How quickly did WW1 soldiers go to France?

[grahamwilk]

My grandfather enlisted into the Notts & Derby Regiment on his 18th birthday on 26th August 1917. How long would he have been trained in England before being sent to France?

Thanks Graham

[Elma]

Graham
Do you know what Battalion he was in? Then you can check the war diaries for that Battalion. My great uncle was nearly a year before he went to France ahead of The Somme. unfortunately he died on a 'quiet' day in the trenches, just before the main offensive.
The third Battle of Ypres started 16th July 1917 which was shortly before Passchendale. Do you know any battles he fought in?
ELMA

[grahamwilk]

Hi, my Grandfather was in the 12th Pioneer Battalion, Notts & Derby R, I have read a brilliant book about the battalion which is why i would like to know exactly when he joined them in France! Thanks

Graham.

[Waitabit]

I Googled "War Diaries WW1" & there are many to choose from. Yu may strike lucky with the one which features your Battalion.
I read some from Canadian CEF, a brilliant read.

[michaelpipe]

The period of time varied dependant on the situation at the time. I have one in my wife's tree who enlisted about the 13th Aug 1914, and was killed in France just 10 days later.

[SueNSW]

The War Diary is here at the NA - https://nationalarchives.gov.uk/catal...accessmethod=0

As it has not already been digistised you would have to request the cost of a copy from them - and to be honest he is very unlikely to have been referred to by name - but it may add to your general interest

There is a Sherood Foresters Museum - start from here -https://www.
wfrmuseum.org.uk/index.htm
Otherwise reports in local papers might be another source of information for you but it would be a long slog

Finally - if you could find anyone with a surviving record on Ancestry who had a similarly allocated service number and enlisted around the same sort of date - you again might get an indication of how long they trained for etc

Good Luck
Sue

[SueNSW]

Woops - the link to the War Diary didn't seem to work properly - try again

https://nationalarchives.gov.uk/catal...accessmethod=0

Cheers
Sue

[barbara lee]

The period of time varied dependant on the situation at the time. I have one in my wife's tree who enlisted about the 13th Aug 1914, and was killed in France just 10 days later.

Michael
Was he perhaps a pre-war Territorial or Special Reservist? My understanding was that the wholly civilian volunteers from August and September 1914 didn't go overseas until May 1915.
Barbara