The Queen's in the 1914-1918 War

 

When the First World War began on 4^th August 1914, the 1^st Battalion was in England and the 2^nd Battalion in South Africa. The 1^st Battalion landed at Le Havre as part of the British Expeditionary Force, while the 2^nd Battalion returned to England on l9^th September and landed at Zeebrugge as part of 7^th Division in early October. Both battalions were up to strength with highly skilled professional soldiers who had maintained the tradition and reputation of the Regiment in every station of the Empire where they had served. For most of them the part played in the slaughter of the next four years was pitifully brief. By the 1^st November 1914 during the First Battle of Ypres, there were only 32 survivors of the 1^st Battalion and by 7^th of that month, the 2^nd Battalion also at Ypres, had suffered 676 casualties.

The 1^st Battalion was at Mons, the first battle of the war and took part in the retreat, covering 136 miles in thirteen days of hard fighting. After the battles of Mons and the Aisne, it fought the First Battle of Ypres; two days previously on 29^th October, it had been joined by the 2^nd Battalion withdrawing from Antwerp and that night the two battalions held a sector of the line side by side.

After the battles of Loos in 1915 and the great battle of the Somme in 1916, the 1^st Battalion further distinguished itself in 1917 against the Hindenburg Line, at Arras and the Third Battle of Ypres. In 1918 it suffered ‘heavily in the German offensive but held its ground and when the tide turned, it fought its way to victory through the Hindenburg Line. It came out of action on 7^th November with only 17 men of all ranks who had landed in France in August 1914.

The 2^nd Battalion also lost many men in the slaughter at Ypres in October 1914 and in 1915 it fought the battles of Aubers Ridge, Festubert and Loos. on 1^st July 1916 the battalion captured all its objectives in the opening moves of the Battle of the Somme, and with one short rest, fought continuously until 16^th July. In 1917, after fighting at Bellecourt, Broodseinde and Passchendaele, it was sent to the Italian front where it added the Battle Honours of Piave and Vittorio Veneto and was at Cavrie when the war ended.

The 4^th Battalion, which dates from 1859 when a volunteer company was raised in Croydon, mobilized on 5^th August 1914 and in September became the 1^st/4^th. Reserve battalions as they were raised became 2^nd/4^th and 3^rd/4^th. In October 1914 the Home Counties Division, in which the 1^st/4^th and 1^st/5^th Battalions of the Queen’s were serving, sailed for India to relieve Regular troops for service in other theatres. The 1^st/4^th fought on the North-West Frontier in 1916 and 1917 and received a commendation for their conduct and bearing from the Commander-in-Chief.

The 2^nd/4^th Queen’s, raised in 1914, amalgamated with the 2^nd/5^th Battalion in 1915 retaining the title of the 2/4^th. They joined 53^rd Division and sailed in July for Gallipoli where they landed in August, and in subsequent operations fought gallantly to capture and hold Hill 53 on the peninsula. They suffered heavy casualties both from the battles and disease, and in December 1915, when Gallipoli was evacuated, were sent to Egypt where they guarded the Suez Canal until January 1917. After heavy fighting in three attacks on Gaza, the Battalion reached Jerusalem which surrendered on 9^th December 1917. In May 1918 the 2/4^th was transferred to the Western Front where, after fighting at the Marne, they played a great part in the final offensive.

Ypres 1917. (Click to enlarge)

The 6^th Battalion was one of Kitchener’s ‘New Army’ raised in 1914. It went to France in 1915 and fought at the Battle of Loos in 1915, the Somme in 1916 and Arras and Cambrai in 1917. The 7^th Battalion went to France in 1915 and made four attacks at the Somme. It suffered appalling casualties at Arras and the Third Battle of Ypres, where Lieut Colonel Bushell, the Commanding Officer, was awarded the Victoria Cross. Finally, the Battalion fought to halt the German offensive in 1918.

The 8^th Queen’s suffered heavy casualties at Loos in 1915; they fought at the Somme and the Third Battle of Ypres, and. distinguished themselves in the German offensive of 1918. The 10^th and 11^th Battalions went to France in 1915 with the 41^st Division; they fought at Messines and the Third Battle of Ypres. The Division was moved in 1917 to Italy but returned to France to meet the German offensive of 1918. Six further battalions of the Queen’s fought as part of the London Regiment, and won three Victoria Crosses.

Altogether 31 battalions were raised; the Queen’s fought on nearly every front, added 73 Battle Honours to their Colours and won four Victoria Crosses. The Regimental War Memorial in Holy Trinity Church, Guildford is inscribed: ‘To the glorious memory of 8000 Officers, Warrant Officers, Non-Commissioned officers and Men of the Queen’s who gave their lives for their country in Flanders, France, Italy, Gallipoli, Salonika, Mesopotamia, Palestine, Egypt, India, Africa and Germany 1914-1918’.

The Regiment between the Wars

Between the World Wars the 1^st Battalion served in Ireland during ‘the troubles’ and then went to the Far East. After several years in Hong Kong and Tientsin, it moved to Quetta in North West India and was out on a night route march when the city was devastated by the earthquake of 31^st May 1935. L/Cpl Henshaw and Pte Brooks were awarded the Empire Gallantry Medal for their work and courage in the subsequent rescue operation. By Royal Command these medals were later converted to the George Cross.

HM Queen Mary Colonel-in-Chief, The Queen's Royal Regiment. (Click to enlarge)

The 2^nd Battalion went to India in 1919 where it spent a year on the turbulent North-West Frontier. Under Lieutenant Colonel Mathew-Lannowe, it continued the Regiment’s great reputation for smartness and efficiency, later earning the nickname ‘The Guards of India’ after providing guards and escorts for the Prince of Wales. When it left India in 1926, the Commander-in-Chief, lord Birdwood, said: “For the past 40 years I have realised there are no better troops than The Queen’s.”

The Territorial Battalions which stood down at the end of the Great War, were reactivated in 1920. Initially they were manned by those who had fought in the war. There was a wave of pacifism throughout the country and with no obvious threat in the world, numbers gradually diminished. The 1929 financial crises led to economies with cancelled camps and cuts in training grants.

The rise of the Nazi Party in the mid-1930’s in Germany changed all this; grants were increased and new drill halls and equipment became available which led to an increase of recruits. To give London air defence first consideration, the 4^th Battalion (Croydon) became a Searchlight Battalion RE. At the same time 22^nd London Regiment became 6^th (Bermondsey) Battalion, The Queen’s and 24^th London Regiment became the 7^th (Southwark) Battalion, The Queen’s; they were both transferred to 44^th Home Counties Division and together with the 5^th Battalion, 131^st Queen’s Brigade was formed.

The Munich crisis in 1938 led to greatly increased activity and training took place every night of the week. Then early in 1939 the Territorial Army was ordered to be doubled and the 2^nd/5^th, 2^nd/6^th and 2^nd/7^th Battalions were formed; after a short period as 35 Brigade, they became 169 Queen’s Brigade of 56^th London Division.

The Colours of 1^st Battalion The Queen's Royal (West Surrey) Regiment.

 

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