The 6th Battalion, Cheshire Regiment was a Territorial Force (TF) unit of the British Army. Formed in 1908 from Volunteer units recruited in Cheshire since 1859, it was one of the first TF units to go to the Western Front in World War I. It had a wandering existence, moving frequently from one command to another, seeing a considerable amount of combat at the Somme, Ypres, during the German spring offensive and in the final Allied Hundred Days Offensive. After the war it was amalgamated into a local artillery regiment.
Volunteer Force An invasion scare in 1859 led to the emergence of the Volunteer Movement, and Rifle Volunteer Corps (RVCs) began to be organised throughout Great Britain to supplement the Regular Army and Militia.Beckett.Spiers, pp. 163–8. A large number of small RVCs were formed in Cheshire and formed into five administrative battalions. The 4th Administrative Battalion, based at Stockport, comprised the following units:Beckett, Appendix VII.Frederick, p. 77.Army List, various dates.Westlake, pp. 39–46, 62. 9th (Mottram) Cheshire RVC, raised at Mottram in Longdendale 10 February 1860 under Captain Alfred K. Sidebottom, disbanded February 1861 13th (Dukinfield) Cheshire RVC, 20 February 1860 under Capt Francis Dukinfield Palmer Astley, was raised by the Astley family who owned the coalmines at Dukinfield, and known unofficially as the 'Astley Rifles'; a 2nd Company was formed on 15 November 1860 and a 3rd in March 1869; headquarters moved to Newton Moor, near Hyde, in 1863, then to Stalybridge in 1873 17th (Stockport) Cheshire RVC, 20 August 1860 under Capt Henry Coppock 18th (Stockport) Cheshire RVC, 12 March 1860 under Capt John Thomas Emmerson 19th (Stockport) Cheshire RVC, 15 March 1860 under Capt Samuel W. Wilkinson 20th (Stockport) Cheshire RVC, 20 March 1860 under Capt Thomas H. Sykes 21st (Stockport) Cheshire RVC, 22 March 1860 under Capt Cephas John Howard 29th (Stockport) Cheshire RVC, 10 April 1860 under Capt John M. Lingard, formerly of the 1st Royal Cheshire Militia 31st (Hyde) Cheshire RVC, 15 August 1860 under Capt Thomas Mottram
On 5 November 1860 Capt F.D.P. Astley of the 13th RVC was promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel to command the 4th Admin Bn. He was succeeded on 5 May 1866 by Lt-Col William John Legh, MP, and he in turn by Samuel W. Wilkinson (of the 19th RVC) on 25 January 1873.
The 23rd (Glossop) Derbyshire RVC, formed under Captain Commandant William Sidebottom on 2 February 1876, was attached to the 4th Admin Bn even though it was in the adjacent county of Derbyshire.
When the RVCs were consolidated in 1880, the 4th Admin Bn initially became the 13th Cheshire and Derbyshire RVC, then the 4th Cheshire RVC, with the following organisation: A to C Companies at Stalybridge – from 13th RVC D Company at Stockport – from 17th Cheshire RVC E Company at Stockport – from 18th Cheshire RVC F Company at Stockport – from 19th Cheshire RVC G Company at Stockport – from 20th Cheshire RVC H Company at Stockport – from 21st Cheshire RVC I Company at Stockport – from 29th Cheshire RVC K Company at Hyde – from 31st Cheshire RVC L to M Companies at Glossop – from 23rd Derbyshire RVC
In 1862 the 4th Administrative Battalion built an impressive drill hall in Stockport, now known as the Stockport Armoury.Stockport at Drill Hall Project. The Stalybridge detachment (A–C Companies) also built their own drill hall in the Castle Hall area in about 1880.Stalybridge at Drill Hall Project. K Company at Hyde had its own armoury in Mottram Road.Hyde at Drill Hall Project.
Under the 'Localisation of the Forces' scheme introduced by the Cardwell Reforms of 1872, Volunteers were grouped into county brigades with their local Regular and Militia battalions – Brigade No 17 (County of Chester) in Northern District for the 4th Cheshire.Spiers, pp. 195–6. The Childers Reforms of 1881 took Cardwell's reforms further, and the Volunteers were formally affiliated to their local Regular regiment, the Cheshire Regiment in the case of the Cheshire RVCs, and on 1 December 1887 the 4th changed its title to 4th Volunteer Battalion, Cheshire Regiment. When a comprehensive mobilisation scheme for the Volunteers was established in 1889, the 4th VB of the Cheshires was first assigned to the Welsh Border Brigade, changing to the Cheshire and Lancashire Brigade in the early 1890s. By 1901 the five Cheshire VBs comprised the Cheshire Brigade.Dunlop, Appendix A.Spiers, pp. 228–9.
A detachment of volunteers from the battalion served in the Second Boer War, winning the unit its first Battle honour: South Africa 1900–1902.Leslie.
Territorial Force
When the Volunteers were subsumed into the new Territorial Force (TF) under the Haldane Reforms of 1908,Dunlop, Chapter 14.Spiers, Chapter 10. the 4th VB became the 6th Battalion, Cheshire Regiment with the following organisation:London Gazette 20 March 1908.Conrad, British Army 1914. Headquarters at Stockport ArmouryCheshire at Great War Centenary Drill Halls. A & B Companies at the corner of Astley Street and Walmsley Street, Stalybridge C Company at Mottram Road, Hyde D Company at Market Hall, GlossopDerbyshire at Great War Centenary Drill Halls. E–H Companies at Stockport
The battalion formed part of the Cheshire Brigade in the TF's Welsh Division.Cheshires at Long, Long Trail.
