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1st Battalion, Devonshire Regiment    1st Battalion, The Devonshire Regiment were in Jersey when war broke out in August 1914. They proceeded to France on the 21st of August, landing at Le Havre, they joined Lines of Communication Defence Troops. On the 14th of September 1914 the 1sy Battalion joined 8th Brigade, 3rd Division. The Battle of Le Cateau, The Battle of the Marne, The Battle of the Aisne on the 30th of September they transferred to 14th Brigade, 5th Division. The Battles of La Bassee and Messines and The First Battle of Ypres. In 1915 they were in action at The Second Battle of Ypres and the Capture of Hill 60. On the 12th of January 1916 they transferred to 95th Brigade in same Division. In March 1916 5th Division took over a section of front line between St Laurent Blangy and the southern edge of Vimy Ridge, near Arras. They moved south in July to reinforce The Somme and were in action at, High Wood, The Battle of Guillemont, The Battle of Flers-Courcelette, The Battle of Morval and The Battle of Le Transloy. In October they moved to Festubertand remained there until March 1917 when they moved in preparation for the Battles of Arras. On 7 September 1917 the 5th Division moved out of the line for a period of rest before, being sent to Flanders where they were in action during the Third Battle of Ypres. %th Division was sent to Italy and took up positions in the line along the River Piave in late January 1918. They were recalled to France to assist with the German Advance on the 7th of April 1918 and were in action during the Battles of the Lys. On the 14th of August 1918 the 5th Division was withdrawn for two weeks rest. Then moved to The Somme where they were more or less in continuous action over the old battlegrounds until late October 1918 and saw action in the Battles of the Hindenburg Line and the Final Advance in Picardy. At the Armistice they were in the area of Le Quesnoy and moved to Belgium to the area around Namur and Wavre in December and demobilisation began. 21st of August 1913 Lecture 21st Aug 1914 On the Move 22nd Aug 1914 Reservists 23rd Aug 1914 In Camp 24th Aug 1914 On the Move 25th Aug 1914 Duties 26th Aug 1914 Duties 27th Aug 1914 On the Move 28th Aug 1914 Duties 29th Aug 1914 On the Move 30th Aug 1914 On the Move 31st Aug 1914 On the Move 14th September 1914 Further Advance 15th September 1914 Shelling 16th September 1914 Difficulties 17th September 1914 Heavy Bombardment 18th September 1914 Night Attacks 19th September 1914 Attack Repulsed 20th September 1914 Reliefs 21st September 1914 Attacks 22nd September 1914 Reliefs 23rd September 1914 Patrols 24th September 1914 Artillery Exchange 26th September 1914 Aircraft Assists 27th September 1914 Continuing action around bridges 28th September 1914 Bridges 29th September 1914 Ongoing fighting on all fronts 30th September 1914 September Intelligence Summary 1st of October 1914 A Withdrawal 2nd of October 1914 Moonlit Relief 3rd of October 1914 On the March 4th of October 1914 On the March 5th of October 1914 A New HQ 6th of October 1914 Orders to Move 7th of October 1914 A Train Ride 11th of October 1914 New Billets   12th of October 1914 Orders to Advance   13th of October 1914 Advance Resumed   13th October 1914 Heavy casualties 14th of October 1914 Supporting the French   15th of October 1914 Advance Ordered to Continue   16th of October 1914 Empty German Trenches   17th of October 1914 An Advance   18th Oct 1914 Attack Made 18th of October 1914 Advance Resumed   19th of October 1914  Slow Progress    20th of October 1914 A Fluid Front   22nd of October 1914 Our Line Attacked   23rd of October 1914 Withdrawing to a New Line   24th of October 1914 Germans Attack   25th of October 1914 More Attacks   26th of October 1914 Germans Repulsed   27th of October 1914 A Counter Attack   28th of October 1914 Counter Attack Falters    29th of October 1914  Determined German Attack   29th October 1914 Attack   30th Oct 1914 In Action   30th of October 1914 German Attack Fades   31st of October 1914 A Counter Attack    2nd of November 1914 Three Groups Organised   3rd of