The Bedfordshire Regiment in the Great War

(Site built by and © Steve Fuller)

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The Bedfordshire Regiment in The Great War were engaged on The Western Front, Gallipoli, Egypt and Palestine. The Regiment's 2 'Regular' Infantry Battalions, its single 'Territorial' Battalion and 2 'Reserve' Battalions were supplemented by many 'New Army' Battalions when War broke out in 1914. A total of 21 Infantry Battalions were formed within the Regiment between 1914 and 1918 and served at home, on the Western Front, in northern Italy, the Middle East, India and Burma during the war. In addition to the Infantry, there were also Yeomanry, Garrison and Reserve units, not forgetting the people from the county who served in the many additional units such as the Air Force, Artillery, Machine Gun Corps, Tunnelling Companies, Engineers or the Navy (amongst others).

 

Introduction

The Regiment's soldiers, although hailing from this relatively small yet beautiful county, achieved incredible feats during the war and were awarded numerous gallantry and bravery medals including many Victoria Crosses. Many of the characters within the Regiment went on to achieve great feats after the war, including air speed records and positions of importance. Their bravery and determination was unquestionable, as was their capacity for singing and laughter even under the most extreme and adverse conditions. This site is dedicated to them, their courage and their spirit, in the sincere hope they will never be forgotten.

I am extremely proud to say that my Great Grandfather was one of the Regiment’s Vickers and Lewis Gunners that fell in the Great War, and I devote this site mainly to him. However in doing so I also remember the many other family members who served, his comrades who shared in the dreadful experience of The Great War and the millions of other men and women who gave their lives during the conflict, so that we may enjoy the freedom their sacrifices provided for us.

I have collected much information on the Regiment during my interest in their involvement in The Great War, and in time I intend to include all that I reasonably can on this site. I am in possession of all of the Regiments Battalion War Diaries (most of which are transcribed and on this site already), as well as many books on the Regiment and The Great War as a whole. I also have an ever growing database with thousands of names on it - some include the most basic of information but others are more detailed.

As well as the many friends I have met and made along the way, I am especially grateful to Nigel Lutt and his excellent team at the Bedford County Records Office, who are an invaluable source of information and experience, and have such a genuine interest in the subject (amongst others) that no job seems to small for them. Martin Deacon from the CRO, as well as writing the superb "The Shiney Seventh" book (on the adventures of 7th Battalion in France), has spent many hours transcribing the diaries of the Regiment. The gaps in my own transcriptions have been filled with his painstaking efforts. I would also point those in search of info in the direction of The Great War Forum as the collective knowledge available on there is incredible!

Why develop this site?

After spending many years researching The Great War, the major Battles and minor engagements, Regiments of the British Army and especially the individual soldiers' stories, I have built up quite a collection of material and an ever expanding knowledge of the subject. As a result I had the choice whether to keep the information private or to put this collective knowledge to good use and help others in their search for information on their ancestor's exploits. With this in mind, I started to build this site, specialising on The Bedfordshire Regiment and its involvement in The Great War.

Although the Regiment is the backbone of this site, the individuals, their experiences and bravery in the face of adversity that no human should ever be subjected to, is what I really wish to portray. The feats of that generation were nothing short of incredible. Their efforts and endurance are, quite simply, the reason we live as we do today and I strongly believe that their sacrifice should never be forgotten or taken for granted. The famous words from the poem "For the Fallen" by Laurence Binyon (1914) say it all:

They went with songs to the battle, they were young.
Straight of limb, true of eyes, steady and aglow.
They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted,
They fell with their faces to the foe.
They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old.
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning,
We will remember them.

On this page:

  • Site layout
  • Battalions of the Regiment and War Diaries on this site
  • Contact me or Donate to the upkeep of this site
  • Victoria Cross winners from the Bedfordshire Regiment in the Great War
  • What's new?

Site layout

PLEASE NOTE that I am reorganising the layout of this site to improve the ease with which you can navigate around it so for a while you will see two different styles of pages! Bear with me ...

