14th (Service) Battalion, Gloucestershire Regiment (West of England)

The 14th (Service) Battalion, Gloucestershire Regiment (West of England) ('14th Glosters') was a Bantam battalion recruited in World War I as part of 'Kitchener's Army' from men who were below the minimum height normally required by the British Army. Together with other bantam battalions it joined the 35th Division and served with it on the Western Front from early 1916, first seeing action at the Battle of the Somme. The Bantam concept did not survive the losses of the Somme, and had to be abandoned when the battalions became filled with reinforcements who were not simply undersized but actually unfit for service. In 1917 the 14th Glosters became a conventional infantry battalion and saw further action during operations along the Hindenburg Line, when one of its officers won the Victoria Cross, and at the Battle of Passchendaele before being broken up early in 1918 to provide reinforcements to other units.

Background On 6 August 1914, less than 48 hours after Britain's declaration of war, Parliament sanctioned an increase of 500,000 men for the Regular British Army, and the newly-appointed Secretary of State for War, Earl Kitchener of Khartoum issued his famous call to arms: 'Your King and Country Need You', urging the first 100,000 volunteers to come forward. This group of six divisions with supporting arms became known as Kitchener's First New Army, or 'K1'.War Office Instructions No 32 (6 August), No 37 (7 August), No 324 (21 August).Becke, Pt 3a, pp. 2 & 8. The flood of volunteers overwhelmed the ability of the army to absorb and organise them, and by the time the Fifth New Army (K5) was authorised on 10 December 1914, many of the units were being organised as 'Pals battalions' under the auspices of mayors and corporations of towns up and down the country.See, for example, Marks, pp. 7–15; McGreal, pp. 19–21; Scott, pp. 27–34.

However, a large number of otherwise medically fit volunteers were turned away because they did not meet the minimum height requirement of the prewar Regular Army, of 5 feet 3 inches (160 cm). Alfred Bigland, the Member of Parliament for Birkenhead, persuaded Kitchener that this pool of potential manpower should be tapped, and he was given authority to raise a battalion of 'Bantams' (named after the small but pugnacious fighting cock), also known as 'Bobs' Own' after the popular Field Marshal Earl Roberts, who was short of stature. Three Bantam battalions were quickly raised at Birkenhead for the Cheshire Regiment, many of them coal miners who had travelled long distances to enlist, and the scheme spread to other areas. The War Office (WO) authorised each military district to recruit a bantam battalion. By the end of the year an entire division (later numbered 35th Division) composed of Bantam battalions was being formed.McGreal, pp. 21–48.Grist, pp. 55–6.Davson, pp. 1–4.Scott, pp 37–48.Becke, Pt 3b, pp. 51–9.35th Division at Long, Long Trail.War Office Instruction No 138, 14 June 1915.

Recruitment & training The West of England Bantam Battalion was formed at Bristol by the Citizens' Recruiting Committee (who had already formed the 12th (Service) Battalion, Gloucestershire Regiment (Bristol's Own) in August 1914Marks, pp. 10–32.). The bantam battalion was retrospectively authorised on 22 April 1915 and recruited mainly from Bristol and Birmingham; there was also a recruiting office at Stroud. The first commanding officer (CO) was Lieutenant-Colonel Gerard Roberts, who had formerly served in the 4th Volunteer Battalion of the Durham Light Infantry.Frederick, p. 102.James, p. 72.Gloucesters at Long, Long Trail.War Office Instructions September 1915, Appendix IX.Daniell, p. 228–9.Davson, Appendix III.McGreal, pp. 47–8.

The new battalion was assigned to the 105th Brigade of 35th Division, serving alongside the 15th and 16th Cheshires (1st and 2nd Birkenhead Bantams) and the 15th Sherwood Foresters (Nottingham Bantams). In June the brigade began to assemble at a tented camp on Roomer Common outside Masham in North Yorkshire, and the WO officially took over the 14th Glosters from the Citizen's Committee on 23 June. While at Masham a number of unfit or under-age men were removed from the division.McGreal, pp. 65–8.Scott, pp. 84–7.

In August 35th Division moved by rail to Salisbury Plain for final intensive training, with the infantry at Tidworth Camp. In December the division received orders to prepare for service in Egypt, and all ranks were issued with tropical uniforms. It was unkindly said that the bantams on Salisbury Plain in their oversized pith helmets resembled overgrown mushrooms. However, the division's destination was shortly afterwards changed to the Western Front and the pith helmets were exchanged for caps and gas masks. Embarkation for France began on 28 January 1916 and 14th Glosters landed at Le Havre on 31 January. By 6 February the division had completed its concentration east of Saint-Omer.Davson, p. 8.Grist, p. 100–1.McGreal, pp. 69–78.Scott, pp. 87–101.14th Glosters War Diary January 1916–February 1918, The National Archives (TNA), Kew, file WO 95/2488/1.

15th (Reserve) Battalion The battalion's depot companies joined with those of 12th (Bristol's Own) to form 15th (Reserve) Bn at Sutton Coldfield on 31 August 1915 with the role of training reinforcements for the two battalions. The 15th Battalion moved to Chiseldon Camp in Wiltshire and joined 22nd Reserve Brigade. On 1 September 1916 the Local Reserve battalions were transferred to the Training Reserve (TR) and the battalion was designated 93rd Training Reserve Battalion in 22nd Reserve Bde. On 4 July 1917 it was redesignated 262nd (Infantry) Battalion, TR. When the Training Reserve was reorganised in late 1917, the battalion transferred to the Royal Warwickshire Regiment as 51st (Graduated) Battalion. After the war it was converted into a service battalion on 8 February 1918 and sent to the British Army of the Rhine. It was finally disbanded in Germany on 12 February 1920.