November 1914  Situation Report   5th of November 1914  French Attack Falters 8th of November 1914 Half-hearted Attacks   12th Nov 1914 Tales from the Front 14th of November 1914 Reliefs 15th Nov 1914 Defences   15th of November 1914  2nd Corps Reorganise 16th Nov 1914 Trenches   17th of November 1914 Relief   18th of November 1914 Shell Fire 19th of November 1914 Movements    22nd of November 1914 In the Line   23rd of November 1914  Germans Digging In   24th of November 1914  Our Artillery Effective   25th of November 1914  Royal Scots Shelled 26th of November 1914 Quiet and Misty   28th of November 1914  On the Move 29th of November 1914  Infantry Distribution   2nd of December 1914  A Moonlit Night   3rd of December 1914 Instructions 4th of December 1914 Reliefs   4th of December 1914 Relief   5th of December 1914  Relief Complete    6th of December 1914 Frosty Night 8th of December 1914 Poor Conditions 10th of December 1914 Naval Victory Cheered 14th of December 1914  French on the Offensive   15th of December 1914  Operations Resumed   16th of December 1914  Instruction   18th of December 1914 No Progress 21st of December 1914 Howitzers Silenced   25th of December 1914 Fraternization   26th of December 1914 Messines Square Targetted    31st of December 1914 Message   4th of January 1915 Trench Work   7th of January 1915 Very Wet Weather   8th of January 1915 Trenches Damaged    10th of January 1915 Flooding and Baling   15th of January 1915 Germans Fire Slowly   16th of January 1915 Squally Weather   18th of January 1915 Artillery Active    19th of January 1915  Thaw Sets In   21st of January 1915 Wulverghem Shelled   22nd of January 1915 Aeroplane-Aided Shelling   23rd of January 1915 Quiet Day    26th of January 1915 Cheshire's Sniping Effective   4th of February 1915 Chicken Sentries 7th of February 1915 Sectors Rearranged    10th of February 1915 Artillery Redistribution   11th of February 1915 Hostile MG Shelled   13th of February 1915 Trenches Maintained   14th of February 1915 Germans Plan an Attack?   15th of February 1915 Heavy Rain 16th of February 1915 Baling All Night   20th of February 1915 A Violent Explosion   21st of February 1915 8th Howitzers Leave   22nd of February 1915 Cheering and Rockets   24th of February 1915 Snipers Checked   27th of February 1915 Brigade Relief   1st of March 1915  Quiet   13th of March 1915 Booby Trap   16th March 1915  Information 18th of March 1915 Trench Mortars 21st of March 1915 Intelligence 30th of March 1915  Hostile MG Damaged?    31st March 1915  Working Parties   31st of March 1915 Staff 1st of April 1915 Situation Normal   4th of April 1915 A White Flag   7th of April 1915 Mostly Quiet    17th of April 1915  Mines Exploded   17th April 1915 5th Division Attack   21st Apr 1915 Bombardment   1st of May 1915 Gas Casualties   11th May 1915 1st Devons relieve 5th Cheshires  In the evening 1st Battalion Devonshire Regiment left their bivouac and proceeded to relieve the 5th Bn Cheshire Regiment in the trenches near Oosthoek on the Yser canal. 12th May 1915 1st Devons suffer casualties from own artillery.  The 1st Devon's record a fairly quiet day, except for the shelling of trench 27. by the enemy, at the cost of several casualties. During the evening our own Artillery, unfortunately placed several shells, in our own trench 28. seriously wounding one man, and killed other ranks 3. wounded other ranks 11. to hospital other ranks 5. 18th of May 1915 Revenge Shelling   29th May 1915 Instruction   30th of July 1915  Detrainment 2nd of August 1915 Trench Inspection 10th of August 1915  Relief of French   15th of August 1915  3 Salvos Fired   1st Sep 1915 On the March   10th Sep 1915 Reliefs   10th of September 1915  Enemy Hit Dummy Battery   11th of September 1915 Changes of Command   16th Oct 1915 The Derby Scheme 1st Dec 1915 Derby Scheme Armlets 11th Sep 1915 Last day of Derby Scheme Recruitment 1st of January 1916 Night-time Shelling 2nd of January 1916 Direct Hits   10th Jan 1916 Group System Reopens 1st of February 1916  9th February 1916 Call Ups 10th of February 1916  MG Coys Join 1st of March 1916 Division Halts 4th of March 1916 Snow All