Great War> Allied Army

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this site you agree to accept cookies. If you enjoy this site please consider making a donation.     Site Home     Great War Home     Search     Add Stories & Photos     Library     Help & FAQs  Features     Allied Army     Day by Day     RFC & RAF     Prisoners of War     War at Sea     Training for War     The Battles     Those Who Served     Hospitals     Civilian Service     Women at War     The War Effort     Central Powers Army     Central Powers Navy     Imperial Air Service     Library     World War Two  Submissions     Add Stories & Photos     Time Capsule  Information     Help & FAQs     Glossary     Our Facebook Page     Volunteering     News     Events     Contact us     Great War Books     About Advertisements World War 1 One ww1 wwII greatwar great 1914 1918 first battalion regiment

1st Battalion, Kings Own (Royal Lancaster) Regiment     1st Battalion, King's Own Royal Lancaster Regiment was in Dover serving with 12th Brigade, 4th Division when war broke out in August 1914. 4th Division was held back from the original British Expeditionary Force by a last minute decision to defend England against a possible German landing. The fate of the BEF in France and the lack of any move by the Enemy to cross the channel, reversed this decision and they proceeded to France, landing at Boulogne on the 23rd of August 1914, arriving in time to provide infantry reinforcements at the Battle of Le Cateau, the Divisional Artillery, Engineers, Field Ambulances and mounted troops being still en-route at this time. They were in action at the The Battle of the Marne, The Battle of the Aisne and at The Battle of Messines in 1914. In 1915 they fought in The Second Battle of Ypres and moved south to The Somme. Between the 5th of November 1915 and 3 February 1916, 12th Brigade were attached to 36th (Ulster) Division, providing instruction to the newly arrived Division. The 1st Kings Own were in action during the Battles of the Somme in 1916. In 1917 they were at Arras, in action during the The First and Third Battles of the Scarpe, before heading north for the Third Battle of Ypres, where they fought in The Battle of Polygon Wood, The Battle of Broodseinde, The Battle of Poelcapelle and The First Battle of Passchendaele. In 1918 they were in action on The Somme, then returned to Flanders fighting in the Defence of Hinges Ridge during The Battle of Hazebrouck and in The Battle of Bethune, The Advance in Flanders The Second Battles of Arras, the Battles of the Hindenburg Line and the Final Advance in Picardy. The 4th Division was demobilised in Belgium in early 1919. 18th Aug 1914 Concentration 19th Aug 1914 Concentration 26th Aug 1914 Shellfire 27th Aug 1914 Enemy Advance 27th August 1914 On the Move 28th Aug 1914 Enemy Advance 28th Aug 1914 On the March 29th Aug 1914 In Action 29th Aug 1914 On the March 30th Aug 1914 Rear Guard 30th of August 1914 A Hot March 30th Aug 1914 On the March 31st August 1914 Outpost positions 31st Aug 1914 Rear Guard 31st August 1914 Continued withdrawals 31st Aug 1914 On the March 1st Sep 1914 Rear Guard 1st Sep 1914 On the March 1st Sep 1914 On the March 2nd Sep 1914 Rear Guard 2nd Sep 1914 On the March 3rd Sep 1914 Rear Guard 3rd of September 1914 Across the Marne 3rd Sep 1914 On the March 4th Sep 1914 Rear Guard 4th Sep 1914 At Rest 5th Sep 1914 Rear Guard 6th Sep 1914 Advance Guard 6th Sep 1914 On the March 7th Sep 1914 Advance Guard 8th Sep 1914 Advance Guard 9th Sep 1914 Bridging 10th of September 1914 Marching 15th Sep 1914 Shelling 16th Sep 1914 Entrenching 17th September 1914  22nd Sep 1914 1st Kings Own in Trenches 28th Sep 1914 Hard at Work 29th Sep 1914 Attack Imminent 13th Oct 1914 On the March 14th Oct 1914 On the March 18th October 1914 Relief action 19th Oct 1914 Entrenching 22nd Oct 1914 Reliefs 30th Oct 1914 Under Shellfire 17th Nov 1914 Trench Difficulties 18th Nov 1914 Bridges and Trenches 19th Nov 1914 Snow 5th December 1914 Quiet 9th December 1914 Uniforms 4th of February 1915 Chicken Sentries 19th May 1915 Working Parties and Attachments   19th May 1915 Working Parties and Attachments  At 9.10am 12th Brigade requested 149th Brigade to say when and where the 7th Btn Northumberland Fusiliers should report. 10am 7th Btn Northumberland Fusiliers arrived Hopital Ferme and bivouacked. Fourth Division informed that 5th Btn Northumberland Fusiliers had been detailed for a period of attachment to 12th Brigade. Brigadier General Feilding DSO granted four days leave of absence to proceed to England. At 12.30pm Brigadier General Feilding left HQ for England. Command of the Brigade devolved to Col. A.H. Coles CMG DSO 5th Btn Northumberland Fusiliers. 2pm Orders for following working parties received: 200 men to parade at their bivouacs at 7pm to work under Lt Bretherton RE on Divisional second line. 200 men to parade at their bivouacs at 8.30pm to work under Lt Green RE on French Switch line. At 2.15pm Orders issued to 7th Btn Northumberland Fusiliers to furnish first party and to 4th Btn Northumberland Fusiliers to furnish second party. At 3pm Instructions received from 12th Brigade that 5th Btn Northumberland Fusiliers were to be attached as under. Companies to report at 11.30am. 20th inst: 1 Coy signals MO 2nd Essex Regiment HQ road in A21 a995. 