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- 20th (British Empire Pioneers) Battalion, Kings Royal Rifle Corps during the Great War -


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World War 1 One ww1 wwII greatwar great 1914 1918 first battalion regiment

20th (British Empire Pioneers) Battalion, Kings Royal Rifle Corps



   20th (Service) Battalion (British Empire League Pioneers), King's Royal Rifle Corps were raised in London on the 20th of August 1915 by the British Empire League. In February 1916 they moved to Wellingborough for final training and proceeded to France on the 30th of March 1916 landing at Le Havre. On the 19th of May 1916 they joined 3rd Division as a Pioneer Battalion. In 1916 they took part in The Actions of the Bluff and St Eloi Craters then moved to The Somme for The Battle of Albert, The Battle of Bazentin helping to capture Longueval, The Battle of Delville Wood and The Battle of the Ancre. In 1917 They were at Arras, seeing action at Battles of the Scarpe and The Battle of Arleux. They moved north to the Flanders and were in action during The Battle of the Menin Road and Battle of Polygon Wood during the Third Battle of Ypres. Then moved south and were in action at The Battle of Cambrai. In 1918 They were in action on The Somme, in the Battles of the Lys, the Battles of the Hindenburg Line and the Battle of the Selle. After the Armistice 3rd Division advanced into Germany as part of the Occupation Force.

Jan 1915 Specialist Training

8th Ju1y 1916 "A" Coy. continued digging all day,

16th July 1916 Work was carried out on two strong points all last night with the help of the Cheshire R.E.

10th Mar 1917 Pioneers at Work

6th July 1917 Patrols were sent out as usual but discovered nothing.

21st of January 1918 A Surrender  location map

29th of January 1918 Divisional HQ Moves  location map

31st of January 1918 Training  location map

1st Aug 1918 Some Shelling  location map

1st Aug 1918 Dispositions  location map

2nd Aug 1918 Hostile Artillery Active  location map

3rd Aug 1918 Quiet

4th Aug 1918 Orders Received

If you can provide any additional information, please add it here.





Want to know more about 20th (British Empire Pioneers) Battalion, Kings Royal Rifle Corps?


There are:5243 items tagged 20th (British Empire Pioneers) Battalion, Kings Royal Rifle Corps 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

20th (British Empire Pioneers) Battalion, Kings Royal Rifle Corps

during the Great War 1914-1918.

  • Bainbridge MM. Thomas Leslie. Sgt.
  • Card E. A.. Rflmn. (d.22nd Sep 1916)
  • East Albert James. Pte. (d.July 1916)
  • Lord James. Rfm.
  • Moore William Frederick. Rflmn.

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 20th (British Empire Pioneers) Battalion, Kings Royal Rifle Corps from other sources.


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  Sgt. Thomas Leslie Bainbridge MM. 20th (British Empire Pioneers) Btn. Kings Royal Rifle Corps

Granddad, Leslie Thomas was a very private man, and didn't ever talk about his service. We do know that he won his Military Medal on the Somme in 1916. After the War, he returned to Quarrington Hill, County Durham, and returned to mining, as a pit worker.

Carole Bainbridge






  Rflmn. William Frederick Moore 20th Btn., C Coy. King's Royal Rifle Corps.

This soldier was my grandfather.

Julie H Osborne






  Rflmn. E. A. Card 20th Btn. King's Royal Rifle Corps (d.22nd Sep 1916)

Rflmn. E.A. Card served with the King's Royal Rifle Corps 20th Battalion. He was executed for desertion on 22nd September 1916 and is buried in Mazingarbe Communal Cemetery and Extension, Mazingarbe, France.

s flynn






  Pte. Albert James East 20th Battalion Kings Royal Rifle Corps (d.July 1916)

My Grandfather Albert East had this photograph taken before he went to Havre with the British Empire League Pioneers on 30th March after which he went on to Ypres Salient until 3rd July then moved down to the Somme. It is thought he was wounded on or about 14th July at Longueval or Delville Wood on the 20th July. He died at Havre in no 2 General Hospital or on his way to the port for onward evacuation to England. He is burried at the St Marie cemetery.

I have also copies of the war diaries, battalion history and war record with maps for Ypres and the Somme suitably marked up. I got this from the Royal Green Jackets Museum Trading Company Ltd. The short history of the 20th battalion is by Capt Turberville, MC.

His medals are gone somewhere?? as are my father's from ww2, can anyone help track them down?

Fred East






  Rfm. James Lord 20th Btn. Kings Royal Rifle Corps

I have been piecing together such information as I have been able to find about my father's time in the KRRC during WW1. 13051 Rifleman James Lord 20th Battalion KRRC, volunteered 27th of May 1915 and was injured 26th of April 1917. The 20th Batallion, KRRC was the pioneeer batallion of the 3rd Division at that time.

He was injured during a short interlude between two battles. There were only two men killed that day both, I think, in the same battalion so he must have been on pioneeer work at the time when he was injured by a high explosive shell somewhere in the vicinity of Monchy-le-Preux east of Arras. Possibly on road repairs on the Arras to Cambrai Road.

Due to repositioning of forces, he was picked up by a Scottish Division and taken to W15 ADS, 47th Field Ambulance and thence presumably to a CCS. This must have been where his leg was amputated since there is an interlude of three weeks before he arrives at No.11 General Hospital, Camiers on 13 May 1917. This hospital was handed over to the Americans, presumably after evacuation of patients, two weeks later. So probably his move to Camiers was awaiting repatriation and his stay must have been less than those remaining two weeks.

What I do not know, and would be grateful if anyone could tell me, or point me in the right direction, is the whereabouts of the CCS. From the Hospitals and CCSs WW1 website I think I have narrowed it down to three places which were within reasonable reach of Arras and the dates when they were operational. In order of distance from Arras they are, CCS 8 or 41 Agnez-les-Duisans, CCS 24 or 30 or 42 Aubigny-en-Artois, CCS 45 or 49 Achiet-le-Grand.

I also have a photograph of him in what is obviously a makeshift hospital ward which may be Camiers or in UK, but I have not yet been able to find that out. The photograph is mounted on card and is obviously by a professional photographer.

Alan Lord






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