Day 7th of March 1916 Torpedoes Fired 16th of March 1916 British Plane Shot Down 12th of April 1916 House Demolished   13th of April 1916 Brigade Relief 16th of April 1916 DCLI CO Killed 2nd Jul 1916 Shelling   2nd of July 1916 New Orders   20th of July 1916 Positions of Units   24th of July 1916 Reliefs   25th of July 1916  Enemy Advances   27th of July 1916 Gas Shell Attack   5th of August 1916 Divisional Dispositions 27th of August 1916 Divisional Dispositions   31st of August 1916  Warning Order Issued   1st of September 1916 Enemy SOS   4th of September 1916 Units Mixed Up   8th of September 1916 Prepare to Move 19th of September 1916 In the Front Line   21st of September 1916 Situation Normal   22nd of September 1916 Dispositions   23rd of September 1916 Reliefs   25th of September 1916  Instructions for Tanks   25th September 1916 Attack Made   28th of September 1916 Heavy Showers   30th of September 1916 Dispositions 13th of October 1916 Reliefs   31st of October 1916 Distribution   30th of November 1916  Enemy Baling Out   2nd of December 1916 Raiding Party Fails   4th of December 1916  German Trenches Damaged   6th of December 1916  Working Parties Dispersed   10th of December 1916  Working Parties Dispersed   14th of December 1916  A Combined Shoot   20th of December 1916 German TMs Active   21st of December 1916 Ferme Cour d'Avoue Shelled   22nd of December 1916 Quiet Day   24th of December 1916 Germans Very Active   29th of December 1916  Artillery Quieter   5th of January 1917  Aeroplanes Active   6th of January 1917  German Guns Quiet   9th of January 1917  Spotted Dog Shelled   13th of January 1917  Retaliation "Feeble"   17th of January 1917 Guns Active   20th of January 1917 Active Artillery   21st of January 1917 Our TMs Active   26th of January 1917 TMs Busy   30th of January 1917 Hostile TMs Busy   1st of February 1917  Balloon Spotted   3rd of February 1917 Artillery Active   6th of February 1917 Fairly Quiet   7th of February 1917  Feeble Retaliation   9th of February 1917  Little TM Retaliation   12th of February 1917 Artillery Quiet   15th of February 1917 Enemy TMs Fall Short   17th of February 1917 TMs Quiet   19th of February 1917 Our Guns Active   21st of February 1917  Our Guns Active   28th of February 1917 Artillery Quiet   1st of March 1917 POWs Taken   4th of March 1917 Damage Caused by Heavies   6th of March 1917  Brigades Attached   8th of March 1917  Divisional Relief   9th of March 1917  TMs Very Active   11th of March 1917 Auchy Heavily Shelled   14th of March 1917 Pekin Trench Hit   15th of March 1917  Brigade Relief   20th of March 1917  Composite Division Formed   24th of March 1917 Pioneers On the Move 27th of March 1917 In Corps Reserve   2nd of April 1917  Positions   8th of April 1917 HQ Moves 11th of April 1917 Dispositions 12th of April 1917 Orders and Reliefs   13th of April 1917  A Push Forward   14th of April 1917 Orders to Move   15th April 1917 Reliefs 17th April 1917 Trenches taken over 18th of April 1917 Divisional Front Readjusted   20th of April 1917 Orders to Attack   21st of April 1917 Operations Postponed   22nd of April 1917 Warning Order Received   22nd April 1917 Reliefs 23rd of April 1917 Reliefs Complete   24th of April 1917 35 Minute Bombardment   25th of April 1917 Canadians Take Over Front   28th of April 1917 Rest and Training   2nd of May 1917 13th Inf Bde Moves 5th of May 1917  Wood Shelled   6th of May 1917 Enemy Guns Active   8th of May 1917  Orders to Attack   8th May 1917 Operation 8th/9th May 1917. 8th May 1917 In Action   9th of May 1917 No Further Advance   9th May 1917 Directly after midnight 8th/9th we moved in to position. 