Category: 2/9th Battalion Manchester Regiment

The 2nd-line (or reserve) Territorial Force battalions, brigades and divisions had no existence before the outbreak of the Great War.

On the 15th August, 1914, instructions were issued by the War Office to separate the home-service men of those T.F. units which had volunteered for service abroad; the home-service men were to be formed into reserve units. On the 3lst August the formation of a reserve (or 2nd-line) T.F. unit was authorized for each original (or 1st-line) unit in which 60 percent of the men had volunteered for foreign service. The title of the 2nd-line unit would be the same as that of the corresponding 1st-line imperial-service unit, and these reserve units were to be located at the peace headquarters of their 1st-line units. After being clothed, organized, and armed the reserve units would gradually be grouped into larger formations at training centres, war stations, etc. In this way the 2nd-line T.F. divisions came into existence.

The 2/9th Battalion Manchester Regiment, Territorial Force was formed at the Armoury in Ashton-under-Lyne immediately after the 1/9th Battalion sailed for Egypt on September 10, 1914. They were formed under the command of the 2nd/East Lancashire (later the 198th) Brigade, 2nd/East Lancashire (later the 66th Division) Division.

Capt. Ralph Lees Marching at the head of the 2/9th Battalion in Ashton, 1914

Copyright Imperial War Museum

Their original purpose was as a feeding battalion for the 1/9th, providing much needed drafts of men to replace their mounting casualties in Gallipoli.  In this capacity they supplied significant reinforcements for the 1/9th Battalion on three separate dates; July 23, 1915, August 22, 1915 and October 22, 1915 and through three much smaller drafts on June 22, June 25 and December 1, 1915.

The 2/9th moved from Ashton to Southport on Friday November 13, 1914, where they were billeted in digs, mainly on King Street.

2943 Private G W Chandler 2/9th Battalion Manchester Regiment Outside Digs in Southport

Copyright Manchester Regiment Image Archive Ref No: MR03031

They remained in Southport until May 25, 1915 when they moved to Haywards Heath, in Sussex.  A little over a month later, on June 26, 1915 they made the short move to Pease Pottage and they stayed there until September 21st when they moved again, this time to Burham Camp, near Maidstone, Kent. On October 31st they moved to Crowborough Camp.

The battalion faced a number of difficulties including a dearth of trained instructors and a lack of equipment. The battalion eventually received 600-700 Japanese rifles and bayonets, and 180,000 rounds of ammunition. The Japanese rifles were retained until the end of 1915, and then they were replaced by charger-loading Lee-Enfield rifles, together with bayonets and .303″ ammunition. Shortage of technical equipment was not confined to the infantry battalions of the Division. The artillery lacked guns, with modern sights and gears, ammunition wagons, directors, telephones, and harness. Even in August, 1915, no veterinary officer was attached to any of the artillery brigades, and at this time the artillery had 1,373 horses.

Despite these difficulties the men trained as best they could, the training consisting of Squad Drill, Platoon Drill, Rifle Exercise, Care of Arms, Physical Exercises, Outpost Exercise, Company Exercise (in attack and defence), Company Exercise (in Fire Control), Judging Distance and Visual Training, etc. , Entrenching, Route Marching, Bayonet Fighting. Musketry & Lectures.

June 22-25, 1915

The first draft of men to arrive in Gallipoli from England was a small group of 16 men along with 2/Lt. EDWARD BALMFORD on June 22, 1915, as reported in the 126th Brigade war diary. Embarkation records record that 20 men embarked on the Transport SCOTIAN at Devonport on June 3 and were taken on the strength of the battalion when they sailed on June 4, 1915. Nineteen of those men are listed below.

It’s not clear which other of the men were delayed by a few days before joining the battalion but Privates Shaw and Taylor have arrival dates of June 24 and June 25 respectively.

July 23, 1915

The War Diary for the 1/9th Manchesters indicates that a draft of 222 men and five officers arrived in Gallipoli on July 23, 1915.  They left Devonport on July 3, 1915 sailing on the Transport Ship IONIAN. In fact, embarkation records indicate that 227 men embarked and two disembarked at Alexandria (sick to hospital).

The following list of 224 men includes those with “disembarkation” dates of July 1 to July 23 (when they actually joined the Battalion in Gallipoli).