1 Coy 1st Kings Own HQ South of road A23 G22 1 Coy 1 machine gun 1st/2nd Monmouths HQ Vlamertinghe Church 1 company 1 machine gun 2nd Royal Irish HQ A16 Central HQ to 1/2nd Monmouths 3.15pm Orders issued to 5th Btn Northumberland Fusiliers in accordance with above instructions and 4th Division informed. At 5.30pm Instruction received by Fourth Division that a relief of 11th Brigade by 12th Brigade the 6th Northumberland Fusiliers attached to the former should return to the brigade and go to the dugout in B27 or to Hopital Ferme as GOC 149th may direct. 149th Brigade war diary 1st of November 1915 Marching Orders 6th of November 1915 Brigade Movements 7th of November 1915 Present Stations 29th of November 1915 Moves Completed 1st of January 1916 Move   5th of January 1916 Under 48th Division 8th of January 1916 Moves   26th Apr 1916 Trench Work   1st July 1916 Bombardment   2nd July 1916 Trenches in Poor State   3rd July 1916 Repairs   19th Mar 1918 Reliefs Complete If you can provide any additional information, please add it here. Want to know more about 1st Battalion, Kings Own (Royal Lancaster) Regiment? There are:5295 items tagged 1st Battalion, Kings Own (Royal Lancaster) Regiment available in our Library   These include information on officers, regimental histories, letters, diary entries, personal accounts and information about actions during the Great War. Those known to have served with 1st Battalion, Kings Own (Royal Lancaster) Regiment during the Great War 1914-1918. Ashcroft Walter. Pte. (d.10th Nov 1918) Brittle William. Pte. (d.29th Oct 1918) Gill Frank. Pte. (d.10th Apr 1917) O'Hara John Willie. Pte. (d.23rd Oct 1916) Owen Owen Arthur. Pte. (d.29th May 1918) Proudman Ewart Gladstone. Pte. (d.22nd Oct 1916) Ryan Ralph. Pte. (d.14th May 1915) All names on this list have been submitted by relatives, friends, neighbours and others who wish to remember them, if you have any names to add or any recollections or photos of those listed, please Add a Name to this List Records of 1st Battalion, Kings Own (Royal Lancaster) Regiment from other sources. The Wartime Memories Project is the original WW1 and WW2 commemoration website. 1st of September 2023 marks 24 years since the launch of the Wartime Memories Project. Thanks to everyone who has supported us over this time. Want to find out more about your relative's service? Want to know what life was like during the Great War? Our Library contains many many diary entries, personal letters and other documents, most transcribed into plain text. Looking for help with Family History Research?    Please see Family History FAQ's Please note: We are unable to provide individual research. Can you help? The free to access section of The Wartime Memories Project website is run by volunteers and funded by donations from our visitors. If the information here has been helpful or you have enjoyed reaching the stories please conside making a donation, no matter how small, would be much appreciated, annually we need to raise enough funds to pay for our web hosting or this site will vanish from the web. If you enjoy this site please consider making a donation. Announcements 18th April 2024     Please note we currently have a massive backlog of submitted material, our volunteers are working through this as quickly as possible and all names, stories and photos will be added to the site. If you have already submitted a story to the site and your UID reference number is higher than 263925 your submission is still in the queue, please do not resubmit. Wanted: Digital copies of Group photographs, Scrapbooks, Autograph books, photo albums, newspaper clippings, letters, postcards and ephemera relating to the Great War. If you have any unwanted photographs, documents or items from the First or Second World War, please do not destroy them. The Wartime Memories Project will give them a good home and ensure that they are used for educational purposes. Please get in touch for the postal address, do not sent them to our PO Box as packages are not accepted. We are now on Facebook. Like this page to receive our updates, add a comment or ask a question. If you have a general question please post it on our Facebook page. World War 1 One ww1 wwII greatwar great battalion regiment artillery Did you know? We also have a section on World War Two. and a Timecapsule to preserve stories from other conflicts for future generations.   Pte. Frank Gill 1st Btn. Kings Own (Royal Lancaster) Regiment (d.10th Apr 1917) Frank Gill was the fourth born son to Hartley & Sarah Gill (nee Higginbottom) registered in the Sept quarter 1895. Little is known of his youth but was listed on the 1911 census at 15 years old and still at home but working in the cotton mill owned by the Reddish Spinning Co - Elisabeth Mills on Houldsworth Road Reddish. He worked there with his brothers. His role was as a Cotton Mule Bobbiner. Frank was a member of St Elisabeth's Church and, in his teens, was an officer in the Church's Boys' Brigade company. Frank was just 18 years old when the war started and he immediately signed up. He was enlisted as a Private in the 1st Battalion, Kings Own Royal Lancaster Regiment. Frank survived almost three years fighting multiple battles on the Western Front in France. He eventually lost his life at Fampoux during the Arras offensive of April - May 1917. He died 10th of April 1917 at the age of 21 years. Frank is remembered with honour at the Arras Memorial in the Faubourg-d'Amiens Cemetery, which is in the Boulevard du General de Gaulle in the western part of the town of Arras. The cemetery is near the Citadel, approximately 2 kms due west of the railway station. Stewart Gill Add to this record.   