10th of May 1917 Enemy Concentration Reported   11th of May 1917 Enemy Guns Active   12th of May 1917 Bailleul Shelled   13th of May 1917 Front Line Shelled   15th of May 1917 Very Quiet Day   17th of May 1917 A Surprise Attack   20th of May 1917 Guns Active   21st of May 1917 Quiet Night   22nd of May 1917  Quiet Day   24th of May 1917  Relief Completed   26th of May 1917 Quiet Day   31st May 1917 Work and Training   2nd of June 1917    9th of June 1917  A Relief   10th of June 1917 Minor Op Planned   14th of June 1917 Relief   15th of June 1917   Relief Completed   16th June 1917  Quiet Night   17th of June 1917 Quiet Day   18th of June 1917   Aircraft Active   19th of June 1917  Quiet Day   21st of June 1917  Brigade Relief Completed   26th of June 1917  Quiet Day   28th of June 1917  Successful Operation    1st of July 1917  Front Line Adjusted   4th Jul 1917 Reliefs 5th of July 1917  Our Trenches Damaged   6th of July 1917  A Brigade Relief   10th of July 1917 A Raid Ordered   12th of July 1917  Back Areas Shelled    17th of July 1917 Quiet Time   18th of July 1917 Direct Hits Made   19th of July 1917   Situation Quiet    21st of July 1917 Back Areas Shelled   23rd of July 1917 Minenwerfer Active   25th of July 1917 MGs Active    26th of July 1917  Very Quiet    27th of July 1917  Gas Attack   29th of July 1917 Brigade Relief   1st of August 1917 MG Activity   3rd of August 1917   Snipers Active   4th of August 1917  Hostile Shelling   7th of August 1917  A German Raid   9th August 1917 Reliefs 10th of August 1917 Mostly Quiet   13th of August 1917 Two Minute Barrage   16th of August 1917 MGs Active   19th of August 1917  Gas Drums Plan   21st August 1917 Reliefs 22nd of August 1917 Railway Shelled   25th of August 1917  TMs Hit Oppy Wood   27th of August 1917 Quiet Time   31st August 1917 Quiet Time   3rd of September 1917  Quiet   5th of September 1917 Brigades on the March   6th of September 1917 Gas Shelling   7th of September 1917 Training   9th of October 1917 Hostile Guns Active   10th of September 1917  Division to Move 11th of September 1917  Artillery Marches 3rd of October 1917 More Heavy Shelling    4th of October 1917 Attack Launched   5th of October 1917 Quieter Night   10th of October 1917   "Intense Barrage" Endured   11th of October 1917 Snipers Active   14th of October 1917 Training   17th of October 1917 Training   21st of October 1917 Offensive to be Resumed   27th of October 1917  Quiet Time   28th of October 1917 Enemy Guns "Above Normal"   4th of November 1917 Heavy shelling   6th of November 1917 Attack Launched   6th November 1917 Reliefs 8th of November 1917 Fairly Quiet   11th of November 1917 Quiet Time   14th of November 1917 95th Brigade Entrain 18th of November 1917 121st Battery Moves   19th of November 1917  Pioneers Move 26th of November 1917   HQ Closes and Re-opens 27th of November 1917 Entraining for Italy 28th of November 1917 Entraining for Italy 9th of April 1918 Orders 10th of April 1918  Relief Postponed 12th of April 1918 Attack Ordered   13th of April 1918 Enemy Attacks   15th of April 1918   Another Enemy Attack   16th of April 1918 Situation Quiet   16th April 1918 Moved up to the line in the evening and relieved 1st Devon Regt   16th April 1918 Operational Order 25.   18th of April 1918  Artillery Active   19th of April 1918 A Raiding Party    22nd of April 1918  A Gas Attack   23rd of April 1918 Constant Shelling   25th of April 1918  Division Attacks   26th Apr 1918 Gun Positions   28th of April 1918 Artillery Quieter   30th of April 1918 Artillery Very Active   3rd of May 1918 Enemy Artillery Active    3rd May 1918 On the night 3rd/4th we relieved the 1st Devon Regt.   4th of May 1918 Situation Quiet   10th of May 1918 Gas Shells Used    15th of May 1918 Our Heavies Busy    17th of May 1918 Active Artillery   22nd of May 1918 Enemy Active   22nd May 1918 Preparations 23rd of May 1918 Quiet Night   23rd May 1918 Relief completed 30th of May 1918 A Relief   5th of June 1918  Brigade Relief   12th June 1918 Baths 13th of June 1918  Brigade Relief Completed   15th of June 1918  Operation Proposed   20th of June 1918 Situation Unchanged   22nd of June 1918  Slight Activity   25th of June 1918 WO95/1510/4   29th of June 1918 Enemy Guns Active   1st of July 1918  Situation Unchanged   7th of July 1918  Gas Shelling   12th of July 1918 Back Areas Bombed   18th of July 1918  Our Guns Active   24th of July 1918  Relief Completed   28th of July 1918 Quiet    31st of July 1918 Relief Completed   9th of August 1918  Training   10th of August 1918  Training 13th of August 1918 Entraining Commenced 15th of August 1918  Training 21st of August 1918  