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7th Battalion, Royal Warwickshire Regiment
The 7th Battalion Royal Warwickshire Regiment was a unit of the Territorial Force with HQ in Coventry. The Drill hall was situated in Queen Victoria Rd, Coventry. Their cadet Corps was based at Bablake School, Coventry. They served with the Warwickshire Brigade, South Midland Division. The units of the Division had just departed for their annual summer camp when war broke out in August 1914 and they were at once recalled. They mobilised for war service on 5 August 1914 and moved to concentrate in the Chelmsford area by the second week of August 1914 and commenced training. They proceeded to France, from Southampton, landing at le Havre on the 22nd of March 1915. The Division concentrated near Cassel. on the 13th of May 1915 the formation was renamed 143rd Brigade, 48th (South Midland) Division. In 1916 They were in action in the Battle of the Somme, suffering hevy casualties on the 1st of July in assaulting the Quadrilateral (Heidenkopf). They were also in action at The Battle of Bazentin Ridge, capturing Ovillers, The Battle of Pozieres Ridge, The Battle of the Ancre Heights and The Battle of the Ancre. In 1917 the Division occupied Peronne during the The German Retreat to the Hindenburg Line and were in action in the Third Battles of Ypres. On the 21st of November 1917 they entrained for Italy. In 1918 they were involved in The fighting on the Asiago Plateau and The Battle of the Vittoria Veneto in the Val d'Assa area. At the Armistice the Division had withdrawn and was at Granezza. Demobilisation began in early 1919.
5th Aug 1914 Warwickshire Territorials Mobilise At 6am on Wednesday, the Territorial Battalions of the Warwickshire Brigade paraded before leaving their home towns. The 5th and 6th Btn shared Thorp St Barracks, which was not big enough for both battalions to parade together. So Col Parkes and Col Martineau tossed a coin. The Mayor won and whilst the 6th Battalion paraded at the barracks, the 5th Btn held their parade in the railway sheds of the Midland Railway.
The 8th paraded as a Battlion in Aston and the 7th at their various drill halls across the county.
In the evening the four battalions boarded trains and departed for Weymouth.
16th Aug 1914 Warwickshire Territorials on the March The Warwickshire Brigade broke camp in Leighton Buzzard and set out on a staged route march to Essex
28th Aug 1914 Volunteers Required The Warwickshire Brigade received the official request for the Territorials to volunteer for service overseas. For many it would be a difficult decision, many of the men were skilled working-class with young families, a direct result of the drive to get companies to support the TF, often their work pay exceeded the army rate of pay. Those men who felt unable to consent, were subsequently posted to the reserve second line unit of their battalions which were being formed at home, the 2/5th, 2/6th, 2/7th and 2/8th Warwicks.
1st Mar 1915 Brigade at Country House The headquarters of the Warwickshire Brigade was stationed at Felix Hall, Kelvedon, Essex. The 6th Btn Royal Warwicks were also stationed at Kelvedon, with the 5th being at Braintree, the 7th at Witham and the 8th Battalion also at Braintree.
19th Mar 1915 Notice to Deploy The Warwickshire Brigade received the order from London on the 19th of March, giving them 3 days' notice of their transfer to the front. The men were issued with webbing and had to quickly learn how to use it. There was, still no sign of Lee Enfield rifles or Vickers machine guns to replace their out of date weaponry, Lee Metford rifles and the Maxims.
22nd Mar 1915 Warwickshire Territorials on the Move The Warwickshire Brigade make their move from Essex, travelling in 9 trains to Southampton docks to board ships. 123 officers and 4065 other ranks made the journey. The 5th Bn, consisted of 30 Officers and 1002 Other Ranks; 6th Bn, 29 and 997; 7th Bn, 30 and 1003 and 8th Bn, 30 and 1005. It was not just the men with their rifles and personal kit which boarded the trains, also travelling were 336 horses, 8 machine guns, 26 general service wagons, 55 general service limbered wagons, 14 other vehicles, 44 bicycles, 612 picks and 1032 shovels.
Half of the 6th Btn Royal Warwicks departed from Kelvedon station at 01.50, to arrive at Southampton at 08.00. The other half were to follow at 03.50 arriving at 10.00.
Half of the 5th Btn Royal Warwick left Braintree at 04.35, arriving at 11.00. The remainder of the 5th were to leave Braintree at 06.35, arriving at 13.00. The Brigade HQ and the signallers were to leave Kelvedon at 05.50, arriving in Southampton at noon.
At Witham station half of the 7th were to depart at 07.35, arriving at 13.30. The remainder of the 7th were to leave Witham at 09.35, arriving at 15.50. At Braintree the first half of the 8th were to depart at 08.35, arriving at 15.00 and the remainder of the 8th were to leave Braintree at 10.35, arriving at 17.00.
