Leicestershire Regiment/Yeomanry? 1918

[EmSea]

My Grandpa appears to have been in the Leicestershire Regiment during WW1. His cap-badge is for that regiment and he embroidered a tapestry of his discharge certificate that clearly states Leicestershire regiment. However, I have a copy of his diary that pre-dates his going to France. He enlisted in February 1917 and appears to have been allocated to the Leicestershire Yeomanry regiment. Much of his (albeit brief) journal details training with horses and bicycles. The journal finishes with an entry March 1918 just before he went to France (where he was subsequently wounded and disabled).
Does anyone know of the relationship between the two regiments? How did my Grandpa train as a horse-soldier and yet be discharged as an infantryman? Any help will be most welcome.

[Terry Reeves]

It's possible that he originally enlisted into the 2/1st Leicestershire Yeomanry. By May 1917 it was at Leybourne nr West Malling in Kent and in August the same year it became a Cyclist Unit in the 12th Cyclist Brigade of the Cyclist Division. By January , 1918 the unit had moved to Canterbury where it remained for the rest of the war. That would explain horses and bicycles.

As far as the Leicestershire Regiment is concerned, I would not be suprised if he was transferred to them as a casualty replacement, not an unusual occurance by any means.

Terry Reeves

[EmSea]

It's possible that he originally enlisted into the 2/1st Leicestershire Yeomanry. By May 1917 it was at Leybourne nr West Malling in Kent and in August the same year it became a Cyclist Unit in the 12th Cyclist Brigade of the Cyclist Division. By January , 1918 the unit had moved to Canterbury where it remained for the rest of the war. That would explain horses and bicycles.

As far as the Leicestershire Regiment is concerned, I would not be suprised if he was transferred to them as a casualty replacement, not an unusual occurance by any means.

Terry Reeves

I am having a bit of trouble with logging in and then being told that I am not logged in! However, I hope this works. The details that you give correspond very closely with what he has written. He writes of being sent to Leybourn Park, with West Malling being the nearest station. He describes Cycle training and air raids. He moved from there to Tonbridge and then onto Brentwood (PT training). He then moved to Margate and then to Borden (final part of PT training). He spent some time in Old Park Farm in Canterbury before going to France.

In the near future, I hope to go to Kew to try to track down his war record (if it is not destroyed). This might cast more light on what happened and perhpas where he was wounded. Thanks for your help.

[1 IG]

Hi
Following your thread about your grandfather, it would be a good idea to check the medal rolls to establish which Battalion of the Leicestershire Regt he served in during 1918, this may give some indication of when he was wounded too, your chances of discovering his service record in the "burnt records" is slim, however it is worth a try. If you can establish the approximate date of his being wounded, I hold a very extensive library of information on Leicestershire and Rutland soldiers in the Great War which includes all the Battalion Diaries, I may be able to identify where he was, and in what action he received his injuries. Was he a Leicestershire resident? If so it may also be an idea to visit the Leicester Record Office in Wigston and trawl through the newspaper records for the time, they are all on film and you may be lucky enough to find some further information there. Hope this offers a few more avenues for you to explore, regards

Michael

[Procat]

Hello Michael,

Thank you for posting that information. Unfortunately EmSea is no longer a member of the forum and is unlikely to see your post.

[1 IG]

Hi Doug
Thanks for that information, I never looked at the date of the original post, it was just the Leicestershire Regiment that caught my eye, regards

Michael

[Eric Langley]

Hi
Following your thread about your grandfather, it would be a good idea to check the medal rolls to establish which Battalion of the Leicestershire Regt he served in during 1918, this may give some indication of when he was wounded too, your chances of discovering his service record in the "burnt records" is slim, however it is worth a try. If you can establish the approximate date of his being wounded, I hold a very extensive library of information on Leicestershire and Rutland soldiers in the Great War which includes all the Battalion Diaries, I may be able to identify where he was, and in what action he received his injuries. Was he a Leicestershire resident? If so it may also be an idea to visit the Leicester Record Office in Wigston and trawl through the newspaper records for the time, they are all on film and you may be lucky enough to find some further information there. Hope this offers a few more avenues for you to explore, regards

Michael
Am researching Private Leonard George Walter Perry 40386, 8th Battalion, Leicestershire Regiment, killed at Morval 25 Sept 1916. He was born in Leicester 1890, my grandmother's brother. Any information is appreciated.
Eric Langley, Vancouver Island, Canada

[Procat]

Greetings Eric,

Soldiers Died Great War records:

Name: PERRY Leonard George Walter
Rank: Private
Number: 40386
Regiment, Corps etc: Leicestershire Regiment
Battalion: 8th Battalion
Enlisted: Leicester
Died Date: 25 Sept 16
Died how: Killed in action
Theatre: France & Flanders

[1 IG]

