11th Battalion, Rifle Brigade

   11th (Service) Battalion, Rifle Brigade was raised at Winchester in September 1914 as part of Kitchener's Second New Army and joined 59th Brigade, 20th (Light) Division. After initail training in the Winchester area they moved to Blackdown, then in February 1915 to Witley and to Hamilton Camp near Stonehenge in April for final training. They proceeded to France on the 21st of July 1915, landing at Boulogne, the division concentrating in the Saint-Omer area. They moved to the Fleurbaix area for trench familiarisation. In 1916 they were in action at the The Battle of Mount Sorrel, in which the Division, along with the Canadians, recaptured the heights. They were in action on the Somme in The Battle of Delville Wood, The Battle of Guillemont, The Battle of Flers-Courcelette, The Battle of Morval and The Battle of Le Transloy. In 1917 they were in action during The German retreat to the Hindenburg Line, The Battle of Langemarck, The Battle of the Menin Road Ridge, The Battle of Polygon Wood and The Cambrai Operations. In 1918 they fought in The Battle of St Quentin, The actions at the Somme crossings and The Battle of Rosieres engaging in heavy fighting in each battle, on the 20th of April they were withdrawn to the area south west of Amiensand received many new drafts of men during the summer. They returned to action at The Battle of the Selle and fought in The Battle of Valenciennes, The Battle of the Sambr and the passage of the Grand Honelle. At the Armitice the Division was in the area between Bavay and Maubeuge and later that month the units moved to the Toutencourt-Marieux area. Demobilistion of the Division began in January 1919 and was complete by the end of May.

Jul 1915 Training Instruction

Jul 1915 Billets

20th Jul 1915 On the Move

22nd Jul 1915 On the Move

23rd Jul 1915 On the Move

26th Jul 1915 Orders Issued

27th Jul 1915 Route March

16th Oct 1915 The Derby Scheme

1st Dec 1915 Derby Scheme Armlets

11th Sep 1915 Last day of Derby Scheme Recruitment

10th Jan 1916 Group System Reopens

9th February 1916 Call Ups

10th July 1916 Trench Raid

26th Aug 1916 Front Line

1st Jan 1917 Reliefs

4th Jan 1917 Relief

8th Jan 1917 Adjustment

23rd Jan 1917 Orders Received

25th Jan 1917 Relief Completed

25th Jan 1917 Boundary

26th Jan 1917 Orders

27th Jan 1917 Attack Made

28th Jan 1917 Reliefs Complete

29th Jan 1917 In Reserve

1st Feb 1917 Training

2nd Feb 1917 Training

3rd Feb 1917 Training

4th Feb 1917 Training

5th Feb 1917 Training

6th Feb 1917 Training

7th Feb 1917 In Reserve

8th Feb 1917 Moves

9th Feb 1917 Reliefs

19th Feb 1917 Post Captured

24th Feb 1917 Bombardment

1st Mar 1917 Explosions and Fires

3rd Mar 1917 Reorganisation

4th Mar 1917 Reorganisation

5th Mar 1917 Instructions

7th Mar 1917 Reorganisation

8th Mar 1917 Outposts

10th Mar 1917 Orders

11th Mar 1917 Defence Scheme

13th Mar 1917 Instructions

14th Mar 1917 Orders

15th Mar 1917 Evacuation

16th Mar 1917 Quiet

17th Mar 1917 Withdrawal

18th Mar 1917 Withdrawal

19th Mar 1917 Outposts

19th Mar 1917 Orders Received

20th Mar 1917 Orders

20th Mar 1917 Orders

21st Mar 1917 Line Occupied

22nd Mar 1917 Reliefs

23rd Mar 1917 Reliefs

24th Mar 1917 Patrol

25th Mar 1917 Reorganisation

26th Mar 1917 Ground Gained

27th Mar 1917 Advance

28th Mar 1917 Attack

29th Mar 1917 Advance

30th Mar 1917 Advance

31st Mar 1917 Orders

21st May 1917 In Billets

22nd May 1917 Reliefs

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Want to know more about 11th Battalion, Rifle Brigade?

There are:5296 items tagged 11th Battalion, Rifle Brigade available in our Library

These include information on officers, regimental histories, letters, diary entries, personal accounts and information about actions during the Great War.

Those known to have served with
11th Battalion, Rifle Brigade
during the Great War 1914-1918.

Alders Harold Matthew. Pte. (d.23rd March 1916)
Anderson Albert. Rflmn. (d.3rd Sep 1916)
Carter James. Rflm. (d.10th Jul 1916)
Carter James. Pte. (d.10th July 1916)
Chapman Charles Frederick.

