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21st (Islington) Battalion, Middlesex Regiment    21st (Islington) Battalion, Middlesex Regiment (Duke of Cambridge's Own) was raised in Islington on the 18th of May 1915 by the Mayor and Borough. After initial training close to home, in July 1915 they joined 118th Brigade, 39th Division and moved to Aldershot in October. In February 1916 they moved to Witley and transferred to 121st Brigade, 40th Division for final training. They proceeded to France in the first week of June and the division concentrated near Lillers. They went into the front line near Loos and were later in action in The Battle of the Ancre on the Somme. In 1917 they saw action during The German retreat to the Hindenburg Line, The capture of Fifteen Ravine, Villers Plouich, Beaucamp and La Vacquerie and The Cambrai Operations, including the capture of Bourlon Wood in November. On the 5th of February 1918 they transferred to 119th Brigade still with 40th Division, they fought in The Battle of St Quentin and The Battle of Bapaume on the Somme then the The Battle of Estaires and The Battle of Hazebrouck in Flanders, suffering heavy losses. On the 5th of May the battalion was reduced to cadre strength and on the 3rd of June they transferred to 34th Division. On the 30th they moved to Boulogne, transferring to 74th Brigade, 25th Division and crossed to England the folowing day. At Aldershot they left the Division and were sent to Cromer to man the coastal defences. 13th Apr 1918 Withdrawal 14th Apr 1918 On the March 15th Apr 1918 At Rest 16th Apr 1918 Inspection 30th September 1915 Entraining 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 29th July 1916 Reliefs 24th Sep 1916 Military Medal 1st October 1916 Preliminary Operation Order. 3rd October 1916 121st Infantry Brigade Order No. 24. 10th October 1916 Battalion Order 10th October 1916 121st Infantry Brigade Order No. 28.   10th October 1916 Table of Reliefs 10th October 1916 Table of Reliefs   11th October 1916 Orders Updated   19th October 1916 121st Infantry Brigade Order 30 22nd October 1916 Orders   25th October 1916 Transport 26th October 1916 March Table   26th October 1916 Billetting Arrangements 28th October 1916 l2lst Infantry Brigade Order No.33. 28th October 1916 Billeting Arrangements   1st November 1916 121st Infantry Brigade Order 34. 1st November 1916 March Table 3rd November 1916 Orders 3rd November 1916 121st Infantry Brigade HQ 3rd November 1916 Lorries 3rd November 1916 Instructions 4th November 1916 121st Infantry Brigade Order No. 38.   11th November 1916 Brigade Scheme 14th November 1916 Brigade Scheme 15th November 1916 121st Brigade Order No.39. 16th November 1916 121st Infantry Brigade Order No.40. 17th November 1916 March Table 17th November 1916 121st Infantry Brigade Order 41 ( B.O.O.41 ) 17th November 1916 March Table Issued with 121st Infantry Brigade Order 41 ( B.O.O.41 ) 21st November 1916 121st Infantry Brigade Order 44 ( B.O.O.44 ) 21st November 1916 March Table B.O.O.44 22nd November 1916 Reference to Brigade Preparation Order of today 22nd November 1916 121st Infantry Brigade O.O.45. ( B.O.O.45. ) 27th December 1916 Reinforcements 30th December 1916 121st Infantry Brigade Order 52 30th December 1916 March Table B.O.O.52 21st Feb 1917 Reliefs 17th Apr 1917 Reliefs 27th Nov 1917 Congratulations   30th Nov 1917 Congratulations 2nd Dec 1917 Reliefs   31st of March 1918 Relief Completed   1st Apr 1918 Reliefs Complete 2nd Apr 1918 Moves   3rd Apr 1918 Quiet   4th Apr 1918 Quiet 5th Apr 1918 Orders   6th Apr 1918 Reliefs Completed 7th Apr 1918 Reorganisation 9th Apr 1918 In Action   9th Apr 1918 Enemy Breaks Through 10th Apr 1918 Heavy Shelling 11th Apr 1918 Great Pressure 12th Apr 1918 Withdrawal 13th of April 1918 Report   If you can provide any additional information, please add it here. Want to know more about 21st (Islington) Battalion, Middlesex Regiment? There are:5296 items tagged 21st (Islington) Battalion, Middlesex 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 21st (Islington) Battalion, Middlesex Regiment during the Great War 1914-1918. Goodyer Thomas. Sgt. Hampton Ernest. Cpl. (d.23rd March 1918) Hodder MM. Benjamin Alfred. Pte. Hodder MM. Benjamin Alfred. Cpl. McCarthy Edward Maurice. Pte. Nicholls Bertram Ernest. Pte. (d.5th Oct 1916) Phipps Leonard William. Pte. (d.23rd March 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 21st (Islington) Battalion, Middlesex Regiment from other sources. 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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.   