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2/4th Battalion, West Surrey Regiment (Queens)
2/4th Battalion, The Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey) was raised at Croydon in August 1914 as Second Line unit. They joined 2nd Surrey Brigade, 2nd Home Counties Division. On the 24th of April 1915 they joined 160th Brigade, 53rd Division at Cambridge, as a composite unit with the 2/5th Queen's, but in June they became separate units once more, having moved to Bedford in May. On the 2nd of July orders arrived to re-equip for service in the Mediterranean. Leaving the artillery and train behind, the rest of the Division left 14-19 July and The Division, without their artillery, embarked at Sevonport on the 14th of July, to Lemnos via Alexandria. The Division made a landing at Suvla Bay, Gallipoli on the 9th of August 1915 and were involved in operations in the Suvla Bay area suffering heavy losses. By the time they were evacuated to Mudros on the 11th of December the Division stood at just 162 officers and 2428 men (approx 15%). From Mudros they went on to Alexandria and to Wardan, where the the divisional artillery rejoined between the 11th and 22nd of February 1916. They were in action at The Battle of Romani in the Palestine campaign and in 1917 158th Brigade fought at The First Battle of Gaza and the whole Division were in action during The Second Battle of Gaza, The Third Battle of Gaza when they were involved in capture of Beersheba, Tell Khuweilfe, and The Capture of Jerusalem. In December they were in action in The Defence of Jerusalem. In March 1918 they fought at The Battle of Tell'Asur. Between the beginning of June and the end of August, many of the units were ordered to France, being replaced by Indian units. On the 29th of June the 2/4th Queens joined the reforming 101st Brigade, 34th Division in France. and returned to action, at The Battles of the Soissonais, the Ourcq and the capture of Baigneux Ridge. They took part in the Final Advance in Flanders and at the Armistice was at rest in the area east of Courtrai. 34th Division was selected to join the Army of Occupation and began to move towards Germany on the 14th of November. On the 22nd of December a large number men with industrial and mining skills were demobilised. By the end of January 1919 the Division was occupying the Cologne bridgehead.
5th June 1915 The Germans shelled the Support Trench
8th June 1915 In Divisional Reserve 
6th Jul 1915 Equipment
8th Jul 1915 Inspection
9th Aug 1915 Landings
9th Aug 1915 Disembarking
10th Aug 1915 In Action
31st Aug 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
9th April 1917 Received Orders to move to Old German Front Line Trench South of Cambrai Road
28th August 1918 Battalion Operation Order No.26.
29th August 1918 Dusk Relief
30 Aug 1918 Patrols Push Forward
1st Sep 1918 Reliefs
1st Sep 1918 Advance Made
2nd Sep 1918 Attack Made
15th March 1919 Guard Duty
30th April 1919 Reliefs.
28th May 1919 Battalion relief
17th June 1919 Composition of Bus Column.
30th July 1919 Reliefs
29th August 1919 Guard Duty
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Pte. Frederick Hobbs 2/4th Btn. West Surrey Regiment (d.18th Nov 1917) Frederick Hobbs signed up on 7th of September 1914 with the 2/4th Queens Royal West Surrey Regiment.
His battalion took part at Gallipoli and were evacuated to Egypt in December 1915.
Between the end of 1915 and Frederick's admission to St Marks Hospital they did not take part in any further campaigns.
He appeared on the WW1 casualty list on 26th of July 1916, and his presence at St Marks College was noted on his wife's court case on 31st of August 1916.
Frederick subsequently returned to his battalion and died of malaria in Egypt on 18th of November 1917. He is buried in the Kantara CWGC Cemetery, Egypt.
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Pte. Arthur Sucklng MM. 42nd Field Ambulance Royal Army Medical Corps Arthur Sucklng enlisted on 9th of Sep 1907, he disembarked in France on 12th of September 1914, and was discharged from service on 17th of February 1919. On 17th of September 1916, he was wounded in action at Flers–Courcelette during the Battle of the Somme and invalided to England a few days later.
He was on active service for 3 years and 9 months, serving in France, Egypt and Palestine. During this period, he served with the 42nd Field Ambulance and the 17th Field Ambulance of the RAMC. After the Armistice, he also served for a time with the 2/4th Royal West Surrey (Queen's) Regiment.
For his service with the RAMC, Arthur was awarded the following, Military Medal (Gazetted on 21 Dec 1916) won in France during his posting with the 42nd Field Ambulance, 1914 Star, British War Medal, Victory Medal and Silver War Badge (#B293195), which was issued on 8th of September 1919.
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Pte. William Henry Girling 2/4th Btn. West Surrey Regiment Bill Girling was my Grandad. He enlisted on 15th June 1915, one month before his 32nd birthday. He was married to Edith (nee Harding) and at the time had two sons, Will, aged 3 and, my Dad, Ernie, aged 1. He was a shortish man - only 5ft 5ins. But his physical development was good. He was a keen sportsman and was employed as a baker.
His Battalion sailed to Suvla Bay, Gallipoli, arriving on 8th August. They went into battle immediately and became embroiled in fierce fighting which resulted in a huge number of casualties. After the dreadful fighting and atrocious weather conditions of 1915, the Battalion was evacuated and sent to Egypt. There they suffered extremes of heat and freezing nights fighting the Turks. After the fall of Jerusalem they went on to fight in the second battle of the Marne.
Grandad was wounded on several occasions. He was shot or had shrapnel wounds in the neck, abdomen, stomach, thigh and lastly his right arm. This last wound, in Belgium on 19th October 1918, meant the end of the war for him and he was shipped home.
He lasted for 7 years, incapacitated by a bullet in his left lung, shrapnel in the right lung, emphysema (from the gas), asthma, TB, and a pretty useless right arm. He died of these wounds and their effects - but his widow was firstly refused a pension as he died so long after the war. She battled against this decision and was finally awarded the correct and proper pension.
My father was just 11 at the time he died. Luckily, all his diaries, medals and correspondence were kept which enabled me to research his life.
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