2nd Battalion, Duke of Cornwalls Light Infantry

2nd Battalion, Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry were in Hong Kong when war was declared in August 1914. They returned to England early November 1914, once a Territorial unit arrived in Hong Kong to take over the garrison. They joined 82nd Brigade, 27th Division at Magdalen Hill Camp near Winchester and proceeded to France via Southampton on the 21st of December 1914 as a much-needed reinforcement. The Division concentrated in the area between Aire and Arques being joined by Territorial units taken from other Divisions. In 1915 they saw action at St Eloi and in The Second Battle of Ypres. In November they were ordered to Salonika in November 1915 and embarked from Marsailles arriving on the 5th of December. Between the 30th of September and 2nd of October 1916 they were engaged in the capture of Karajakois, followed swiftly by the capture of Yenikoi and then the battle of Tumbitza Farm. In 1917 they were in action during the capture of Homondos. In mid 1918 a number of units returned to France and in September the remaining units of the 27th Division were in action in the final offensive in Salonika, including the capture of the Roche Noir Salient, the passage of the Vardar river and the pursuit to the Strumica valley. Hostilities with Bulgaria ceased on the 30th of September, the 27th Division continued to advance and war wasordered to halt and turn about on the 2nd of November, being ordered to the Black Sea. The Division reached Constantinople on the 19th of December and set up a HQ at Tiflis in January 1919. The Division was finally disbanded on the 24th of September 1919 at Batum.

14th Jan 1915 Reliefs

24th Jan 1915 Reliefs

26th Jan 1915 Reliefs

28th Jan 1915 Reliefs

14th Mar 1915 Enemy attacks

20th Mar 1915 2nd DCLI in billets

11th Jun 1915 Instruction

12th Jun 1915 Instruction

13th Jun 1915 Instruction

14th Jun 1915 Instruction

27th Jun 1915 Reliefs

10th of October 1915 New and Old Armies

11th of October 1915 Subalterns Adventures

12th of October 1915 Catapulting Mills' Bombs

16th Oct 1915 The Derby Scheme

18th of October 1915 More Reliefs

18th of October 1915 Route March

20th of October 1915 Reliefs and Moves

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

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Those known to have served with
2nd Battalion, Duke of Cornwalls Light Infantry
during the Great War 1914-1918.

Adams Charles George. Pte. (d.1st July 1915)
Mills G.. Pte. (d.29th Sep 1915)

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Pte. Charles George Adams 2nd Btn. Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry (d.1st July 1915)

The DCLI records show that Charles Adams joined up at Stratford on the 31st of August 1914, only a few weeks after the outbreak of war. He was just a few days short of his 20th birthday, though the record shows him as being 20 years old.
Charles arrived in France on 30th of April 1915, which was also the day he wrote his will. After arrival in France, he was soon in the trenches near Sanctuary Wood in the Ypres Salient as part of A Coy 2 DCLI. Later the battalion moved to Houplines further South of Ypres.
He was one of three soldiers killed in trench 80 near Houplines on the 1st of July 1915 by a German trench mortar. The other two soldiers killed were Pte Drew and Pte Andrews. The Battalion War Diary describes how the three died even down to the time, it says: "Between 2 & 3 am No. 80 Trench was again bombarded by a trench mortar, 15 bombs were fired 2 of which landed in the trenches killing 3 and wounding 2 men. At 11:30 am enemy working parties were observed in the neighbourhood of LES 4 HALLOTS FARM and further South. They appeared to be employed on making communication trenches behind their first line but work was stopped by our fire. Our snipers accounted for 3 enemy snipers in front of trenches 80 & 81 behind the enemy's second line. In the evening a trench howitzer was brought up to 80 trench to deal with the enemy's trench mortar should it again become active. The artillery were also pointed out the position of the enemy's trench mortar & and were kept in readiness to cooperate with the trench howitzer if required. Casualties 3 other ranks killed and 2 wounded." The War Diary records that the trench mortar had been firing for some days and usually at about the same time.
Pte. Charles George Adams No.11937 2 DCLI, was posthumously awarded the 1914-15 Star, the British War Medal and the Victory Medal. He was 20 years old at the time of his death and had been on active service for just two months and two days.
Charles's uncle, my grandfather Albert Alexander Adams, also served in 2 DCLI and though he was reported, on 28th of May, as being wounded, we believe he was with Charles on that fateful 1st July. Grandfather survived the War though wounded and gassed. The family say he was a broken man on his return home, he died aged 46 from various lung problems, no doubt caused by the gassing.
Keith Adams

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Pte. G. Mills 2nd Btn. Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry (d.29th Sep 1915)

Pte. G. Mills served with the Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry 2nd Battalion. He was executed for desertion on 29th September 1915 aged 21 and is buried in the Boulogne Eastern Cemetery, Boulogne, France.
s flynn

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Want to know more about 2nd Battalion, Duke of Cornwalls Light Infantry?

Those known to have served with
2nd Battalion, Duke of Cornwalls Light Infantry
during the Great War 1914-1918.

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2nd Battalion, Duke of Cornwalls Light Infantry

Want to know more about 2nd Battalion, Duke of Cornwalls Light Infantry?

Those known to have served with2nd Battalion, Duke of Cornwalls Light Infantryduring the Great War 1914-1918.

Can you help?

If you enjoy this site please consider making a donation.

Announcements

Recomended Reading.

Links

The Wartime Memories Project
- 2nd Battalion, Duke of Cornwalls Light Infantry during the Great War -

Those known to have served with
2nd Battalion, Duke of Cornwalls Light Infantry
during the Great War 1914-1918.