Other than the generalised and more obvious pages within the site, I have broken most of the content on this site according to the Battalion, as most people seem to be looking for information based on a particular Battalion. Each Battalion page contains their summary and a selection of Links taking you onto more specific information, such as the War Diaries. In addition to the pictures on various pages, there are also several photograph pages dotted around. Have a look as there are some fantastic photo's, both from my own collection and those that have been passed to me from people visiting the site. The ones on this site are deliberately small files, to allow the room for as many as possible. If you would like the larger ("original") copy, please ask. Also note the new section on the Hertfordshire regiment which seemed a logical development considering the military connection between the two counties. Thousands of men from Hertfordshire served in the ranks of the Bedfordshire battalions before, during and after the Great War and the 6th battalion of the Bedfords was folded into the 1st/1st Hertfords in 1918. As a result, their War Diaries and stories are as welcome on this site as those who served within the Bedfordshire Regiment.

The Bedfordshire Regiment Badge
 
bedsregmntbadge.jpg
  

 

 

Battalions of the Regiment and War Diaries on this site

Between 1914 and 1918, the following Battalions served within the Bedfordshire Regiment, and who's War Diaries can be viewed by following the links:

1st Battalion - A pre-war 'Regular' Battalion dating back to 1688, and later re-named the '16th Regiment of Foot'. Apart from a few months in Italy during the winter of 1917-1918, they served on the Western Front from August 1914 until April 1919.

2nd Battalion - A pre-war 'Regular' dating back to 1858, which was stationed in South Africa when war broke out. Served entirely on the Western Front between September 1914 and April 1919.

3rd Battalion - A 'Reserve' Battalion who were initially a 'Militia' battalion dating back to 1757. They served entirely at Harwich in England, providing home defence and training drafts for front line units.

4th Battalion - The second 'Reserve' Battalion who provided home defence at Harwich until mobilised to France July 1916. They served the rest of the war on the Western Front within the vaunted 63rd (Royal Naval) Division until April 1919.

5th Battalion - A 'Territorial' Battalion initially raised as a 'Rifle Volunteer Battalion' in 1860, becoming the 5th Territorial Battalion in Haldene's reforms in 1908. They were embodied in August 1914 and initially provided home defence on the Norfolk coast until sent abroad July 1915. Served in Gallipoli, Egypt and Palestine until disembodied June 1919. The 2nd/5th and 3rd/5th Battalions were raised in October 1914 and June 1915 respectively and trained drafts for the front line 1st/5th Battalion.

6th Battalion - A 'Service' Battalion raised for the war in August 1914). Served in France from August 1915 until it's personnel transferred into the 1st Hertfordshire Battalion in May 1918. An Officer and NCO cadre trained American Units until finally disbanded in August 1918.

7th Battalion - A 'Service' Battalion raised in September 1914 as a part of K2, specifically for the duration of the war. Served entirely on the Western Front. Transferred into the 2nd Battalion May 1918, with a cadre assigned to training American Units until disbanded in July 1918.

8th Battalion - A 'Service' Battalion raised in October 1914 as a part of K3, specifically for the duration of the war. Served entirely on the Western Front between August 1915 and February 1918, when disbanded. Personnel were transferred into the 2nd, 4th, 6th and 7th Battalions.

9th Battalion - A 'Service' Battalion raised in October 1914 as a part of K4, specifically for the duration of the war. Remained in England as a "Reserve" Battalion providing drafts for the front line units until transferred into the 28th Battalion Training Reserve in August 1916.

10th Battalion - A 'Service' Battalion raised in December 1914 as a part of K4, specifically for the duration of the war. Remained in England as a "Reserve" Battalion. Transferred into the 27th Battalion Training Reserve in September 1916, later becoming the Regiment's 53rd Battalion in October 1917.

11th Battalion - A 'Territorial' Battalion raised in January 1917, that provided home defence on the Suffolk coast until disbanded in 1919.

Transport Workers Battalions - The 12th and 13th Battalions were raised December 1916 and March 1917 respectively and disbanded August and September 1919 respectively. Based in Croydon and although dressed as Infantry, they were never armed.

Graduated Battalions - The 51st and 52nd Battalions were raised initially as Norfolk and Suffolk Battalions respectively that provided home defence from October 1914. Also served in the British Army of the Rhine between March and August 1919 until disbanded in March 1920. Following the introduction of conscription and lowering of service ages, the 53rd 'Young Soldiers'Battalion was affiliated to the Regiment in October 1917 to train young recruits until fit for active service abroad. Remained in England until 1919. Also served in the British Army of the Rhine between March and August 1919 until disbanded in March 1920.

