Captain Doake Returns

Captain R L V Doake [X550/1/82]

Saturday 13th July 1918

The 2nd Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment, resting in billets at Ferrieres after their move last night have welcomed a familiar face. Captain R L V Doake has rejoined the battalion from base, along with thirty reinforcements. Strictly speaking Captain Doake has joined the battalion because his previous service was with 7th Battalion until May this year, but as two-thirds of the 2nd Battalion are old 7th Battalion hands he mentioned to me in a brief conversation on the blower that it felt like coming home.

Source: X550/8/1

Temporary Promotion

Lieutenant Colonel Percival

Sunday 7th July 1918

Part of 2nd Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment have been engaged in working parties today. A draft of 87 other ranks also arrived from base. Meanwhile the commanding officer, Lieutenant-Colonel Arthur Percival DSO MC has moved to be temporary commander of 54th Infantry Brigade, Major Leslie Keep taking over as CO of the Bedfords.

Sources: X550/3/wd

Ten Days in the Life of the 4th Battalion

Tuesday 18th June 1918

The 4th Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment has been building up its strength in the last few weeks as 63rd (Royal Naval) Division prepares to retake Albert, as surely one day in the next few months, our army will. In the last ten days the following things have happened.

8 June 1918: two other ranks joined.

9 June 1918: 56 other ranks joined, along with Second Lieutenants W. W. Dainty and F. W. Bellamy.

10 June 1918: eighteen other ranks joined

11 June 1918: one other rank joined

1 O.R. joined.

12 June 1918: two other ranks joined

13 June 1918: two other ranks joined

14 June 1918: five other tanks joined

15 June 1918: one other rank joined

16 June 1918: one other rank joined, Brigade Horse Show.

17 June 1918: one other rank joined; one other rank wounded

18 June 1918: five other ranks joined and Captain J. K. Batten joined from 7th Battalion cadre

Source: X550/7/1

Enemy Activity Continues

Monday 17th June 1918

The 1st Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment is currently near Steenbecque, between Hazebrouck and Bethune. This area is receiving more attention from the enemy than some others, leading to opinion that another German offensive in the area may be at hand. The Bedfords have not suffered the incessant shelling of recent days but enemy aircraft have been both prominent and busy. The suspicion is that they are photographing our defences, searching for weak spots.

Between 5 and 6 o'clock this evening a gas cloud was reported to be drifting up from the south. Fortunately it did not reach so far as the Bedfords' position. A draft of forty other ranks arrived during the day as the front line units continue to be built up for the allied offensive everyone hopes will soon be at hand.

Source: X550/2/5

Losing Men

Monday 10th June 1918

The 2nd Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment is now, following an infusion of men from the former 7th Battalion, back up to strength - so much so that today they have lost men. Three other ranks joined from base but 88 other ranks and four officers (Lieutenant J M Glen and Second Lieutenants A D Greenwood, H J Poulter and G S Richards) have all proceeded to base for redeployment to units needing to be brought up to strength(1).

Source: X550/3/wd

(1) Arthur Donald Greenwood would soon return to the battalion only to be killed in action on the Somme on 30th August. He is buried with a number of men from the 7th Battalion killed on 1st July 1916 in Dantzig Alley Cemetery.

Reinforcements for 4th Battalion

Sunday 9th June 1918

The 4th Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment was, until a few days ago, in the front line at Aveluy Wood north of Albert. They have now moved back into a rest area and are under canvas at Toutencourt, north-east of Amiens. Today they have been joined by 56 other ranks as well as by Second Lieutenants W W Dainty and F W Bellamy(1).

Source: X550/5/3

(1) Second Lieutenant Frank William Bellamy would die on 8 October 1918, aged 23, and is buried at Noyelles-sur-l'Escaut Communal Cemetery Extension

Reinforcements

Wednesday 14th November 1917

After their nasty day at the Paddebeek on 30th October, 4th Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment have received much-needed reinforcements. Five new subalterns have arrived - Second Lieutenants W B Stimson, L Humphreys, A Hayes, P Shott and A V Clarke, together with 165 other ranks. These will go some way to making good the nine officers and 225 other ranks who became casualties then(1).

Source: X550/5/3

(1) Second Lieutenant Arthur Hayes would be killed on 25th March 1918, he is commemorated on the Arras Memorial. 

Old Hands Return

Friday 6th July 1917

1st Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment is in the support line trenches at Willerval, north-east of Arras where Second Lieutenant H W Wright has been wounded and a soldier killed today by shell-fire. A draft of 152 has arrived and is notable for being a group of men who have all previously served in France the regiment, some from 1st Battalion itself and others from 2nd, 4th, 6th, 7th and 8th Battalions. These are men returning to the fight after recovering from wounds.

Source: X550/2/5

Reinforcements

Sunday 24th June 1917

The 1st Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment is in camp near Roclincourt, north of Arras. They are currently undergoing training and today they have received a draft of 105 other ranks from XIII Corps Draft Training Depot.

Source: X550/2/5

A Commotion "Over the Pond"

Friday 12th January 1917

Readers will recall that we reported that between 1st and 9th January the Regiment had received 414 reinforcements. Today 2nd Battalion received another 56 of them.

There is some talk of the former colonies in the army today. News reached us early this morning of a great explosion at a munitions factory in the state of New Jersey. The United States of America is, of course, neutral in this war, but its munitions industry has grown greatly since the outbreak of hostilities and the insatiable need of the allied armies for ammunition from bullets to shells of the largest calibre.

