THE PROJECT

 

It all started with an extramural course at the University of Reading. This was advertised in their programme to commence on the 6th October 1993 at the Bulmershe Campus to be run by Colin Fox. One of the aims of the course was to collect and study material relating to the Royal Berkshire Regiment’s role in WW1.  It was quickly realised that this was an impossible task and it was decided to focus upon the activities of three of the Battalions, the 5th, 6th and 8th which had been raised following Kitchener’s appeal and which fought on the Western Front. The main sources looked at were material in the Public Record Office and Imperial War Museum plus local newspapers and whatever was to be found in local libraries.

 

Seven students registered for the course: Barry Croucher, John Chapman, Ian Cull, Martin McIntyre, Nicholas Ryall , Mike Seymour and Len Webb. Mike Seymour and Nicholas Ryall dropped out fairly quickly but the others, together with tutor Colin Fox formed the Kitchener’s Battalions Project when the course ended as all were keen to continue and all had caught the bug. The reasons people came to the course were many and varied, from family history, local history and from being members of the Western Front Association.

 

We eventually decided to try to write a book to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the battle of Loos in 1915 and the part played by the three battalions in the first two years of the war.. This was achieved and a very limited edition of Responding to the Call was published by Reading University. It was used as a final project for two students in the Department of Typography and Graphic Communication Edwin Collingwood and Jeremy Spinks.

 

The 80 year commemoration theme was continued for the next three years with books entitled On The Somme (1916), Arras to Cambrai (1917) and Their Duty Done (1918). For each of the books the team made a battlefield tour of the sites and in 1996 they were joined by Ned Carteret whose grandfather, Captain Harold Ackroyd, won a VC when attached to the 6th Battalion as its medical officer.

 

Then, on  the 21st June 2000, we were greatly saddened by the death of Colin Fox who had been our guiding spirit and mentor. As a result of his illness little had been done in 1999 but after his death the team resolved to continue the work and tackle the rest of the Royal Berkshire Regiment battalion by battalion. Ian Cull was appointed the new author-in-chief and we started work on the 1st Battalion having changed the name to ‘The Royal Berkshire Regiment Great War Project’ and using an overall theme of ‘The China Dragon’s Tales’ This book was eventually published by the Wardrobe Trust and printed by Parchment Print of Oxford in 2004 and it was followed in 2005 by the 2nd Battalion book published by Tempus.

 

Meanwhile a close relationship had been developed with the Regimental Museum in Salisbury. John Chapman had been appointed as one of the Museum Trustees and the Curator, David Chilton, joined the team. David had organised a large team of volunteers to transcribe material in the museum archives and set about capturing material in the PRO as well. John Chapman had been building a database of men from the Royal Berkshire Regiment who served during the war and was able to incorporate much of what the Volunteers had produced. John had also built up a series of articles under the general title of The Biscuit Boys which incorporated transcripts of much of the material and based on the original text of F Loraine Petre interspersed with transcripts of articles published in the local newspapers during the war. Martin McIntyre was accumulating a huge library of images and Len Webb was building mini-biographies on each of the men identified as serving in the four Kitchener battalions. Martin also joined the ranks of the Museum’s Volunteers and began building a catalogue of the images from albums of the Regiment which had sat almost unused in the Museum Archives for many years.

 

The Museum built what is perhaps the best and most informative military museum website and put on line the text of all the war diaries as well as images of the artefacts in the museum’s collections, and set up a guest book which made contact with numerous relatives of men of the Regiment, many of whom were able to add a little piece of what has proved to be an enormous jigsaw.

 

Martin McIntyre began publishing selections of the images he has accumulated with a book on the Royal Berkshire Regiment 1914-1918 coming out in 2005. Since then several other titles have emerged and he has contributed to the handbook on The Rifles which is handed to every new recruit.

 

In 2006 the Project took a different line and began looking into the history of the 66th Regiment at the Battle of Maiwand in 1880. It is hoped to publish a major new book on the subject in November 2008. This brought in some new faces with Len Webb dropping out. The new author was Richard Stacpoole-Ryding and other new members were John Jordan, Andy Chaloner and Garen Ewing.

 

BATTLEFIELD TOURS

 

The team made a number of visits to the Western Front to look at sites of conflicts of the three Kitchener Battalions. These were followed by tours to look at 1st and 2nd Battalion sites. A summary is given below:-

 

  • 1994 – The first trip began on 23/9/94 and started with the Battle of Loos and the role of the 5th & 8th Battalions. Then on to Ovillers to look at the site of the slaughter of the 5th Battalion in 1916 and to try to identify the spot where Cecil Gold was killed. On to visit a few cemeteries and Delville Wood followed by Auchonvillers. The next day brought home the realities of how the war affected civilians at the place of execution by the walls of Arras – a very moving visit. On to Bayonet and Rifle trenches, avoiding a murderous  looking body of French hunters enjoying the first day of their season. Finally to Newfoundland Park and Monchy – the site of Colin’s father’s death and where he was to write about in the book published while he was on his deathbed.

