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From: Barbara Kearns <>
Subject: The Second Battalion Royal Berkshire Regiment
Date: Thu, 03 Aug 2000 12:20:54 +0800

I came across this posting on another list.
If any of the correspondents are also on this list, I hope they will excuse
me for passing the info on.

<> writes
>We wish to trace the movements of the 2nd battalion of the Royal
>Berkshire Regiment in WW1.
>We believe our relative was in India at some point and know he
>survived the war.
>The records at the Records Office must have been destroyed.
>
>If anyone can give some help on this we would be very grateful.
>
>Thanks in advance
>
>Heather Smith
>
The Second Battalion Royal Berkshire Regiment

The 2nd Bn was one of two Regular battalions and was serving at
Jhansi in India when war broke out. They embarked at Bombay on the
troopship SS Dongala on the 27th September 1914 and reached Liverpool
on October 23rd. After a brief stop-over at Winchester where they
joined 25th Brigade they set out for France and arrived at Le Havre
on the 5th November with 30 officers and 978 other ranks.

Their first job was to relieve the 1st East Surreys in trenches at
Fauquissart and suffered terribly from trench feet and illness caused
by the abrupt change of climate. When they fraternised with German
soldiers from a Bavarian unit at Christmas they were consoled by the
fact that the Germans were just as cold and muudy as they were. The
next three months were spent in and out of trenches until 8th
Division were replaced by 7th Division and they could retire to
billets at Riez Bailleul.

First real blooding came at the Battle of Neuve Chapell between
the 10th and 15th March 1915 when they lost 75 men killed, 223
wounded and 17 missing. Further losses wre incurred on the 10th May
in a confused raid on German trenches near Bac St Maur. The summer
was spent alternating between front line duty and billets

They were part of the first phase of the Battle of Loos on the
25th September 1915. None of them managed to get into the German 2nd
line trenches and they suffered 131 killed, 206 wounded and 60
missing. This was followed by a spell in Divisional reserve at
Fleurbaix and then two months of intensive training to incorporate
all the new men who had been drafted in to replace the casualties.

>From January to March 1916 they remained west of Lille with some
trench duty. On the 28th March they were moved to the Somme area as
part of the build up for the coming offensive. Towards the end of
June they conducted a silent reconnaisance on the German trenches and
found the Germans quite snug and happy in their deep dugouts despite
the artillery bombardment which had supposedly reduced the Germans to
minced meat. They reported their findings to higher authority but
were told they were mistaken.

The 2nd were attacking Ovillers on the first day of the Somme
offensive and had 437 casualties. A few days later the 5th Battalion
covered the same ground and found themselves tripping over the bodies
of their comrades. The remnant of the battalion had to withdraw to
reform and recuperate and the rest of the summer and early autumn was
spent near Vermelles with only a few periods of trench duty. They
came back to the Somme area on the 10th October and were in and out
of trenches with a few raids to break the monotony until the 5th
June 1917 when they were moved to relieve the 1st Worcesters at
Ypres.

They had two major engagements in the Paschedaele horror: at the
Battle of Lengemark on the 16th August and near Passendaele on the
2nd December. When the German Spring offensive broke on the 21st
March 1918 the 2nd Battalion was moved back to the Somme area to try
to stem the attack. They saw action first on the 24th March and
gradually retreated until 25th Brigade were withdrawn on the 28th
March. From 27th April they were in the French sector and faced the
third German attack on the Aisne on 27th May. The casualty return
almost tells the story: killed 2, wounded 51, missing 653. They had
been overrun and virtually wiped out.

The remnant of the battalion which then comprised 7 officers and
120 other ranks was merged with the other remnants of 8th Division to
form the 1/8th Composite Battalion. The Division was reduced to two
such battalions, the 1/8th and the 2/8th. On the 12th June they were
transferred back to the British Army and moved to near Dieppe where
the 2nd Battalion was rebuilt.

They were back in the line at Vimy Ridge on the 22nd July and
were part of an attack on the 21st September when the advance to
Victory began. The Germans were pursued towards Douai and the 2nd
Battalion were at Pommeroeuil when the Armistice took effect on
November 11th.

They returned to Reading on the 17th May 1919 having been
reduced to cadre by leave and demobilisation. A detachment of the
Battalion was sent to North Russia to fight the Bolsheviks but spent
most of the time sailing up and down the Volga. The detachment
returned to England on the 27th September to reform for peacetime
duties.

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• The Second Battalion Royal Berkshire Regiment by Barbara Kearns <>