The Household Battalion

The Household Battalion was an infantry battalion formed from reserve units of the Household Cavalry: 1st Life Guards, 2nd Life Guards and Royal Horse Guards. It was formed on 1st September 1916 and filled rapidly. Numbers 1 to 1234, for instance, all date to 1st September, and a reserve battalion was already recruiting by October 1916. I pick the story up below in October 1916, the small sample on this blog post running until September 1917:

1469 joined on 18th October 1916
1574 joined on 4th November 1916
1885 joined on 10th November 1916
2088 joined on 2nd December 1916
2484 joined on 4th January 1917
2671 joined on 17th February 1917
2689 joined on 28th March 1917
2704 joined on 5th April 1917
3163 joined on 20th May 1917
3285 joined on 12th July 1917
3485 joined on 6th August 1917
3604 joined on 3rd September 1917

The photos on this post show (top) men of the Household Battalion prior to departure for France in 1916 and (above) officers of the Household Battalion at Richmond Camp in 1916. Both photos were originally published by The Daily Mail.

For help with your own regimental numbering or military research conundrums, check out my military research service.

Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment - PoW Other Ranks 1914

The roll-call below is of men who were serving with Royal West Kent Regiment when they became prisoners of war of the Germans on or before Christmas Day 1914. There are 158 names in this list; significantly fewer losses sustained by some other regiments but still representing a serious loss of trained soldiers. They were all men that that British Army could ill-afford to lose. You can read more about this Prisoner of War data source on my 1914 PoWs page.

This data has been transcribed from a single source held at the Imperial War Museum:

B.O.2 1/132 is 4-page, typed list sent by No 2 Infantry Record Office, Staines Road, Hounslow, dated 14th January 1919  

My full transcription of this Royal West Kent Regiment Prisoners of War roll call of other ranks (not reproduced here) also contains the men's home addresses.

I have transcribed the records as they were written at the time. Note that the majority of the numbers should correctly have been prefixed with the letter L/ indicating regular enlistment. The one obvious exception is John Bailey whose three-digit number, 522, stood out like a sore thumb. On checking, I realised that his correct number was S/522, indicating that he was a member of the Special Reserve.

As far as the other men are concerned, the longest serving man here is L/4493 William Cridland whose number dates to November 1895. The newest recruit is 10243 Private F C Thomas whose regimental number indicates that he joined eighteen years later than William Cridland, in November 1913. I shall be pleased to receive for publication on this post, any other additional information or photographs of any of these men.

The full transcription of this roll is available for sale as a download or CD for £20. Contact me if you would like to purchase a copy.

