The Territorials, 1908–1914
The Territorials, 1908–1914

Author: Ray Westlake

Publisher: Casemate Publishers

Published: 2012-02-02

Total Pages: 520

ISBN-13: 1844686566

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The Territorials 1908–1914 is a unique, comprehensive record of the part-time soldiers who made up the Territorial Force that supported the regular army in the years immediately before the outbreak of the First World War. Previously information on the history and organization of these dedicated amateur soldiers has been incomplete and scattered across many sources but now, in this invaluable work of reference, Ray Westlake provides an accessible introduction to the Territorial Force and a directory of the units raised in each county and each town. The origin, aims and organization of the Territorial Force are described as well as the terms of service, recruitment, equipment and training. But the bulk of the book consists of details of over 600 Territorial units plus a comprehensive account of every city, town or village associated with them. Essential information on the all the infantry formations is supplied, but also covered are the yeomanry, the artillery, the engineers, the Royal Army Medical Corps and the Army Service Corps. Ray Westlakes historical guide of the Territorial Force the forerunner of the present-day Territorial Army - will be of enduring value to military and family historians.

Harrogate Terriers
Harrogate Terriers

Author: John Sheehan

Publisher: Casemate Publishers

Published: 2017-01-31

Total Pages: 444

ISBN-13: 1473868149

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Using original personal and military diaries, with hundreds of carefully selected newspaper extracts, letters and photographs, this book traces individual stories of tragedy and heroism, involving tradesmen, apprentices, lawyers, musicians, sportsmen, brothers, husbands and fathers from Harrogate and the West Riding. As such, it characterises the experience of the British Infantryman in the Great War.The Territorials of the 1/5th Battalion West Yorkshire Regiment were the unsung heroes of the Great War. These Saturday Night Soldiers from York and the northern West Riding of Yorkshire went out to face the might of the German Army in April 1915. Through the hot summer and dark winter that followed, they stopped bullets at the Battle of Aubers Ridge and choked on Phosgene gas at Ypres. Caught in the carnage of the notorious first day on the Somme, the West Yorkshire Territorials were held up by General Haig as convenient scapegoats for his tactical failure, only for the 1/5th Battalion to prove him wrong and redeem itself as an attacking force at the Battle of Thiepval Ridge, and then again at Passchendaele in 1917. In the last year of the war, the battalion helped fight a rear-guard action on the Menin Road, and was effectively wiped out at the Second Battle of Kemmel Ridge, only to be re-constituted in time to take part in the bloody advances at Cambrai and Valenciennes, which helped bring the conflict to an end.

The Territorials
The Territorials

Author:

Publisher:

Published: 2011

Total Pages: 278

ISBN-13:

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The Territorials 1908-1914 is a unique, comprehensive record of the part-time soldiers who made up the Territorial Force that supported the regular army in the years immediately before the outbreak of the First World War. The origin, aims and organization of the Territorial Force are described as well as the terms of service, recruitment, equipment and training. But the bulk of the book consists of details of over 600 Territorial units plus a comprehensive account of every city, town or village associated with them. Essential information on the all the infantry formations is supplied, but also covered are the yeomanry, the artillery, the engineers, the Royal Army Medical Corps and the Army Service Corps.

England's Last Hope
England's Last Hope

Author: K. W. Mitchinson

Publisher: Palgrave MacMillan

Published: 2008-05-21

Total Pages: 336

ISBN-13:

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England’s Last Hope studies how the part-time auxiliary Territorial Force was raised, clothed, trained, housed and administered during the crucial years of its development in the years before the Great War. As such, it fills a fundamental gap in the understanding of how the force’s units were able to take the field as part of the BEF in 1914.

The Territorial Force at War, 1914-16
The Territorial Force at War, 1914-16

Author: W. Mitchinson

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2014-10-02

Total Pages: 291

ISBN-13: 1137451610

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William Mitchinson analyses the role and performance of the Territorial Force during the first two years of World War I. The study looks at the way the force was staffed and commanded, its relationship with the Regular Army and the War Office, and how most of its 1st Line divisions managed to retain and promote their local identities.