 

  • 1995 – Our second trip began 24/9/95 and started at Ypres with a visit to several cemeteries and Polygon Wood and participation in the Last Post ceremony at Menin Gate. Then back to the Loos area and a ceremony to mark the replanting of a ‘Lone Tree’ with the Mayor of Vermelles

 

  • 1996 -  This year springtime on the Somme with Ned Carteret joining us. After looking at 6th Battalion positions at Carnoy and Longueval and the usual cemetery visits we went to our hotel in Peronne and to visit the Historiale. Next day visits to Delville Wood and wreath laying to mark Harold Ackroyd’s dressing station site. Later we visited Thiepval and the Schwaben Redoubt meeting up with Paul Reed and heaps of ancient ammunition turned up by farmers Spring ploughing. On the way back we stopped off at Etaples.

 

  • 1997 – We started looking for the site of the 8th Battalion’s camp at Braye Dunes where they prepared for their aborted assault on the Belgian coast. Looking at Third Ypres we visited more cemeteries and a visit to Hooge crater and for his grandson to lay a wreath at the spot where Harold Ackroyd was killed. Next day Ploegsteert and the German cemetery at Annoellin – a very somber spot. More cemeteries and then outside of Arras we followed the 5th Battalion’s attack after they emerged from the tunnels in 1917. We stopped off at Thiepval to look at where we anticipated a new inscription to Pte Ferguson, one of the Royal Berks men who had been missed.  Finally on to Cambrai to visit Quarry Post and Bourlon Wood. Our last day took us to the Canadian Memorial at Vimy and the museum at Ste Marie de Lourette.

 

  • 1998 – Starting on the 19th April we looked for the final assaults of the 5th and 8th Battalions in 1918. Our second day began with a visit to Mericourt l’Abbe where 21 young men from the Royal Berks were killed by an exploding shell as they disembarked on their first and only visit to the front line area. We looked at the grave at Montigny  of one of the three Royal Berkshiremen executed during the war, Again more cemetery visits in one of which we found a wrong date on an inscription. We were also looking at then and now photos and found the spot in Meaulte where the 5th Battalion were accompanied by a tank. As we were taking the ‘now’ photo an 88 year old emerged from his house to tell us he was there when the photo was taken and showed us his album of photos and memorabilia.  On then to Le Cateau and the line of the 5th Battalion at L’Eveque Wood. We continued to Maroilles to visit the site of the 1st Battalion’s engagement attacking the bridge over the River Sambre.

 

  • 2000 – A somewhat different type of tour this year after our sadness at Colin Fox’s death. This time we went on a tour organised by Col Chris Newbold. We visited the Somme area first and were delighted to see the new inscription to Pte Ferguson at Thiepval. After visits to Ovillers and Lochnagar we returned to our hotel to have dinner with the Colonel of the RGBW, Major General Robin Grist and his wife. Next day we reconstructed the battle of Arleux inclusing where LCpl Welch won his VC and attended the re-interment ceremony for 2/Lt Michel Simon whose body had recently been discovered and who was buried properly in Arleux Cemetery with full military honours and a reception by the Mayor in the Village Hall.

 

  • 2001 – We started out on the 19th September to re-visit the Le Cateau area and the bridge over the Sambre. We then followed the route of the 1st Battalion as they retreated from Mons in 1914. This took us to the Soissons area and the Ferme du Metz where they held out below the Chemin des Dames for some time. At Oeilly we met another man who, as a boy, had been living at the Chateau in 1914. At Soupir we stopped to visit the grave of another Royal Berkshireman executed. Back to Oppy Wood to re-appraise the battle of Arleux – it does help to have a decent map, On to Vimy Ridge to look at the place where Capt Sharpe had refused to make a suicidal attack at the Zouaves Valley in May 1916. Later we met a  party of year 9s from Kings School Bruton who were on their battlefield tour. Our final day was spent at Givenchy and the attack at the Duck’s bill.

 

  • 2002 – We began on the 14th June and after brief visits to Gheluvelt and Ploegsteert we checked into our hotel in Arras. The next day we followed the 1st Battalion at their heroic stand at Bourlon Wood in the Battle of Cambrai and followed their retreat in March 1918 finishing up at Newfoundland Park. On the Sunday we revisited Delville Wood and Pys to see the site of Munich trench and in the afternoon to look at Greviller trench. We moved on to Loos to research the area around Fosse 8 where the 1st Battalion had fought their battle and where Lt Turner won his VC. Our final day took us to Montreuil and Etaples.

