- 8th Battalion, West Surrey Regiment (Queens) during the Great War -
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8th Battalion, West Surrey Regiment (Queens)
8th Battalion, Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey) was raised at Guildford in September 1914 as part of Kitchener's Third New Army and joined 72nd Brigade, 24th Division. The Division was established in September 1914 as part of Kitchener's Third New Army and began to assemble in the area of Shoreham. The division suffered from a lack of equipment and a lack of trained officers and NCOs to command the volunteers. In late June 1915 they moved to Aldershot for final training and they proceeded to France at the end of August. The Division concentrated in the area between Etaples and St Pol on 4 September and a few days later marched across France into the reserve for the British assault at Loos, going into action on the 26th of September and suffering heavy losses. In 1916 they suffered in the German gas attack at Wulverghem and then moved to The Somme seeing action in The Battle of Delville Wood and The Battle of Guillemont. In 1917 they were in action at The Battle of Vimy Ridge in the Spring, The Battle of Messines in June and Third Battle of Ypres in October before moving south where they were in action during The Cambrai Operations when the Germans counter attacked. In February 1918 the 8th Queens transferred to 17th Brigade, still with 24th Division. In 1918 they were in action on the Somme and The Battle of Cambrai and the Final Advance in Picardy. At the Armistice the Division were in the line 1.5 miles east of the Maubeuge-Mons road. They moved back to the area between Denain and Douai at the end of November moved to St Amand-Orchies, then on the 18th of December the Division moved to Tournai for demobilisation, which was completed by 26 March 1919.
20th Aug 1915 Orders
22nd Aug 1915 Sunday
23rd Aug 1915 Training
24th Aug 1915 Training
27th Aug 1915 Leave Ends
28th Aug 1915 Parade
30th Aug 1915 On the Move
31st Aug 1915 On the Move
1st Sep 1915 Preparations
1st Sep 1915 On the Move
3rd Sep 1915 Very Wet Day
5th Sep 1915 Church Parade
6th Sep 1915 Training
7th Sep 1915 Field Day
8th Sep 1915 On Ranges
9th Sep 1915 On Ranges
10th Sep 1915 On Ranges
11th Sep 1915 Field Day
12th Sep 1915 Church Parade
14th Sep 1915 Field Day
15th Sep 1915 Training
16th Sep 1915 Training
18th Sep 1915 Training
20th Sep 1915 Preparations
21st Sep 1915 On the March
22nd Sep 1915 On the March
23rd Sep 1915 Resting
24th Sep 1915 On the March
25th Sep 1915 Into the Trenches
26th Sep 1915 In Action
27th Sep 1915 Very Cold
28th Sep 1915 On the Move
29th Sep 1915 At Rest
7th Nov 1915 Reliefs
13th Jan 1916 Specialists Relieved
14th Jan 1916 Reliefs Completed
16th Feb 1916 Reliefs
1st Jul 1916 On the Move
1st Sep 1916 Attacks Made
2nd Sep 1916 Line Held
3rd Sep 1916 Attacks Made
4th Sep 1916 Reliefs
5th Sep 1916 Relief Complete
6th Sep 1916 Reliefs
7th Sep 1916 On the Move
1st Apr 1917 Sanitation
15th Aug 1917 Reliefs
27th Aug 1917 Reliefs
30th Nov 1917 Attack Made
1st Dec 1917 In the Trenches
11th February 1918 Relief
11th May 1918 Reliefs
3rd May 1919 Cricket
6th May 1919 PostingsIf you can provide any additional information, please add it here.
Want to know more about 8th Battalion, West Surrey Regiment (Queens)?
There are:5284 items tagged 8th Battalion, West Surrey Regiment (Queens) 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
8th Battalion, West Surrey Regiment (Queens)
during the Great War 1914-1918.
- Baulk Harry Percy. Pte. (d.25th Sep 1915)
- Clayton MMil. John Harry. CSM (d.31st July 1917)
- Coghlan Daniel. Capt.
- Cox Charles Frederick. Pte.
- Curtis Arthur. Pte.
- Dean Arthur. Pte. (d.28th Jul 1918 )
- Emptage Frederick Jethro Joseph. Pte. (d.30th Apr 1916)
- Hamilton Guy Stanley Gerald. Lt. (d.1st August 1917)
- Lewis Arthur Edward. Pte. (d.27th Sep 1915)
- Lewis Charles. L/Cpl.
- Sayer VC John William. L/Cpl. (d.18th April 1918)
- Taylor Thomas. Pte. (d.25th Sept 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 8th Battalion, West Surrey Regiment (Queens) from other sources.
