The 5th Battalion, Lincolnshire Regiment (5th Lincolns), was a volunteer unit of Britain's Territorial Army from 1900 until 1967, serving as infantry on the Western Front during the First World War and as an air defence unit during and after the Second World War.

Volunteer Origins The unit's predecessor, the 3rd Volunteer Battalion, Lincolnshire Regiment, had been formed in June 1900 by detaching six companies from the regiment's 1st Volunteer Battalion. These companies were based in the north and east of Lincolnshire, and battalion headquarters was established at Grimsby. Prior to their consolidation into the 1st Volunteer Battalion in 1880, these companies had been separate Rifle Volunteer Corps (RVCs) raised during the first enthusiasm for the Volunteer movement (dates of formation are those of the first officers' commissions):Westlake pp. 156–159.Beckett, Appendix VII.Frederick, pp. 226–227Sandall, Introduction.MacDonald, pp. 14–17.Lincolnshire at Great War Drill Halls A & B Companies, formerly 6th (Grimsby Rifles) Lincolnshire RVC (20 March 1860), based at the Infantry Drill Hall, Doughty Road, GrimsbyGrimsby at Drill Hall Project C Company, formerly 7th (Spilsby) Lincolnshire RVC (17 March 1860), based at the Drill Hall, Hatton Road, SpilsbySpilsby at Drill Hall Project D Company, formerly 2nd (Louth Rifles) Lincolnshire RVC (21 November 1859), based at the Drill Hall, Northgate, LouthLouth at Drill Hall Project E Company, formerly 12th (Barton) Lincolnshire RVC (12 January 1860), based at the Drill Hall, Butts Road, Barton-upon-HumberBarton at Drill Hall Project F Company, formerly 11th (Alford) Lincolnshire RVC (23 February 1860), based at the Drill Hall, Corn Exchange, AlfordAlford at Drill Hall Project G & H Companies, formerly 20th (Market Rasen) Lincolnshire RVC (16 July 1860, previously based at Frodingham); in 1900 based at the Drill Hall, Home Street ScunthorpeScunthorpe at Drill Hall Project with a half company at Brigg.Brigg at Drill Hall Project

The Grimsby recruits were chiefly drawn from men employed in the fishing industry and docks; the Frodingham and Scunthorpe men came from the iron ore and smelting industries; Louth, Spilsby, Alford and Brigg were agricultural areas, while most of the Gainsborough men were drawn from the Marshall, Sons & Co. agricultural engineering works and the Barton men from the Elswick Hopper cycle works.

The volunteer battalions of the Lincolnshire Regiment formed part of the North Midland Brigade of the Volunteer Force, but with so many of its companies situated along the south shore of the Humber Estuary, the 3rd Volunteer Bn was attached to the Humber Brigade for training.Quarterly Army List, October 1907

Territorial Force When the Volunteers were subsumed into the Territorial Force (TF) under the Haldane Reforms in 1908, the 3rd Volunteer Bn was converted into the 5th Battalion Lincolnshire Regiment, joined by E and F Companies (formerly 19th (Gainsborough) Lincolnshire RVC, raised 10 July 1860) from the 1st Volunteer Bn, which became the new H Company, based at the Drill Hall in Spital Terrace in Gainsborough. (The remainder of the 1st and the 2nd Volunteer Bns together formed the 4th Bn Lincolns). The first commanding officer (CO) of the 5th Bn was Lt-Col George Beaumont Walker.Monthly Army List, various dates.

The two TF battalions of the Lincolns, together with those of the Leicestershire Regiment formed the Lincolnshire & Leicestershire Brigade of the North Midland Division.Becke, Pt 2a, pp. 61–67.James, p. 54.Lincolns at Long, Long Trail.

First World War Mobilisation On 25 July 1914 the two Lincolnshire TF battalions assembled at Bridlington for their annual camp, being joined on 2 August by the Leicestershire battalions to make a full brigade camp. However, with the international situation deteriorating, the units returned to their homes on 3 August and on the evening of 4 August the orders for mobilisation were issued. By the afternoon of 6 August the whole battalion was concentrated at the Infantry Drill Hall, Grimsby, and billeted in schools in the town.Sandall, Ch. 1.Simpson, pp. 48–50.

The battalion's first duties were to guard Grimsby docks and harbour, the electric power station and wireless station, and to dig trenches by the mouth of the Humber at Cleethorpes. However, by 11 August the 5th Lincolns was able to hand these over to the Special Reserve battalions of the Manchester Regiment and proceed to the brigade's war station at Belper. It then entrained in 15 August for Luton, where the North Midland Division went into training.

The 5th Lincolns was considerably below its establishment strength in the summer of 1914, recruitment among agricultural workers being especially difficult. At Belper the men were invited to volunteer for active service overseas. At first the response was half-hearted, but by the end of August at Luton the numbers reached 650 and the battalion was accepted for foreign service, as was the whole division. The men who had not volunteered became the nucleus of a reserve battalion nearby at Dunstable. Later the Foreign Service and Reserve battalions were numbered 1/5th and 2/5th respectively. Both were brought up to full strength by recruits, and the 2/5th joined a new 2nd North Midland Division in January 1915. A new Reserve or 3/5th Bn was raised in April 1915 to train drafts for the 1st and 2nd Lines.Becke, Pt 2b, pp. 17–23.

