21st Battalion Kings Royal Rifle Corps

[wulsten]

Can anyone help with location of the 21st KRRC on the 13th September 1917, i believe they were in billets near the vilage of Tatingham was this an area where unit would rest & refit whilst away from the line ??

[Longboat]

Wulsten,

Cant be specific, I took this from the history of the Royal West Kent Regiment 1914-18.

"Third Ypres."

In September 1917 the 41st Division was part of Third Corps which was attacking south of the Menin Road.

It's objective lay to the south-west of Gheluvet along the ridge beyond the Basseville Brook to which had been given the name of Tower Hamlets Ridge.

The Division attacked with the 122nd Brigade on the left and the 124th on the right. (Of which the 21st K.R.R.C were part.).

Hope this is of some use

Stuart.

[wulsten]

Recently found that the 21st Kings Royal Rifle Corps were in billets in Tatingham was this an area of rest for units resting or refitting etc

[Colin W Taylor]

Recently found that the 21st Kings Royal Rifle Corps were in billets in Tatingham was this an area of rest for units resting or refitting etc

It would seem you are correct - the war diary for the 21st Bn KRRC (the Yeoman Rifles?) states in August 1917 the Battalion proceeded by route march to the 2nd Army Training Area and reached their destination at Tatinghem (west of St Omer in N France) on 26/08/17 and conducted training there prior to their next involvement in 3rd Ypres. They proceeded on their march back to the front on 14/09/17.

To answer your question it was a training area - I would assume to train them and 'fatten them up' for the next show but the battalion would have needed considerable rest and refitting to recuperate from the 280 odd casualties they had suffered in action prior to the march.

If you're after a copy of the war diaries for the months in question please let me know.

CWT

PS I thought it might mention the place in Anthony Eden's memoirs but he left the battalion in July 1917.

[wulsten]

Colin, thanks for the info pm sent, Geoff

[MBrockway]

Geoff,

Lots of further information including a scan of the relevant section for this date from the 1917 KRRC Chronicle here:

Harold Marshall M.M Kings Royal Rifles

Harold Marshall was actually in 18/KRRC (Arts & Crafts) but this Topic covers the Battle of the Menin Road and includes the activities of 21/KRRC (Yeoman Rifles). The two battalions were in 41st Division and took part in the Battle together, which was what the battalion was training up for at Tatinghem up to 14th September 1917.

In that Topic the sketch map of the 41st Div attack in Shrewsbury Forest on 20th Sep shows the start positions for each of the 18/KRRC companies only. 124th Brigade (including 21/KRRC) were the other attacking brigade forming the right half of the 41st Div attack immediately to the S of 18/KRRC, but as yet I have not been able to work out the disposition of the battalions within the brigade frontage.

Other topics that might also interest you:

18th Battalion, King's Royal Rifle Corps, August 24th 1918 (from Post #6 onwards)

HTH

Cheers,

Mark

PS The KRRC Chronicle has 21/KRRC arriving at Tatinghem on 27th August 1917.

[Colin W Taylor]

PS The KRRC Chronicle has 21/KRRC arriving at Tatinghem on 27th August 1917.

The war diary; theoretically a primary source ststes they arrived at noon on the 26th and that all companies were settled into billets by 230 pm

[wulsten]

Thanks again, Geoff

[MBrockway]

The war diary; theoretically a primary source ststes they arrived at noon on the 26th and that all companies were settled into billets by 230 pm

Colin,

I agree: I would definitely treat the WD info as the more reliable. The Battalion War Records sections of the KRRC Chronicle are mostly a precis of the War Diaries. One assumes the date in the KRRC Chronicle is a human error.

Cheers,

Mark