| 1914 |
|
August |
Proceeded overseas. Battle of Vailly on the Aisne following The Retreat: 100 casualties. |
| October 17th |
Attack on La Bassee: odds about 40 to 1. |
| October 30th |
Stand at Festubert: the battalion on the left fled but the Devons never wavered. |
1915 |
| April 21st |
Hill 60. Held it for 9 days and had 100 casualties. |
1916 |
| July to November |
Somme offensive. |
| September 4th |
Leuze wood. Further advance than any other battalion. |
| September 25th |
Morval. |
1917 |
| April 23rd |
La Conlotte: asked to do the impossible, 230 casualties. |
| May 8th/9th |
Fresnoy: Fought on, when battalion on left and right were late in the attack. |
| July to October |
Ypres sector: major attack on the Polderhoek Chateau. |
| November |
Italy. |
1918 |
| April 13th |
Defence of the Forest of Nieppe. Stopped 4 attacks as ‘last ditch’ engagements, with no Brigade or Divisional reserves. Special commendation by Army and Corps C/Os. |
| Advance to victory. |
Advance to the Besque, Orvilliers Ridge and Bacquoy. Cpl. Onions awarded the V.C. for holding up with one other man 100 enemy with his Lewis gun and marching them back in good order of fours! |
2nd Battalion |
| On their return from Cairo, Egypt, went out to France with the 23rd Brigade, 8th Division, November 1914. |
Major engagements: |
1914 |
| November 6th |
Landed at Le Havre. |
| December 18th |
Attack on Moated Grange (Neuve Chapelle area) by 2 companies. 121 casualties. |
1915 |
| March 10th |
Battle of Neuve Chapelle. |
| May 9th |
Battle of Aubers Ridge. Casualties 8 officers and 235 O.R.s. |
1916 |
| July-November |
Somme offensive: |
| July 1st |
First day: Battle of Albert. Battalion destroyed by Machine Gun fire and barrage. 16 officers and 400 O.R.s casualties. |
1917 |
| July to November |
3rd Ypres: Battle of Passchendaele. |
1918 |
| March 27th |
Battle of Rozieres. After 8 days without sleep, counter-attacked and restored. Situation over whole Divisional front. Special mention by C-in-C. |
| April 4th |
Battle of the Avre: the first great German offensive, ‘Michael’ finally stopped. |
| May 27th |
Stand on the Bois des Buttes. Mentioned in Dispatches by General Foch. ‘Thus the whole Battalion, Colonel, 28 Officers and 552 N.C.O.s and men responded with one accord and offered their lives in ungrudging sacrifice to the sacred cause of the Allies.’ |
| June to November |
Advance to victory: decimated, it was now a battalion of very young recruits. Stormed the Drocourt Queant switch line and crossed the Escaut. |
3rd Battalion |
August 1914 in Exeter but moved to Plymouth on 8th August, returning on 28th August. May 1915 moved to Devonport.
The reserve battalion, concentrating on draft finding and basic training, the receipt of the previously wounded returning to duty and recruiting, ceremonial parades and demonstrations throughout Devon. The Battalion was used also as the garrison for the defence of Plymouth, and remained in the UK throughout the war. |
The Service Battalions
8th (Service) Battalion |
The first of the Devon Regiment’s New Army battalions, as called for by Lord Kitchener (K1).
Formed at Exeter on 19 August 1914 as part of K1 and attached as Divisional Troops to 14th (Light) Division.
May 1915 : left Division and landed at Le Havre 26 July 1915.
4 August 1915 : attached to 20th Brigade, 7th Division.
Moved with the Division to Italy in November 1917. |
Major engagements: |
1914 |
| August 19th |
Formation oversubscribed. Attached as Divisional Troops to the 14th (Light)
Division. |
1915 |
| July 26th |
Landed at Le Havre with 9th Devons and joined 20th Brigade, 7th Division (4th August). |
| September 25th |
Battle of Loos. Behaved magnificently, but battalion wiped out with casualties of 21 officers and 580 O.R.s. The Battalion dashed to their objective and captured Gun Trench and 4 German field-guns, one of which was presented to the City of Exeter. |
1916 |
| July 1st |
Opening day of the Somme offensive. One Company sent to the assistance of the 9th Devons. Casualties were 10 Officers and 190 O.R.s. |
| July 14th |
Battle of Bazentin Ridge and capture of Bazentin-le-Grand, together with an 8” Howitzer and 60 prisoners. Casualties 7 Officers and 164 O.R.s. |
| July 20th |
Attack on High Wood. Corporal Veale awarded the V.C. Casualties 8 Officers and 103 O.R.s. |
| September 3rd-9th |
Fighting around Ginchy. |
1917 |
| May – August |
Fighting around Bullecourt and the outposts of the Hindenburg Line. Attack and capture of Croiselles. |
| October |
3rd Ypres, Battle of Passchendaele. Attack astride the Ypres-Menin road in attempt to capture Gheluvelt. Atrocious conditions: untold odds, very heavy shelling, appaling mud. A battle against pill-boxes and machine-guns, with very heavy casualties. |
| November |
Move to Italy, a break for the Battalion, even in winter conditions. |
1918 |
| January to August |
The advance over the Piave to the Tagliamento. |
| August |
Returned to France and joined 25th Division. |
The 8th Devons had as fine a reputation as many regular line regiments, ‘a Service Battalion by name, but Territorial by nature’. |
9th (Service) Battalion |
The second of the Devon Regiment’s New Army battalions, as called for by Lord Kitchener (K2.)
