3rd Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment

   The 3rd Battalion, The Bedfordshire Regiment was raised as a 'Militia' battalion in 1757.When war broke out in August 1914 the Battalion was based in Bedford, within a few days they moved to Felixstowe, manning the Harwich Garrison to defend the coast. It would be their base for the remainer of the war, where they provided home defence and trained drafts for front line units.

10th Aug 1914 3rd Bedfords to Landguard Fort  The 3rd Battalion Bedfordshire Regiment moved from Bedford to Landguard Fort Fort near Felixstowe for duty with the Harwich Garrison.

22nd July 1917 Daylight Raids
Sound bombs to alert to public in a raid, showing the rockets (1), inserting the time fuse (2), loading the rocket into the mortar (3), firing the rocket (4) and cleaning out the mortar (5).
Felixstowe and Harwich were bombed on 22 July 1917. Just after 8am a bomb fell into the sea near Bawdsey Manor and about 16 enemy Gothas crossed the British coast at Hollesley Bay, Suffolk, crossing the River Debden as they turned towards Felixstowe. Two further bombs fell in the fields north-east of St. Peter & St. Paul’s Church, the next hit a smithy near Highrow Farm, demolishing the building and injuring a blacksmith at work. Extensive damage was inflicted by two bombs falling in Highrow. 350 yards west of the Town railway station a bomb smashed a conservatory of Uplees House, injuring two female occupants. Another bomb fell near the railway about 200 yards north of Goyfield House but failed to explode. Close to St. John’s Church another destroyed the cook house near the Parish Room. Wanstead Cottage in Garrison Lane was badly damaged by another bomb as were neighbouring homes on either side. Another bomb then struck the rear of the Ordnance Hotel, Garrison Lane, the barman lost his life, a sergeant and private of the 3rd Suffolk Regiment were injured along with two other soldiers who were in the property at the time. Another exploded at the corner of Garfield Road and Victoria Road without causing damage. Three more bombs fell in Langer Road, close to the Army Service Corps headquarters, the blasts shattered windows and brought down telephone wires, two soldiers were injured, one of them fatally. At the junction of Landguard and Manor roads a bomb brought down more telephone wires but the next, falling on the beach 100 yards south of Manor Terrace, killed an officer and seven men of 3rd Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment, and injured an officer and 15 men of the same battalion. The men were sheltering in a trench but instead of keeping down, those killed had stood up to watch the raid. A cellar of Landguard House was damaged, close to the 3rd Bedfordshire Regiment's camp. Three bombs which exploded as they fell on Landguard Common injured a soldier of the Royal Defence Corps and demolished two huts of the camp. Four bombs fell close by on the A Rifle Range creating craters. Another bomb landed at the RNAS station demolishing an engineers shed and injuring two naval ratings, one of whom later died. Another bomb droped 50 yards west of Landguard lighthouse and destroyed a shed, whilst another three landed Landguard Point, all exploded without damage.
Around 13 bombs fell in the River Stour and Harwich harbour damaging the minesweeper HMT Touchstone and injuring two of her crew. At Parkeston a bomb landed harmlessly in allotments, another two bomb dropped in fields at Ray Farm between Parkeston and Dovercourt without causing damage. A bomb landed in a field on Tollgate Farm, Upper Dovercourt, a second fell in St. Nicholas’ Cemetery and three on New Hall Farm, all without causing damage. Three bombs landed close together in Dovercourt, two lightly damaged houses in Lee Road but fortunately failed to explode, the third damaged a slaughterhouse near Old Vicarage Farm.
Anti-Aircraft guns had opened fire as soon as the aircraft crossed the coast and at 13 minutes past the first aircraft took to the sky to pursue the raiders. By 8.17am the Gothas had turned for home and escaped unscathed. The Harwich AA guns had fired off 273 rounds but the defence aircraft were unable to climb up to operational height before the raiders had headed out over the North Sea. Flying in formation for the first time in action two flights from No.37 Squadron were presumed to be German by the spotters of the Mobile AA Brigade and the 3-inch gun at Canvey opened fire at them when they were 30 miles south-east of Harwich.
The Illustrated London News reported on the 28th: "Our readers will be interested to see from these photographs exactly how the warning by sound-signals was given to London at 8.30 a.m. on Sunday, July 22, when 237 one-pound sound-bombs were fired 300 ft. into the air from 79 London Fire Brigade stations. An official notice that such a warning would be given, in case of an expected raid on London, had been issued by the Home Office only the previous evening. "Take Cover" notices were shown at the same time by the police in the streets, and at 9.45 they displayed the "All Clear" notice. The authorities were satisfied with the results of this system of warning, though the Home Secretary, Sir George Cave, thought that the number of signals might well be reduced, and that the warning might be delayed until enemy aircraft were nearer to London. Later, it was stated that only two, instead of three, rockets would in future be sent up from each station and that signals that could be seen as well as heard were considered."
John Doran

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There are:5232 items tagged 3rd Battalion, Bedfordshire 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.

