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13th (Forest of Dean Pioneers) Battalion, Gloucestershire Regiment
The 13th (Service) Battalion (Forest of Dean)(Pioneers) Gloucestershire Regiment was formed at Malvern in December 1914 by Lieut-Col. H. Webb, MP. Adopted by War Office 12 July 1915.
August 1915 : attached as Divisional Pioneers to 39th Division.
Moved to Aldershot in September 1915 and landed in France 3 March 1916.
6 May 1918 : reduced to cadre strength.
13th (Forest of Dean Pioneers) Battalion, Gloucestershire Regiment was raised at Malvern in December 1914 by Lieut-Col. H. Webb, MP. After inital training close to home, the battalion was adopted by War Office on the 12th of July 1915. In August 1915 they joined 39th Division as Divisional Pioneers and moved to Aldershot in September for final training. They proceeded to France on the 3rd of March 1916. On the 30th June 1916 they were in action in an attack near Richebourg l'Avoue with the Sussex battalions suffered heavy casualties. They were in action during the Battles of the Somme, including, the fighting on the Ancre, The Battle of Thiepval Ridge, The Battle of the Ancre heights and the capture of Schwaben Reddoubt and Stuff Trench as well as The Battle of the Ancre. In 1917 they fought in The Battle of Pilkem Ridge, The Battle of Langemarck, The Battle of the Menin Road Ridge, The Battle of Polygon Wood and The Second Battle of Passchendaele. In 1918 they were in action at The Battle of St Quentin, The actions at the Somme crossings, The Battle of Bapaume and The Battle of Rosieres before moving to Flanders. They took part n The fighting on Wytschaete Ridge, The First and Second Battle of Kemmel and The Battle of the Scherpenberg. The Division had suffered heavy losses and they were reduced to a cadre on the 6th of May 1918. On the 16th of June they transferred to 197th Brigade in 66th (2nd East Lancashire) Division and on the 20th of September 1918 to the Lines of Communication.
Jan 1915 Specialist Training
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 Mar 1917 Pioneers at Work
If you can provide any additional information, please add it here.
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These include information on officers, regimental histories, letters, diary entries, personal accounts and information about actions during the Great War.
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Those known to have served with13th (Forest of Dean Pioneers) Battalion, Gloucestershire Regiment during the Great War 1914-1918. - Allen Robert. Pte. (d.1st Mar 1917)
- Baldwin William Lambert. Pte.
- Bennett Joseph. L/Cpl. (d.6th Jun 1918)
- Carrier Samuel. Pte. (d.30th June 1916)
- Chappell Albert Thomas. Pte. (d.1st Dec 1918)
- Clark Frank. Pte. (d.24th Sep 1917)
- Garrington Frederick. Pte. (d.12th July 1916)
- Garrington Frederick. Pte. (d.12th July 1916)
- Guy Sidney George. Capt.
- Hutchison Daniel. Pte.
- Irwin Thomas. L/Sgt. (d.22nd Mar 1918)
- Lax John Willie. Cpl. (d.27th Apr 1918)
- Meehan James Samuel. Pte.
- Parsons George William. Sgt. (d.22nd March 1918)
- Pedley Joseph. Pte. (d.24th Oct 1916)
- Purvis Alfred. Pte. (d.15th Mar 1917)
- Quinn Nicholas. Pte. (d.30th June 1916)
- Roberts William Henry. Pte. (d.5th June 1916)
- Stone Alfred J.. Pte (d.8th Aug 1917)
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 13th (Forest of Dean Pioneers) Battalion, Gloucestershire Regiment from other sources.
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Pte. Albert Thomas Chappell 1st Btn. Royal West Kent Regiment (d.1st Dec 1918) Albert Chappell was born in 1894 at Tresham, Gloucestershire to Albert James and Kate Elizabeth Chappell. In 1901, he was residing with his parents and siblings at The Sheet, Hawkesbury near Wotton-under-Edge, Gloucestershire; and in 1911, he was living with his brother William Albert, mother, and stepfather Richard Godfrey at Bowldon near Tetbury, Gloucestershire. His occupation was farm labourer.