Division Advances   23rd of August 1918  Division Attacks   24th of August 1918  5th Division Co-operates   25th of August 1918 Brigades Move   26th of August 1918  Enemy Retreats   27th of August 1918 Quiet   28th of August 1918   Situation Unchanged   30th of August 1918  Advance Continues   31st of August 1918  Counter-Attack   1st of September 1918  Attack Sucessful   2nd of September 1918 Strongly Defended 3rd of September 1918  Enemy Withdraws   4th of September 1918 Divisional Relief 5th of September 1918 Rest and Training 17th of September 1918 Back Areas Bombed   18th of September 1918 Attack Commences   19th of September 1918 Enemy Guns Quiet   20th of September 1918  Quiet Time   22nd of September 1918 Field Guns Active   30th of September 1918  Divisional Relief   20th of October 1918    23rd of October 1918 Heavy Bombardment 7th November 1918 Work on the bridge was forced to be cancelled owing to hostile Machine Gun fire.   8th November 1918 1st Devon report cyclists and cavalry patrol passed through   10th of November 1918  Operations Continue   11th of November 1918 Armistice and a Report   13th of November 1918 Resting 10th December 1918 New Billets Arranged 10th of January 1919  Locations If you can provide any additional information, please add it here. Want to know more about 1st Battalion, Devonshire Regiment? There are:5637 items tagged 1st Battalion, Devonshire Regiment 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 1st Battalion, Devonshire Regiment during the Great War 1914-1918. Bole James Joseph. Pte. (d.14th Apr 1918) Challacombe Fred. Pte. Clifton MC. Hubert Everard. 2nd Lt. (d.4th Oct 1916) Cornish Albert William. CQMS. (d.19th Sep 1914) Dolbear George Edwin. Pte. (d.9th May 1917) Gilliland MC. Hodgson Stewart. Lt. Harris MM Henry Percy. Sgt. (d.17th November 1917) Holland George Walter. Pte. (d.27th Oct 1918) Howes Arthur Harvey. Pte. (d.2nd May 1918) Howes Arthur Harvey. Pte. (d.2nd May 1918) Howes Arthur Harvey. Pte. (d.2nd May 1918) Howes Arthur Harvey. Pte. (d.2nd May 1918) Howes Arthur Harvey. Pte. (d.2nd May 1918) Kite William George. Pte. (d.24th Nov 1918) Lane Jesse. Sgt.Mjr. Malone Brian Wilmot . 2nd Lt. (d.23rd April 1917) Penfound George Frederick. Pte. (d.12th May 1915) Stirman Herbert. Pte. (d.15th April 1917) Tuffery MM. Harold. Cpl. (d.20th Jul 1916 ) Wagstaff Albert Victor. L/Cpl. (d.25th May 1915) All names on this list have been submitted by relatives, friends, neighbours and others who wish to remember them, if you have any names to add or any recollections or photos of those listed, please Add a Name to this List Records of 1st Battalion, Devonshire Regiment from other sources. The Wartime Memories Project is the original WW1 and WW2 commemoration website. 1st of September 2024 marks 25 years since the launch of the Wartime Memories Project. Thanks to everyone who has supported us over this time. Want to find out more about your relative's service? Want to know what life was like during the Great War? Our Library contains many many diary entries, personal letters and other documents, most transcribed into plain text. Looking for help with Family History Research?    Please see Family History FAQ's Please note: We are unable to provide individual research. Can you help? The free to access section of The Wartime Memories Project website is run by volunteers and funded by donations from our visitors. If the information here has been helpful or you have enjoyed reaching the stories please conside making a donation, no matter how small, would be much appreciated, annually we need to raise enough funds to pay for our web hosting or this site will vanish from the web. If you enjoy this site please consider making a donation. Announcements 19th Nov 2024     Please note we currently have a massive backlog of submitted material, our volunteers are working through this as quickly as possible and all names, stories and photos will be added to the site. If you have already submitted a story to the site and your UID reference number is higher than 264989 your submission is still in the queue, please do not resubmit. Wanted: Digital copies of Group