Hi Eric
From my database the following, hope it helps, Michael
PERRY, Leonard George Walter
Sgt. 40386. 8th Bn. Leics. Regt.-“C” Coy. Kia 25/9/16. Age 25. BC. Thiepval Mem., Somme, France. C. The Martyr’s Church, Leicester. B. 1890 at Leicester. E. Leicester. R. Leicester. PD. He was the son of George Henry and Mary Ann Perry of 11, Morledge Street, Leicester, and the husband of Annie Perry. The War Diary entry for events from the 24th to the 30th September 1916 records. East of TRONES WOOD. About 7.00pm on the 24th the Battalion marched up to take a position prior to making an attack the next day. Before they reached the position the enemy heavily shelled our men, several casualties resulting. At 12.30pm on the 25th the first attack was launched, the 8th LEICESTERSHIRE REGT being in a position on the right of FLERS. The objective was the first German line, a distance of about a 1000 yards from the trench from which the Battalion launched the attack. The attack was made in waves, each platoon forming a wave, and 2 waves going over at a time. The attack was launched with splendid heroism, the first objective was gained in about ¾ of an hour, the men then stopped a short time to consolidate their gain, and to allow the artillery barrage to lift. They then pressed on to their second objective which was the village of GUEDECOURT. By the time they reached the village their ranks were sadly thinner, by the tremendous artillery barrage the enemy put up, and by machine guns which wrought terrible havoc. Never the less with dauntless gallantry they pressed on reaching the village and engaging the enemy in hand to hand fighting, which took place all the night. In the morning the 7th LEICESTERSHIRE REGT relieved the 8th LEICESTERSHIRE REGT in the village, and the enemy were finally driven out. The 8th LEICESTERSHIRE REGT were brought back to the second line of trenches, where they were relieved by the 6th LEICESTERSHIRE REGT on the 28th. They then went back to SWISS TRENCH where they remained until relieved on the night of October 1st.

[Eric Langley]

Thank you both very much for this information - it is extremely useful.
Eric Langley, Courtenay, BC, Canada

[Eric Langley]

Michael,
Could you please explain the capital letters in the first line of your message ie: "BC. Thiepval Mem., Somme, France. C. The Martyr's Church, Leicester. B. 1890 at Leicester. E. Leicester. R. Leicester. PD."
I understand the B. is for born 1890 at Leicester. Is the C for Christened at The Martyr's Church? I confess I don't understand the BC, E, R, and PD.
Thanking you,
Eric Langley
Vancouver Island

[1 IG]

Hi Eric
My apologies the database that I hold contains 12,600 men who all have a connection with Leicestershire or Rutland, and of course there is an abbreviation section to the printed version, so here goes in answer to your query:-
"BC" = Buried or Commemorated: The place the soldier either lies or is commemorated by name, in this case it is the Thiepval Mem., Somme France.
"C" = Commemorated: The place or places where he is commemorated, in this case on the copper memorial plaque in front of the altar in The Martyr's Church on Westcotes Drive, off the Narborough Road, Leicester, England.
"B" = Born: The date and place of his birth, in this case 1890 in Leicester.
"E" = Place of Enlistment: The date and place of enlistment, in this case Leicester.
"R" = Place of Residence: The town, village, city of residence at the time of his death, in this case Leicester.
"PD" = Personal Details: Any further information that is known about the casualty, his family, the circumstances of his death, newspaper articles wives, parents, children and of course the War Diary entry for the date of his death.

I do apologise for not being clearer with my original email reply, hope this clears things up for you, regards

Michael
PS: If there is any further information you require please contact me within the next two weeks as I am going to exit this forum, as I am not allowed to upload images, so am only a part member, and so am unable to fully participate, I would have liked to have uploaded the pages of the war Diary for you to read but as I have mentioned I have not got those permissions, so will be pulling the plug soon.

[1 IG]

Hi
I attempted uploading images when I first joined with no success, I contacted an admisistrater and was told that I had to have made a certain number of posts before I could have that permission, consequently when answering a query I was unable to upload the images of the Battalion Diary pages I hold. Perhaps saying I was a part member was badly worded, what I really meant to say is that I do not have full permissions, it matters not as the only reason I am involved in this thread is that out of courtesy I feel obliged to answer the query, once the question is resolved I will be closing my link and will exit the forum, Michael

[Procat]

Hi
I attempted uploading images when I first joined with no success, I contacted an admisistrater and was told that I had to have made a certain number of posts before I could have that permission

I am not aware of that having been the situation on this site. I do know that it was (and possibly still is) the situation on the Great War Forum. Perhaps that is where you encountered the original issue.

[Eric Langley]

Thank you again Michael, this information is very much appreciated.
There are two generations of relatives here in Canada who have no idea of the sacrifice of their ancestors and their families, or the associations we have with past events, and every detail helps to elaborate our connections.

[r0an]

is 1 IG still active? as my gt grandad served with the Leicestershire Regiment.

regards

[Procat]

Hi r0an,

1 IG is no longer a member of the forum.