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The 4th (TA) Battalion, the Leicestershire Regiment, was in Leicester when war broke out in August 1914, werving with the Lincoln & Leicester Brigade (later 138th) North Midland Division (later 46th). The division embarked for France in February 1915, the first territorial divison to arrive on the Western Front where it remained for the rest of the war. The first major action was at Hohenzollern Redoubt in the closing days of the Loos offensive, during the attack on 13th October 1915, all the officers who took part became casualties; the total cost was 20 officers and 453 other ranks and of this total just over 200 were killed or died of wounds.
The Battalion's finest hour was in the crossing of the St Quentin Canal on 29 September 1918, breaking through the Hindenburg Line.
During the Great War the battalion lost 628 men, nearly a third of them died on the morning of 13th October 1915 at the Hohenzollern Redoubt.
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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 1/4th Battalion, The Leicestershire Regiment during the Great War.
Select a story link or scroll down to browse those stories hosted on this site.
- Pte. Vernon Aubry Body 1st/4th Btn. (d.18th Oct 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. Vernon Aubry Body 1st/4th Btn. Leicestershire Regiment (d.18th Oct 1915)
Vernon Body (also spelt Boddy) was one of six sons. His father Harold Hermon Leopold also served in the war as did his older brothers Harold Valentine and Wilfred Reginald. His two youngest brothers, Clarence (my Grandfather) and Norman were too young to enlist.
A twin, Vernon and his brother Alwyne Victor signed up when they were sixteen, claiming they were nineteen. Vernon joined the army, Alwyne, the navy. Vernon enlisted with the 1st/4th Leicestershire Regiment on 12th November 1914. He was sent over to France 25th June 1915.
In September he was admitted to a field hospital with influenza. He was discharged 23rd September 1915 and three weeks later his battalion was given the task of attacking the Hohenzollern Redoubt, a German strongpoint near Bethune, France.
400 of the Battallion were killed and wounded, among them was Vernon who had gun shot wounds to the abdomen. He was admitted to the field hospital at Forquieres and he died from his wounds on 18th October, 1915.
He is buried at the Chocques Military Cemetery, memorial reference I.G.74 he had just turned 17 years.
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John Milne
This account is written primarily for those who served or whose relatives served in the battalion, which is a good thing as we get plenty of names and the details of daily life in the trenches, officer casualties and new arrivals are mentioned by name in the text other ranks by totals. A reprint of the 1935 original.
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