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8th Battalion, Duke of Wellingtons West Riding Regiment    8th Battalion West Riding Regiment was raised at Halifax in August 1914 as part of Kitchener's First New Army and joined 34th Brigade in 11th (Northern) Division. Moved to Belton Park (Grantham) On the 18th of January 1915 they transferred to 32nd Brigade still in 11th (Northern) Division. They moved to Witley in April 1915 for final training and in July sailed from Liverpool for Gallipoli, via Mudros. They landed near Lala Baba at Suvla Bay on the 6th and 7th of August. On the 19th and 20th of December 1915 the Division was withdrawn from Gallipoli, moving to Imbros then to Egypt at the end of January. They concentrated at Sidi Bishr and took over a section of the Suez canal defences on the 19th of February. On the 17th of June 1916 the Division was ordered to France to reinforce Third Army on The Somme. They departed from Alexandria on with the last units leaving on the 3rd of July. By the 27th July, they were in the front line on the Somme and took part in The capture of the Wundt-Werk, The Battle of Flers-Courcelette and The Battle of Thiepval. In 1917 they were in action in Operations on the Ancre then moved north to Flanders for The Battle of Messines, The Battle of the Langemarck, The Battle of Polygon Wood, The Battle of Broodseinde and The Battle of Poelcapelle. On the 13th of February 1918 the battalion was disbanded in France at the reorganisation of the Army. 6th Aug 1915 Experiences 18th Sep 1915 Reliefs 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 31st August 1916 Diary B.O.O.13. 1st September 1916 Diary Table March and Billetting 3rd September 1916 Movement Table Troops by road 3rd September 1916 Table Movement 1st line transport by road. 3rd September 1916 Table Allotment of additional transport 3rd September 1916 Table 6th September 1916 Orders   7th September 1916 Diary 7th September 1916 Diary   24th September 1916 Diary   26th September 1916 Diary   27th September 1916 Diary   29th September 1916 Diary   28th November 1916 Quieter in trenches and Relief overnight 16th Dec 1916 Motor Bus Transport to the trenches   6th May 1917  1st June 1917 Training and inspections  6th Battalion Lincolnshire Regiment Diary page is very faint and difficult to read. Due to this, a report of events during the Battle of Messines, is entered in a separate page on the 30th June 1917, which helps to clarify events. 1st Jun. 1917 - Battalion in training. Demonstration of physical training by Captain Kelso(?) Army Gymnastic Staff on grounds of the Border Regiment. 2nd Jun. - Battalion training. Battalion in attack. 3rd Jun. - Church Parade Service. Clothing inspection by second in command. Sport during afternoon. 4th Jun. - Battalion and Brigade rehearsal of Brigade scheme took place in the afternoon followed by conference. 5th Jun. - Battalion training conference during day. Retiring by sections practiced by company commanders. Front lines reconnoitered by company commanders. Brigade interactions rehearsed by officers as general guide lines for coming attack. (Best interpretation of difficult section) 6th Jun. - Battalion moved to Butterfly Farm for operations in the Brigade area on high ground. At 1130 attack from Messines and Wytschaede Ridge commenced preceded by heavy bombardment. Battalion awaiting orders at Butterfly Farm hadn't moved forward by 1130. (again best interpretation) 7th - 9th Jun. - A restricted report of events during the operations (unreadable) narrative ------ on other operations. 10th Jun. - Battalion ------ by 3rd Brigade 11th Jun. - Battalion ----- (unreadable) 12th-13th Jun. - Battalion ----- (unreadable) 14th Jun. - Battalion employed on ----- work. Kit ---- 15th Jun. - Company Commanders ----- (unreadable) 16th Jun. - Battalion road marches. 17th/24th Jun. - Battalion in the reserve. Arrived in Tipgues(?) Area in the afternoon at 1400. -----(unreadable) 25th Jun. - Battalion commenced training. Order for reconnoitering by company commanders. 