7953 Private J Allen
10079 Private J Allen
9748 Private J T Arnold
10002 Private J Ashton
5819 Private A J Bailey
L/9480 Private James Mackie Bain (does not appear on the Princess Mary tin list but was a 1914 Pow).
10031 Private E Baker
6132 Private H Baldwin
S/522 Private John Baldwin
7780 Private A R Bashford
8779 Lance-Corporal D Beeshahan
8064 Lance-Corporal H C Bellfield
7752 Private T Bishop
8050 Private P Bramble
10021 Private W Bridger
5733 Private G Bristow
9305 Private T Brockwell
10066 Lance-Corporal E W Brown
9654 Private F H Bull
5918 Private H Bullard
8030 Private W Carden
6098 Corporal H Chapman
9815 Private W Christie
8069 Private H Clark
9144 Private A P Clarke
8760 Bandsman H J Claxton
5540 Private W A Cole
10012 Private A A E Collins
6651 Private B Cook
9899 Private H Cooksay
8076 Private E Cousins
8282 Private H Coveney
6801 Private J Cox
6309 Private H Coxhead
4493 Private W Cridland
10056 Private J J Curtis
6571 Private J H Dinsdale
7350 Private J W Dodd
9770 Private C Donald
7661 Corporal H Donaldson
6806 Private J Donovan
7688 Private T L Dow
9752 Private W C Dyke
7855 Private G J Ely
7287 Private A Etherington
7712 Lance-Corporal H Farbridge
6724 Sergeant W T Fermer
10090 Lance-Corporal A E Field
9379 Private H Fife
10150 Private R Fitzgerald
8006 Private H Fletcher
5879 Private J T Foster
8254 Private A Friend
8173 Private J Goldsmith
6729 Private J Grady
7873 Private A W Graham
6799 Private F Haigh
8371 Private W H Hall
8986 Private J Handyside
5824 Private C Harden
7945 Private W Harris
8116 Private J W Harrison
9811 Lance-Corporal W F C Harrison
7639 Private J Hart
7899 Private W G Hay
9888 Private J F Hemmings
7962 Private A Higgins
9546 Private H Hilton
7353 Private G Homewood
7275 Private M Hopkins
7383 Private T E Hunt
8024 Colour-Sergeant A H Hutchings
10017 Private T Jackson
10016 Private J Jobson
6686 Private G Johnson
9859 Private G Johnson
9723 Private J Jupp
9674 Private T Kensett
8931 Private H Kent
8965 Private H Woods
9755 Private F A King
8742 Lance-Corporal W Kitchen
7542 Private W Langridge
6499 Private W Little
9956 Private W G Long
9065 Private W Longhurst
7139 Private C G Lovell
8150 Private W Ludlow
7784 Private R D Mantell
10019 Private W Marchant
7272 Private F J Marshal
9122 Private J McCarthy
9483 Private F W Mercer
6684 Private W J Miles
8367 Private A F Moody
4690 Private F Morris
6757 Private T Murphy
8434 Private W Needham
9563 Private J W Newland
5548 Private J W Organ
7285 Private J Packham
7136 Private H Pass
6186 Private P E Pay
8003 Private J T Pearson
10054 Corporal E J Peill
5562 Private A Perkins
7268 Private F Pike
5698 Private H F Pope
6074 Lance-Corporal A J Price
7490 Private A R Price
7189 Private F Pryer
10059 Private J V Pryer
7964 Private T Pryer
8730 Private H F Quinn
8468 Private W H Rigby
6658 Private W Riley
7486 Private T Ritfield
7697 Private J V Rowe
9932 Private E Russell
6388 Private G T Samuels
7887 Private A Savage
9767 Private E G Scott
9724 Driver R W Seager
8312 Sergeant R Sewell
8107 Lance-Corporal A Sheppard
6688 Private W Sipthorpe
5397 Private A Smith
10205 Private E Smith
9695 Lance-Corporal H G Smith
7384 Private J J Spicer
9920 Private C Spreadborough
10215 Private T E Standen
8638 Private W Standen
8848 Sergeant J H Sterry
7907 Private G W Stewart
8664 Corporal F J Strong
7295 Private J Sullivan
9649 Private R Sweet
10243 Private F C Thomas
9734 Private G T Thomas
10046 Private A Thompson
10224 Private C A Tong
10055 Private A W Towns
10013 Private W Trice
7460 Private A Tucker
6489 Sergeant E W Turmer
7481 Private J Tyler
7352 Private A Waghorne
7795 Private H Wallace
9999 Private F J Wallis
5680 Private C Warner
10113 Private G J Webb
9463 Private H Wells
5830 Private J Westlake
8238 Private J S Whitehead
8773 Private J T Wilkins
5092 Private H G Williams
9739 Private J Woolhead
8160 Private J J Worsell

For help with your own regimental numbering or military research conundrums, check out my military research service.

Middlesex Regiment - PoW Other Ranks 1914

The men listed below were all serving with The Middlesex Regiment, when they became prisoners of war of the Germans on or before Christmas Day 1914. There are 397 names in this list - the equivalent of nearly four companies, or half a battalion under the old eight-company system. Remember that these were trained men, regular soldiers who the British Army could ill-afford to lose. You can read more about this Prisoner of War data source on my 1914 PoWs page.

This data has been transcribed from the following sources held at the Imperial War Museum:

B.O.2 1/224: a 12-page typed and undated document. No clues as to sender or recipient.
B.O.2 1/226: a 6-page hand-written document on official Army Form B.104-115, used to report PoWs.  This form introduced as a result of Army Council Instruction 277 of February 1916.

Some of the men appear on both of these lists and those that do usually have slight variations in their regimental numbers (224 tends to omit the L/ prefix whilst 226 is more fastidious). Most of the men here would have been regular soldiers rather than special reserve but I have not attempted to correct these hundred-year old lists.

My full transcription of this Middlesex Regiment Prisoners of War roll call of other ranks (not reproduced here) also contains some or all of the following: battalion, home address, next of kin address, date of capture, additional notes and remarks. 

The full transcription is available for sale as a download or CD for £10. Contact me if you would like to purchase a copy.