This explosion, we understand, is rumoured to have been caused by a German agent. Whether this is true or not, it shows that the people of America have a distrust of the Germans and their allies which might, in time, drive them into the alliance against the Central Powers(1)

Source: X550/3/WD

(1) The Kingsland Commission, reporting in 1931, concluded that no German agent was implicated in the explosion and fire which destroyed the whole factory but, mercifully, took no lives.

And More Reinforcements

Captain H A W Pearse [X550/1/81]

Tuesday 9th January 1917

The adjutant of the 2nd Battalion tells me that they have today received 37 other ranks as reinforcements. In the first nine days of this year the battalions of the Regiment have received the following numbers:

• 2nd Battalion: 87;
• 6th Battalion: 54;
• 8th Battalion: 273

A total of 414 officers and men. Meanwhile the Battalion has lost an officer, hopefully purely temporarily, as Captain H A W Pearse has gone on leave.

Source: X550/3/wd

How to Deal with Reinforcements

Monday 8th January 1917

The adjutant of the 1st Battalion told me today that they are now in support to the front line near Cuinchy. He also explained that their brigade (15th) has established a Brigade Training Depot at Beuvry two or three miles due west and thus two or three miles away from the firing line. This depot, under the command of Major Deakin of 16th Battalion, Royal Warwickshire Regiment, is tasked with taking all drafts of reinforcements sent to the Brigade. They will remain at the depot until fully qualified in musketry and all branches of training at which point they will be sent to their allotted battalions. Second Lieutenant A J Fyson from the battalion has been sent to this depot as an instructor

Source: X550/2/5

More Reinforcements

Sunday 7th January 1917

The 8th Battalion has received more reinforcements for this years campaigning. The adjutant tells me that 98 other ranks arrived today. He commented on them: “Very good but mostly specialists” meaning men such as machine-ginners, signallers, scouts and so on. Meanwhile the Commanding officer, Lord Henry Scott inspected the draft of 174 other ranks which arrived yesterday. Thus the battalion has had its numbers boosted by more than a company’s worth of men in two days - in excess of a quarter of its total strength

Source: X550/9/1

New Men and New Responsibilities

Saturday 6th January 1917

The adjutant of the 7th Battalion tells me that Second Lieutenant Trewman, Second Lieutenant Kydd, Corporal Mears, Lance Corporal Morris and Lance Corporal Hersted have all qualified as Bombing Instructors at 54th Brigade Bombing School(1).

Meanwhile 8th Battalion, which suffered so badly in a number of enganements on the Somme has received a draft of one officer and 174 other ranks as reinforcements. Meanwhile about two hundred men are engaged on working parties at Vermelles near the old Loos battlefield.

Source: X550/8/1; X550/9/1

(1) Second Lieutenant Chester Bishop Kydd would be killed at Chérisy on 3rd May, he has no known grave and is commemorated on the Arras Memorial. 13722 Sergeant John H Morris would be killed on 23rd March 1918 and is commemorated on the Pozieres Memorial 

1st and 2nd Battalion Notes

Sunday 31st December 1916: From our Correspondent in the Field

The adjutant of the 1st Battalion, at Beuvry and le Quesnoy spoke to me on the “blower” this evening. The men have been at fatigues, mending roads. The officers have reconnoitred a new line to be taken over and reported a considerable amount of water, but no mud.

Another draft of 91 reinforcements arrived this evening. It was decided with the concurrence of the Divisional and the Acting Brigadier General, not to take them up to the trenches, but to leave them under Command of Major Halford for “training and sorting out”.

Lieutenant de Buriatte

The 2nd Battalion is back in the front line at Berles-au-Bois, though Lieutenant de Buriatte has proceeded to 3rd Army School. He is lucky because the trenches are waterlogged. The adjutant reported the strength of the Battalion today as:

• Officers: 34
• Warrant Officers: 1
• Sergeants: 60
• Corporals: 58
• Privates: 900
• Total all ranks 1,053.

Sources: X550/2/5; X550/3/wd

Changes in the Second Battalion

Second Lieutenant Pitts

Thursday 14th December 1916 From our Correspondent in the Field

Today your correspondent decided to leave Albert and catch a lift on a General Service lorry to go and visit the 2nd Battalion at Berles-au-Bois. On arrival he found that Second Lieutenant J P Pitts, who had been attending 3rd Army School, had returned and taken command of D Company. Second Lieutenant R E Oakley has taken over command of C Company from Second Lieutenant L A L Fink.

Second Lieutenant Oakley

Whist I was there a draft of ten other ranks arrived from base. They were all men who had served in France and Flanders earlier in the war with a number of different regiments, had been wounded and sent back to “Blighty” as the troops out here call home. Now recovered they have been posted to the 2nd Bedfords.

Source: X550/3/wd

The Quality of New Recruits

Friday 8th December 1916: From our Correspondent in the Field

Captain Bridcutt of the 7th Battalion, which is at Millencourt west of Albert, tells me that they have today received a draft of 194 other ranks to help make good the losses on the Somme. He commented: “A very good lot of men on the whole but their drill is not all that could be desired and their knowledge of training is limited”. This, no doubt, reflects on the fact that more men are always wanted at the Front, which means that time for training before sending them out has been reduced from an optimum level.

Source: X550/8/1

Men Not Very Fit

Saturday 12th February 1916:    The adjutant of the 1st/5th Battalion in Egypt tells us that a draft of one officer and 420 other ranks have just arrived from England to make good the losses the Battalion suffered in Gallipoli. He commented that the men are not very fit as many of them are still suffering from old wounds and mostly come from the 1st and 2nd Battalions.

Source: X550/6/8