At Southampton Docks, the men, horses and equipment transferred from the trains to transport ships for the channel crossing. Brigade HQ sailed on the Empress Queen along with the 6th Bn at 18.00. 5th Bn sailed on the Marguerite, 7th Btn were split between the Copenhagen and the City of Lucknow, sailing at 17.30. 8th Bn were split between the Brighton, City of Lucknow, the Marguerite and the City of Dunkirk which sailed at 19.30.
23rd Mar 1915 Warwickshire Territorials arrive in France The ships carrying The Warwickshire Brigade arrive off Le Havre Between 02.00 and 03.00 in the morning. They wait for daylight before docking and the troops disembark beginning at 7am. Interpreters join the battalions and they march through the town to No.6 Rest Camp at Graville. The transport sections being the last to arrive at 21.00.
24th Mar 1915 Warwickshire Territorials on the Move
25th Mar 1915 Warwickshire Territorials on the Move
27th Mar 1915 Route March
28th Mar 1915 Warwickshire Territorials on the March
29th Mar 1915 Under Instruction 
30th Mar 1915 Digging Trenches
31st Mar 1915 Digging Trenches
1st Apr 1915 On the March
2nd Apr 1915 Under Instruction
3rd Apr 1915 Territorials Under Instruction
4th Apr 1915 Territorials Under Instruction
5th Apr 1915 Warwcks return to Billets
6th Apr 1915 Warwcks on the March
7th Apr 1915 In Billets
8th Apr 1915 Specialist Courses
9th Apr 1915 Route March & Bomb Throwing
11th Apr 1915 Route March & Bomb Throwing
12th Apr 1915 Into the Trenches
13th Apr 1915 In the Trenches
14th Apr 1915 Trench Work
15th Apr 1915 Trench Work
16th Apr 1915 Reliefs
17th Apr 1915 Trench Work
18th Apr 1915 Quiet Day
19th Apr 1915 Encounter with the Enemy
20th Apr 1915 Reliefs
21st Apr 1915 Farms Searched
22nd Apr 1915 Noxious Gases
23rd Apr 1915 Noxious Gases
24th Apr 1915 The Problem with Mules
24th Apr 1915 Reliefs
25th Apr 1915 Working Parties and Shelling
26th Apr 1915 Working Parties
27th Apr 1915 Situation Normal
28th Apr 1915 Reliefs Completed
29th Apr 1915 Warwicks provide Instruction
30th Apr 1915 Communications Trenches Completed
30th Apr 1915 Enemy Trench Located
8th May 1915 Situation Normal
24th May 1915 Gunfire at Ypres
28th May 1915 Enemy Attack
8th Jun 1915 Brigade Conference
15th Jun 1915 Reliefs
16th Jun 1915 All Quiet
18th Jun 1915 Sniping and Rifle Grenades
19th Jun 1915 Reliefs
19th Jun 1915 Reliefs
27 Jul 1915 Front Line Inspected
16th Aug 1915 Out of the Trenches
27th Aug 1915 Deep in the Ground
25th Nov 1915 Army Biscuits
2nd Oct 1917 Orders Received
Apr 1918 Football 
 © IWM (Q 26359)
© IWM (Q 26361)
Final of the 48th Divisional (Fanshawe) Cup. 7th Battalion, Worcestershire Regiment versus 7th Battalion, Royal Warwickshire Regiment at Trissino, April 1918.
© IWM (Q 26362)
© IWM (Q 26358)
If you can provide any additional information, please add it here.
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| Want to know more about 7th Battalion, Royal Warwickshire Regiment? There are:5290 items tagged 7th Battalion, Royal Warwickshire 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.
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Those known to have served with7th Battalion, Royal Warwickshire Regiment during the Great War 1914-1918. - Bond Frederick Lewis. Gnr.
- Brown Ernest. Sgt. (d.18th Apr 1917)
- Brown John Thomas. Pte.
- Caldicott John Richmond.
- Freeman George Matthew. Pte. (d.22nd Aug 1917)
- Frost MM. Walter Ernest. Sgt.
- Hubbad Herbert. Cpl. (d.28th June 1916)
- Hurdley Harold George. Pte. (d.4th Oct 1917)
- Lucas Bertie. CSM. (d.11th Aug 1917)
- Morris Charles William. Pte.
- Naseby Thomas. Pte. (d.8th October 1917)
- Statham James. Pte. (d.28th June 1918)
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 7th Battalion, Royal Warwickshire Regiment from other sources.
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Pte. James Statham 15th Btn. Royal Warwickshire Regiment (d.28th June 1918) James Statham was born in 1878 and served with 15th Battalion Royal Warwickshire Regiment. He went missing in action on the 28th of June 1918 and is commemorated on the Memorial to the Missing in Ploegsteert Belgium.
