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Royal Defence Corps Territorial Force: 4th Sussex Volunteer Battalion, Royal Defence Corps 5th Battalion, Royal Defence Corps 7th Observation Company, Royal Defence Corps 8th Observation Company, Royal Defence Corps 13th Observation Company, Royal Defence Corps 55th Protection Coy. Royal Defence Corps 251st Protection Coy, Royal Defence Corps 462nd Protection Company, Royal Defence Corps    The Royal Defence Corps was formed in 1916 by the conversion the Garrison Battalions of the infantry regiments on Home Service, which were made up of conscripts and soldiers either too old or medically unfit for service overseas. The Protection Companies of the RDC provided troops to guard the infrastructure of the UK such as ports, bridges and factories and also to guard military and prisoner of war camps, taking over the duties from the Territorial units. The Observer Companies took over the duties of keeping watch over the coast and skies for enemy activity.    The Observer Companies, Royal Defence Corps provided the eyes and ears of the Anti Aircraft Defence system protecting the United Kingdom from enemy attack during the Great War. Staffed initially by the territorial army and later by the Special Constabulary assisted by Boy Scout messengers, they manned Observation Posts, Sound Mirrors and Wireless listening stations which were linked by telephone to the gun control centres and also provided air raid warnings to the police.    No. 8 Observer Company, Royal Defence Corps manned the observation posts and sound mirrors of the 2nd Sub District Anti Aircraft Defence Control in the Northern Air Defence Area. The HQ was at The Poplars on Woodlands Road, Middlesbrough, from where the guns and searchlights were directed.    No. 8 Observer Company, Royal Defence Corps observation posts and sound mirrors linked to the HQ of 2nd Sub District Anti Aircraft Defence Control in Middlesbrough. Barnard Castle Boulby A 17 foot Sound Mirror was built by the Royal Engineers in 1916 west of Boulby Barns Cottage on Boulby Bank. The Mirror and traces of associated trenches survive Bransby Brotton Burn Howe Rigg Coxwold Eaglescliffe Guisborough Great Ayton Castleton Glaisdale Goathland Hackness Hedon Holme on Spalding Moor Kirklington Normanby Redcar A Sound Mirror was built by the Royal Engineers in 1916, it is located at the at the junction of Holyhead Drive and Greenstones Road, Redcar. Stillington Strensall Stockton on Tees A Naval wireless listening Y Station was located in a bungalow, the site is now in Marley Close and the building is a private dwelling. During the Great War the property was on a 3 acre site surrounded by a high fence. The station was manned by four operators and an officer at a time and was linked to the telegraph wires of the nearby railway line, sending coded messages to the Air Defence HQ in Middlesbrough and Admiralty Room 40. The station monitored German U Boat transmissions on 750K/cs and tracked Zeppelins by intercepting their navigation transmissions in compass code, which had been cracked by the Admiralty. Stokesley Thirsk 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 1st May 1916 Reorganisation 1st Jul 1916 Appeal August 1917 Reorganisation 28th April 1917 B Company Bexhill Weekly Orders 1st Oct 1917 Explosion 10th Oct 1917 Praise 1918 Admin May 1918 Companies May 1919 Explosion If you can provide any additional information, please add it here. Want to know more about the Royal Defence Corps? There are:6600 items tagged Royal Defence 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. Those known to have served with Royal Defence Corps during the Great War 1914-1918. Beary DCM Daniel. Sgt. 467th Protection Coy. (d.4th December 1918) Bullen John. Pte. Cornwell Eli. Pte. 57th Protection Coy. (d.25th Oct 1916) Cunningham M.. Pte. (d.29th September 1919) Dart Emmanuel. Pte. 1st Battalion Davies Lewis James. Pte. 131st Protection Company Graves William. Pte. 55th Protection Coy. Harris Thomas. Pte. (d.18th January 1919) Hickmott Walter William. A/Sgt. Higham David. Pte. 8th (Service) Btn. Hill Joseph. Pte. 462nd Protection Company (d.10th Oct1918) Hind Thomas. Pte. 24 Protection Company (d.11th Jul 1916) Hinsley Arthur. CQMS. (d.21st May 1917) Horan P.. Sgt. 3rd Bn. transfd. to (86917) Royal Defence Corps Jakens Thomas Charles William. Sgt. Kettley George. Sgt. Kilmister Harry. Act. Sgt. 7th Btn. Maddock Thomas. 3rd Btn. McConaghy John. Sgt. 9th (Tyrone) Btn. Murphy John William. Pte. (d.17th Oct 1917) O'Connor Edward Brian. Pte. 1st Btn. Pretty Howard S.. Pte. 8th Btn. Riddell Albert Henry. Private 1st Battalion Riddell Albert Henry. Pte. 1st Battalion Robinson John. Pte. 6th Btn. Smith John Edgar. Pte. 6th Battalion Smith Patrick. Pte. 7th Btn. Smith Patrick. Pte. 7/8th Btn. Smith William. Pte. Veacock Henry. Pte. 314 Coy. (d.16th September 1918) Worsnip Joseph. Pte. 5th Battalion Wragg Albert. Pte 154th Protection Coy. Young George. Pte. 24th (Tyneside Irish) Battalion 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 More Royal Defence Corps records. The Wartime Memories Project is the original WW1 and WW2 commemoration website. 