10811 Private Ainsworth's trio, sold on eBay for £325 in November 2019

14604 Private H Abbott, 8135 Private J Adcock, 6616 Private O R Addison, L/9064 Private Alfred Aglington, 10811 Private P W Ainsworth, 14479 Private R Aldridge, 14182 Private J W Alexander, 14184 Private H Allgrove, 4640 Private A Alvin, 9351 Private A C Amis, 13801 Lance-Corporal W Amor, L/8473 Private Walter R Amor, L/11930 Private Archibald Annison, 9674 Private A Argent, 12654 Private E A Arnold, L/10325 Private William Arthurs, 10788 Private A Ashley, 10136 Lance-Corporal W F Austin

11492 Corporal A Baker, 14534 Private A J Baker, 14614 Bandsman J H Barnes, 11454 Private A Bateman, 6676 Private A Baxley, 7549 Sergeant Robert J Bayley, 10587 Private C Beal, 6571 Private A Bennett, 10946 Lance-Corporal A S Bennett, L/9248 Private Edward Bennett, 9666 Private T H Bennett, 9889 Private G Benton, 14201 Private J H Berning, L/10539 Lance-Corporal T W Berry, 12462 Private J H Bevan, 10502 Lance-Corporal C H Bish, 10470 Private H Bloomberg, 9216 Private John T Bond, 9256 Private Thomas H Bond, 6495 Private H Boorer, 13996 Private W J Bosworth, 9840 Private R Bourlett, 11717 Lance-Corporal H C Bourne, L/9829 Private G Boyce, 9939 Lance-Corporal W A Braine, 9789 Private W Braxear, L/8843 Private George L Brazier, 14518 Private T H Breach, 14574 Private H L Brine, 9778 Private J Britton, 14419 Private H Broadbridge, 12666 Private C Brockington, 6208 Private F A Brooker, 10063 Private F Broom, 8108 Private A Brown, 9334 Private A E Brown, L/11059 Bandsman Herbert Bryant, 8170 Private W R Bryant, 9210 Private H Buckles, 12703 Corporal S D Bullen,
14397 Private W T Burgin, L/11707 Private Stephen J Burkinshaw, L/8315 Private W Byers, 9175 Bandsman F Byford

14097 Lance-Corporal C S Carey, 13201 Corporal J Carter,10418 Corporal W N Carter,13125 Corporal S C Carvell,9743 Private J Cassie,13113 Corporal J B Caughlin,13406 Private J Challis,13427 Private W Champ,10221 Lance-Corporal A G Chapman,14692 Private J A Checkley,11621 Private E A Chenery,14340 Private F A Clark,
7746 Private G Clark, 14165 Private H G Clark,14601 Private E P Clinton, 6914 Private T S Colisson, L/9416 Private G F Collett, L/8601 Private W Collins, 9344 Private H Collyer,
11920 Private C Connelly, L/7366 Private W Connor, 11280 Private H Constable, 8474 Private A Cook, L/10637 Private R Corker, 14554 Private J Cornwall, 13039 Corporal W Couper, 9835 Private W Coussins, 9922 Private C R Cox, 14504 Private J Craven, 8663 Private A Crawdy, 10340 Private R C Creedon, 9696 Private E J Crowe, L/6793 Private G H Crown, 10698 Private C W Curling, 7748 Private H R Curling  

L/11319 Private G Daley, 10445 Private H W Dande, 9569 Private E H Daniels, 11422 Private W A Darling, 13753 Private P Darville, 6910 Private A E Davis, 14593 Lance-Corporal H H Dawson, 9138 Corporal L L Day, 13324 Private J E Daynes, 14629 Private W E Deal, 10586 Private G Dean, 10318 Private J A Dean, 14352 Private E Denmark, 13537 Private F W Denty, 13275 Lance-Corporal J F Dicks, L/9761 Private Albert E Dickson
11199 Private F Diver, 8990 Private H E Dixon, 8144 Private E Dodd, 11142 Private J P Dorgan, L/11142 Private James P Dorgan, 6002 CSM G Downes

10157 Private A E Eade, 8896 Private N Eckstein, 13825 Lance-Corporal J Eldrett, 7415 Private J Eley, 7483 Private W Ellis, 7351 Private J Emery, 8714 Private J M Exley

14345 Private W A Fairhurst, 11572 Private H T Field, L/11572 Private H T Field, 14499 Private E M Fleming, 8862 Private W J Fleming, 8535 Private H Floyd, 10834 Private W A Ford, L/10834 Private W G Ford, 13434 Private E Foster, 8494 Private E Fowler, 14750 Private G Fowler, 9016 Private H Francis, 13959 Private J Frew, 14611 Private W Frost, 
13013 Private B J Furman