I understand he may have been part of the 7th Royal Warwickshire Regiment prior to this and also serving in Italy.
Looking for more details.
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CSM. Bertie Lucas 7th Btn. B Coy. Royal Warwickshire Regiment (d.11th Aug 1917) Bertie Lucas was 25 years old when he lost his life. He is remembered on the Menin Gate in Ypres.
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Pte. George Matthew Freeman 1/7th Btn. Royal Warwickshire Regiment (d.22nd Aug 1917) George Freeman was born in Spalding, Lincolnshire, the eldest of 9 children. His mother died in childbirth when he was 15. Like his family, he worked the land as a horseman. He met his wife in Kings Ripton, Huntingdonshire while working on a farm. They married in 1912. In 1915 he joined the Huntingdon Cyclists then in 1916 he was transferred to the 1/7th Royal Warwickshire Regiment. He was wounded several times during several battles. Then on the 22nd Aug 1917 he was killed in action in Belgium, leaving behind his widow, Ethel, and two young boys. He was 26 years old. The following year his younger brother, Fred, was also killed in action in France age 19. He had only been in the field for 4 months. Also remembering his brother-in-law, Arthur, who was killed in Belgium in 1916 leaving a widow and baby that he'd never seen.
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Pte. John Thomas Brown 7th Battalion We have had our great granddad, John Brown's War Medal and Victory medal for some time.
He was our mother's paternal grandfather. We value these things greatly for what they represent and decided to try and find out a bit more about him and his service. We know he was Coventry born and bred and we have information about him but not his war service history.
From the information and service number on the medal box, we know he was in The Royal Warwickshire Regiment and living in Coventry guessed he would have joined the 1/7th Battalion based in Coventry at the time. Limited research tells us this was the case and he also joined the 1st Battalion at some point.
Sadly there are, (we have been told), no surviving service records for him. Also if anyone by chance has any information on him that they can share that would be amazing. He survived the Great war and returned to Coventry where he became a cycle finisher. It seems quite a different world compared to the service the 1/7th and 1st Battalions were involved in.
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Sgt. Ernest Brown 7th Btn. Royal Warwickshire (d.18th Apr 1917) My Grandfather Ernest Brown is my hero even though I never knew him. My father, Frank, was his youngest son, who was only 7 and a half when his father was killed. He had only 2 memories of him, the first, marching off to war from the Barracks in Coventry. And the other was when he came home on leave. He was lifted into the table by my grandfather and allowed to hold his rifle.
My grand father before the war was a brick layer and a Coventry Godiva Harrier. He joined up in October 1914 after being given a white feather from a woman when he was on his way home from work one night.
We have no photos of him and have no idea what he looked like, which is sad. I would have loved to have known my grandad. I would want him to know how proud I am of him
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Pte. Harold George Hurdley 1st/7th Btn. Royal Warwickshire Regiment (d.4th Oct 1917) Harold George Hurdley, my great-uncle, was killed in action in Ypres. He is commemorated on the Tyne Cot Memorial in Belgium, and also has a memorial headstone in Broseley Cemetery, Shropshire. He was 23 years old, and the son of George and Clara Hurdley of 27 Church Street, Broseley. His sister Freda was my grandmother, and my father, Harold Hurdley Green, was named after him.
Editors Note: Private Hurdley most likely died fighting The Battle of Broodseinde which took place on 4th October 1917 near Ypres.
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Sgt. Walter Ernest Frost MM. 7th Btn. Royal Warwicks My Grandfather, Sgt Walter Frost, served in the 7th Battalion Royal Warwickshire Regiment 1914-1918. We know he was awarded the Military Medal for bravery in the Italian Campaign but the records were destroyed in the Coventry Blitz 1940. I have his medals and also correspondence relating to the Military Medal but this medal is not recorded on his medals card. I have the original medal but we are unable to find any facts as to what lead to the award.
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Gnr. Frederick Lewis Bond 1/7th Btn. Royal Warwickshire Regiment My Grandad Frederick Lewis Bond served with Royal Navy in Devonport from 1914 to 1915 then went into 1/7th Btn. Royal Warwickshire Regiment to back up troops of the regiment that lost their lives on the Somme. His dad Abraham James Bond was with the 3rd Reserve Battalion that did all the training of the troops ready to go to the war so he probably trained is own son. He was shot and blown up in France and Flanders but survived the war, coming home at the end of 1918. He worked in a factory in Coventry called Courtalds for about a year then he rejoined the Royal Warwickshire Regiment again in 1919 and stayed in until 1923. He then left the Royal Warwicks and joined the 5th Pack Brigade, Royal Garrison Artillery at Warwick on the 20/4/1923 as a gunner, aged 28 years 353 days. He went to Helmieh in Egypt with the RGA and was discharged on 8/10/1925 at Dover.
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