On 1 September 1914, 52 former pupils of Wintringham School, Grimsby, formed a company based at the armoury of the school's Officer Training Corps. The company was offered to the 5th Lincolns, but by then the battalion was full. The volunteer company then became the nucleus of a complete battalion of Kitchener's Army formed by the Borough of Grimsby known as the Grimsby Chums, later the 10th (Service) Bn, Lincolnshire Regiment.Simpson, pp. 53–54.

1/5th Battalion Ypres Salient The 1/5th Lincolns landed at Le Havre on 1 March 1915 and by 8 March the North Midland Division had completed its concentration – the first complete TF formation to arrive on the Western Front. It was numbered the 46th (North Midland) Division in May, when the Lincolnshire & Leicestershire Brigade was numbered 138th (Lincoln and Leicester) Brigade. However, on arrival at Ploegsteert in the Ypres Salient, the two Lincolnshire battalions were attached to the Regulars of 11th Brigade in 4th Division for instruction in trench duties. They went into the line for the first time on 9 April opposite Spanbroekmolen. The battalion's first task was to keep the German trenches under fire on 17 April to assist an attack on Hill 60. On 20 May the Germans exploded a mine under 1/5th Bn's trenches, killing 11 men (and four missing, believed killed) and wounding 22. On 6 June the Royal Engineers detected and destroyed another mine beneath the battalion before the Germans could blow it.Simpson pp. 103–105.

The battalion was not involved in the 46th Division's first action (the German flamethrower attack at Hooge on 30–31 July 1915), but was under heavy shellfire during this period, and was mined again on 26 September, suffering numerous casualties.Simpson, pp. 106, 124.

Hohenzollern Redoubt

The 1/5th Bn was in the forefront of the attack on the Hohenzollern Redoubt in October 1915. This was an attempt to restart the failed Battle of Loos, and the division was moved down from Ypres on 1 October for the purpose. The Germans had recaptured the Hohenzollern Redoubt on 1 October after severe fighting, and had driven off a hastily organised British attack.Rawson, pp. 109–116.Cherry, pp. 253–258. 46th (North Midland) Division was ordered to make a prepared attack on 13 October.Rawson, p. 120.Cherry, p. 266.Simpson, p. 125.

The battalion took over its place in the line on the night of 12/13 October. The preliminary bombardment began at noon on 13 October, a gas cloud was discharged from the British trenches at 13.45, and the troops went over the top at 14.00. 1/5th Lincolns formed the left half of 138th Bde's attack, advancing in four waves, the first two platoons of each company jumping off from the front line, the other two from the support line. The battalion's objective was Fosse Trench, about 400 yards behind the Hohenzollern Redoubt. The barbed wire in front of the redoubt was well cut and the leading waves of the battalion swept over its east and west faces with little difficulty until they reached the dead ground between the redoubt and Fosse Trench, which was open and swept by rifle and machine gun fire from the front and both flanks, particularly from Mad Point out to the left. The attack melted away, although isolated parties maintained themselves in shell holes, including Sergeant Harry Drewery with the only surviving machine gun team, who set up in a German communication trench and stayed in action until evening. (Drewery was awarded the DCM and his gunner, Private Percy Coulson the MM.) The CO, Lt-Col T.E. Sandall, was among the wounded. At dusk the battalion's survivors under the only unwounded officer, Captain R.E. Madge, withdrew to the redoubt, which the support battalion (1/4th Lincolns) and the divisional pioneers (1st Bn Monmouthshire Regiment) were consolidating for defence. The Germans put down a heavy bombardment on the east face, obliterating the defences, and the survivors had to retreat to the west face, which they held throughout the night until relieved next morning. (Corporal C. Leadbeater won a bar to his previous DCM for consolidating a point in the north face, defending it with Hand grenades through the night, and then acting as a stretcher bearer when the battalion withdrew; several other MMs were slo awarded.) The battalion had lost 22 out of 23 officers in action, and 461 other ranks, killed and wounded.Sandall, pp. 46–52.Simpson, pp. 125-130.Cherry, pp. 292–293, 296.Rawson, pp. 125–128.MacDonald, pp. 41–44.

After the disaster, the 46th Division undertook trench-holding duties and absorbed drafts of reinforcements until 23 December, when it was ordered to Egypt. The 1/5th Lincolns entrained for Marseille and embarked on the troopship HMT Anchises on 8 January 1916, reaching Alexandria on 13 January. However, the movement was immediately cancelled, and the troops disembarked next day and went into camp. However, the division's move to Egypt was countermanded on 21 January and the units that had arrived were re-embarked. The 1/5th Lincolns boarded HMT Megantic at Alexandria on 2 February to return to France on 5 February. The battalion landed on 9 February and the division had reassembled near Amiens by 14 February. The 46th Division went back into the line in the Vimy sector, where 1/5th Bn was involved in a sharp fight when the Germans blew a mine under the parapet of their trench on 12 March.Sandall, pp. 58–61.Simpson, pp. 130-131.MacDonald, pp. 49–50.Anon, Robin Hoods, pp. 146–159.Milne, pp. 58–63.

The battalion had been badly hit by sickness and was at less than half its establishment strength, and so was primarily used for fatigue duties. In April it received a strong draft from home, enabling it to take its place in the line, and Lt-Col Sandall returned to resume command.Sandall, pp. 63–65.MacDonald, p. 75; Appendix 3.

Gommecourt