History of Units
Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment during WW1.
The History of the 63rd Royal Naval Division (RND)
The Royal Naval Division was extremely well led from the top down, with the units within it being very highly motivated and displaying a tremendously stubborn streak when events transpired against them. As a result, by the armistice in November 1918, the division had suffered almost 48,000 casualties but had earned themselves a reputation as one of the British Army's top divisions, with some arguing that they were the best.
Almost 900 officers and men from the battalion fell in action between 1914 and 1918, with over 2,000 more being wounded or taken prisoner. Men from this battalion earned a reputation as a solid, reliable unit and, amongst the almost 200 gallantry medals won during the war were two Victoria Crosses.
Although the Division itself was disbanded and would never be reformed again, today's Royal Marine Commandoes have kept their 'elite' status very much alive. The 63rd (Royal Naval) Division was a three brigade division:
- 188th Brigade: Two battalions of marines and the Anson and Howe battalions
- 189th Brigade: Four navy battalions - Hood, Nelson, Drake and Hawke. The two battalions of marines became the First and Second Royal Marine Light Infantry. Khaki uniforms were introduced, but with navy insignia.
- 190th Brigade: Four regular army battalions were added to the division to bring it up to strength (Frank was in this Brigade)
The 190th Brigade was comprised:
- 4th Battalion, the Bedfordshire Regiment, 190th Brigade, 63 Division (Frank was in this Battalion)
- 7th Battalion, the Royal Fusiliers.
- 1st Honourable Artillery Company [left in June 1917].
- 1st/28th Battalion, the London Regiment [known as "The Artists Rifles", who joined 28th June 1917]
- 10th Battalion, the Royal Dublin Fusiliers [left in October 1917].
The 63rd Division was a unique unit, as it was originally formed from the "surplus reserves" the Navy found it had in August 1914. As the extra men could not be physically fitted into the maritime activities of the British Navy, they were used to form an additional land based division and named the Royal Naval Division. Coming under the command of the Admiralty as it did and in keeping with the traditions of the Royal Navy, most of the battalions within this division were not given numbers but named after Naval commanders, with the rest being Royal Marines battalions.
In April 1916 the division was moved to the command of the land armies and, despite their objections, was renamed as the 63rd (Royal Naval) Division. That July also saw the structure change further (as Frank joined.)
The Royal Naval Division Memorial is sited on a corner of the balustrade outside the Old Admiralty Building, next to Horse Guards Parade
emedals.com
Forces War Records
There are memorials to the 63rd (Royal Naval) Division at Beaucourt (Somme), Gavrelle (Arras) and on Horse Guards Parade, London.
RND Memorial, Old Admiralty Building
royalaprks.org.uk
Old Admiralty Building, London
Wikipedia
Royal Navy Division monument, Gavrelle - Arras
http://www.wereldoorlog1418.nl/
Royal Navy Division monument, Gavrelle - Arras
http://www.wereldoorlog1418.nl/
Beaucourt-Hamel, Somme
Source Unknown
Beaucourt-Hamel, Somme
Source Unknown
The History of the 4th Battalion (Special Reserve)
The 4th Battalion Beds, 190th Brigade existed as part of the 190th Division until the end of the war.
The 4th Battalion were the 'Special Reserve' battalion of the regiment, sometimes referred to as 'Extra Reserve' and 'Extra Special Reserve', but essentially the second reserve battalion. The origins of this battalion go back to 1757, when it was originally formed as one of the two County Militia battalions. Part of Haldane's reforms (called the 'Territorial and Reserve Forces Act 1907') saw the raising of a secondary Reserve Army under different terms and conditions to the existing Reserves, and the two Militia units were redesignated as the 3rd (Reserve) and 4th (Special Reserve) battalions of the regiment.
Although their front line service was relatively short, 855 officers and men were killed while serving in the 4th Battalion, with around 3,600 more being wounded during the war. *
In 1919 the regiment was renamed to The Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment, in recognition of the service of men from Hertfordshire during the First World War. During 1919 the war-formed battalions were disbanded, and the special reserve battalions were placed in "suspended animation". In 1920 the Territorial Force was reconstituted as the Territorial Army.
