26th (Service) Battalion, Royal Fusiliers (Bankers)

The 26th (Service) Battalion, Royal Fusiliers (Bankers) (26th RF) was an infantry unit recruited as part of 'Kitchener's Army' in World War I. It was raised in the summer of 1915 by the Lord Mayor and City of London and recruited mainly from bank clerks and accountants. It served on the Western Front from May 1916, seeing action on the Somme and at Ypres. It was sent to the Italian Front, returning to the west in time to be flung into the breach during the German spring offensive. It then took part in the final advance to victory, eventually reaching the Rhine as part of the Army of Occupation.

Recruitment and training

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. 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. Men flooded into the recruiting offices and the 'first hundred thousand' were enlisted within days. 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) and No 37 (7 August).Becke, Pt 3a, pp. 2 & 8.

Shortly after the outbreak of war the Lord Mayor and Corporation of London began recruiting men working for the financial businesses in the city: the resulting 10th (Service) Battalion, Royal Fusiliers (Stockbrokers) was the first of the 'Pals battalions' in which men of a similar background joined up in order to serve together.Carter, pp. 18–22. So successful was the 'Pals' concept that in February 1915 Kitchener approached the Metropolitan Borough Councils in the County of London, and the 'Great Metropolitan Recruiting Campaign' went ahead in April, with each mayor asked to raise a unit of local men for 'K5'.McCue, pp. 10–1. At this time the City of London held another recruiting drive, this time among bank clerks and accountants, resulting in the formation of the 26th (Service) Battalion, Royal Fusiliers (Bankers) on 17 July 1915. The battalion was formed by Major William Pitt, a former Volunteer officer, and Sir Charles Johnston (Lord Mayor 1914–15) and Sir Charles Wakefield (Lord Mayor 1915–16) each served as the battalion's Honorary Colonel. It assembled at Marlow and High Beech in Buckinghamshire for its initial training.Frederick, pp. 287–9.James, p. 50.O'Neill, p. 22.Royal Fusiliers at Long, Long Trail.War Office Instruction No 59 of September 1915, Appendix IX.

Once the battalion was up to full strength in November 1915 it moved to Aldershot where it joined 124th Brigade in 41st Division, the last 'K' division to be formed. It was brigaded with 32nd Royal Fusiliers (East Ham) (32nd RF), 10th Queen's Regiment (Battersea) (10th Queen's) and 21st King's Royal Rifle Corps (Yeoman Rifles) (21st KRRC). At Aldershot the battalions were equipped with modern rifles, specialists such as Lewis gunners, signallers and 'bombers' were selected and trained, and route marches were carried out in full marching order. Lieutenant-Colonel the Hon W.F.J. North, formerly of the Queen's Own Oxfordshire Hussars, was appointed commanding officer (CO) on 15 December. In February 1916 the division began its final battle training, for which 124th Bde was based at Stanhope Lines, Aldershot. On 4 May 26th RF under Lt-Col North boarded three trains at Farnborough for Southampton Docks. There it embarked on the SS Mona's Queen and landed at Le Havre next day to join the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) on the Western Front.Becke, Pt 3b, pp. 109–15.41st Division at Long, Long Trail.Burke's: 'North'.26th RF War Diary May 1916–October 1917, The National Archives (TNA), Kew, file WO 95/2622/1.McCue, p. 175.Wylly, pp. 252–66.

31st (Reserve) Battalion On 21 October 1915 the depot companies of the 10th (Stockbrokers) and 26th (Bankers) battalions were combined at Colchester to form the 31st (Reserve) Battalion, Royal Fusiliers, as a Local Reserve unit with the role of training reinforcement drafts for the two parent battalions. 31st (R) Battalion moved to Leamington Spa in Warwickshire and joined the 24th Reserve Brigade (an all-Royal Fusiliers formation). By January 1916 it was at Abingdon in Oxfordshire, and in April 1916 the brigade moved to Edinburgh in Scotland. On 1 September 1916 the Training Reserve (TR) was established following the introduction of conscription, and 31st (R) Bn RF became 107th Training Reserve Battalion, though the training staff retained their Royal Fusiliers badges. On 6 September 1917 it was redesignated 265th (Infantry) Battalion, TR, and on 1 November 1917 it reverted to the Royal Fusiliers as 52nd (Graduated) Bn. It was then at Ipswich in Suffolk as part of 217th Brigade in 72nd Division. 72nd Division was broken up in early 1918, and in February the battalion transferred to 204th Bde of 68th Division at Newmarket, where it remained for the rest of the war. On 8 February 1919 it was converted into a service battalion and joined the British Army of the Rhine, where it was absorbed into 23rd (Service) Bn, RF (1st Sportsmen's) on 4 April.Training Reserve at Long, Long Trail.Becke, Pt 2b, pp. 83–90, 107–10.