He enlisted into the 13th Gloucestershire Regiment on 9th of December 1915 at the age of 22 years and 3 months and was posted to the army reserve to await his mobilization. At the time, he was residing at Ragonel Terrace, Synwell, Wotton-under-Edge. On 23 December 1916, he married Winifred Tavinner at the Tabernacle, Wotton-under-Edge.
He was called to the colours with the 1st Royal West Kent Regiment on 22nd of February 1917 at Horfield Barracks, Horfield, Bristol. Then on 11th June 1917, he embarked for France. On 21st of April 1918, he received a shrapnel wound to his left thigh, and on 6th of October 1918 was transferred to the Royal Warwickshire Regiment. He died of influenza at No. 2 Casualty Clearing Station on 1st of December 1918, and is buried in Caudry British Cemetery, France.
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Pte. Frank Clark 13th Btn. Gloucestershire Regiment (d.24th Sep 1917) Frank Clark was my grandmother's brother. He worked as a delivery driver for a building company. He was 23 when he died at Zillebeke during the Third Battle of Ypres.
My family and I have been to his grave on 3 occasions at Larch Wood Railway Cutting.
Reading the diaries of the 13th Gloucester Regiment, we believe he was working on tunnelling under Hill 60.
None of his immediate family could afford to see his grave, so we feel privileged to keep his memory alive.
Our grandson has just been called Frank after him.
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Pte. Nicholas Quinn 13th Btn. Gloucestershire Regiment (d.30th June 1916) Nicholas Quinn served with the 13th Gloucestershires.
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Pte. Frederick Garrington 13th (Forest of Dean Pioneeers) Btn. Gloucestershire Regiment (d.12th July 1916) My great grandfather was Frederick Garrington, my maternal grand father's father. He was born in 1874 in Birmingham and was married with 6 children. Before the war he worked in the brass industry and lived in the Aston area of Birmingham.
He enlisted on or around the beginning of March 1915 in Birmingham and was aligned to the 13th Gloucesters. After training during 1915 the 13th Gloucesters were assigned to the 39th Division as the Divisional Pioneer Battalion. He landed in Le Havre in France on the 4th 0f March 1916 along with his battalion and along with 39th Division, became the XI Corps in the First Army.
In April 1916 he was probably involved in the construction of an extensive barbed wire defence between Gorre, la Hamel and Les Chaquax to La Basse Canal which is to the north east of the town of Bethune near Lille.
At the end of June 1916 the 13th Gloucesters were involved in some fighting while supporting the 116th Battalion of the 39th Division near Neuve Chapelle.This was to be known as the Battle of the Boars Head. The Battalion's job was to dig communication trenches supporting the 116th brigade.
It is not known when or whether he was injured during this attack but he died of his injuries on July the 12th 1916 aged 42, and his 19th wedding anniversary. He is buried in the town cemetery in Bethune.
None of this information was known until I researched my family history. My grandfather never told any one, not only his own family, about his father's involvement in the 1st World War.
I am going over to visit his grave next year [2106 the centenary of his death] the first person in his family to do so. I doubt if his family ever knew about his eventual outcome.
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Pte. Samuel Carrier 13th Battalion Gloucestershire Regiment (d.30th June 1916) Samuel Carrier died in an attack on an area of the German lines known as the Boarshead in the region of the commune of Richebourg near Bethune, France on 30th of June 1916 aged 20. The 13th attacked on 4 points, although some ground was won the attack was deemed a failure and the 13th suffered heavy casualties. Samuel is remembered with honour on the Loos memorial. His body was never found. RIP Brave Soldier.
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Capt. Sidney George Guy 13th Battalion Gloucestershire Regiment Excerpt from Western Daily Press 18th Oct. 1915:-
"Mr. Sidney George Guy second son of Mr.John B. Guy, 18 Heron Road, Stapleton Road, Bristol, and formerly Captain of the South Field Pioneers (13th Gloucesters) has been appointed Major of 2/4 Yorkshire Regiment." He went on to the rank of Lt. Col.
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Pte. Frederick Garrington 13th Btn Gloucestershire Regiment (d.12th July 1916) Frederick Garrington was my great grandfather. He was my maternal grandfather's father. It wasn't until I researched my family tree that I discovered his fate in the First World War.
