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2nd Battalion, The Border Regiment
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World War 1 One ww1 wwII greatwar great2nd Battalion, The Border Regiment
The 2nd Battalion, The Border Regiment were based at Pembroke Dock when war broke out in August 1914. On the 5th of September they moved to Lyndhurst to join 20th Brigade in 7th Division. They landed at Zeebrugge on the 6th of October 1914 ready for action on the Western Front. They saw action in The First Battle of Ypres at teh end of 1914 and in 1915 were in action at: The Battle of Neuve Chapelle, The Battle of Aubers, The Battle of Festubert, The second action of Givenchy, and The Battle of Loos. In 1916 they moved to The Somme and were in action at Mametz, The Battle of Bazentin and the attacks on High Wood, The Battle of Delville Wood, The Battle of Guillemont and Operations on the Ancre In 1917 they took part in The German retreat to the Hindenburg Line, The Arras offensive in the flanking operations around Bullecourt, and the Third Balle of Ypres includig; The Battle of Polygon Wood, The Battle of Broodseinde, The Battle of Poelcapelle and The Second Battle of Passchendaele. At the end of the year the 7th Divsion were ordered to Italy taking up positions in the line along the River Piave in late January 1918. In October 1918 they had a central role in crossing the River Piave, and were in action in the Battle of Vittoria Veneto.
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Dec 2011
Please note we currently have a large 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.
Those known to have served with 2nd Battalion, The Border Regiment during the Great War.
Select a story link or scroll down to browse those stories hosted on this site.
- Pte. Frederick William Gamage 2nd Battalion (d.1st July 1916) Read their Story.
- Pte. Christopher Edward Jones 2nd Btn. (d.26th Oct 1914) Read their Story.
- Pte. Nicholas Welsh 2nd Battalion, B Company (d.16th May 1915) Read their Story.
If you have any names to add to this list, or any recollections or photos of those listed, please get in touch.
Pte. Christopher Edward Jones 2nd Btn. Border Regiment (d.26th Oct 1914)
My Grandad's brother Christopher Edward Jones also served in the Great War but sadly was killed 26th October 1914. He was with the 2nd Btn Border Regiment. His wife Rosina and son are in the picture also grandmother (wife of Alfred) and his 2 children. Christopher Edward Jones is remembered at the Ypres Menin Gate Memorial.
Pte. Nicholas Welsh 2nd Battalion, B Company Border Regiment (d.16th May 1915)
My Great Grandfather, Nicholas Welsh lost his life during the Battle of Festubert, France, not far from Ypres. His body was never found and he is honoured at Le Touret Memorial on Panels 19 & 20. The Cockermouth Memorial in Cumberland also commemorates him.
Pte. Frederick William Gamage 2nd Battalion Border Regiment (d.1st July 1916)
Frederick William Gamage was born in November 1872 in Shoreditch Middlesex; he was the son of John Smith Gamage and Sarah Harriet (nee Arnold). At the age of 19 he enlisted in the Army and is described as 5ft 61/4 inches tall weighing 119 lbs, dark brown hair, blue eyes and a fair complexion. He was posted to Hamilton in Scotland to join the Cameroon’s (Scottish Rifles). He was soon struck down with bronchitis and was in hospital until Feb 1892. Soon after being released from hospital he was transferred to 2nd Border Regiment and became Pte. Gamage 3808. He soon embarked for India and was stationed in Mooltan but was again hospitalized. He was discharged from hospital and sent back to England and discharged from the Army as an invalid in 1894. He married Annie Law in London in 1896 and had 9 children.At the outbreak of war he enlisted again at the age of 37 years and was posted into his old battalion 2nd Border Regiment. He served in France at Neuve Chapelle but was he was invalided back to England once again in 1915. During this time he was granted leave to visit his family but overstayed his pass and became an absentee but no action was taken. There is also a note to say the he was claimed to have enlisted fraudulently” but a memorandum was sent to Preston saying that “he was serving with the expeditionary force” and no further action was taken once again.
We find him in trouble again when he is absent without leave in December 1915 and this time he had to forfeit 22 days pay and 14 days field punishment. During this punishment he escaped and went absent without leave again on 17 December 1915 until 16th January 1916 during which time he sold his uniform and equipment. This time when he was captured he was tried for being absent and losing his clothing and regimental necessaries and sentenced to 56 days detention.
On the 28th of April 1916 Private Gamage embarked on a troopship for France and by the end of June 1916 was billeted in the village of Morlancourt. On the 30th of June 1916 the battalion was moved up to the front line for the attack on the village of Mametz in what was to be the biggest battle the world had ever seen, the Battle of the Somme.
At 7.30 on the morning of 1st July 1916, the hottest day imaginable, after intense bombing all along the front, tens of thousands of British soldiers climbed out of their trenches to the shrilling sound of whistles and the sun glinting on their bayonets, advanced in a line.
Private Frederick Gamage was among the soldiers of the 2nd Battalion, 14 Platoon D company, of the Border Regiment 7th Division on the fateful day. They came under heavy machine gun fire from Hidden Wood. Sadly Pte Gamage was one of the casualties being posted as “wounded and missing” on the morning of the attack. His body was never recovered and he is now commemorated at the Theipval Memorial in France. I was lucky enough to go and see this for myself 2011
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