August 22, 1915

Although there is no mention of this draft in the Battalion war diary, the 126th Brigade War Diary states that a batch of 4 Officers and 145 men joined the 1/9th Manchesters in Gallipoli this day. Embarkation records show that 4 Officers and 146 men embarked the transport ARCADIAN at Devonport on August 3, 1915 bound for the Mediterranean. Disembarkation registers in Egypt record that one man disembarked in Alexandria on August 15, the day after they arrived.

The following 146 men formed this draft:

Private Smith has a Gallipoli arrival date of August 26 and so he is perhaps the man who disembarked in Alexandria, joining the battalion a few days later.

The 4 Officers who arrived with this draft were:

2/Lt. PERCY ASPDEN WOODHOUSE who joined the Battalion with this draft of men died of Dysentery a few weeks later on the Hospital Ship DELTA on his way back to England.

Honorary Lt. JOSEPH MICHAEL CONNERY was commissioned from the 2nd Battalion Manchester Regiment and was the son of Major MICHAEL HENRY CONNERY, the Battalion QM.

66th Division

In August the 2^nd/East Lancashire Brigade was numbered the 198^th Brigade and the 2^nd/East Lancashire Division was numbered the 66^th Division and they now formed part of the Second Army, Central Force. At this time divisional headquarters, three infantry brigades, and the engineers were at Crowborough, three of the artillery brigades were at Forest Row, and the howitzer brigade and the heavy battery were at Plow Hatch.

By the end of August all the home service men left the battalion, and only those men were retained who had Imperial Service obligations. This effectively ended the battalion’s role as an infantry feeding unit, those duties taken up by the 3/9^th Battalion Manchester Regiment.

1916

At the end of 1915, they were brought up to strength from additional recruits drawn mainly from the Chester and Merseyside areas. On May 18, 1916 the battalion moved from Crowborough Camp to Colchester.

The 66th Division was transferred to Southern Army, Home Defence Force, and was entrusted with the defence of part of the East Coast. At this time, divisional headquarters, divisional mounted troops, two infantry brigades, the artillery, and the engineers were at Colchester, one infantry brigade was at Wivenhoe, and the heavy batteries (2/1/London and 2/2/London) were at Thorpe le Soken and St. Osyth. Now that it was compactly quartered, the division could soon have been brought to a high state of efficiency had it not been for the provision of large drafts for overseas. To provide even one draft of 250 trained gunners considerably delayed the preparation of the division for war.

Consequently it was the 18th January, 1917, before the War Office was able to notify G.H.Q., France, that the 66th Division would embark about the 1st March.

1917

On the 11th February, 1917, embarkation orders were received; and on the 22nd February the 66th Division was inspected at Colchester by H.M. the King. Entrainment began on the 25th, divisional headquarters started on the 28th February, and on the 1st March the division began detraining at Berguette and Thiennes. On the 16th March 1917 the move to France was completed, and the division concentrated under XI Corps, First Army.

From 26 June to 25 September they were engaged in Operations on the Flanders Coast under the command of XV Corps, Fourth Army.

On 9 October they were involved in the battle of Passchendaele, at the Battle of Poelcappelle, under the command of II Anzac Corps, Second Army.

1918

On the 19th February 1918 the 2/9th were amalgamated with the 1/9th Battalion. The 66th Division was by now under the command of XIX Corps, Fifth Army.

From 21-23 March they were involved in the Battle of St. Quentin.
On 24 and 25 March they were involved in Actions at the Somme Crossings.
And on 26 and 27 March they were engaged in the Battle of Rosières.

When the 66th Division was withdrawn from the front line, owing to the losses which it had suffered during the Battles of the Somme, the division (less its artillery) was reduced to Training Cadre from the 9th April, 1918. Many of the men from the 1/9th (and 2/9th) Battalion were assigned to other front line regiments such as the 1/Sherwoods.

Acknowledgements

The Manchester Regiment Image Archive photo above is reproduced here with kind permission of the Tameside Local Studies and Archive Centre and the Trustees of the Manchester Regiment Archive and remains under their copyright.

References:

Order of Battle of Divisions Part 2B. The 2nd-Line Territorial Force Divisions (57th-69th) with the Home-Service Divisions (71st-73rd) and 74th and 75th Divisions (History of the Great War based on Official Documents), by Major A F Becke, Pg73.