Formed at Exeter on 15 September 1914 as part of K2 and attached as Divisional Troops to 20th (Light) Division.
April 1915: left Division and landed at Le Havre 28 July 1915.
8 August 1915: attached to 20th Brigade, 7th Division.
September 1918: left Division in Italy and moved back to France.
16 September 1918: attached to 7th Brigade, 25th Division. |
Major engagements:
Served in the 7th Division with the 8th Devons throughout the war, until the 8th returned to France in August 1918. |
1914 |
| Formation undersubscribed but numbers made up from other parts of the country. |
1915 |
| July 25th |
See 8th Devons. |
| September 25th |
Battle of Loos. Assisted the 8th Battalion in the capture of the German guns. The C.O., Adjutant and three Company Commanders were all killed and the Battalion decimated. |
1916 |
| July 1st |
Opening day of the Battle of the Somme offensive. All officers except one Lt. became casualties: 17 Officers and 447 O.R.s. |
| July 14th |
Supported 8th Devons in the attack on the Bazentin Ridge. |
| July 20th |
Attack on High Wood: over 100 casualties. |
1917 |
|
See 8th Devons. |
1918 |
| August |
Returned to France. |
| October 8th |
Attack on Beaurevoir. |
| October – November |
Crossing of the Torrens Canal.
Capture of Le Cateau.
Landrecies. |
The 8th and 9th Battalions together were a unique record of twin service battalions in the Great War. |
10th (Service) Battalion
The third of the Devon Regiment’s New Army battalions as called for by Lord Kitchener (K3). |
1914 |
| September 25th |
Formed at Exeter as part of 79th Brigade, 26th Division. |
1915 |
| September 23rd |
Landed at Boulogne. |
| November |
Moved with the 26th Division to Salonika. |
1916 |
| April 24th/25th |
2nd Battle of Doiran. Crossed the Jumeaux Ravine and only Battalion to gain their objective against heavy odds. Colonel Howard awarded DSO, Corporal Bennett the M.M. for storming the position with the remnant of his platoon. |
The Reserve, Labour, Works and Garrison Battalions
11th (Reserve) Battalion |
| The fourth of the Devon Regiment’s New Army Battalions as called for by Lord Kitchener (K4). |
1914 |
| November |
Attached to 100th Brigade, 33rd Division. |
1915 |
| April 10th |
Became a Reserve Battalion. |
1916 |
| September 1st |
Converted into 44th Training Reserve Battalion in 10th Reserve Brigade. |
12th (Labour) Battalion
Formed in Devonport in May 1916.
June 1916: landed in France and joined to Fourth Army.
April 1917 : transferred to Labour Corps as 152nd and 153rd Labour Companies. |
13th (Works) Battalion
Formed in Saltash in June 1916. Moved to Plymouth.
April 1917 became 3rd Labour Battalion. |
14th (Labour) Battalion
Formed in Plymouth in August 1916.
October 1916: landed in France and joined to Third Army.
April 1917 : transferred to Labour Corps as 154th and 155th Labour Companies. |
1st (Garrison) Battalion
Formed in Weymouth on 8 August 1915.
Moved to Egypt on 27 September 1915 and on to Palestine in 1917. |
2nd (Home Service) Garrison Battalion
Formed in Exeter in July 1916. Moved to Plymouth and Falmouth.
Converted and became 5th Battalion of the Royal Defence Corps in August 1917. |
The Battalions of the Territorial Army
1/4th Battalion |
August 1914: in Exeter. Part of Devon & Cornwall Brigade, Wessex Division.
9 October 1914: sailed for India, landing Karachi 11 November 1914. Came under orders of 3rd (Lahore) Divisional Area at Ferozepore.
February 1915: moved to the independent 42nd Brigade of the Indian Army.
2 March 1916: landed at Basra with the independent 41st Indian Brigade and remained in Mesopotamia for the rest of the war.
5 May 1916: transferred to 37th Brigade in 14th (Indian) Division.
February 1917: moved to Amara and came under orders of the Tigris Lines of Communication. |
1/5th (Prince of Wales’s) Battalion
August 1914: in Millbay, Plymouth. Part of Devon & Cornwall Brigade, Wessex Division.
9 October 1914: sailed for India, landing Karachi 11 November 1914. Came under orders of 3rd (Lahore) Divisional Area at Multan.
December 1915 moved to Lahore.
4 April 1917: landed at Suez, Egypt.
25 June 1917: transferred to 232nd Brigade, 75th Division.
1 June 1918: landed at Marseilles and proceeded to the Western Front.
1 June: transferred to 185th Brigade in 62nd (2nd West Riding) Division. |
1/6th Battalion
August 1914: in Barnstaple. Attached as Army Troops to Wessex Division. On 16 September 1914 came under orders of Devon and Cornwall Brigade.