photographs, Scrapbooks, Autograph books, photo albums, newspaper clippings, letters, postcards and ephemera relating to the Great War. If you have any unwanted photographs, documents or items from the First or Second World War, please do not destroy them. The Wartime Memories Project will give them a good home and ensure that they are used for educational purposes. Please get in touch for the postal address, do not sent them to our PO Box as packages are not accepted. World War 1 One ww1 wwII greatwar great battalion regiment artillery Did you know? We also have a section on World War Two. and a Timecapsule to preserve stories from other conflicts for future generations.   Pte. Fred Challacombe 1st Btn. Devonshire Regiment Fred Challacombe served in the Boar War and WWI in Gallipoli and France with the 1st Devonshires. Pat Rice Lundstrom Add to this record.   Pte. Arthur Harvey Howes 20th Hussars (d.2nd May 1918) Arthur Howes was a proud gentle man. He was an impeccable cavalry man and his parents would have been very proud of him. He was a Cheltenham soldier transferred from the 20th Hussars to the 1st Devonshires where unfortunately he lost his life in the Neippe Forest. Neil Harris Add to this record.   Pte. Arthur Harvey Howes 1st Devonshire Regiment 20th Hussars (d.2nd May 1918) Arthur Howes was a Cheltenham soldier born in 1888. He enrolled in 1909. He was a proud man. He lived with my great grandparents after losing his mum at an early age. Arthur worked in Cheltenham train station before enrolling to the Army. He is mentioned in the 20th Hussars War Diaries checking trenches around the Menin Ridge and also in the hard back book 'Leaving All That Was Dear'. Arthur was transferred to the 1st Devonshire Regiment around November 1917. He was quoted by my grandmother, who was 10 years of age, saying after his leave he really had a bad feeling about returning to the battle fields. He did return and fight until loosing his life in the forest of Neippe. He lies in Morbeque Cemetery France. And we thank him greatly for giving up his life. Neil Harris Add to this record.   Pte. Arthur Harvey Howes 1st Battalion Devonshire Regiment (d.2nd May 1918) Arthur Howes was my great great uncle, he was a 20th Hussars soldier but was transferred around Sept 1917 to the 1st Devonshires. We understand Arthur lost his life around the Nippe Forest when the Germans used gas. God bless you Arthur. Neil Harris Add to this record.   Pte. Arthur Harvey Howes 20th Hussars (d.2nd May 1918) Arthur Howes served with both the 20th Hussars and the 1st Battalion, Devonshire Regiment. Neil Harris Add to this record.   Pte. Arthur Harvey Howes 1st Btn Devonshire Regiment (d.2nd May 1918) Arthur Howes served with the 1st Devonshires. Neil Harris Add to this record.   2nd Lt. Hubert Everard Clifton MC. 1st Battalion Devonshire Regiment (d.4th Oct 1916) Hubert Clifton's appointment as a temporary 2nd Lieutenant was gazetted on 11th December 1914 and he was formally commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Special Reserve of Officers with effect from the Thirtieth day of December 1914. He was posted to the 1st Battalion, Devonshire Regiment and embarked for France in June 1915. At some point, we are aware that he was wounded, but appears to have recovered fairly It seems likely that he was in The Battle of Flers-Courcelette, a subsidiary offensive in the Battle of the Somme. On about the 20th of September 1916, he was wounded in the forearm, which caused a severe haemorrhage and brought back to England. He became so ill on the hospital train that he was taken off the train and transferred to Fort Pitt Military Hospital, Chatham. Pneumonia supervened and 2nd Lieutenant Hubert Everard Clifton died on Thursday, 4th October with his parents present at his bedside. He is buried in Torquay. Dickon Sandbach Add to this record.   