I've covered the South Down battalions of the Royal Sussex Regiment in previous posts, but on the Day that Sussex died - 30th June 1916 - I thought it would be fitting to just drill down a little and look at one or two of the men.
On the 30th June 1916 the South Down battalions attacked towards a German position in Richebourg known as the Boar's head. The action, intended to be a diversionary assault for the main action further south the following day, resulted in over 1100 casualties for the three South Down battalions.
The sequence of numbers below is just a small group mostly centred on Chailey and Newick. NO IDENTIFIABLE SD/ RESULT means that I have been unable to find a confirmed medal index card for that particular number. In addition, b. = born, e. = enlisted, 12th = 12th Battalion, KiA = Killed in Action, DoW = Died of Wounds.
In terms of the data, it is actually depressingly representative of South Down data as a whole - two repetitive dates: 30th June 1916 and 3rd September 1916 - featuring heavily. Men joining the South Down battalions were organised broadly alphabetically by surname and then numbered, as can be seen from the segment below. Click on the individual name links below to read more about the men on my WW1 Remembrance blog and Chailey 1914-1918 website.
SD/1630 NO IDENTIFIABLE SD/ RESULT
SD/1631 Pte Percy Bish
SD/1632 Pte Sydney Arthur Brooks 12th b.Newick e.Brighton KiA 30/06/1916
SD/1633 Pte William Jared Brooks b.Newick e.Brighton
SD/1634 Pte William Thomas Brown
SD/1635 Pte Albert John Cushman
SD/1636 Pte Laurence Davis 12th e.Brighton KiA 30/06/1916
SD/1637 Pte Charles Hodges 12th b.Newick e.Lewes KiA 30/06/1916
SD/1638 Pte Ernest Larkin 12th b.Hurstmonceux e.Lewes KiA 02/06/1917
SD/1639 Pte Fred'k Charles Maple 12th b.Wiston e.Hove KiA 01/09/1917
SD/1640 Cpl William D Mead
SD/1641 Pte John E Mitchell
SD/1642 Pte H Moore
SD/1643 L/Cpl Ernest William Plummer 12th b.Ringmer e.Lewes DoW 03/09/1916
SD/1644 NO IDENTIFIABLE SD/ RESULT
SD/1645 NO IDENTIFIABLE SD/ RESULT
SD/1646 Pte Thomas Morris Warren 12th b.Lavant e.Bognor 11/11/1914; disch wounds 24/10/1917
SD/1647 Sgt William Wilkinson
Remembering the men of the South Down battalions on this, the 94th anniversary of the Day that Sussex Died. William Jared Brooks, pictured.
Read more about numbering in the South Down battalions:
11th (Service) Battalion, (1st South Down), Royal Sussex Regiment
12th (Service) Battalion, (2nd South Down), Royal Sussex Regiment
13th (Service) Battalion, (3rd South Down), Royal Sussex Regiment
Read more about the history of the South Down battalions - Lowther's Lambs.
Find your army ancestors with a FREE 14 day trial on Ancestry.co.uk - CLICK HERE!
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This post will look at army service numbers issued to original members of the 13th Battalion of the Royal Sussex Regiment; also known as the 3rd South Down Battalion.
As with numbering in the 11th Royal Sussex (1st South Down) and the 12th Royal Sussex (2nd South Down), men were - for the most part - grouped alphabetically by the first letter of their surname and then numbered. There are plenty of surviving service and pension records for men of the 3rd South Down battalion and a lot of these are now available on-line via the Ancestry website.
Numbering in the 12th Battalion had ceased at SD/2453 and would begin again, for the 13th Battalion, at SD/2600. SD/2604 Pte William Farquhar Allen is the lowest numbered 13th Battalion man to lose his life whilst serving with a Sussex Regiment battalion. He died of wounds on 20th September 1916.
Here then, following the same formula that I've adopted for the 1st and 2nd South Down Battalions, are the numbering patterns for the 13th Battalion.
13th (3rd South Down) Battalion, Royal Sussex Regiment
November 1914 - February 1915
SD/2600 - SD/2830
Alphabetical A to W. Principally Sussex county enlistment locations.
SD/2831
Unknown
SD/2832 - SD/3052
Alphabetical A to Y. Principally Sussex county enlistment locations.
SD/3053
Unknown
SD/3054 - SD/3265
Alphabetical A to Y. Principally Sussex county enlistment locations. Chailey man Tom Clarkson joined the 13th Royal Sussex on 17th December 1914 and was given the number SD/3078. Read his story on my Chailey 1914-1918 site and view his service record on the Ancestry website.
SD/3266
Unknown
SD/3267 - SD/3503
Alphabetical A to Y. Principally Sussex county enlistment locations. SD/3427 Albert Plummer of Chailey died of wounds on 2nd July 1916; wounds which were almost certainly received three days earlier on the 30th June. Read his story on my Chailey 1914-1918 website.
SD/3504 - SD/3506
I could find no information for SD/3504 or SD/3506 and SD/3505 Corporal Charles Elliston has no surviving documentation in WO 363 or WO 364. His medal index card notes the 13th Battalion and his entitlement to the British War and Victory medals.
SD/3507 - SD/3725
Alphabetical A to W. Principally Sussex county enlistment locations.
SD/3726 - SD/3798
Alphabetical A to K. Principally Sussex county enlistment locations.
The 13th Royal Sussex Regiment had recruited 1200 men between November 1914 and February 1915. However, a significant proportion of these volunteers appear to have been subsequently rejected and, according to Paul Reed's web page on the 13th Battalion, it was not up to strength until mid 1915. By this stage, men with numbers in the 4000s were joining the battalion.
SD/3799 - SD/3874
I have no information for SD/3799 but it looks as though this range of numbers was issued to men joining the 11th Battalion. For instance, SD/3808 and SD/3825 were issued to men joining the 11th Battalion in April and May 1915 respectively.
SD/3875 - SD/3968
Again, this range of numbers was issued to men joining the 11th Battalion. All men within this Royal Sussex Regiment number range had been transferred from the Army Cyclist Corps.
SD/3969 - SD/3999
I have no convincing South Down army service number data for this range and it's possible that this series of numbers was not used.
SD/4000 - SD/4134
Alphabetical B to W.
The battalion arrived in France on 6th March 1916 and on 30th June 1916, at The Board's Head at Richebourg, D Company sustained heavy losses. Even today, 90 odd years later, recording the casualties sustained by the South Down Battalions on this one day, is depressing work.
See also: South Downs Battalions website. Looking for medals? I have Royal Sussex Regiment medals for sale,including medals to men who served with the South Down battalions.
I also offer a comprehensive, fast and cost-effective military history research service. Follow the link for more information.
