943 and 1970, and lived into his 90th year)
Captain George Lindsay Sprunt (later MBE)
Major Geoffrey Walter Miskin (originally a Cadet Sergeant at Berkhampstead School, he was commissioned into the 5th Battalion November 1921, gaining the rank of Major in April 1930. He was on the Territorial Army Reserve of Officers list when war broke out in 1939, and was awarded the Efficiency Decoration in June 1943)
Colonel Reginald Howlett, CBE, DSO, MC (162nd Brigade Commanding Officer)
Colonel Christopher Harold Miskin (MC and Bar)
Major William Herbert Ridgewell, MBE (C Company C.O. at the time)
Captain Alistair Cheape Miller ( D Company C.O. at the time)
In front:
Second Lieutenant Alec Bunker
Second Lieutenant Henry John Manning Hopkin
(With thanks to Grant Ridgewell for sharing this photo, from his fathers collection)
This is from 1953, but well worth including! It was taken on Sunday, 25th October 1953 in Hertford and shows that well known figure of the Queen Mother taking the salute from the Old Comrades Association of the 5th battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment. The Queen Mother was the battalion's Colonel in Chief and was presenting the 5th Battalion of the Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment with their new colours that day.
On the front right hand corner of the parade (front left as you look), the tallest man in shot, is Charles Marlow, MM, who rose to Colour Sergeant / WOII by the end of the war and won his Military Medal at the Third Battle of Gaza in November 1917. Looking at the men, most or all of them are of retirement age and have lived through two world wars. Yet they are still dressed in their 'Sunday Best' suits, walking tall and looking rightfully proud. A lovely photo.
(My thanks to Bob Amos, Charles Marlow's Grandson for the photo, information and permission to include it here)
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