The
8th Battalion
The
8th Battalion were formed at Bedford in October 1914, as part
of 'K' - Lord Kitcheners 3rd 'call to arms' for another
100,000 men to leave their civilian lives and enlist into the
massively expanding British Army. That month, the enlisted men
of the 8th Battalion, Third New Army were attached to the 71st
Brigade of the 24th Division and remained there for a year.
The
enlisted men from all over the county mustered at their local
train stations and were transported en-masse to the Regimental
HQ at Bedford to be mobilised into the 8th Battalion of the
Regiment. Other than a brief spell in Brighton, most of their
training was undertaken in Surrey, with almost seven months
being spent in the sprawling New Army training area around Woking.
Finally,
the restless men of the 8th Battalion received orders to mobilize
and prepared to ship out. At 11pm on the 28th August 1915, the
Battalion boarded the massive troop trains at Chobham Station
and left for Dover. After transferring straight onto the enormous
troop ships, they arrived at Boulogne early on the 30th August
1915.
Six
weeks after landing in France, on the 11th October 1915, the
entire 71st Brigade was transferred with the to the 6th Division,
who were a veteran Regular Army Division that had been serving
in France since 1914. During another reorganisation on 17th
November 1915, the battalion were transferred to the 16th Brigade
of the 6th Division.
Compared to some battalions of the Regiment, the 8th saw an
“average” amount of action in the Great War and
served entirely in France and Flanders during the war. Men of
the 8th fought in every major battle during the Battalions active
service, gaining a solid reputation and winning many gallantry
medals. On the 16th February 1918, in line with a major shake
up of the British Army, the 8th Battalion was disbanded in France
and the surviving men were distributed amongst the other battalions
in the Regiment.
The
Battalion was part of the 71st Brigade for their entire period
of training and a few weeks in France but most of their service
was within the 16th Brigade, attached to the veteran 6th Division.
The following Battalions formed the 16th Brigade and served
together as a tactical unit:
-
1st Battalion,
the Buffs.
- 8th Battalion,
the Bedfordshire Regiment.
- 1st Battalion,
the Kings Shropshire Light Infantry.
- 2nd
Battalion the York and Lancaster Regiment.
The
Battalion's service during the Great War
During
their service in the Great War, the Battalion saw action on
the following battles:
-
The Battle
of Loos, September 1915
-
The defence
of Ypres, 1916
-
The Battle
of the Somme, July to November 1916
-
The Battle
of Arras, April and May 1917
-
The Battle
of Cambrai, November and December 1917
Although
no V.C.'s were won by men whilst serving in the Battalion, many
other gallantry medals were awarded during its existence. Almost
700 Officers and men of the Battalion gave their lives for King
and Country, with over half of them doing so in the battles
of 1916, and around 5,000 men were wounded during the Battalion's
tours on the Western Front.
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Successive
Commanding Officers of the 8th battalion
-
Lt-Colonel
Edward Stanley Curwen Kennedy, 1st October 1914 to 26th September
1915, when he was gassed at the Battle of Loos and returned
to England wounded.
-
Captain
(Temporary Lt-Colonel) John Sinclair Liddell, C.M.G., D.S.O.,
11th October 1915 to 13th January 1916, when he was moved
to another battalion in favour of:
-
Major
(Temporary Lt-Colonel) Henry Cholmondeley Jackson, D.S.O.,
14th January 1916 to 17th April 1916, when he was wounded
at Ypres. He went on to command a Brigade
-
Major
(Temporary Lt-Colonel) William Rowland Harris Dann, D.S.O.,
17th April 1916 to 19th May 1916, when he was also wounded
at Ypres. He went on to command a London Regiment unit.
-
Captain
(Temporary Lt-Colonel) D.M. Hawkins, 19th May 1916 to 1st
June 1916.
-
Colonel
Lord Henry Scott, 2nd June 1916 to 4th April 1917, after which
he was promoted to G.H.Q.
-
Lt-Colonel
Arthur Oliver Villers Russell, the Lord Ampthill, 5th April
1917 to 19th May 1917, when he was promoted to G.H.Q. under
the Director of Labour.
-
Captain
(Temporary Lt-Colonel) Herbert Rochfort MacCullugh, 20th May
1917 to 14th June 1917, after which he commanded a battalion
of the D.L.I.
- Lt-Colonel Reginald Le Huquet,
15th June to 10th July 1917
- Lt-Colonel James Robert Robertson,
20th July to 6th August 1917, after which he commanded a Liecester
Territorial battalion.
- Lt-Colonel Reginald Le Huquet,
6th August 1917 to 16th February 1918, when the batalion were
disbanded in France.
Follow the links to see the 8th
Battalions War Diaries and other information:
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