Bedfordshire Regiment
ww1photos.com
EatonBray.com
Commanding Officers of the 4th Bedfordshire Regiment, 190th Brigade, 63 Division RND
The following Officers led the battalion throughout its service during the Great War:
- Lieutenant-Colonel James Edward Hubert GASCOYNE-CECIL (The Rt. Honourable Marquis of Salisbury) commanded the battalion from the 29th October 1892 to 8th January 1915, when he retired.
- Lieutenant-Colonel Richard Page CROFT took over from 8th January 1915 to 4th September 1916. He took the battalion out to France.
- Major Aynsley E. GREENWELL commanded between 4th September and 20th October 1916.
- Captain (Acting Lieutenant-Colonel) John Stanhope COLLINGS-WELLS, V.C., D.S.O., from 20th October 1916 to 27th March 1918, when he was killed winning the Victoria Cross during the Spring Offensives.
- Lieutenant-Colonel Arthur Gabell MacDONALD, D.S.O., took over between 22nd April and 3rd May 1918, at which time he was promoted to the General Staff.
- Captain Richard Brodnax KNIGHT commanded between the 3rd and 20th May 1918.
- Lieutenant-Colonel Frederick William SMITH, D.S.O., D.C.M., 20th May to 22nd July 1918, when he returned to England ill.
- Major Arthur Gracie HAYWARD, M.C., 22nd July to 22nd September 1918, after which he moved on to command a Devonshire battalion.
- Lieutenant-Colonel Charles Cecil HARMAN, D.S.O., M.C., from 22nd September 1918 until the battalion was disbanded in 1919.
There are many people of interest who served in the ranks and file of the 4th Battalion, two of whom are:
- Captain (Acting Lieutenant Colonel) John Stanhope Collings-Wells V.C., D.S.O. was the Battalion's Commanding Officer from late in 1916 until his death in March 1918, earning the deserved reputation as one of the regiment's finest leaders of the war. He won both the Distinguished Service Order and the battalion's only (posthumous) Victoria Cross whilst serving in the Battalion.
- Hollywood Actor and Director Charles Laughton of the Hunts Cyclists and later the 4th Battalion of the Bedfordshire regiment, who's war record has been researched in detail by Martyn Smith and Gloria Porta
Charles Laughton (actor)
http://www.huntscycles.co.uk/
4th Battalion, the Bedfordshire Regiment band:
Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment during WW1 - 1st Battalion, Hertfordshire Regiment, 116 Infantry Brigade, 39th Division
The Regiment raised 21 Battalions and was awarded 74 Battle Honours and 7 Victoria Crosses, losing 6,500 men during the course of the First World War.
If Frank changed, unit we think this was in 1917 / early 1918. Frank was in the 1st Battalion, Hertfordshire Regiment certainly in 1918, possibly part of 1917
http://bedfordregiment.org.uk/Hertsrgt/hertsrgt.html
The Hertfordshire Regiment
Hertfordshire was not a large enough county to sustain regular battalions but it did have a single Territorial Force battalion which was formed on 1st April 1908 as the Hertfordshire Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment and which became the 1st Battalion, Hertfordshire regiment the following year. The 1st Battalion served entirely on the Western Front throughout the war
The distribution of companies and drill stations was as follows:
Wikipedia
HQ
Hertford
A Company
Hertford; drill stations at Watton, Hatfield and Berkhamsted
B Company
St Albans; drill stations at London Colney and Harpenden
C Company
Bishops Stortford; drill stations at Sawbridgeworth, Braughing, Widford, Ware and Wadesmill
D Company
Watford; drill station at Chorley Wood
E Company
Royston; drill stations at Letchworth, Baldock and Ashwell
F Company
Hemel Hempstead; drill stations at Great Berkhamsted, Ashridge, Tring and Ivinghoe.
G Company
Hitchin; drill stations at Welwyn, Stevenage and Whitwell
H Company
Waltham Cross; drill stations at Wormley, Cheshunt and Hoddesdon.
Commanding Officers of the 1st Battalion, Hertfordshire Regiment
- Eric Charles Malcolm Phillips, CB, DSO, TD, DL, JP, from 2nd August 1917 to 23rd March 1918, when he was taken prisoner during the battalion's stand against the overwhelming German Spring Offensives.
- Roger Wilkinson, D.S.O., between 13th April 1918 and 11th May 1918, when he was gassed during an attack on the Somme.
If you have any questions, you can email me at thosedistantechoes@gmail.com (pls include Frank Munkman in the email heading)