The British Army and the First World War
The British Army and the First World War

Author: Ian Beckett

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2017-05-25

Total Pages: 485

ISBN-13: 1107005779

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A comprehensive new history of the shaping and performance of the British army during the First World War.

Hull Rifles
Hull Rifles

Author: David Bilton

Publisher: Pen and Sword Military

Published: 2023-09-30

Total Pages: 322

ISBN-13: 1473873576

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Hull Rifles looks at the 4th East Yorkshire Regiment during the Great War and examines the origins of the battalion and its history over the three years it fought in France and Belgium. The battalion was involved in some of the bloodiest battles of the war and suffered such high casualty rates in early 1918 that the unit ceased to exist, except in name. The men of the original battalion were Territorials, part-time soldiers who gave their free time to provide home defense during a war. Officially formed on 1 April 1908 as a result of the Haldane changes, the unit could trace its history back hundreds of years and was one of the oldest in the country. All the men were volunteers and held a full-time job. They had committed themselves to regular weekly training and a camp in the summer where they practised large-scale manoeuvres with other units. When the call came to volunteer for overseas service, 80 per cent came forward. Their ranks were quickly filled with new volunteers who were prepared to fight abroad. Volunteer numbers were high and quickly the overseas battalion was at full strength, as was a second for home service. A third battalion was also formed to provide replacements for the men at the Front. As well as fighting on the Western Front, a battalion was sent to guard Bermuda for the duration. The text uses letters, newspaper cuttings and the war diary to provide a detailed picture of a typical Territorial battalion at war. Also included are many previously unseen photographs, a nominal list of the men who volunteered before Christmas 1915, including a convicted murderer, awards, casualty details and lists of officers.

Fighting for the Bucks
Fighting for the Bucks

Author: E.J. Hounslow

Publisher: The History Press

Published: 2013-10-01

Total Pages: 277

ISBN-13: 0752499149

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From the hell of Gallipoli to the deserts of the Holy Land, torpedoed in the Mediterranean before finally posted to the mud and trenches of the Western Front, the Royal Bucks Hussars had a fascinating and bloody story during the Great War. Condemned by Lord Kitchener as mere play boys they were able to prove him wrong by the end of the war. Sons of privileged backgrounds they may have been, but the war was indiscriminate in its killing, and war memorials and gravestones from Gallipoli to Ypres proves that the Buckinghamshire gentry were just as ready to die for their country as the next man. They went to war on horseback, relics of a gentler age, but finished up as machine gunners in a mechanised war during the final push on the Western front which broke the back of the German Army. This is their story.

The King's Men
The King's Men

Author: Neil R Storey

Publisher: Pen and Sword Military

Published: 2020-03-20

Total Pages: 408

ISBN-13: 1526765128

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“An absorbing account of the Norfolk Territorials who fought at Gallipoli and created a legend” from the author of Beating the Nazi Invader (Firetrench). The 4th and 5th Battalions, the Norfolk Regiment were formed in the early days of The Great War as part of the Territorial Force and deployed with 54th (East Anglian) Division to Gallipoli in 1915. Most significantly the 1/5th Battalion was unique in that it contained The Sandringham Company, the only unit to be raised entirely from a Royal Estate. Tragically the Company, along with King George V’s Agent Captain Beck, disappeared without trace on 12 August 1915, presumed to have been overcome by their Turkish adversaries. The Battalion was rebuilt and saw out the ill-fated Gallipoli Campaign being evacuated to Egypt in December 1915. Thereafter the Norfolks served with distinction in Palestine as part of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force. The author has compiled a fascinating history of these Battalions’ distinguished service using contemporary records and personal accounts illustrated with a splendid selection of photographs. The result is a fitting tribute to the memory of these brave volunteers. “Brilliant local (Norfolk) social historian Neil Storey tells the story of the Norfolk Regiment and its campaigns during and after the Great War. Beautifully illustrated and full of amazing and fascinating facts, this is social and military history at its very best.” —Books Monthly “Neil Storey manages to compose a very interesting and passionate book, which once again demonstrates the effort and war contribution of small British communities during the Great War tragedy.” —On the Old Barbed Wire