WW1 Regimental Histories

[Auld-Yin]

My old Regiment - The Royal Scots (The Royal Regiment) have just published on their website a series of papers on significant events that the Regiment was involved in during WW1. These range from the 2nd Battalion with the BEF in the Retreat from Mons right through to the war in Northern Russia in 1919. In between there are the major battles on the Western Front, the Dardanelles Campaign and the campaigns in Egypt and Palestine. The Regiment was well spread over the various Fronts and the 1st Battalion fought on the Salonika Front in 1915-18.

There is also a section on the train crash at Quintinshill, just outside Gretna on 22 May 1915 which took the lives of 216 officers and men of the 7th Bn and of the half battalion on the train only 64 could answer the roll call. This is still the worst train crash in the UK.

The link to these briefing papers can be found here: http://www.theroyalscots.co.uk//page/the-royal-scots-the-royal-regiment-in-the-1st-world-war-ww1

I would be interested if any other Regiments or Corps have done something of a similar vain; if so post a link on this thread.

 

[CanteenCowboy]

My old Regiment - The Royal Scots (The Royal Regiment) have just published on their website a series of papers on significant events that the Regiment was involved in during WW1. These range from the 2nd Battalion with the BEF in the Retreat from Mons right through to the war in Northern Russia in 1919. In between there are the major battles on the Western Front, the Dardanelles Campaign and the campaigns in Egypt and Palestine. The Regiment was well spread over the various Fronts and the 1st Battalion fought on the Salonika Front in 1915-18.

There is also a section on the train crash at Quintinshill, just outside Gretna on 22 May 1915 which took the lives of 216 officers and men of the 7th Bn and of the half battalion on the train only 64 could answer the roll call. This is still the worst train crash in the UK.

The link to these briefing papers can be found here: http://www.theroyalscots.co.uk//page/the-royal-scots-the-royal-regiment-in-the-1st-world-war-ww1

I would be interested if any other Regiments or Corps have done something of a similar vain; if so post a link on this thread.

My regiment hasn't but the village where I grew up had a VC from one of your service battalions (I think 17 or 18!) in 1918. I believe was due to conscription in later stages of WW1 when recruits went to whatever unit/regiment needed , and why the names on local Kirk's memorial killed in 1918 appear in totally random units.

 

[Gout Man]

My old Regiment - The Royal Scots (The Royal Regiment) have just published on their website a series of papers on significant events that the Regiment was involved in during WW1. These range from the 2nd Battalion with the BEF in the Retreat from Mons right through to the war in Northern Russia in 1919. In between there are the major battles on the Western Front, the Dardanelles Campaign and the campaigns in Egypt and Palestine. The Regiment was well spread over the various Fronts and the 1st Battalion fought on the Salonika Front in 1915-18.

There is also a section on the train crash at Quintinshill, just outside Gretna on 22 May 1915 which took the lives of 216 officers and men of the 7th Bn and of the half battalion on the train only 64 could answer the roll call. This is still the worst train crash in the UK.

The link to these briefing papers can be found here: http://www.theroyalscots.co.uk//page/the-royal-scots-the-royal-regiment-in-the-1st-world-war-ww1

I would be interested if any other Regiments or Corps have done something of a similar vain; if so post a link on this thread.

Just read the link regarding the train crash, very sad but very interesting.

 

[oldbaldy]

1/4 Yorkshire Regiment:
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/bandl.danby/001BnIndex.html

 

[oldbaldy]

I have a copy of The Quintinshill Conspiracy on my bookshelf.

 

[Auld-Yin]

1/4 Yorkshire Regiment:
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/bandl.danby/001BnIndex.html

Very detailed website OB thanks for posting.

 

[Auld-Yin]

I have a copy of The Quintinshill Conspiracy on my bookshelf.

The conspiracy book is just that, looking at how events pasnned out in court etc after the crash. The other book "The Ill Fated Battalion" deals more with the Bn, taking them through the crash and on to Gallipoli with the other half battalion who were on a different train. For many of these people they had only been spared for a further month.

 

[RhodieBKK]

This may be of interest to some here, Cambridge University has just put all of Siegfried Sassoon's diaries online.
http://cudl.lib.cam.ac.uk/collections/sassoon
Fascinating reading too.

 

[easesprings]

Just read the link regarding the train crash, very sad but very interesting.

