News of the 6th Battalion

Wednesday 23rd June 1915: a Luton soldier from A Company, 6th Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment in camp at Ludgershall in Wiltshire writes to us as follows: “I am writing these few lines on behalf of a few Luton Boys, myself included, just to let you know that there is a sixth Battalion of the Bedfords in existence. Myself and my friends have just had our four days’ leave at home and it seems that the people of Luton don’t know there is such a regiment and we don’t like it”.

“Our Battalion was the first one in Kitchener’s Army; it was founded on the tenth of August 1914, and we had the honour of being the smartest and best regiment during our six months’ winter training at Aldershot. The Sixth Beds were spoke of as the best there. They knew how to behave themselves. From the e we moved to Liss, a village down the South [in Hampshire], and we were there for six weeks, and we made our name good and respected there. Now we are on Salisbury Plain, and again have taken our place at the top of the division as Senior Regiment(1)”.

“Our marching is the best, and the other regiments here follow our lead. We are respected wherever we go. Hard work on these plains has made us fit and our colonel owns himself that we are ready and fit(2). We are the first to answer our Country’s call and the Luton Boys would like our fellow townspeople to now that there is a sixth who are keeping the good name of the Bedfords in a high standard in the Southern counties. We are doing our bit with a good heart and proud of our sixes, from which we are named”.

Source: Luton News 1st July 1915

---

(1) They were originally attached to 9th (Scottish) Division, joining 112th Infantry Brigade, 37th Division in March 1915 and serving with it until disbanded in May 1918. They were not senior regiment in the division – regiments were graded in precedence by the old line regimental number – the Bedfordshire Regiment was the 16th Foot, there were battalions of the Royal Warwickshire Regiment (6th Foot) and Royal Fusiliers (7th Foot) in the division as well as from Leicestershire Regiment (17th Foot), East Lancashire Regiment (30th Foot), Loyal North Lancashire Regiment (47th Foot), King’s Royal Rifle Corps (60th Foot) and Rifle Brigade (95th Foot).

(2) They would land in France for active service on 31st July 1915.