Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry - Roll of Honour of Officers of the DCLI Who Died in the Great War Whilst Serving With 2/5th Battalion TF DCLI

No	Date Died	Surname	Forenames	Rank	Decs	Age	Cause	Country	Location/Sector	Cemetery/Memorial	Notes
1915
1	2nd September	ROWSE	Ricardo Sidney	2Lt	-	35	DOI	UK	Whitdown Camp, Tavistock	Redruth (St Day Road) Cemetery (A.373)	(1)
Notes: 1. ROWSE died of heart disease.

Battalion History

On the Declaration of War on 4th August 1914 the 5th Battalion TF was based at Bodmin, part of the 1st Devon and Cornwall Brigade of the Wessex Division and was immediately moved to its war station near Falmouth. The 5th Battalion then moved to a camp on Salisbury Plain at the end of August 1914 to commence training for overseas service. During September 1914, personnel who were medically fit and had signed the Imperial Service Obligation were posted as reinforcements to 1/4th Battalion TF to bring that unit up to war strength. The 1/5th Battalion was now seriously under strength and was replaced in the 1st Devon and Cornwall Brigade by the 1/6th Battalion Devonshire Regiment TF. The Battalion moved to Newquay and then to Falmouth for Coastal Defence duties. Those temporarily unfit personnel, and those who would later sign the Imperial Service Order were placed in the Second-Line of the Battalion forming the 2/5th Battalion TF which was assembled at Bodmin in May 1915 and was moved to Tavistock and then to Hursley Park, near Winchester. On 8th April 1916 the Battalion was re-titled as the 5th (Reserve) Battalion TF, and on 1st September 1916 the Battalion was absorbed by 4th (Reserve) Battalion DCLI TF and ceased to exist.

Fatal casualties of DCLI personnel of the 2/5th Battalion TF : Officers 1 - men 2.

Regimental History

The DCLI was formed on 1 July 1881 as part of the Childers Reforms which saw the amalgamation of the 32nd (Cornwall Light Infantry) Regiment of Foot and the 46th (South Devonshire) Regiment of Foot. These two units became respectively the Regular 1st and 2nd Battalions of the Regiment, with the Regimental Depot based at Victoria Barracks, Bodmin.

The 1881 reforms also redesignated the Militia and Rifle Volunteer Corps (RVC) units within the Regimental District of Cornwall as Battalions of the DCLI - the Royal Cornwall Rangers forming the 3rd (Militia) Battalion, the 1st Cornwall Battalion RVC forming the 1st Volunteer Battalion and the 2nd Cornwall Battalion RVC forming the 2nd Volunteer Battalion.

In 1908, as part of the Haldane Reforms, the Militia Battalion was reorganised and restructured forming the 3rd (Special Reserve) Battalion and the two Volunteer Battalions formed the 4th Battalion and 5th Battalion of the Regimental Territorial Force (TF). After the Declaration of War on 4th August 1914 and at various stages up to 1st June 1918, the order of battle of the DCLI was made up of 16 Regular, Territorial Force, Service, Labour and Reserve Battalions. The two Volunteer Battalions, raised in 1916 for Local Home and Coastal Defence duties, were later transferred to the Royal Defence Corps.

A detailed history of the Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry can be viewed here.

Page last updated: 5th January 2025

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