If you are a geek or have a passing interest Red For Danger pages 165 - 170 offer a good insight in to this incident that if proper Signalling rules were carried out it wouldn't have happened

 

[Gecko]

Royal West Surreys & East Surreys

http://www.queensroyalsurreys.org.uk/war_diaries/war_diaries_home_new.shtml

 

[bokkatankie]

The conspiracy book is just that, looking at how events pasnned out in court etc after the crash. The other book "The Ill Fated Battalion" deals more with the Bn, taking them through the crash and on to Gallipoli with the other half battalion who were on a different train. For many of these people they had only been spared for a further month.

But I thought only Australians died at Gallipoli!

 

[Gecko]

Loads in the National Archives:

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/records/war-diaries-ww1.htm

 

[bokkatankie]

And this is worth a look:

http://www.operationwardiary.org/#/diaries

 

[RogerOut2]

Gentlemen I am not aware if the detailed diaries are posted online but I do believe that the 4th Royal Irish Dragoon Guards can claim the dubious honour of firing the first shot by British troops of the BEF in action during the 1st World War on 22nd August 1914 when Cpl Thomas of C Sqn fired on a patrol of Uhlans.

 

[Auld-Yin]

Gentlemen I am not aware if the detailed diaries are posted online but I do believe that the 4th Royal Irish Dragoon Guards can claim the dubious honour of firing the first shot by British troops in action during the 1st World War on 22nd August 1914 when Cpl Thomas of C Sqn fired on a patrol of Uhlans.

So its Thomas's fault!

 

[RogerOut2]

Auld Yin, a close friend of mine is a former RSM of the Royal Scots and another a former RQMS. I read of the train accident earlier today and was very moved that so many were lost in such a way

 

[RogerOut2]

March in the guilty Bast**d

 

[RogerOut2]

First clash
At dawn on Saturday 22 August 1914, "C" Squadron of the 4th Royal Irish Dragoon Guards, commanded by Major Tom Bridges, pushed out two patrols north from Mons towards Soignies and met the Germans for the first time. There is a memorial near the spot today. "C" Squadron commenced a reconnaissance along the road heading out from Maisières. Four enemy cavalrymen of the 2nd Kuirassiers emerged from the direction of Casteau. They were spotted by the British and turned around, whereupon they were pursued by the 1st Troop (under Captain Hornby) and the 4th Troop. Corporal E. Thomas of the 4th opened fire near the chateau of Ghislain, the first British soldier to do so in the Great War. He was uncertain whether he killed or wounded the German soldier that he hit. Meanwhile, Hornby led his men in hot pursuit and charged the Germans, killing several. He returned with his sword presented, revealing German blood. There were other cavalry encounters with the enemy in the areas of La Louvière and Binche.

From web site:
http://www.1914-1918.net/bat1.htm

 

[RogerOut2]

At mentioned above C Sqn was at the time commanded by Major Tom Bridges an interesting character who retired Lt Gen (details below)

Major - General GTM Bridges CMG DSO. Born 1871. GOC 19th Division. Commissioned RA 1892, Served in the Boer War 1899-1901 with the Imperial Light Horse and later CO of the Australian Mounted Infantry. DSO for services in South Africa. Served 1902-04 in East Africa (Somaliland) where he was wounded.

1914, Major 4th Dragoon Guards. It was at St Quentin in August 1914 where he became famous for the toy drum episode, where he used a child's toy drum to rally the troops.

During the British Army's retreat from Mons he met two battalions of exhausted British soldiers at Saint Quentin, whose officers planned to surrender to save the town from bombardment. In a celebrated incident on 27 August, the injured Bridges used a tin whistle and toy drum purchased from a toy shop[4] to rally the men and led them to rejoin General French's army.

Lt Colonel 4th Hussars 1914 and in 1917 Military Representative in the USA. Major General 1917, 19th Division and wounded at Hill 60 Sept 1917 as the result of which one of his legs had to be amputated. Thence to Trench warfare Dept at the Ministry of Munitions and later to Salonica. Retired as Lt General 1922. 1922-27 Governor of New South Wales. Died November 1939 and commemmorated in church at St Nicholas -at -Wade, Isle of Thanet, Kent.

 

[bokkatankie]

Not quite Regimental History but thought you might find this of interest.

Roll of Honour, Members of Cavalry Club who fell in the Great War.

272 Officers.
67 Lt.
97 Capt.
62 Major
38 Lt. Col.
5 Brig. Gen.
2 Maj. Gen
1 Lt. Gen.

6 VC, 39 DSO and 21 MC (not all, of course, earned in WW1!).