Garrison Battalions - The 1st Battalion was raised in December 1915 and served in India between February 1916 and December 1919 until disbanded January 1920. The 2nd Battalion was raised in December 1916 and served in India between February 1917 and December 1919 until Disbanded January 1920. The 3rd Battalion was raised in January 1917 and served in Burma between March 1918 and June 1919, thereafter in India from June to December 1919. Disbanded January 1920.

The 1st and 2nd Volunteer Battalions - Citizen units formed in November 1914 by patriotic citizens for non-specific home defence. Between July and September 1918 they became a 'Special Service' unit that provided defence of the coastline around Hunstanton due to the acute manpower shortage in France.

The 1st/1st Battalion, the Hertfordshire Regiment - A territorial unit who were sent to France as early as November 1914 and remained on the Western Front throughout the war. Also called the "Hertfordshire Guards" due to serving in the 4th Guards Brigade of the veteran 2nd Division for some time.

Contact me or donate to the upkeep of this site

I am always keen to see photographs or hear from relatives of soldiers who served in the Bedfordshire Regiment, so please feel free to contact me. If you have a story that you would like to see remembered on this site, please also feel free to get in touch and I would be happy to include it as this site is all about stories from men and women in the Bedfordshire regiment. Anyone looking for help on this subject is very welcome to contact me and I will see if I can help in any way. In addition to the War Diaries listed above, I have also identified many sources of information and made many knowledgeable 'friends' during my 'quest'. So if I cannot help myself, I may be able to divert you to an appropriate source of information. However should you be looking for information on a particular soldier please be aware that such large numbers of men were involved that 'Other Ranks' (Privates, Corporals and Sergeants) were rarely mentioned in the Battalion Diaries, so please don't get your hopes up too high! That said, it's quite incredible what can be uncovered with a little knowledge, knowing where to look, some careful thought and maybe a healthy portion of luck thrown in for good measure!

The site is here to make what I consider to be valuable information available to those who need it but do not know where to look. It is a personal site, not built for profit or associated to any business. As a result it is a labour of love, primarily fund by myself and I have expanded it through the welcomed and generous donations of people who have visited the site and appreciated it. These small donations all add up and help to cover the costs of keeping the site going and growing. Hence, if you feel you have benefited from the site being here, any help you may wish to offer is greatly appreciated and will go directly into adding more and more information onto this site, so that future visitors and generations can understand what our relatives went through. Should you wish to contact me, or donate to the upkeep and development of this site, please see the contact page. Paypal, Visa or Mastercard donations can be made by clicking the button.

Paypal, Visa or Mastercard donations can be made by clicking the button. Alternatively, please contact me to arrange an alternative method.

I appreciate your help as it really does all help, thank you!

Victoria Cross winners from the Bedfordshire Regiment in the Great War

What's new

  • A new book about the Ampthill Park training depot is now available, produced by Ian Church who has been sifting through the archives at Woburn. Contact me for his details and how to order a copy.
  • Within Thomas Adlam's VC biography is the story of the 7th battalion storming Thiepval village and the 'impregnable' Schwaben Redoubt
  • Photographs from before the Great War.
  • Comprehensive Rolls of Honour of those Officers who died in the1st/5th battalion, the 6th battalion the 7th battalion and the 8th battalion as I can generate, with the others to follow as time allows!
  • The history of the 16th Regiment of Foot from 1688 to 1914.
  • The fantastic personal diary and photo's of 2/Lt Leonard Leader Brereton from 1917 whilst in the 5th Battalion in Egypt and opposite Gaza, up to the time of his death. Also available are his personal photographs from the album his family have kept to this day. What a lovely collection well worth the look!
  • Second Lieutenant Paul Norman Jones CHRISTIE, 1st Battalion biography and letters home. This 19 year old subaltern was killed in action 9th October 1917, during the Third Battle of Ypres.
  • A narrative of the Spring Offensives of March 1918 from the perspective of the 7th Battalions involvement, including maps and photos of the area as it looks today.
  • All War Diaries are being expanded and I am slowly adding more names into the text and many of the biography pages too.
  • The sinking of the SS Aragon on the 30th December 1917 during which several men from the 5th Battalion were drowned. This page includes the Roll of Honour for those Bedfords who drowned, including the sixteen year old Private Douglas Ernest Williams who had already been wounded in France.