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Pte. James Carter 11th Battalion Rifle Brigade (d.10th July 1916)

James Carter was killed in action.
Chris Clarkson

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Rflm. James Carter 11th Btn. Rifle Brigade (d.10th Jul 1916)

James Carter was one of a large family of my ancestors, all based in and around Bramley in Leeds, Yorkshire. I would love to find more detail but have found that he served with the Rifle Brigade 11th Battalion and is declared as lost on 10/07/1916. He is named on the Menin Gate and I've been to see him there and also in Bramley at the Bramley Park war memorial. I would very much like to find more but understand he was never found. Having served myself for 13 years, I am very proud of his service and would very much like to find more information
I'm not entirely sure, but believe this may have recorded his fateful day:
10th July 1916 Trenches: Quiet day. At 10:30pm gas is discharged from B9. Artillery bombardment commences also a smoke barrage. An infantry raid is attempted after discharge of gas consisting of 2 parties of 20 each under 4 officers (two to each party). Captain E R Donner, Officer in charge of raid, Captain M L Cone 2nd in command. Officer in charge Left raiding column 2/Lieut H A Slade and 2/Lieut H A Clanahan. Right column 2nd Lieut J R Blyth and 2/Lieut B Wallis. Raiding party fails to enter German trenches owing to failure of gas to affect the enemy.
Failure attributed to
1) carelessness in conversations over the telephone which the enemy had intercepted on his listening apparatus.
2) the premature discharge of gas on Right Brigade front through not synchronising watches or other causes.
3) accurate shooting of enemy artillery which put several cylinders out of action.
4) insufficient frontage over which gas was discharged. Most of the wounded and dead are brought back from the German wire.

Total casualties: 2/Lieut J R Blyth missing believed killed; 2/Lieut B Wallis dangerously wounded and died of wounds at Casualty Clearing Station on 11th inst; 2/Lieut H A Clanahan wounded. 5 ORs died of wounds or killed, 34 ORs wounded, 5 ORs missing.
2/Lieut Clanahan, Cpl Owen, Cpl Marsh, A/Cpl Norton, Rfn Bodow and Rfn Ouzman are recommended for conspicuous bravery in bringing in and tending to the wounded. Enemy shelling during these operations considerable.
Paul Barker

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Rflmn. Albert Anderson 11th Btn. Rifle Brigade (d.3rd Sep 1916)

I have just found out that I had a great uncle, Albert Anderson who served in WW1. His name is on the Thiepval War Memorial and I guess that he died in the Battle of Guillemont. Very proud and keen to learn more about him and to keep his memory.
Martin Anderson

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Charles Frederick Chapman 11th Btn. Rifle Brigade

My grandfather Charles Frederick Chapman was working on the Central Hall Westminster in 1914/15. He was married with 3 small children. He enlisted at 22 Tufton Street Westminster under the Derby scheme in December 1915. My Grandmother told me that he came home from work and told her that he had to go as all his friends had enlisted.
He went to France in May 1915 and was posted to 11th Rifle Brigade in 20th Light Division. He was a good shot, even in old age he could knock needles out of a fence post at 25yds and I believe he was a sniper.Eventually he was posted to 12th Rifle Brigade.
On 16th August 1917 he took part in the Battle of Langemark and was seriously wounded in the chest and buttock by machine gun fire from a German position called Rat House. I have his wound ticket, the card from the field ambulance and his hospital card together with the brown envelope in which they were pinned to his tunic. His Battalion war diary records that most of the casualties on this day were to the right side & back so I can tie down the timing of his wound pretty precisely to 16.30hrs on that day.
He lay on the battlefield for at least two days as his field ambulance card is dated 19th August and he was picked up by 131 Field Ambulance which was from 38th Welsh Division which had relieved the 20th Division on 17th August. He was sent to No 6 General Hospital in Rouen and on 18th October 1917 his card was marked as England (A) Ship. I know this because I still have the card. In England he was admitted to St Georges Hospital, Hyde Park Corner, now a hotel and whilst he was there the patients were inspected by the King. He was discharged as unfit for war service on 23rd March 1918, was granted a disability pension and died in 1959
Terence Chapman

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11th Battalion, Rifle Brigade
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11th Battalion, Rifle Brigade

Want to know more about 11th Battalion, Rifle Brigade?

Those known to have served with11th Battalion, Rifle Brigadeduring the Great War 1914-1918.

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Announcements

Recomended Reading.

Links

The Wartime Memories Project
- 11th Battalion, Rifle Brigade during the Great War -

Those known to have served with
11th Battalion, Rifle Brigade
during the Great War 1914-1918.