Service After a series of moves, 14th Glosters arrived at La Pannerie, where it went into billets. Once in France the division continued training, with particular emphasis on 'bombing' and machine guns. In late February 1916 the units of 105th Bde went into the line in the Neuve-Chapelle sector alongside the more experienced 38th (Welsh) Division for instruction in Trench warfare. On 27 February 14th Glosters marched to Le Touret to be attached to 115th Bde: W Company to 16th Welsh Regiment (Cardiff City) in the 1st line trenches X Company to 11th South Wales Borderers (2nd Gwent) in the 1st line trenches Y Company to 10th South Wales Borderers (1st Gwent) in close support at Festubert Z Company and Battalion HQ to 17th Royal Welsh Fusiliers (2nd North Wales) in reserve at Le Touret

Over the following days the companies rotated between the first, support and reserve lines. The Bantams were each provided with two sandbags to place on the firestep so that they could stand on them to see over the parapet of the trench. The unit suffered its first casualties with three men wounded. On 7 March 35th Division took responsibility for its own section of the line, but 14th Glosters was billeted behind the line, first at Robecq and then at Calonne, where it provided working parties and continued anti-gas and musketry training. On the evening of 26 March 105th Bde carried out a relief and 14th Glosters took over the line near Laventie with W and X Companies in the forward posts. The battalion then relieved 15th Cheshires in the left sub-section. During the changeover the 15th Cheshires handed over the steel helmets they had been issued with: these were still scarce and until June there were only enough for the frontline units. 14th Glosters then began alternating (usually with 15th Cheshires or 15th Sherwood Foresters) between the front and support lines and reserve billets. While in the line the battalions carried out continual repairs to shell-damaged trenches; while in billets they supplied working parties for the Royal Engineers (REs). During the second week of May the battalion was in divisional reserve at Vieille-Chapelle, then it took over the Neuve-Chapelle sector on 14 May.Davson, pp. 8–19.McGreal, pp. 80–3.Scott, pp. 101–20.

Both sides carried out trench raids. At 19.20 on the evening of 30 May the Germans laid down a heavy bombardment on the fire and support trenches held by 15th Sherwood Foresters, who were due to be relieved by 14th Glosters that night. The British artillery promptly opened up in reply but the Foresters' trenches were almost obliterated. At 20.30 a breathless runner arrived at 14th Glosters' Battalion HQ with the message 'Send reinforcements, the Germans have broken through'. 105th Brigade HQ ordered Lt-Col Roberts to send a company up to 'Lansdown Post' and to occupy the reserve line with the rest of the battalion; he also had the Lewis gunners and the HQ details of 15th Sherwood Foresters who had already left the line for the relief. Y Company under Lieutenant H.C. Kinred reached Lansdown Post at 21.35 and reported to the CO of 15th Sherwood Foresters. At 23.15 this company went up into the front line to support the Foresters and Bde HQ ordered forward another company: Roberts sent X Company under Captain H.A. Butt. By now 15th Foresters and the battalions to either flank had driven out the attackers and W and Z Companies could be stood down. X and Y Companies remained in the front line helping the Foresters and REs to repair the trenches. The planned relief was successfully carried out the following night. On 2 June a party of Germans threw bombs into the trench held by the centre company of 14th Glosters. Lieutenant Kinred threw himself flat on one of the bombs, saving five of his men; he was wearing body armour, which protected him from serious injury. He was awarded the Military Cross (MC) for this act. 14th Glosters carried out its own raid on the night of 8/9 June against the trenches opposite the 'Pope's Nose'. At 21.00 the artillery, trench mortars and machine guns opened an intense bombardment of the enemy line. The Germans sent up red rockets and their artillery responded within three minutes. Unfortunately the first shell that came over killed Lt-Col Roberts (he is buried at Pont-Du-Hem Military Cemetery at La Gorgue Roberts at CWGC Records.). The second-in-command, Major B.M. Vernon, was cut off with the right company by the shellfire, so the adjutant, Capt F.H. Toop, took control of the battalion. Meanwhile the raiders and the covering party had left their trenches at 21.05 and lay down in No man's land before the guns lifted to form a standing barrage and the raiders went in at 21.20. They were met by rifle and machine gun fire but got into the front trench and fought their way along it, bombing the dugouts and driving the defenders back into the barrage. Captain Butt was wounded, and was killed by a shell as he was being evacuated. The clearing up party entered the trench behind the raiders but found little work to do. Some machine gun emplacements were destroyed and one gun dragged back to British lines. The casualties were 2 officers killed and 1 wounded, 3 other ranks (ORs) killed, 15 wounded and 4 missing. Having made his report Maj Vernon was evacuated sick; Lt-Col Alfred Radice, a Regular officer of the Glosters, arrived to take command on 21 June. The battalion was relieved the day after the raid and the whole division went into rest billets in GHQ Reserve. The captured machine gun was presented to the Mayor and Corporation of Bristol. Captain Toop was awarded the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) for his leadership.Davson, pp. 20–4.Grist, pp. 100–1.Grist, Appendix 1.McGreal, pp. 94–6.Scott, pp. 130–1.

Somme