26th/27th Jun. - Intensive Training 28th Jun. - Intensive training. Battalion in the attack. 1730 demonstration by Infantry school of musketry. 29th Jun. - Marching in open order in the attack. All officers attended training with second in command. 30th Jun. - Disruption to training. Heavy mist all day. A separate report on the 30th June is very enlightening and confirms that the war diaries were completed in pencil and are almost illegible through the passage of time. war diaries 30th June 1917 Battle of Messines 7th Oct 1917 At the Ready   29th Oct 1917 Reliefs   24th of January 1918 Artillery Very Quiet   25th of January 1918 MG Fire All Night   26th Jan 1918 Reliefs   15th of February 1918 A Newspaper Delivery   2nd of March 1918 Heavy Gas Shelling   10th of March 1918 5th Dorsets on Patrol   14th of March 1918 More Heavy Fire   7th of April 1918 A Relief Ordered   If you can provide any additional information, please add it here. Want to know more about 8th Battalion, Duke of Wellingtons West Riding Regiment? There are:5265 items tagged 8th Battalion, Duke of Wellingtons West Riding 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 8th Battalion, Duke of Wellingtons West Riding Regiment during the Great War 1914-1918. Chadwick Thomas. Pte. (d.27th Aug 1917) Dacre Maurice. Armr QMS (d.15th Oct 1917) Gath Leonard. Pte. Keywood DCM. James. Sgt. Loosemore VC. DCM. Arnold. Sgt. Needham John. Pte. (d.13th Aug 1917) Nicholson T.. Pte. (d.19th November 1915) Pretty Howard S.. Pte. Sheldon George. Sgt. (d.30th September 1916) Sykes VC. Ernest. Pte. Wilson Joseph Edgar . Pte. (d.6th May 1918) 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 8th Battalion, Duke of Wellingtons West Riding 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. Ernest Sykes VC. 27th Btn. (4th Tyneside Irish) Northumberland Fusiliers Ernest Sykes was born in 1885, in Mossley, Yorkshire and died, in 1949, at Lockwood, Yorkshire. He originally enrolled in the Duke of Wellingtons Regiment (West Riding), 8th Battalion, service number 13425. He served in the Balkans campaign of 1915 where he received a serious foot injury. After recovering from his injury, he was assigned to the 27th Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers (4th Tyneside Irish), service number 40989, and embarked for France. In April 1917, his Battalion was involved in the Battle of Arras where he was awarded the Victoria Cross for his actions. The citation for the award is: - On 9 April (Easter Monday) 1917, near Arras, France, the battalion in attack was held up by intense fire from front and flank, and suffered heavy casualties. Private Sykes, despite this heavy fire, went forward and brought back four wounded. He then made a fifth journey and remained out under conditions which appeared to be certain death, until he had bandaged all those too badly injured to be moved. There is a plaque, in his honour, at Mossley Railway Station. Add to this record.   Pte. Thomas Chadwick 8th Btn. Duke of Wellington's West Riding Regiment Regiment (d.27th Aug 1917) Thomas Chadwick was born in the March quarter of 1892 in Mossley, Ashton-under-Lyne, Lancashire, the son of Reuben and Bridget, brother to John, Adam, George Robert and Charles Henry. In 1901 at the age of 8 he was living at 8 Chapel Street, Mossley with his parents and in 1911 aged 19 he was a cotton piecer living on Chapel Street, Mossley with his parents. In 1913 a Thomas Chadwick married a Amy Hall, this may have been him. Thomas was killed in action on the 27th of August 1917 and is commemorated on Panel 82 to 85 and 162A of the Tyne Cot Memorial. On Saturday 9th October 1920 the Mossley War Memorial was officially unveiled. Present at the ceremony the Mayor said “We are met here today to honour the brave and noble men who kept the enemy from our shores in the greatest war the world has ever known”. The "Last Post" was sounded, followed by a solemn silence, a hymn was sung, and then over 70 tributes were laid. The vicar gave a blessing and the National Anthem was sung. A wreath was laid in the memory of Thomas Chadwick. There are no names on this Memorial, but Thomas Chadwick is listed on the wooden Mossley War Memorial inside St George's Church, Mossley. Rita Vaughan Add to this record.   