Cpl. Benjamin Alfred Hodder MM. 21st (Islington) Battalion Middlesex Regiment Benjamin Hodder was my grandfather. In April 1915, at the age of sixteen years and four months, Ben enlisted in 6th Battalion Kings Royal Rifle Corps declaring his age as nineteen and his trade as an engineer. Family history has it that he ran away from school to join the Army. Like so many others at the time Ben had lied about his age and when this was discovered at Winchester, Hampshire after sixty-five days with the colours he was dismissed. Undeterred, seventeen days later he reenlisted at Islington into the 21st ˜Islington's Own Battalion, Middlesex Regiment using his middle name only probably because his time with KRRC was under the name Benjamin. At the outbreak of war in 1914, the British Army had 700,000 available men. Germany's army was over 3.7 million. In order to address this deficiency a campaign for volunteers was launched, thousands answered the call to fight and among them were 250,000 boys and young men under the age of 19, the legal limit for armed service overseas. The 21st Middlesex was officially raised on the 18th May 1915 at Islington, London and was assigned to 121st Brigade, 40th Division in Kitchener's Army. Ben's commanding officers were Lieutenant Colonel W H Samuel and Majors J McCullough and S D Stewart. On 27th of May 1916 when at Woking, Surrey the 21st was ordered to France and on 5th of June Ben was one of almost a thousand officers and men who boarded trains to Southampton en route to France. The Battalion was split into two groups for the journey across the Channel with some boarding the Steamer Caesarea while others sailed on the Rossetti a former Argentine cattle ship. These two ships were often used to transport troops and had been doing so since 1914. I don't know which ship Ben was on but do know that the Caesarea arrived at Le Havre in the early hours of 6th of June and marched to a rest camp. Those that sailed on the Rossetti joined the others later that day before marching to billets at Barlin 150 miles to the north east towards the Belgium border. Ben's two years on the Great War Western Front were spent in the area of British operations in north eastern France very close to the border with Belgium. He took part in most battles of the time subsequent to the infamous ˜First Day on the Somme and prior to his capture by Bavarian troops of the Imperial German Army during Ludendorffs Spring Offensive of 1918. On 15th June 1916 Ben was detached from the 21st Middlesex and assigned to a newly formed Brigade asset, a Trench Mortar Battery. Trench mortars were a new innovation used in a variety of defensive and offensive roles. By mid 1916 most Divisions had Trench Mortar Batteries which took their number from the Brigade, so in Ben's case as part of 40th Division, 121st Brigade his battery was numbered 121st Trench Mortar Battery. The Battery was formed from Brigade units and put into billets at Lillers, 15 miles north east from Barlin. It consisted of two sections of two officers and NCOs and other ranks from each of the Brigade’s Regiments. Lt. Killinghack of 21st Middlesex Regiment was placed in overall command his fellow officers being Lt. Mansell 20th Middlesex, Lt. Jones 13th Yorkshire and 2nd/Lt. Barrett 12th Suffolk regiments. As mentioned, Ben's unit arrived too late for the opening battle of the Somme on 1st July 1916 when 60,000 British soldiers were made casualties but moved into the line around Loos and was involved in fighting throughout the second half of 1916 through to April 1918. During this time he was awarded the Military Medal, would have pursued Germans toward the Hindenburg Line and fought in the battles of Fifteen Ravine, Villers Plouich, Beaucamp and La Vacquerie and the Cambrai Operations during which he was involved in operations to capture Bourlon Wood. He took part in the battles of St Quentin and Bapaume of the later Somme campaigns and was near to the fighting on the River Lys during Operation Georgette when he was taken prisoner. 20th June 1916 eight 3" Stokes Trench Mortars and six hand carts were received by the newly formed 121st Trench Mortar Battery. The guns were reportedly quite new and in excellent condition but the handcarts were very heavy and the officers complained that they would take a lot of pulling noting that at some stage horse transport would clearly be needed. 21st June 1916 Lt. Killinghack proceeded to Ferfey to the 1st Divisional Bomb School for a Trench Mortar course. 24th to 30th June 1916 three groups of 1 officer and ten other ranks went into Berbiers for their introductory training. The training took three days during which time they were billeted in town. 25th June 1916 the Battery received fifty 3" shells for practice and the next week began firing dummy shells and were put to work digging mortar emplacements. 3rd July 1916 the 121st Brigade moved to Les Brebis to relieve the 2nd Brigade and Ben and his colleagues busied themselves salvaging and making good mortar shells left behind, improving mortar emplacements and cleaning their dugouts. Sadly, the Battery was not issued with telephones which with weapons that are not line of sight I'd have considered essential. Lt. Killinghack clearly though so too and he, and a Captain Morris, the Brigade Scout Officer, went looking for potential observation points. 