Service By 8 May 1916 41st Division had completed its concentration between Hazebrouck and Bailleul in Second Army's area, with 26th RF billeted at Outtersteene. While continuing its training, parties from the new division were sent up to the line for instruction in trench warfare from experienced units. Those from 26th RF were attached to the 5th Cameron Highlanders of 9th (Scottish) Division in Ploegsteert Wood ('Plugstreet Wood'). 41st Division then relieved 9th (S) Division in the Ploegsteert trenches and the battalions began the routine of two weeks in the trenches, one in support and one in reserve. The battalions also had to supply working parties, and they began to suffer a trickle of casualties, particularly from chance shellfire or random machine gun fire, or during patrols and raids.Eden, pp. 75–92.

Flers–Courcelette

When 41st Division arrived on the Western Front the BEF was preparing for that summer's 'Big Push', the Battle of the Somme, which began on 1 July. On 23 August 26th RF entrained for Pont-Remy, where it undertook three weeks' special training at Vauchelles near Abbeville and then at Bécordel before being called upon to participate in the offensive. The training included operating in a wood similar to the notorious Delville Wood on the Somme. On the afternoon of 14 September the brigade was guided to trenches north-east of Delville Wood, where orders were issued for an attack next day (the Battle of Flers-Courcelette). 124th Brigade on the division's right formed up during the night, with 21st KRRC (left) and 10th Queen's (right) in eight waves, the leading waves in No man's land, the others stretching back to 'Brown Trench'. They were supported by 26th and 32nd RF respectively, drawn up behind them in four waves between 'Green Trench' and 'Inner Trench'. 26th RF's four lines comprised A, B, C and D Companies in succession. The division had four objectives and the brigade was intended to take them in succession with the battalions in this formation, until they were beyond the village of Gueudecourt. For this its first attack, 41st Division had support from tanks, also making their first ever appearance on a battlefield. Ten Mark I tanks of D Company, Heavy Section, Machine Gun Corps, were assigned to the division, formed up behind the infantry.Hare, pp. 166–9.McCue, pp. 188–91.Miles, 1916, Vol II, pp. 299, 321.O'Neill, pp. 135–7.Pidgeon, pp. 71–8.'15 September 1916 – Supporting 41st Division' at Landships.

The brigade moved forward at 06.20, following a Creeping barrage. Seven tanks managed to cross the start line, and there was little resistance in the German front trench – 'Tea Support Trench' – which had been shattered by the 3-day British bombardment. Many of the surviving Germans ran from the tanks, though several machine gun teams stuck to their task and caused heavy casualties to the leading waves. By about 06.30 26th RF had followed the attackers to within of the first objective – 'Switch Trench' – but found that the first six lines were advancing through their own barrage in a half-right direction and that the left flank was east of Flers, when it should have been on the Flers road. The battalion halted to rectify the mistake and bring men back out of the barrage. However, Switch Trench had been taken with very little opposition by 06.50, and the infantry followed the barrage to form up in front of the second objective, 'Flers Trench'. Uncut barbed wire held them up, but this was crushed by two of the tanks. The barrage lifted from Flers Trench at 07.45 and the infantry went forward again, finding the trench to be severely damaged by the artillery fire so they were able to take it without difficulty. A mixed party pressed on under Capt Henry Robinson (32nd RF) and took 150 prisoners, though it was now suffering casualties from rifle and machine gun fire. 124th Brigade had got ahead of its neighbours, and it became difficult to sustain the advance because of the lack of flank support. 26th RF remained in Flers Trench, waiting for 122nd Bde and the tanks to clear the village. Only one tank, D6, was left in action with 124th Bde. 26th RF watched as it went forward about 10.15, followed by some of 10th Queen's and 21st KRRC as they attempted to get to the third and fourth objectives. But their casualties were heavy, particularly among officers, and they withdraw to Flers Trench, which 26th RF was consolidating. At 15.00 124th Bde was ordered to advance to 'Gird Trench', 26th RF went forward, but was held up short by fire from its left flank. At 17.00 an order was passed to retire, but 26th RF could not discover whether it was genuine and tried to stay in place. Nevertheless, the troops to the right ran back, and the battalion eventually fell back to an old trench that was being held by two Vickers gun teams from the Machine Gun Company. With its flanks open, and out of contact with any headquarters, the battalion remained there until dusk when it withdrew to the line that 124th Bde was consolidating between the second and third objectives. The brigade was relieved by 123rd Bde at 23.00 and 26th RF went back to the support line, except for Capt Thomas Etchell's company out in front of the others, which had to remain in place until the following night. Early on 18 September the battalion went back to the transport lines and then marched back to camp, where it remained training for the rest of the month. Its casualties had been 5 officers and 33 other ranks (ORs) killed or died of wounds, 4 officers (including Lt Sir Walter Aston Blount, 10th Baronet) and 140 ORs wounded, and 58 ORs missing.Eden, pp. 97–8, 102.Miles, 1916, Vol II, pp. 322–3, 327–8, 330, Sketch 37.Pidgeon, pp. 78–98, Maps 14–17. Lieutenant-Col North relinquished command on 27 September and the Brigade major of 122nd Bde, Maj Gwyn Gwyn-Thomas (2nd Lancers (Gardner's Horse)), was promoted to succeed him.Pidgeon, p. 84.Gwyn-Thomas at Lives of the First World War.

Transloy Ridges