Those known to have served with
3rd Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment
during the Great War 1914-1918.

Eales Sidney Harris. Bmdr. (d.27th April 1917)
Easey William Reginald. Pte.
Farmer William George . Pte. (d.20th July 1918)
Lillywhite Horace Willie. Pte. (d.31st March 1916)
Noble George Herbert. Pte.

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Pte. George Herbert Noble 3rd Btn. Bedfordshire Regiment

To the best of my knowledge my grandfather, George Noble enlisted on 4th of February 1918. Records, that I have been able to find, show he was born in 1899 and was 18 and 1 month old. I know he wasn't born until 1901 so he was more likely 16 years old or thereabouts. He enlisted originally in the 3rd Bedfordshire Regiment then transferred to the 9th Northampton Regiment later that year.
If anyone has further information it would be appreciated. We live in Australia so access to records is difficult.
Alexander Mol

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Pte. William George Farmer 3rd Btn. Bedfordshire Regiment (d.20th July 1918)

Private William George Farmer, son of Joseph and Mary Farmer of Ampthill, Bedfordshire, husband of Rose Elizabeth Farmer, Corsham Road, Whitley, Melksham. Served with the 3rd Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment (service no. 8772),
He died on 20th July 1918 age 39 years and is buried in St. Andrews Churchyard, Ampthill. He is remembered on both The War Memorial and The Alamada, St. Andrews Church, Ampthill.
Information courtesy of www.roll-of-honour.com
Caroline Hunt

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Bmdr. Sidney Harris Eales 156th Brigade, 'C' Battery Royal Field Artillery (d.27th April 1917)

Sidney Eales died of wounds received aged just 21. He had originally enlisted and been assigned to the 3rd Bedfordshire Regiment service no. 7085. He was transferred to the Royal Regiment of Artillery (RFA and RHA) in January 1915 and posted to the 142nd Battery at Bordon. He is buried at Etaples Military Cemetery, Nord-Pas-de-Calais, France. Sidney was the son of my Great Great Grandfather's daughter Martha Eales nee Abbott who died in 1954, I have no further information available at present.
Tim

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Pte. William Reginald Easey 4th Battalion Bedfordshire Regiment

William Easey was my great grandfather. He came from a very small village called Gisleham on the outskirts of Lowestoft in Suffolk. He signed up aged 28 and was attested on December 13th 1915. From his service records it looks as though after joining the army reserve on 14th December 1915 he was finally mobilised to his regiment in June of 1916 going overseas.
The service records I hold for his indicate that he was initially with the 3rd Battalion then transferred to the 4th Battalion in September 1916. The records then get confusing because twice it lists he was with the 1st Battalion in 1917. We know he was in hospital from January 23rd 1917 - 6th April 1917; however the record is not that clear what he was in hospital for. There was another entry stating that he was in hospital again later that year for Trench Fever.
My family still have a postcard he sent to my grandmother whilst he was overseas, she would have been 5 years old at the time. At some point after 1917 he must have been transferred back to the 3rd battalion because this is on his discharge records from February 1919, the dispersal unit was Thetford in Norfolk which is just up the road from where I live now.
I am incredibly proud of William even though he died long before I was born, he served his country and was one of the lucky ones who lived to see another day and see his wife and children again, so many didn't. My dad said that he would never talk about the war and hated anything German. The farm where he lived when he went to war and came back too is now lived in by friends of my parents and when they dredged their pond about five years ago they found a bayonet and gave it to my dad guessing it must have been thrown in there by William on his return.
I hope by sharing what little I know about my family will inspire other people to share their little pieces of what is such an important time in our history and one that should never ever be forgotten.
Caroline Pettit

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3rd Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment
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3rd Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment

Want to know more about 3rd Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment?

Those known to have served with3rd Battalion, Bedfordshire Regimentduring the Great War 1914-1918.

Can you help?

If you enjoy this site please consider making a donation.

Announcements

Recomended Reading.

Links

The Wartime Memories Project
- 3rd Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment during the Great War -

Those known to have served with
3rd Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment
during the Great War 1914-1918.