Pte. Ralph Ryan 1st Btn. (Kings Own) Loyal Lancaster Regiment (d.14th May 1915) Ralph Ryan served with the 1st and 2nd Battalions, King's Own Loyal Lancaster Regiment in WW1. He died 14th of May 1915 and is remembered on the Ypres Menin Gate Memorial in Belgium. Stuart Wetherill Add to this record.   Pte. Walter Ashcroft 1st Btn. Kings Own Royal Lancaster Regiment (d.10th Nov 1918) Walter Ashcroft was my paternal grandfather's elder brother, his name lived on in our family. I believe he was a builder and painter in civilian life and that he died in France of 'Bronchial Pneumonia'. I believe it was the Spanish Flu in fact on 10th of November 1918 and his family received the telegram with this news on 11th of November 1918. He is buried in Etaples Cemetary. I believe that he was in the Labour Corps at one time but I have no details of his activities during his service. I would very much welcome any leads so that I can learn more about this young man. Margaret Huggon Add to this record.   Pte. Owen Arthur Owen 1st Battalion King's Own Royal Lancaster Regiment (d.29th May 1918) As a printer-compositor, Arthur Owen had been in a reserved occupation, but with losses mounting on the Western Front, he was called up, went to France and never returned, leaving a widow, Lou and two young children, Gladys (my mother) and Harold. Arthur is buried in Le Vertannoy British Cemetery, Hinges, near Béthune in Northern France. The small walled cemetery, with its cross, a single tree, and 141 identical gravestones, lies in one corner of a potato field (‘some corner of a foreign field, That is for ever England’ – Rupert Brooke). Having survived the appalling slaughter of the ferocious enemy offensive of April 1918 during the Battles of the Lys, Arthur was killed in action during a surprise enemy attack on his company’s position on the night of 28-29 May 1918. Three of Arthur’s King’s Own Royal Lancaster comrades were killed that same day, and are buried alongside him: 30489 (Frederick) Harold Mitchell, 22925 M Holman and 34751 F. Longworth, together with a fourth, 202305 H. Frost, who died two days later. Arthur’s mother had been born Janet Greenhill in 1856 in a family of rope-makers in Perth, Scotland; his father, Albert Owen, had come from a long, prolific, colourful and unruly line of canal boatmen in Oxfordshire, Warwickshire and finally Buckinghamshire, where he married Janet in 1885. I am still at a loss to explain how they met; in 1881 Janet was a Cook in a household in Forfarshire. By 1891 Albert and Janet had moved to Eastbourne, where he was a Beach Photographer (with a prime licensed pitch right by the pier). In 1911 Arthur and his young wife Lou (both born in 1886) were lodging with a family in Highbury; my one-year-old mother was being looked after by her mother’s parents in Tunbridge Wells. Janet died in 1911, and so was spared the loss of her eldest son; Albert died in Eastbourne in 1931. After Arthur’s death, Lou, Gladys and Harold went back to live with Lou’s parents in Tunbridge Wells. In 1923 Lou gave birth to a daughter, Jean; early in the Second World War Jean, who had joined the Land Army, was driving her tractor home at the end of a day’s work when it overturned, leaving her permanently paralysed on one side; despite this, she later married and had a daughter, who in her turn married and is now a proud grandmother. Visiting Arthur’s grave for the first time in July 2012, I signed the Visitors’ Book, in which the mayor of Hinges, every 11 November, signs his name in remembrance of the fallen. I was filled with the peace of a gloriously sunny late afternoon, with bitter sadness at Arthur’s loss and all it had meant to the lives of his dependants – but also with a sense of triumph at having, at last, found Arthur. ‘At the going down of the sun and in the morning, We will remember them’ - Robert Laurence Binyon. Add to this record. Recomended Reading. Available at discounted prices.

Links Suggest a link

The free section of The Wartime Memories Project is run by volunteers. This website is paid for out of our own pockets, library subscriptions and from donations made by visitors. The popularity of the site means that it is far exceeding available resources and we currently have a huge backlog of submissions. If you are enjoying the site, please consider making a donation, however small to help with the costs of keeping the site running. Hosted by: The Wartime Memories Project Website is archived for preservation by the British Library Copyright MCMXCIX - MMXXIV - All Rights Reserved - We do not permit the use of any content from this website for the training of LLMs or for use in Generative AI, it also may not be scraped for the purpose of creating other websites.