 

  • 2004 – We journeyed to Cambrai on the 2nd September and were looking at 2nd Battalion sites, First to Gouzeaucourt for an April 1917 attack and a few cemeteries. Next day to Neuve Chapelle and some more now and then photos with help from a local farmer and his family.. On to Fromelles for the May 1915 battle and then Ploegsteert and Anton Farm. On the Saturday we visited the Champagne area and met with Ian Denham who showed us the sites of the 2nd Battalion’s disaster during the Kaiserschlacht in March 1918. Back to Soissons via Berry du Bac and Soupir. We visited the cemetery at Villers Bretonneux and the 1918 battlefield and on to Avril William’s tea room at Auchonvillers for lunch.We had a preview of the new visitor centre at Thiepval and took some more then and nows around Bouchavesnes. After this the majority of the team returned home but John Chapman went on to do more  photography of graves in the Ypres area before attending the 1944 liberation anniversary celebrations at Leopoldberg and Hechtel as a guest of the Belgian Army.

 

 

 

 

THE BOOKS

 

The books produced by the Project are as follows:-

 

  • Responding to the Call  ISBN 0 7049 0413 3 published 1985 by Reading University - Foreword by Maj Gen Robin Grist
  • On the Somme ISBN 0 7049 1160 4 published 1986 by Reading University  - Foreword by Col John Hill
  • Arras to Cambrai ISBN 0 7049 1161 2 published 1997 by Reading University – Foreword by Richard Holmes
  • Their Duty Done ISBN 0 7049 1162 0 published 1998 by Reading University – Foreword by Peter Simpkins
  • The China Dragon’s Tales – The 1st Battalion – ISBN 0 9540 3651 4 published 2003 by The Wardrobe Trust – Foreword by Maj Gen Derek Crabtree
  • The China Dragon’s Tales – The 2nd Battalion – ISBN 0 7524 3571 X published 2005 by Tempus – Foreword by General Sir Kevin O’Donoghue

 

War Diaries  - All published by the Wardrobe Trust

 

  • 1st Battalion August 1914 to April 1919  - first printed January 2006
  • 2nd Battalion October 1914 to April 1919 – first printed February 2006
  • 1st/4th Battalion April 1915 to Mar 1919
  • 2nd/4th Battalion Sep 1915 to Sep 1919 – first printed February 2006
  • 5th Battalion May 1915 to May 1919 – first printed February 2006
  • 6th Battalion July 1915 to February 1919 – first printed February 2006
  • 7th Battalion Sep 1915 to Oct 1919 first printed 2004
  • 8th Battalion August 1915 – May 1919 – first printed February 2006

 

Medal Rolls – All published by the Wardrobe Trust

 

  • Vol 1 1914 Star
  • Vol 2 1914/15 Star
  • Vol 3 British War Medal part 1
  • Vol 4 British War Medal part 2 (includes Territorial Force War Medal)
  • Vol 5 Silver War Badge

 

Other books relating to the Royal Berkshire Regiment which we referred to:-

 

  • The 66th Berkshire Regiment 1758-1881 by J Percy Groves published by Joseph J Beecroft 1887
  • History of the Royal Berkshire Militia by Emma Thoyts published by Joseph Hawkes 1897
  • The War Service of the 1st/4th Royal Berkshire Regiment by CRMF Cruttwell published Blackwell 1922
  • The Royal Berkshire Regiment Vol I 1743-1914 by F Loraine Petre published 1925 by Reading Barracks – Foreword by Maj Gen E T Dickson
  • The Royal Berkshire Regiment Vol II 1914-1918 by F Loraine Petre published 1925 by Reading Barracks
  • The Fighting Tenth 1940-1944 by David R C West published Marlborough 1950
  • The Royal Berkshire Regiment 1920-1947 by Brig Gordon Blight published 1953 by Staples Press
  • The Duke of Edinburgh’s Royal Regiment by Capt John Barrow published 1971 by Exeter
  • China Dragons – A Rifle Company at War Burma 1944-45 by Col John Hill published 1991 by Blandford Books
  • Cold War Warriors 1959-1994 by David Stone published 1998 by Leo Cooper
  • Our Laurels are Green by Maj Gen Robin Grist ISBN 0 9529 5971 2 published 1997 by Forces & Corporate Publishing
  • The Last Twelve Years  1948-1959 by Major F Myatt  ISBN 0 9540 650 6 published 2001 by Reading University – Foreword by Col John Hill
  • Slim’s Burma Boys – by Col John Hill  published 2007 privately
  • The Royal Berkshire Regiment 1914-1918 – ISBN  0 7524 3471 3 published 2005 by Tempus
  • The Royal Berkshire Regiment 1743-1914  - ISBN 0 7524 3914 6 by Martin McIntyre – published 2006 by Tempus
  • Duke of Edinburgh’s Royal Regiment 1959-1994 by Martin McIntyre – published 2007 by Tempus
  • The Royal Rifles Volunteers On Operations by Lt Col Mike Scott published 2005 by Reprolongo Sri 2005 – Foreword by Lt Gen David Richards
  • Regimental War Tales of The Rifles by Major Charles Hayman – published by The Rifles 2007

 

Most of the above titles are available from the on-line shop at www.thewardrobe.org.uk

 

H17 5/7/2008