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L/Cpl. John William Sayer VC 8th Btn. Queen's (Royal West Surrey) Regiment (d.18th April 1918)John Sayer died of wounds on the 18th of April 1918 aged 39 and is buried in Le Cateau Military Cemetery in France. He was the son of Samuel and Margaret Sayer, of Chadwell Heath, Essex; husband of Edith Louise Sayer, of 35, Old London Rd., Hastings, Sussex.An extract from the London Gazette, dated 6th June, 1919, records the following:- "For most conspicuous bravery, determination and ability displayed on the 21st March, 1918, at Le Verguier, when holding for two hours, in face of incessant attacks, the flank of a small isolated post. Owing to mist the enemy approached the post from both sides to within 30 yards before being discovered. Lance-Corporal Sayer, however, on his own initiative and without assistance, beat off a succession of flank attacks and inflicted heavy casualties on the enemy. Though attacked by rifle and machine-gun fire, bayonet and bombs, he repulsed all attacks, killing many and wounding others. During the whole time he was continuously exposed to rifle and machine-gun fire, but he showed the utmost contempt of danger and his conduct was an inspiration to all. His skilful use of fire of all descriptions enabled the post to hold out till nearly all the garrison had been killed and himself wounded and captured. He subsequently died as a result of wounds at Le Cateau."
s flynn
Pte. Arthur Dean 8th Btn. Royal West Surrey Regiment (d.28th Jul 1918 )Born 29th July 1897 in Warlingham, Surrey, Arthur Dean was the fourth of eight children, having one older brother and two younger. His elder brother survived the war, having been in the Royal Field and Horse Artillery. His other brothers were too young to enlist. His sisters were married to soldiers and they also survived.
Pte. Thomas Taylor 8th Btn. West Surrey Regiment (Queens) (d.25th Sept 1915)On Remembrance Day 2017 we discovered a relative of my wife's mother, Thomas Taylor was recorded on the war memorial opposite St Luke's church South Park Reigate. The family Taylor had lived in and around Charlwood and Reigate and mainly worked as agricultural labourers. Thomas was one of 6 and is recorded on the 1901 census as being in Reigate workhouse. He and his brother Stephen joined the Queens Royal West Surrey's at the start of the war. He was allocated to the 8th Battalion whose first action was to be at the Battle of Loos in September 1915.The battalion was a reserve and due to poor logistics arrived late on the first day 25th September and did not go into action until the 26th. However, Thomas was killed on the 25th and his body was never found. He is recorded on the memorial in the Military Cemetery at Loos-en-Gohelle as well as the one in South Park.
His brother, my wife's grandfather, survived the War although gassed. He never mentioned his brother to any of the family.
David Mercer
Pte. Charles Frederick Cox 8th Btn. West Surrey Regiment (Queens)My grandad, Charles Cox, died before I was born and I've been researching him for the past two years. I only know his military numbers and regiment from his medals card. He came from the fens near Ely, Cambs and then moved to Stapleford, Cambs where he was on the trains at Great Shelford.I have no joining or leaving dates but he moved to the ASC after the Queens. He apparently spoke of being in the trenches and he is listed as a driver in the ASC with his profession as horse keeper. I am desperately trying to find anyone who knows someone that spoke or wrote of him.
Shaun Brown
Pte. Harry Percy Baulk 8th Btn. Queen's Royal West Surrey (d.25th Sep 1915)Harry Baulk, my maternal great uncle, was declared missing at the Battle of Loos and is remembered on the Memorial Wall at Dud Corner Cemetery, Loos.Mary King
Pte. Arthur Edward Lewis 8th Btn. The Queen's (Royal West Surrey Regiment) (d.27th Sep 1915)Arthur Lewis died in the Battle at Loos. Nothing more is known and we have no photographsNorman Lewis
Pte. Frederick Jethro Joseph Emptage 8th Battalion Queens Royal West Surrey Regiment (d.30th Apr 1916)Private Frederick Jethro Joseph Emptage, a Fisherman from Ramsgate was married to Helen Eliza. By 1909 Frederick was a widower and has 2 boys Ned and Harry. He joins the Queens Royal West Surrey Regiment 8th Battalion and Frederick died of his wounds on the 30th April 1916. Frederick was a 3rd cousin of mine and the 6th Emptage to be killed during WW1.David Emptage
Capt. Daniel Coghlan 8th Btn. Royal West Surrey RegimentRecords found to date show that Daniel Coghlan enlisted as a private in the Queens Royal West Surrey Regiment and was sent to France on 23rd February with the British Expeditionary Force. He applied for a commission in April 1917 and was commissioned to the rank of 2nd lieutenant in July 1917 at which time he was transferred to the 116th Labour Corp., Bologne. He was promoted to the rank of acting Captain in July 1918. Records show service in Bologne, Passchendale and Flanders. The records go on to state that when the war ended, he commanded a company of men who were charged with the task of exhuming the bodies of soldiers who had been buried in the field and re-interring them in the official war graves. This company was the 126th Labour Corps which was subsequently re-named "E" Company, Graves Registration and Enquiries in January of 1921. He was de-mobbed in France on 31st March 1921 and given the rank of full Captain. In 1923 he went back to Belgium and married a girl from Poperinghe that he had met during the war. They were married in Ypres Town Hall and he took her back to Ireland with him. He was to become a King's Messenger and to serve as military attache in Paris , Brussels and Petrograd. He was awarded the O.B.E., Croix de Guerre and French Medaille d'Honneu.
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