9 October 1914: sailed for India, landing Karachi 11 November 1914. Came under orders of 3rd (Lahore) Divisional Area at Lahore.
January 1916: joined independent 36th Brigade in Indian Army.
5 January 1916: landed at Basra, and remained in Mesopotamia for the rest of the war.
12 May 1916: 36th Brigade came under orders of 14th (Indian) Division.
September 1916: came under orders of the Tigris Lines of Communication. |
1/7th (Cyclist) Battalion
August 1914: in Exeter, unallotted to a higher formation.
Moved to Seaton Carew on North East coastal defences by by 1916 was at Bawdsey in Suffolk. In early 1918 moved to Canterbury and came under orders of 11th Cyclist Brigade in the Cyclist Division. |
2/4th Battalion
>Formed at Exeter in September 1914 as a Second Line battalion. Became part of 2nd Devon and Cornwall Brigade, 2nd Wessex Division.
12 December 1914: sailed for India and came under orders of the Southern Brigade, 9th (Secunderabad) Division.
15 October 1917: left for Egypt, landing at Suez on 26 October. Came under orders of Lines of Communication.
13 December 1917: attached to 234th Brigade, 75th Division. Left Division in July 1918.
17 August 1918: disbanded in Egypt. |
2/5th (Prince of Wales’s) Battalion
Formed at Plymouth in September 1914 as a Second Line battalion. Became part of 2nd Devon and Cornwall Brigade, 2nd Wessex Division.
17 September 1915: landed in Egypt.
June 1916: disbanded in Egypt. |
>
2/6th Battalion
The Battalion was a draft finding unit and almost all were transferred into the 1st/6th in Mesopotamia. Formed at Barnstaple on 16 September 1914 as a Second Line battalion. Became part of 2nd Devon and Cornwall Brigade, 2nd Wessex Division.
12 December 1914: sailed for India. Came under orders of 6th (Poona) Divisional Area at Bombay.
March 1916: moved to 7th (Meerut) Divisional Area.
August 1916: moved to Peshawar Brigade in 1st (Peshawar) Division.
Left for Mesopotamia, landing at Basra on 14 September 1917 and then remaining until the end of the war as Lines of Communication troops. |
2/7th (Cyclist) Battalion
Formed at Totnes in October 1914. Remained in UK throughout the war, moving to Sevenoaks in 1916, Margate in 1917 and Southminster in 1918. By November 1918 was at Maldon.
Under orders of 73rd Division from October 1917 to January 1918. |
3/4th, 3/5th and 3/6th Battalions
Formed at Exeter, Plymouth and Barnstaple respectively on 25 March 1915. Moved to Bournemouth in August 1915.
8 April 1916: became Reserve Bns and 4th then absorbed 5th and 6th on 1 September 1916 at Hursley Park near Winchester.
Remained in England (moving to Bournemouth in October 1916, Sutton Veny in March 1917 and Larkhill in early 1918), until going to Ireland in April 1918. Thereafter stationed at various times at Belfast, Londonderry and Clonmany. |
3/7th (Cyclist) Battalion
Formed in late 1915, possibly only as a depot rather than a fully-fledged training battalion. Disbanded March 1916. |
15th Battalion
Formed on 1 January 1917 from what had previously been the 86th Provisional Battalion of the TF. It had been formed in August 1915 from “Home Service only” personnel and was under command of 227th Brigade. Moved to Aldeburgh in 1918. |
16th (Royal 1st Devon & Royal North Devon Yeomanry) Battalion
Formed at Moascar in Egypt on 4 January 1917 from two dismounted Yeomanry units, the Royal North Devon Hussars and the 1st Royal Devon Yeomanry.
Previous record:
1915
East Coast
October: Gallipoli
1916
Operations against Senussi in Palestine.
1917
January: attached to 229th Brigade in 74th (Yeomanry) Division.
1918
7th December: Capture of Beersheba and entered Jerusalem.
Attack on Sheria position, Colonel Thyme killed.
Action at Foka village, extracted themselves from dangerous situation.
1st May: embarked at Alexandria for Marseilles, landing 7 May.
Advance from the Lys to Lille and Tournai. |
Other Battalions
|
12th (Labour) Battalion
Formed in Devonport in May 1916.
June 1916: landed in France and joined to Fourth Army.
April 1917: transferred to Labour Corps as 152nd and 153rd Labour Companies.
13th (Works) Battalion
Formed in Saltash in June 1916. Moved to Plymouth. April 1917 became 3rd Labour Battalion.
14th (Labour) Battalion
Formed in Plymouth in August 1916.
October 191: landed in France and joined to Third Army.
April 1917: transferred to Labour Corps as 154th and 155th Labour Companies.
1st (Garrison) Battalion
Formed in Weymouth on 8 August 1915. Moved to Egypt on 27 September 1915 and on to Palestine in 1917.
2nd (Home Service) Garrison Battalion
Formed in Exeter in July 1916. Moved to Plymouth and Falmouth. Converted and became 5th Battalion of the Royal Defence Corps in August 1917. |
