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5th Battalion, Royal Warwickshire Regiment
The 5th Battalion Royal Warwickshire Regiment was a unit of the Territorial Force with HQ at the Drill Hall, Thorpe Street, Birmingham (next to the Birmingham Hippodrome) serving with the Warwickshire Brigade, South Midland Division. The units of the Division had just departed for their annual summer camp when war broke out in August 1914 and they were at once recalled. They mobilised for war service on 5 August 1914 and moved to concentrate in the Chelmsford area by the second week of August 1914 and commenced training. They proceeded to France, from Southampton, landing at le Havre on the 22nd of March 1915. The Division concentrated near Cassel. on the 13th of May 1915 the formation was renamed 143rd Brigade, 48th (South Midland) Division. In 1916 They were in action in the Battle of the Somme, suffering hevy casualties on the 1st of July in assaulting the Quadrilateral (Heidenkopf). They were also in action at The Battle of Bazentin Ridge, capturing Ovillers, The Battle of Pozieres Ridge, The Battle of the Ancre Heights and The Battle of the Ancre. In 1917 the Division occupied Peronne during the The German Retreat to the Hindenburg Line and were in action in the Third Battles of Ypres. On the 21st of November 1917 they entrained for Italy. In 1918 they were involved in The fighting on the Asiago Plateau and The Battle of the Vittoria Veneto in the Val d'Assa area. At the Armistice the Division had withdrawn and was at Granezza. Demobilisation began in early 1919.
5th Aug 1914 Warwickshire Territorials Mobilise At 6am on Wednesday, the Territorial Battalions of the Warwickshire Brigade paraded before leaving their home towns. The 5th and 6th Btn shared Thorp St Barracks, which was not big enough for both battalions to parade together. So Col Parkes and Col Martineau tossed a coin. The Mayor won and whilst the 6th Battalion paraded at the barracks, the 5th Btn held their parade in the railway sheds of the Midland Railway.
The 8th paraded as a Battlion in Aston and the 7th at their various drill halls across the county.
In the evening the four battalions boarded trains and departed for Weymouth.
16th Aug 1914 Warwickshire Territorials on the March The Warwickshire Brigade broke camp in Leighton Buzzard and set out on a staged route march to Essex
28th Aug 1914 Volunteers Required The Warwickshire Brigade received the official request for the Territorials to volunteer for service overseas. For many it would be a difficult decision, many of the men were skilled working-class with young families, a direct result of the drive to get companies to support the TF, often their work pay exceeded the army rate of pay. Those men who felt unable to consent, were subsequently posted to the reserve second line unit of their battalions which were being formed at home, the 2/5th, 2/6th, 2/7th and 2/8th Warwicks.
1st Mar 1915 Brigade at Country House The headquarters of the Warwickshire Brigade was stationed at Felix Hall, Kelvedon, Essex. The 6th Btn Royal Warwicks were also stationed at Kelvedon, with the 5th being at Braintree, the 7th at Witham and the 8th Battalion also at Braintree.
19th Mar 1915 Notice to Deploy The Warwickshire Brigade received the order from London on the 19th of March, giving them 3 days' notice of their transfer to the front. The men were issued with webbing and had to quickly learn how to use it. There was, still no sign of Lee Enfield rifles or Vickers machine guns to replace their out of date weaponry, Lee Metford rifles and the Maxims.
22nd Mar 1915 Warwickshire Territorials on the Move The Warwickshire Brigade make their move from Essex, travelling in 9 trains to Southampton docks to board ships. 123 officers and 4065 other ranks made the journey. The 5th Bn, consisted of 30 Officers and 1002 Other Ranks; 6th Bn, 29 and 997; 7th Bn, 30 and 1003 and 8th Bn, 30 and 1005. It was not just the men with their rifles and personal kit which boarded the trains, also travelling were 336 horses, 8 machine guns, 26 general service wagons, 55 general service limbered wagons, 14 other vehicles, 44 bicycles, 612 picks and 1032 shovels.
Half of the 6th Btn Royal Warwicks departed from Kelvedon station at 01.50, to arrive at Southampton at 08.00. The other half were to follow at 03.50 arriving at 10.00.
Half of the 5th Btn Royal Warwick left Braintree at 04.35, arriving at 11.00. The remainder of the 5th were to leave Braintree at 06.35, arriving at 13.00. The Brigade HQ and the signallers were to leave Kelvedon at 05.50, arriving in Southampton at noon.
At Witham station half of the 7th were to depart at 07.35, arriving at 13.30. The remainder of the 7th were to leave Witham at 09.35, arriving at 15.50. At Braintree the first half of the 8th were to depart at 08.35, arriving at 15.00 and the remainder of the 8th were to leave Braintree at 10.35, arriving at 17.00.