12816 Private E Gante, L/12129 Private John T Garland, 13766 Private F C Garrett, 9904 Corporal G Garrett, L/9999 Private William Geyer, L/10431 Private H J Gibbs, 9771 Private H Gilbert, 14524 Private V Gilbert, L/5989 Private T Girdlestone, 7994 Private A Glinwood, 
8266 Private H Gold, 14625 Private S P Golding, 11184 Private A Gookey, L/8296 Private H Gould, L/11287 Private H Gould, 14234 Private H A Grace, 9650 Private G W Graham, 9094 Private S Grant, 14130 CSM H J Gray, 14357 Private C Green, 14065 Private E L Green, 9135 Corporal F E Green, 8944 Private W Green, 9788 Private W Green, L/10732 Private William Grimmer, L/7433 Private Walter Groening, 14056 Private W S Gurney, 9533 Private A Gurr

8233 Private J Hammerton, L/12500 Private A Harding, L/9995 Private J Hardwick, 10259 Private A A Harlow, 9845 Private B N Harris, 9450 Private C W Head, 11451 Private H Hepworth, L/11451 Private H Hepworth, 12500 Private A Herring, 14034 Private W H Herzog, 9038 Private W C Hewlett, 10713 Private A Hill, 14535 Private W H Hillier, 14450 Private F C Hills, 9613 Private A H Hinton, 14181 Private W J Holland, 10939 Sergeant J Horner, 14760 Private A H Hort, 9824 Private G E Howe, 8270 Private A Hudson, 6868 Private W T Hunter, 6086 Private W Huntingford

9735 Private A Impey

11227 Private A Jackson, 9255 Private W Jarvis, 14078 Private A Jenn, 14686 Private W I Johnson, 12322 Private G T Jolly, 14623 Private E Jones, L/14721 Private W A D Jones, 14721 Private W R Jones

11172 Sergeant G H Kelly, 10503 Lance-Corporal E G Kemp, 14723 Private F Kemp, 13397 Private T J Kemp, L/10549 Private C W Ketley, 8760 Private A King, L/6285 Private F King, 6385 Private J King, 11256 Private C Kirby, 5949 Private C Kirby, 6913 Private J H Kitchen, L/6913 Private J H Kitchen, 13422 Private S J Knight

11000 Private A Latham, L/11333 Private Henry J Lattimore, 6318 Private E G Lawrence, 6635 Lance-Sergeant P Lawson, 10030 Private T Laxton, L/13682 Private W H Layton, 14447 Private E J Lentz, 6694 Private J H Leslie, L/11057 Private H Lodgman, L/14711 Private A J Ludlow

6493 Private F Maddocks, 10158 Private M Malone, 8257 Private H F Manning, 8488 Private F E Mardling, 11375 Private C Marley, 5631 Private A Marshall, 14557 Private A J Matthews, 8650 Private F G Maxted, 10929 Lance-Corporal E May, 14446 Private F C May,
10742 Private W McNeff, 11498 Private A P B Meakin, 9129 Private J G H Meredew, 9396 Private G W Merriott, 10878 Corporal H Miller, 7599 Private J J Miller, 8546 Private W L Moffat, 10940 Private A W Money, 6862 Private C Moore, L/10845 Private F Moore, L/11890 Private R B Moore, 14477 Private W Moore, 14087 Bandsman J Morgan, 12793 Lance-Corporal T J Morgan, 14714 Private W Morgan, L/14714 Private W Morgan, 8553 Private H Mott, 13718 Private W Mulroy, L/13718 Private W Mulroy, 8057 Private W F Mulvihill, L/11687 Bandsman J Murphy

12310 Private T J Naylor, 11757 Private E J Norman, 13675 Private G North

8523 Private J Oakley, 10246 Private T E Oakley, L/12858 Drummer J O'Neill, 14571 Private S C Otley

8044 Private A Page, L/14409 Private A C Palmer, 14409 Private A E Palmer, 12553 Private E C Palmer, 13970 Private F H Palmer, 10316 Acting Corporal W Panton, L/10316 Lance-Corporal W Parton, 9319 Private A Payne, 10723 Private J H S Payne, L/9940 Private William H Payton, 14144 Private J Pelley, 5777 Lance-Corporal E C Pember, 11833 Lance-Corporal E C Penney, L/14381 Private John J Percival, 7845 Private J Perry, 13660 Private J O Pettitt, 8999 Lance-Corporal C A Pierce, 10128 Private J Pimm, 10287 Private T Piper, 10798 Corporal A Playford, 14343 Private G Poulter, 10512 Private F Powell, 13797 Lance-Corporal J H Pradby, 12823 Corporal W H Pratt, 14724 Private W H Prestridge