7th July 1916 Ben lost one of the Battery's officers who was reported to Brigade by Lt. Killinghack for displaying a lack of interest in his work. Lt. Jones was returned to his battalion and replaced by a 2nd Lt. Dowton. I don't know if Jones was Ben's commanding officer but I'm certain he would have been aware of the discipline issue. 8th July 1916 the battery attempted to destroy an enemy observation point but owing to the lack of telephones it proved difficult. They managed to hit it the following day, however, drawing retaliatory fire for two hours leading to a relocation of their mortar emplacements. 12th to 17th June 1916 Ben's Brigade was relieved by the 120th. This allowed time to clean up, engage in squad drills and practice firing with dummy shells away from the line. The battery was back at the front by the 17th and over the next five days engaged in firing and retaliation including on 21st July destroying German machine guns that had been firing at a Royal Flying Corps aeroplane. 23rd July 1916 the Battery moved to a different sector and when they had settled into their new surrounds the Germans sent over a welcome in the form of many trench mortars and rifle grenades. The following day the Battery was directed by Lt. Killinghack to move all eight of their mortars into the line and retaliate for the previous day's welcome. 20th August 1916 one of Ben's comrades Corporal Jones of the 12th Suffolk was killed and on the following day, Corporal Brown, also of the Suffolks was killed by heavy trench mortar which blew in the entrance of our dug-out and smashed in bomb recess and emplacement. Sadly, the 121st TMB War Diary finishes on 31st August 1916 and the National Archive does not appear to have anything more from 121st Trench Mortar Battery which would include Ben's Military Medal action of 24th September 1916. Ben was preparing shells for forthcoming operations when he discovered a shell fusing. His swift action resulted in the award and citation. Ben was captured on the 9th of April 1918 at the village of Fleurbaix near to the River Lys during ˜Operation Georgette. The German offensive was furious, and the British retreated. The situation was desperate and Field Marshall Douglas Haig, Commander of the British Expeditionary Force on the Western Front issued his famous ˜Backs to the Wall order, "There is no other course open to us but to fight it out! Every position must be held to the last man, there must be no retirement. With our backs to the wall and believing in the justice of our cause, each one of us must fight on to the end." The 121st Brigade had experienced horrendous casualties and at Doulieu, where stragglers were collected formed a composite Battalion and established a defensive line. The war continued until November but for Ben it was over. Captured at Fleurbaix he was transported to Germany to be held at Dulmen Prisoner of War Camp. William Max Add to this record.   Pte. Benjamin Alfred Hodder MM. 21st (Islington) Battalion Middlesex Regiment Ben Hodder was my Grandfather. He won the Military Medal on the Somme on 24th of September 1916. I traced the handwritten citation over 40 years ago. Just as well as it's illegible now. William Max Add to this record.   Pte. Bertram Ernest Nicholls 21st Btn. D Coy. Middlesex Regiment (d.5th Oct 1916) Bertram Nicholls is my husband's 1st cousin 2x removed. He died at 23, bravely fighting for his country in France. Add to this record.   Cpl. Ernest Hampton 21st Btn. Middlesex Regiment (d.23rd March 1918) Ernest Hampton was one of my maternal relatives, I don't have any further information I'm afraid. Steve Add to this record.   Pte. Edward Maurice McCarthy 1st Btn. Middlesex Regiment Edward McCarthy, was born on 29 September 1899. He enlisted on the 22nd of March 1917 aged 17 years and 6 months. His service with the Middlesex regiment reckoned from the 30th of October 1917 when he had turned 18. On the 18th of December 1917 he was in a Training Reserve Battalion. Then on the 1st of March 1918 he transferred to 52nd Graduated Training Battalion, on the 21st of April 1918 he was posted from the 21st Battalion to the 1st Battalion. Records show that on the 7th of May 1918 he was treated by the 99th Field Ambulance with a medical condition, he then rejoined his Battalion. He was wounded on the 30th of September 1918, rejoining his unit on the 26th of October 1918. On the 9th of November 1918 he was again wounded, shrapnel left arm. He returned to England on the 22nd of November 1918 on the SS Panama and was sent to the 4th London General Hospital. On the 15th of April 1919 he was Discharged from Service. Total days in service 755. Add to this record.   Pte. Leonard William Phipps 21st Btn. Middlesex Regiment (d.23rd March 1918) Leonard Phipps was an uncle I never knew. Add to this record. Recomended Reading. Available at discounted prices.

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