Pte. John Needham 8th Btn. Duke of Wellingtons (West Riding Regiment) (d.13th Aug 1917) John Needham was my great great uncle. He was treasurer at Halifax Textile Trades Club and worked as a twister-in at Martin Sons & Company Ltd (worsted coating manufacturers), Martin's Mill, Pellon Lane, Halifax. In 1903 he married Elizabeth Kelly in Halifax and they had three sons: Stanley (b 1904), Jack (b 1908) and Ronald (b 1913). He enlisted on 15th July 1916 and served in the 8th Battalion Duke of Wellington's (West Riding Regiment). He was killed at Ypres on 13th of August 1917, aged 37. He is remembered on the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial and in the Halifax Town Hall Books of Remembrance. His younger brother Ernest died at The Battle of Menin Road, Ypres on 20th of September 1917. In 1923 his widow Elizabeth married John Batchelor. Daniel Needham Add to this record.   Pte. Leonard "Scottie" Gath 24th Btn. Northumberland Fusiliers Leonard Gath served in the 21st, 23rd and 24th Battalions, Northumberland Fusiliers and the 1/4th Battalion. He also served with the 8th Battalion, Duke of Wellington (West Riding) Regiment in WW1. Leonard died in 1979. Richard Gath Add to this record.   Armr QMS Maurice Dacre 8th Btn Duke of Wellington's (West Riding Regiment) (d.15th Oct 1917) Maurice Dacre served with the 8th Duke of Wellingtons. Add to this record.   Sgt. George Sheldon 8th Btn. Duke of Wellington's (West Riding Regiment) (d.30th September 1916) George Sheldon was born in Attercliffe in Derbyshire, then moved to Yorkshire. He enlisted in K1 8th Duke of Wellington's Regiment in 1914 and did his training. Then he set sail to Gallipoli. He was evacuated from there and he was then sent to the Western Front in 1915. He was married to Mary-Anne Sheldon. They had three daughters, of which my grandma was the eldest child. She was 10 years old when George was presumed killed in action. He was 36 years old. Add to this record.   Pte. Joseph Edgar Wilson 8th Btn. Duke of Wellington's (West Riding) Regiment (d.6th May 1918) My grandfather, Joseph Wilson, a hero of the Boer war who died in the first world war. Peter Wilson Add to this record.   Pte. T. Nicholson 8th Btn. Duke of Wellington's (West Riding) Regiment (d.19th November 1915) Private Nicholson was buried in the Polemidia Military Cemetery in Cyprus, Grave 64. S Flynn Add to this record.   Pte. Howard S. Pretty 8th Btn. Duke of Wellington West Riding Regiment I came across a diary that was passed down through our family. It was created by a family member in 1915/16 at a WW1 hospital called Grove House in Harrogate. Our family member was a nurse there and had servicemen describe their experiences through the diary. Entries include the Gallipoli experiences of Pte Pretty of the 8th Duke of Wellingtons West Riding Regiment. This man's descendants,I am sure would be interested, I hope it may reach the family at some stage. John Fison Add to this record.   Sgt. James Keywood DCM. 8th Btn, X Coy, 6 Platoon Duke of Wellington Regiment Sgt James Keywood was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal for conspicuous gallantry on August 27th 1917, "in leading a Platoon of 36 men to attack a German stronghold which was holding up the advance of the Battalion at Peolcopell. The attack was very successful and heavy losses inflicted on the enemy, the result of which was to ease the resistance to the battalion." Alan Keywood Add to this record. Recomended Reading. Available at discounted prices.

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