8676 Private J Ramsey, 13798 Private A W G Ratty, 14292 Private W G Rawlings, L/11570 Private W Ray, 7456 Private H J Raybold, 9539 Private L Razzell, L/14765 Private T R Reader, 8855 Private W Redburn, 14312 Private D G Regan, L/14312 Private Dennis G Regan, 13184 Private F Remnant, 9813 Private E A Rogers, 12630 Private V F Rogers, L/11013 Private A J Rooney, 11485 Private E Rudd, 9486 Private T H Rudd, 7970 Private R Rumbelow, L/1970 Private R Rumbelow, 9675 Private J E Rumble, 9382 Sergeant A H Russell, 10109 Private H G Russell, 12332 Private D G Ryan, 11679 Private J P Ryan, 
14178 Private G B Ryder

13034 Lance-Corporal J L Sabbage, L/8322 Private E F Saunders, 13759 Private H J Scholes, L/6224 Private H Schroder, 14029 Lance-Corporal A G Scoppie, L/17742 Private P F Sculley, L/10049 Private George Sculpher, 9912 Private W G Self, 9080 Corporal H Sheridan, 14553 Private C A Shipp, L/11433 Private W H Shropshire, 13757 Private F E Sidwell, 12708 Corporal T C Silverthorne, 12581 Private F Simmonds, 12807 Corporal J F Simmonds, L/10622 Private Ernest F Smith, 11067 Private G H Smith, L/11927 Lance-Corporal George Henry Smith, L/13070 Lance-Corporal H H Smith, 8095 Private R Smith, L/9680 Private S F Smith, 10082 Private E Speller, 6551 Private J A Spencer, L/8948 Private S Spink, 14058 Lance-Corporal W Stagg, 11176 Private T N Stammers, 14549 Private J T Stanford, 10989 Corporal J S Stanger, 7673 Corporal A E Steer, 10408 Private H Stevens,  Private E W Stevenson, 8124 Private J Steward, 6583 Private C Stocker, 14584 Private H G Strange, 11155 Lance-Corporal A E Strapley, 9119 Private J Sykes

9753 Private W J Tavener, 8246 Private C Taylor, 8558 Private F Taylor, 10817 Corporal G Taylor, 14177 Private G H Taylor, 13978 Private J Thomas, Private T W Thomas, 9935 Sergeant W C Thompson, 11036 Private W Towler, 8032 Private D Trail, 9704 Private S Treverton, 10155 Private D Tyler, 14076 Private W J H Tyler

9864 Drummer H Underhill, 8211 Private A Underwood

10495 Private R Vaughan, 11238 Private J Veal

10602 Private E Wakeford, 8720 Private A Wakeling, 13061 Lance-Corporal F Wakeling,
11694 Private A Wallace, 10721 Lance-Corporal B O Wallace, 9045 Private F J Wallace,
L/8306 Private H Wallace, L/14344 Private A J Warner, 6010 Private W Warr, 8983 Private J H Warwick, 9401 Private A E Webber, 11991 Lance-Corporal S W Weight, 10715 Lance-Corporal E A Welch, L/8851 Private C E Welsh, 9561 Private F G West, 14484 Private J West, 13906 Private S A Westall, 8593 Private W R Westlake, 8822 Private C A Wheatley, 8156 Private H E Wheatley, 14655 Private C Wheeler, 10822 Private F W Whiffen, 10419 Private C H Whitbread, 8562 Private A White, L/9934 Private Harry White,
7649 Sergeant R C Whiting, L/14233 Private Frederick W W Whittington, 6056 Sergeant H Wilmer, 8895 Lance-Corporal F Wilson, 12873 Lance-Sergeant J Wilson, 11014 Private W Winn, 7391 Private W Winterbourne, 11509 Lance-Corporal F S Wise, 10667 Private E C Wood, 14687 Private A E Woods

L/9592 Private A Yardley, L/6908 Private W Young

For help with your own regimental numbering or military research conundrums, check out my military research service.