1st of September 2024 marks 25 years since the launch of the Wartime Memories Project. Thanks to everyone who has supported us over this time. Want to find out more about your relative's service? Want to know what life was like during the Great War? Our Library contains many many diary entries, personal letters and other documents, most transcribed into plain text. Looking for help with Family History Research?    Please see Family History FAQ's Please note: We are unable to provide individual research. Can you help? The free to access section of The Wartime Memories Project website is run by volunteers and funded by donations from our visitors. If the information here has been helpful or you have enjoyed reaching the stories please conside making a donation, no matter how small, would be much appreciated, annually we need to raise enough funds to pay for our web hosting or this site will vanish from the web. If you enjoy this site please consider making a donation. Announcements 19th Nov 2024     Please note we currently have a massive backlog of submitted material, our volunteers are working through this as quickly as possible and all names, stories and photos will be added to the site. If you have already submitted a story to the site and your UID reference number is higher than 264989 your submission is still in the queue, please do not resubmit. Wanted: Digital copies of Group photographs, Scrapbooks, Autograph books, photo albums, newspaper clippings, letters, postcards and ephemera relating to the Great War. 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. 263045 Pte. Eli Cornwell 57th Protection Coy. Royal Defence Corps (d.25th Oct 1916) Eli Cornwell served with 57th Protection Coy. Royal Defence Corps. His sons Boy 1st Class John Travers Cornwell VC, MID of HMS Chester and Private Arthur Frederick Cornwell of 13th Battalion, London Regiment, also died in service during the war. Add to this record. 262231 Pte. Patrick Smith 7/8th Btn. Royal Irish Fusiliers Patrick Smith served with the 7/8th Battalion, Royal Irish Fusiliers. I have a receipt acknowledging him as having been received on 19th of August 1917 by Queen Mary's Military Hospital. His unit fought in 3rd Ypres and suffered 224 casualties on 16th of August 1917, and I presume he was wounded in that action. The cause and extent of his injuries are unknown, but he did recover and was transferred approximately 9 months later to the 200th Company, Royal Defence Corps, where he served out the rest of the war. John Meehan Add to this record. 262143 Pte. Patrick Smith 7th Btn. Royal Irish Fusiliers Patrick Smith landed in France as part of the BEF on 17th of February 1916, serving until 18th of August 1917 when he was evacuated to Queen Mary’s Military Hospital in Whalley, Lancashire on 19th of August 1917. He was subsequently transferred to the Royal Defence Corps and promoted to Lance Corporal in 1918. He was discharged 19th of March 1919, whereupon he returned to Cavan and lived out the rest of his days there. John Meehan Add to this record. 260740 Pte. William Smith Royal Defence Corps At age 46, William Smith joined the Royal Defence Corps and served at a prisoner of war camp in Shropshire. William was born in Warrington but moved to Leigh. He served with the South Lancashire Rifles in 1898. I believe he died in 1919 from TB. Tony Higgins Add to this record. 259034 Sgt. Thomas Charles William Jakens East Surrey Regiment Thomas Jakens is my Granddad. He was wounded in the war whilst walking behind a tank. He recovered enough to be a Sergeant with the Chinese Labour Corps and also in the Royal Defence Corps. Steve Parrott Add to this record. 258451 CQMS. Arthur Hinsley Royal Defence Corps (d.21st May 1917) Arthur Hinsley was a Clerk of Works by civil trade, born in 1869 at Carlton, Yorks. W. Riding. In 1894 he married Frances Bacon they had 1 son and 4 daughters. He died in service on 21st of May 1917 and was buried in Holywell Cemetery Flintshire. He was the younger brother of Cardinal Arthur Hinsley, RC Archbishop of Westminster. Roger Hinsley Add to this record. 257704 Pte. Joseph Worsnip 5th Battalion Devonshire Regiment Joseph Worsnip was my great uncle. He served with the Devonshire Regiment and the Royal Defence Corps was discharged from service on 12th of January 1918 due to wounds received. He was awarded the Silver War Badge for his trouble. Add to this record. 254807 Pte. John Edgar Smith 6th Battalion Royal Defence Corps My grandad's father, John Edgar Smith, enlisted in the local defence unit 10th of November 1914 aged 43. In 1916 this was changed to the Royal Defence Corps. By warrant he served 'till 22nd of May 1918 when he was taken seriously ill with gastritis and piles and under medical grounds was discharged. He was 46 years of age. He received the silver badge and campaign medal and did his duty for the country. Derick Smith Add to this record. 254281 Pte. John Robinson 6th Btn. Lancashire Fusiliers My Grandfather John Robinson was awarded the Victory Medal and British War Medal. He was discharged with a gunshot wound in 1918. Denise Cassar Add to this record. 