2/3rd Battalion, London Regiment 1916

[Guest lidzy]

Hello All!

Just wondering if anyone has a source stating precisely when (and on which boat) the 2/3rd Battalion London Regiment moved from Egypt to France in 1916. On the Long Long Trail website it says the following April 1916 : moved to France. June 1916 : disbanded in France. In O'Neill's book The Royal Fusiliers in the Great War it says that the 2/3rd was amalgamated with the 1/3 Battalion in France in May 1916. (page 190). In Dudley-Ward's book about the 56th Division the amalgamation is not mentioned. The battalion's war diary for the period is not at the NA/PRO, so has probably not survived. Has anyone seen a reference to the move in any other book, for example of a battalion that also moved from Egypt to France at that time? Another other sources? I haven't checked the diary for the 1/3rd battalion for the period, but living in Sweden it's not so easy. (Lets hope they get put online at some point!)

Thanks in advance for any help,

All the best,

Tony

[bmac]

The 2/1st London Brigade (2/1, 2/2, 2/3 and 2/4 Londons) embarked on H T Transylvania on 17th April at Alexandria. The ship left on the 18th, arriving in Marseille on the 24th. The brigade then entrained for Rouen, arriving on the 26th April, where it was disbanded. All battalions were also disbanded and the men were sent to battalions in the 56th (1st London) Division. Men were not necessarily sent to their equivalent first line battalion, some drafts went to other battalions in the Division. On the 5th May, the 1/3rd Londons, then based at Hebuterne, received a draft of 1 officer and 246 men with another 2 officers and 45 men arriving two days later. These are not stated definitively as coming from the 2/3rd Londons but I think it would be a good bet. On 24th May 110 men from the 2/3rd Londons joined the 1/3rd Londons at St Amand.

Sources: 1/3rd Londons' War Diary and The War History of the 4th London Regiment by F C Grimwade.

[Guest lidzy]

Hello bmac!!

That's brilliant - thanks very much. I was hoping that someone would have a reference to the 2/3rd Londons from another battalion's history. Have you copied the 1/3rd's war diary from the NA, by any chance? If so, I would be really grateful if you could summarise the entry for the 12th September 1916 - the day my Great Uncle died. He'd been with the 2/3rd Londons in the Sudan, Egypt and Gallipoli, and then went to France and joined the 1/3rd battalion.

Thanks again, and much obliged,

Take Care,

Tony

[bmac]

Sorry, I only have the War Diary for May to early July 1916.

[Guest lidzy]

Hello bmac!

Not to worry. Thanks for all your help. As an aside, I got a huge amount of information about the 2/3rd battalion's service in the Sudan, Egypt and Gallipoli from a memoir written by one of its officers which is deposited in the Liddle-Hart archive at King's College, London. In 1915 the officer in question was evacuated to Malta, and then to England, when he got frostbite during the great storm of 28th November at Suvla. This meant he missed the move of the battalion to Egypt and then to France, so it wasn't touched upon in his memoir. (He rejoined the battalion later).

Thanks again,

All the best,

Tony