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17th (British Empire League) Battalion, Kings Royal Rifle Corps
17th (British Empire League) Battalion, King's Royal Rifle Corps was raised in London on the 16th of May 1915 by the British Empire League. After inital training cloe to home, they moved to Paddockhurst. In July they joined 117th Brigade, 39th Division, moving in September to Hursley Park and in January 1916 to Witley for final training, spending a brief spell at Aldershot then returning to Witley. They proceeded to France on the 8th of March 1916, landing at Le Havre, teh division concentrating near Blaringhem. 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 16th of May and took on a role supervising courses of instruction for newly arrived American troops, beginning with units of the 77th American Division at Wolphus. On the 16th of August 1918 the 17th KRRC transferred to 197th Brigade, 66th (2nd East Lancashire) Division and took up duties on lines of Communication work at Durcat.
11th Sep 1915 Last day of Derby Scheme Recruitment
16th Oct 1915 The Derby Scheme
1st Dec 1915 Derby Scheme Armlets
10th Jan 1916 Group System Reopens
9th February 1916 Call Ups
27th Mar 1916 Attachment 
27th Apr 1916 Reliefs
12th Jul 1916 Trench Raid
20th Sep 1916 Reliefs
13th of April 1917 On the Move
15th Oct 1917 Reliefs
If you can provide any additional information, please add it here.
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| Want to know more about 17th (British Empire League) Battalion, Kings Royal Rifle Corps? There are:14 items tagged 17th (British Empire League) Battalion, Kings Royal Rifle Corps available in our Library
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 with17th (British Empire League) Battalion, Kings Royal Rifle Corps during the Great War 1914-1918. - Atkinson Arthur. Rfn (d.3rd Sep 1916)
- Bennett Frederick. Pte. (d.22nd March 1918)
- Bryning John William. Pte (d.18 November 1917)
- Fairlie Edward. Maj. (d.30th Mar 1918)
- Hindley J.. Capt.
- Jones Robert. Rflmn. (d.20th September 1917)
- Juniper James Samuel. Rflmn. (d.18th April 1918)
- Mann Percy Charles. 2nd Lt. (d.31st Jul 1917)
- Palmer William George.
- Summers William James. Rifleman (d.4th July 1916)
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 17th (British Empire League) Battalion, Kings Royal Rifle Corps from other sources.
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Rflmn. James Samuel Juniper 17th Battalion Kings Royal Rifle Corps (d.18th April 1918) James Juniper is remembered at Tyne Cot Cemetery.
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Pte John William Bryning 17th (British Empire League) Battalion Kings Royal Rifle Corps (d.18 November 1917) John was in the 17th Kings Royal Rifle Corps on the 18th November 1917 the 17th relieved the 16th Rifle Brigade at the Polderhoeke Sector. He was killed by German shell fire or by a sniper. His body was never found but his name is on a wall at Tyne Cot.
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2nd Lt. Percy Charles Mann 17th Btn. Kings Royal Rifle Corps (d.31st Jul 1917) Percy Mann was born on 20th of August 1893 in Hastings, Sussex.
He married Dorothy Gilmore Lush on 26th of June 1915.
He signed up for the Kings Royal Rifle Corps and died on the first day of the Battle of Pilckem Ridge which was the opening attack of the 3rd Ypres offensive on the 31st of July 1917.
His daughter Gladys Ivy was born 3 months after he died.
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Maj. Edward Fairlie 17th (British Empire League) Btn. King Royal Rifle Corps (d.30th Mar 1918) Edward Fairlie was born about 1882 the son of William Fairlie, J.P., D.L., of Holms, Ayrshire. He was the husband of Marjorie Fairlie. He joined the Inns of Court Officer Training Corps during August 1914 and was commissioned into the 7th Btn. Kings Royal Rifle Corps. He arrived in France with his Battalion during May 1915 and is recorded in the Battalion War Diaries on 11th June 1915 as a Captain who was wounded in the area around Gordons Farm near Ypres.At some point Edward was promoted to the rank of Major and was killed in action on 30th March 1918 whilst on attachment to 17th Btn. Kings Royal Rifle Corps. He is remembered on the Pozieres Memorial.
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Pte. Frederick Bennett 17th Batn. (d.22nd March 1918) I am researching Frederick Bennett of the 17th Kings Royal Rifle Corps for our Village Archives. He lived in Marton, Warwickshire for many years. We know that he was a farm labourer, and was in the Warwickshire Yeomany and the Army Service Corps prior to the Kings Royal Rifles. Would love more information about him and his family's life.
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Rifleman William James Summers 17th Battalion (d.4th July 1916) I have a photograph of a family grave at Manor Park which lists two brothers who died in the Great War, but one of them, William James Summers is not listed on the CWGC debt of honour. I know this is not at all unusual and there is an organisation devoted to adding the names of those missing, but I'd rather like to check the records of The KRRC to see if he enlisted under this name.
He served with the 17th Battalion and died at Festubert on July 4th, I think, 1916 aged 26.
Does anyone have any suggestions as to how I might check this out further?.
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