251136 Pte. Lewis James Davies 131st Protection Company Royal Defence Corps A recent interest in genealogy has lead me to search for my ancestors. I have just discovered my great-grandfather, Lewis Davies served in the Royal Defence Corps during WW1. This is all I know so far, but my research continues. Andrew Davies Add to this record. 248302 Pte. Emmanuel Dart 1st Battalion South Staffordshire Regiment Emmanuel Dart enlisted into the South Staffordshire Regiment on 30th of March 1916, aged 18. He trained with the 3rd Battalion but on being posted to France on 22nd January 1917, he was transferred to the 1st Battalion the next day. At the end of March 1917, he received a gunshot wound to the back. The Diary of Sister Elsie Tranter in "World War One a History in 100 Stories", an Australian nurse in France, records in her entry for the 3rd April 1917: "I have in my huts some very young boys, (baby soldiers we call them) Baby 3 is a Staffordshire kid named Dort [sic] with a tremendous wound on his back. When this wound has to be dressed Corporal holds him up in his arms. The poor little chap cries piteously when we go to do him. As soon as they are fit they are evacuated to Blighty to make room for others." Emmanuel returned to the UK on 7th of April 1917 and was posted to the 3rd Battalion on 12th July. He was deemed unfit for front line duties and transferred to the Royal Defence Corps (service number 63952) on 22nd August. He was medically discharged from the RDC on 17th June 1918. After the war Emmanuel re-enlisted, into the 19th Essex Regiment (service number 51215), on a short service contract, and was posted to France from 26th August 1919 to 1st April 1920. Emmanuel appears not to have married, and died following a mining accident at Littleton Colliery, Cannock, on 31st October 1934 aged 38. Martin Griffiths Add to this record. 247741 Pte Albert Wragg 154th Protection Coy. Royal Defence Corps I never knew my grandfather, Albert Wragg. He died long before I was born. It will be nice to have him remembered in a web site such as this. To many old soldiers have been forgotten. Brian L Wragg Add to this record. 244751 Pte. William Graves 55th Protection Coy. Royal Defence Corps My Great Grandfather William Graves served with the East Yorkshire Regiment and 55th Protection Coy. Royal Defence Corps. I didn't know anything about him until my family found his Death Penny in a deceased relatives personal effects. I found his grave in Hull. He survived the War but was struck down on his return from a pandemic of flu that actually killed a lot of people just after Armistice Day. William Graves was entitled to a War Grave as although everyone thinks the end of WW1 was 11th of November 1918, that was when the guns fell silent. WW1 wasn't officially over until the Treaty of Versailles came into force on 10th Jan 1920. Paul Barker Add to this record. 244242 Pte. Thomas Hind 24 Protection Company Royal Defence Corps (d.11th Jul 1916) Thomas Hind died aged 46 of gall stones & toxaemia. B Williams Add to this record. 242526 Thomas Maddock 3rd Btn. Devonshire Regiment Thomas Maddock enlisted as Private 15733 Devonshire Regiment and was posted to the 3rd Btn on 3rd of March 1915. His last unit was 251st Provost Coy, Royal Defence Corps, service number 49524. He was also a posted to the 2nd (Home Service) Garrison Btn Devons, which became 5th Btn RDC. On enlistment he stated that he had previously served with the RMLI for 6 years between 1886 and 1892. Add to this record. 242463 Pte. Joseph Hill 462nd Protection Company Royal Defence Corps (d.10th Oct1918) Joseph Hill was my Grandfather. He had been wounded in France having served with the Lincolnshire and West Yorkshire Regiments and was no longer eligible for front line service. He was posted to Ireland and was returning home on leave aboard the SS Leinster. The ship was torpedoed and was killed. He is buried in Grangegorman Military Cemetery, Cabra, Co Dublin. Phillip Hill Add to this record. 241680 Sgt. P. Horan 3rd Bn. transfd. to (86917) Royal Defence Corps Royal Irish Fusiliers Serjeant Horan died on the 21st March 1919 and is buried In the South-East corner of the Monaghan (Latlorcan) Catholic Cemetery, Latlorcan, Co. Monaghan, Ireland. s flynn Add to this record. 240398 Pte. Edward Brian O'Connor 1st Btn. Royal Irish Rifles Ned O'Connor served in France and Afghanistan. Karen O'Connor Add to this record. 238913 Pte. Thomas Harris Royal Defence Corps (d.18th January 1919) Thomas Harris previously served as Pte. 3925, 1/17th London Regiment and entered France on 6th December 1915. He died and is buried at Netley Hospital. Alison Add to this record. 238493 Act. Sgt. Harry Kilmister 7th Btn. Gloucestershire Regiment Harry Kilmister fought at Gallipoli including Chunik Bair, and was evacuated along with his comrades to Egypt in January 1916. After that, he was transferred to the Royal Defence Corps, with 20% disability. Wayne Finch Add to this record.

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