At Southampton Docks, the men, horses and equipment transferred from the trains to transport ships for the channel crossing. Brigade HQ sailed on the Empress Queen along with the 6th Bn at 18.00. 5th Bn sailed on the Marguerite, 7th Btn were split between the Copenhagen and the City of Lucknow, sailing at 17.30. 8th Bn were split between the Brighton, City of Lucknow, the Marguerite and the City of Dunkirk which sailed at 19.30.
23rd Mar 1915 Warwickshire Territorials arrive in France The ships carrying The Warwickshire Brigade arrive off Le Havre Between 02.00 and 03.00 in the morning. They wait for daylight before docking and the troops disembark beginning at 7am. Interpreters join the battalions and they march through the town to No.6 Rest Camp at Graville. The transport sections being the last to arrive at 21.00.
24th Mar 1915 Warwickshire Territorials on the Move
25th Mar 1915 Warwickshire Territorials on the Move
27th Mar 1915 Route March
28th Mar 1915 Warwickshire Territorials on the March
29th Mar 1915 Under Instruction 
30th Mar 1915 Digging Trenches
31st Mar 1915 Digging Trenches
1st Apr 1915 On the March
2nd Apr 1915 Under Instruction
3rd Apr 1915 Territorials Under Instruction
6th Apr 1915 Warwcks on the March
7th Apr 1915 In Billets
8th Apr 1915 Specialist Courses
9th Apr 1915 Route March & Bomb Throwing
11th Apr 1915 Route March & Bomb Throwing
12th Apr 1915 Into the Trenches
13th Apr 1915 In the Trenches
14th Apr 1915 Trench Work
15th Apr 1915 Trench Work
16th Apr 1915 Reliefs
17th Apr 1915 Trench Work
18th Apr 1915 Quiet Day
19th Apr 1915 Encounter with the Enemy
20th Apr 1915 Reliefs
21st Apr 1915 Farms Searched
22nd Apr 1915 Noxious Gases
23rd Apr 1915 Noxious Gases
24th Apr 1915 Reliefs
25th Apr 1915 Working Parties and Shelling
26th Apr 1915 Working Parties
27th Apr 1915 Situation Normal
28th Apr 1915 Reliefs Completed
29th Apr 1915 Warwicks provide Instruction
30th Apr 1915 Communications Trenches Completed
30th Apr 1915 Enemy Trench Located
8th May 1915 Situation Normal
24th May 1915 Gunfire at Ypres
27th May 1915 Under Continuous Fire
28th May 1915 Enemy Attack
Songs to Enliven the Tramp
8th Jun 1915 Brigade Conference
15th Jun 1915 Reliefs
16th Jun 1915 All Quiet
18th Jun 1915 Sniping and Rifle Grenades
19th Jun 1915 Reliefs
19th Jun 1915 Reliefs
27 Jul 1915 Front Line Inspected
16th Oct 1915 The Derby Scheme
30th Nov 1915 Enemy Mortars Active
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
27th of November 1916 On the March
17th May 1918 Reliefs
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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 with5th Battalion, Royal Warwickshire Regiment during the Great War 1914-1918. - Brown Frank Charles. Pte (d.19th August 1916)
- Craddock William. Pte.
- Hooper Albert Edward. Pte. (d.8th Aug 1918)
- Lilley Frederick. 2nd Lt. (d.24th April 1918)
- MacFarlane Charles William. Capt.
- Mason Arthur George. Cpl (d.18th Aug 1916)
- Perry Harry. Pte.
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 5th Battalion, Royal Warwickshire Regiment from other sources.
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Cpl Arthur George Mason 1st/5th Btn Royal Warwickshire Regiment (d.18th Aug 1916) This is my great uncle Arthur Mason and I would just like to know that he will not be forgotten.
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Capt. Charles William MacFarlane 5th Bataillion Warwickshire Regiment Charles William MacFarlane was born at Aden (Arabia) 21.01.1898
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Pte. Harry Perry 5th Battalion Royal Warwickshire Regiment Harry Perry was my 92 year old Grandmothers father. He served in the Boer war then enlisted in the Royal Warwickshire Regiment in WW1. We understand he may have been involved in the sinking of the HMHS, or HMT Donegal off the Southampton coast on the 17th of April 1917, by a German U boat UC21. He survived, but some of his mates didn't. He was a bit naughty and was docked varying amounts of pay on consecutive years from 1915 to 1918 for overstaying his pass on Tattoos held in Southampton and Cowes.
My Nan knows nothing of her family history as they all passed away when she was young. We have sisters and brothers names but nothing for her grandparents. I'm hoping to find a bit more about great granddad Harry. Any help whatsoever would be awesome.
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