World War I Mobilisation On the outbreak of war on 4 August 1914, the Welsh Division's units mobilised at their headquarters and had concentrated at their war stations by 11 August. On that date TF units were invited to volunteer for Overseas ServiceBecke, Pt 2a, p. 122. and on 15 August the War Office issued instructions to separate those men who had signed up for Home Service only, and form these into reserve units. On 31 August, the formation of a reserve or 2nd Line unit was authorised for each 1st Line unit where 60 per cent or more of the men had volunteered for Overseas Service. The titles of these 2nd Line units would be the same as the original, but distinguished by a '2/' prefix. In this way duplicate battalions, brigades and divisions were created, mirroring those TF formations being sent overseas. Later 3rd Line units were formed to train drafts for the 1st and 2nd Line.Becke, Pt 2b, p. 6.
1/6th Cheshires The 6th Cheshires was one of the first TF battalions to volunteer for overseas service. Its 1st Line left the Welsh Division at Northampton and joined the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) in France on 10 November 1914 to act as GHQ Troops, doing various duties in the rear areas. On 11 December it was attached to 15th Brigade in 5th Division. All the Regular divisions on the Western Front were desperately weak following earlier fighting and required any help they could get simply to hold the line during the winter months.53rd (W) Division at Long, Long Trail.Becke, Pt 1, p. 67.Becke, Pt 3b, pp. 91–100.Edmonds, 1914, Vol II, p. 449; Appendix 4.
On 1 March 1915 the battalion returned to its role as GHQ Troops, and for the rest of the year carried out guard and other duties at Rouen, Abbeville, and Dieppe. On 9 January 1916 the battalion was assigned to 20th Brigade in 7th Division and returned with it to the front line.Becke, Pt 1, p. 83.
In early 1916 the War Office was preparing to send out to France the last of the new Kitchener's Army divisions, including the 39th Division formed from so-called 'Pals battalions' raised by local initiatives. However, 39th Division's 118th Brigade was deemed unready for overseas service, so the brigade staff crossed to France and on 29 February at Renescure took command of five varied TF battalions already serving with the BEF, including 1/6th Cheshires. The rest of the division followed from England and it concentrated at Blaringhem on 17 March. 39th Division at Long, Long Trail. 1/6th Cheshires were not involved in the division's first offensive action, at the Battle of the Boar's Head on 30 June when the South Downs battalions of 116th Bde suffered appalling casualties in a diversionary attack before the Somme Offensive began next day.Miles, 1916, Vol II, p. 544.
Somme 39th Division moved to the Somme sector in late August, and on 3 September it attacked along the River Ancre at Beaumont-Hamel, but again most of 118th Bde was not directly involved. For the next three weeks the division held a long section of the front line, carrying out active Trench warfare without attacking. It cooperated with the divisions that successfully attacked Thiepval on 26 September and the Schwaben Redoubt on 28 September during the Battle of Thiepval Ridge.Miles, 1916, Vol II, pp. 228, 278–82, 285, 363.Wiebkin, pp. 14–5.
On 14 October, as part of the Battle of the Ancre Heights, the 39th Division made its own set-piece attack to complete the Capture of Schwaben Redoubt. The attack went in at 14.45, with two battalions of 118th Bde advancing over open ground towards the redoubt while 1/6th Cheshires extended the line on the left. By 23.00 the enemy had been thrown out of the last of the position and over 150 prisoners taken. Next day the Germans made three serious counter-attacks, two using Flamethrowers, but these were repulsed. On 21 October the division also completed the capture of the troublesome 'Stuff Trench'.Miles, 1916, Vol II, pp. 454, 460.Wiebkin, p. 16.
39th Division had been understrength even when it moved to the Somme; by 10 November half of the officers and two-thirds of the other ranks in the average battalion in the division were reinforcements who had joined since 3 September.Miles, 1916, Vol II, p. 281. However, it took part in the last phase of the Somme Offensive, the Battle of the Ancre, on 13 November. Its purpose was to clear the Germans from the slope above the Ancre. 118th Brigade formed up in the dark and morning fog, clear of the Schwaben Reboubt behind jumping-off tapes laid by the Royal Engineers. But once the advance began the battalions found it difficult to keep up with the Creeping barrage through the litter of shattered trenches and lost direction in the fog. The adjutant of the 1/6th Cheshires had to go forward from battalion HQ to reorganise the battalion, and although it reached its objective, the Strasbourg Line, confused fighting went on against German machine gunners and snipers in the line. But 118th Brigade's attack had forced so many Germans out of their positions down into the Ancre Valley below St Pierre Divion that by 09.00 the neighbouring 117th Bde had more prisoners to deal with than it had men attacking. 1/6th Cheshires worked their way down Mill Trench to St Pierre Divion, which the battalion then put into a state of defence against the inevitable German counter-attacks. With assistance from the Royal Engineers and divisional pioneers the battalion established strongpoints in the river valley, with outposts at the mill and at Beaucourt Station. Although the German artillery barrage was heavy, the counter-attacks were feeble and the captured ground was successfully held. Shortly afterwards the onset of winter weather brought an end to the fighting on the Somme.Miles, 1916, Vol II, pp. 481–5.Wiebkin, pp. 16–7.
Ypres In mid-November 1916 39th Division was relieved and marched north to the Ypres Salient, where after rest it took its turns in the front line, with its continuous trench warfare and raiding. This increased in intensity in April and May 1917 as preparations were made for a new attack (the Third Ypres Offensive).Wiebkin, pp. 18–21.