When he enlisted he was a forty year old father of eight and was a brass moulder by trade in Birmingham. He died of his wounds on the 12th of July 1916 aged 41 and is buried in the town cemetery in Bethune. On questioning my mother she said that her father, [Frederick's son] had never mentioned anything about his father's fate and came as a compete surprise to her and her sisters.
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Pte Alfred J. Stone 13th (Forest of Dean Pioneers) Battalion Gloucestershire Regiment (d.8th Aug 1917) Alfred Stone joined the Army in 1915 in the West Surrey Regiment but ended up transferring to the 13th Bn Forest of Dean Pioneers of the Gloucestershire Regiment. He was a window cleaner by trade.
Having fought at Passchendaele, he must have been severely wounded and died in the General Hospital in Boulogne on the 8th Aug 1917, he is buried in the Boulogne Eastern Cemetery. He was 26 years old.
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Sgt. George William Parsons 13th Btn. Gloucestershire Regiment (d.22nd March 1918) George Parsons died on the 22nd of March 1918, aged 33 and is buried in the Peronne Communal Cemetery Extension in France.
He was the son of John and Minnie Parsons, of 65 Sevier St., Bristol and husband of Lily Gertrude Parsons, of 1 Lancaster Rd., St. Werburghs, Bristol
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L/Sgt. Thomas Irwin 13th Btn. Gloucestershire Regt (d.22nd Mar 1918) Thomas Irwin enlisted in Jarrow. He is buried in Peronne Communal Cemetery Extension and is commemorated on the Triptych in St. Paul's Church Jarrow.
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Pte. Alfred Purvis 13th Btn. Gloucestershire Regiment (d.15th Mar 1917) Alfred Purvis enlisted Walker Newcastle and served in the 13th (Service) Battalion (Forest of Dean Pioneers)Gloucestershire Regiment. He was killed in action on the 15th March 1917. He is remembered at Palmers Cenotaph, St. Paul's Church and is buried in Vlamertinghe Military Cemetery.
Alfred's Medal Card shows the award of the British War and Victory Medals. It also notes an alias of Ross W, but a statuary declaration made on the 2nd May 1916 before his death corrects this. Alfred would only have been 15 in 1914 so was probably under age when joining under the alias name.
In the 1911 census Alfred 12 and his sister Anne 14, a servant are living with their parents Alfred 45, a dock labourer and his wife of 16 years Sarah Jane (46).
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Pte. Joseph Pedley 13th Btn. Gloucestershire Regiment (d.24th Oct 1916) Joseph Pedley, Private 19468, enlisted at Jarrow and served in the 13th Battalion, the Gloucestershire Regiment. He died on the 24th October 1916 and is buried in Etaples Military Cemetery. He is remembered at St. Paul's Church, Jarrow. Joseph's Medal Card shows the award of the British War and Victory Medals.
Joseph is the son of William John and Annie Pedley nee Keeling and was born in 1889 at Jarrow. He was married to Jessie E Pedley nee Medhurst of 6 Horsa road, Erith, Kent. In the 1911 census Joeph is 21, single and living with his parents at 5 Bladen Street, Jarrow. His father William is 67, a Joiner's Labourer and has been married for 44 years to Jessie who is 66. They had 11 children with 6 still alive. Joseph is the only one at home and is working as a marine engine fitter.
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Pte. Robert Allen 13th (Forest of Dean Pioneers) Battalion Gloucester Regiment (d.1st Mar 1917) Robert Allen served with the 13th (Service) Battalion Gloucester Regiment (Forest of Dean Pioneers) He was aged 24 when he died of wounds on 1st March 1917. He was born, lived and enlisted Jarrow, the son of William and Emily Allen (nee Evans) of Jarrow and husband of Annie (nee Fay) at one time Mayor of Jarrow. On the 1911 census, he is recorded as Robert Allen age 17 Rivet heater in Shipyard living with his parents William and Emily Allen at 30 Ferry Street back, Jarrow. Robert is buried in Vlamertinghe Military Cemetery.
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