Pte. Herbert Stirman 1st Btn. Devonshire Regiment (d.15th April 1917) Private Herbert Stirman was born in Huddersfield, where his parents lived briefly during their long journey from Edingthorpe in Norfolk, via Newark in Nottinghamshire eventually settling in Birmingham - they came from a long line of agricultural labourers and all eventually settled in the Midlands with new industrial trades. There are few details of Herbert's service, but his final journey was on HT Arcadian, going from Salonika to Alexandria when it was torpedoed by a German submarine in the Aegean Sea on 15 April 1917, the ship sank in 6 minutes. There were over 1300 troops and crew on this ship, but 277 perished, including Herbert, listed as drowned at sea. He is commemorated at Mikra Memorial Cemetery in Thessaloniki, Greece. He was 34 years old. Sarah Stirman Add to this record.   Sgt. Henry Percy Harris MM 8th Btn. Devonshire Regiment (d.17th November 1917) This is an extract from the book "For Our Tomorrow" about Combpyne-Rousdon in the First World War. Henry Harris was born in Combpyne in the spring of 1893, the first child of Eli and Amelia (Minnie) Harris, who went on to have a further ten children together. The Harris’s were long time residents of Combpyne having been in the village since at least the beginning of the nineteenth century. The family lived at Little Bulmoor Farm where Eli was a carter. By 1911 Henry had left home and lodged with coachman Charles Honeybun and his family in Chard Street, Axminster, working as a farm labourer. At some point Henry moved to Rose Cottage in Whitford and began work on the Rousdon Estate (39). No record of a marriage has been found but between 1911 and 1914 Henry decided to become a regular soldier and joined the 1st Battalion the Devonshire Regiment. He was with his battalion in Jersey when war was declared and entered the ‘theatre of war’ on 22 August 1914. His regimental number, 9430, suggests he joined up in 1912, possibly initially as a territorial. The 1st Devons landed at Le Havre on 22 August, where they joined ‘lines of communication’ defence troops, part of the BEF. Henry was rapidly in combat however as the battalion took part in the Battle of Le Cateau on 26th August, helping to hold up the German advance into France, and the Battle of the Marne in the second week of September which pushed back the Germans from the outskirts of Paris. Later in the autumn the battalion saw action at La Bassée and took part in the stand at Festubert. My research has found that he received the Military Medal for gallantry on the Western Front where he was wounded, repatriated to England to recover, which was when he died. Christine Needham Add to this record.   Sgt.Mjr. Jesse Lane 1st Btn. Devonshire Rgt. The 1st Battalion, Devonshire Regiment was in Jersey, Channel Islands during August 1914 when WWI broke out. Jesse Lane married my grandmother on 15th August 1914 in St Helier, Jersey and the 1st Battalion shipped out to France on 21st August 1914. He was gassed in the trenches but survived the War. Hilary Kaye Add to this record.   Cpl. Harold Tuffery MM. 1st Btn. Devonshire Regiment (d.20th Jul 1916 ) Harold Tuffery was killed in action on the 20th July 1916, aged 26. He is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial. Martyn Tuffery Add to this record.   Pte. William George Kite 1st (Garr.) Btn. Devonshire Regiment (d.24th Nov 1918) Aged 31 when he died, William Kite is buried in the Jerusalem War Cemetery and Memorial in Israel. He was the husband of Mabel Kite of 5 Mill Lane, West Twerton, Bath. S. Flynn Add to this record.   Pte. George Walter Holland 1st Btn. Devonshire Regiment (d.27th Oct 1918) George Holland is interred at the Etaples Military Cemetery. Val Snelling Add to this record.   CQMS. Albert William Cornish 1st Battalion Devonshire Regiment (d.19th Sep 1914) Albert Cornish was born in Bideford, Devon in 1877, the son of Emily Cornish from Kilkhampton in Cornwall, and half brother to Stanley, Archibald and Lilian Hole. From humble beginnings Albert sought a career in the army, but his life was sadly cut short on the 19th of September 1914. He is remembered with honour at the Vailly British Cemetery in France and commemorated on the war memorial at Abbotskerswell church, where there is also the inscription "died a hero" on his sister Lilians' grave stone. He left behind a wife Jessie and three children, Hilda, Sidney and Edna. Darren Farmer Add to this record.   Pte. James Joseph Bole 1st Btn. Devonshire Regiment (d.14th Apr 1918) James Bole enlisted in Westminster, he was the son of the late J. W. Bole and Mrs. Bole, of Dublin. He was killed in action in Flanders aged 36 and is remembered on the Ploegsteert Memorial. s flynn Add to this record.   2nd Lt. Brian Wilmot Malone 1st battalion Devonshires (d.23rd April 1917) Brian was educated at Rugby and passed through the Royal Military College to become a 2nd lieutenant with the 1st Bn Devonshires,first arriving overseas May 1915. He came from a long line of military officers, his father being of the Worcestershire Regiment and great grandfather had been officers with the Royal Navy. Alas at this time we have no personal information on his short life in the war except to say that he was killed during the battle of Arras and is remembered on the Gulval memorial and at the Arras Memorial. Carfury Antiquarians Add to this record.   Lt. Hodgson Stewart Gilliland MC. 1st Battalion Devonshire Regiment Hodgson Stuart Gilliland was born at Exmouth, Devon and enlisted in the 13th Hussars in June 1897, aged 14 years. He witnessed active service out in South Africa from February 1901 until the end of hostilities, during which period he was appointed a Trumpeter. Transferring as a Sergeant-Trumpeter to the 8th Hussars in April 1912, he was serving out in India on the outbreak of hostilities, but was quickly embarked for active duty and arrived in France in November 1914. In April 1916, Gilliland was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Devonshire Regiment, and joined the 1st Battalion in time for the Somme operations that summer. But his time at the Front was short-lived, for in an operation on 28 July he received a bayonet wound in his left leg and sustained shell-shock from the explosion of an H.E. shell, injuries that necessitated his immediate evacuation to England - back home the former musician was no doubt devastated to learn that the resultant loss of hearing in his right ear would be permanent. Better news was announced in the London Gazette of 18 October 1917, however, when he discovered that he had been awarded the MC: ‘For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty when in charge of a patrol. Finding that the enemy’s wire could not be cut without giving the alarm, with one N.C.O. he crawled under the wire and lay on the enemy’s parapet for three-quarters of an hour, gaining valuable information. While he was returning the enemy opened a heavy machine-gun fire, but he skilfully withdrew his men, and, though wounded himself, helped carry a wounded man back. He brought back a valuable report.’ Gilliland, who was advanced to Lieutenant in October 1917, was placed on the Army Reserve in August 1919, but, as accompanying research confirms, quickly returned to uniform as a Cadet Officer in the Royal Irish Constabulary, in which capacity he served in “The Troubles”. He died in 1956. Roy Villanis Add to this record.   Pte. George Frederick Penfound 1st Battalion Devonshire Regiment (d.12th May 1915) Tues 11th 1915 May. Resting in bivouac, in the evening proceeded to relieve the 5th Bn Cheshire Regiment in the trenches about Oosthoek abutting the Yser canal. Wed 12th May 1915. A fairly quiet day, except for the shelling of trench 27. by the enemy, at the cost of several casualties. During the evening our own Artillery, unfortunately placed several shells, in our own trench 28. seriously wounding one man, and killed other ranks 3. wounded other ranks 11. to hospital other ranks 5. The above extract is taken from the officer of the day diary. My great uncle was one of the 3 killed. George Frederick Penfound aged 30 of 39 Monument st Devonport Plymouth. I have my great uncle's medals, cap badge and death plaque, and yearly I place a poppy cross,at the memorial at St Aubyns Church in Devonport. He is buried in Plot1, Row D, Grave 3 in Spoilbank, Zillebeke, Belgium. Nobody from the family has yet visited, it is something I hope to do before I die. M. E. Blackmore Add to this record. Recomended Reading. Available at discounted prices.

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