Dorsetshire Regiment - Roll of Honour of Officers of the Dorsetshire Regiment Who Died in the Great War Whilst Serving With 1/4th Battalion Dorsetshire Regiment

No	Date Died	Surname	Forenames	Rank	Decs	Age	Cause	Country	Location/Sector	Cemetery/Memorial	Notes
1917
1	18th May	BAXTER	Walter Herbert	Lt Col	MiD, TD	51	DOI	India	Nainital, Uttarakhand	Kala Khan Cemetery, Nainital	(1)
2	28th September	MATTHEWS	Walter Franey	Capt	-	29	KIA	Mespot	Ramadi	Baghdad (North Gate) War Cemetery (XXX.E.6)	-
3	28th September	WOODRUFF	Arthur Hamilton Winthrop	Lt	-	29	KIA	Mespot	Ramadi	Baghdad (North Gate) War Cemetery (II.L.1)	-
Notes: 1. BAXTER died of illness in India whilst on leave.

Battalion History

At the Declaration of War on 4th August 1914 the 4th Battalion TF was based at Dorchester, under command of South Western Brigade, part of the Wessex Division, and it was moved to its war station on Salisbury Plain in preparation for its deployment to India, and personnel who were medically fit and had signed the Imperial Service Obligation were placed in the First-Line of the Battalion forming the 1/4th Battalion TF. Those unfit personnel, and those who would not sign the Imperial Service Order were placed in the Second-Line of the Battalion forming the 2/4th Battalion TF). The 1/4th Battalion TF sailed for Bombay from Southampton on 9th October 1914, arriving on 10th November 1914. The Battalion served in India under orders of GHQ India. The Wessex Division was renamed 43rd (Wessex) Division and the South Western Brigade re-titled as 129th (South Western) Brigade. In January 1916 elements of the Division (including the 1/4th Battalion) was moved to Mesopotamia under command of the 37th Indian Brigade, 3rd Indian Division, part of the Indian Expeditionary Force "D" (later the Mesopotamian Expeditionary Force). In May 1916 the Battalion was posted to the 41st Indian Brigade in the Mesopotamian Lines of Communication. In March 1918 the Battalion was posted to the 56th Indian Brigade, which joined the 14th Indian Division in September 1918. From January 1919 demobilisation began and British units of the Division were gradually reduced to cadres and returned to the UK for demobilisation.

Regimental History

The Dorsetshire Regiment was formed on 1 July 1881, part of the Childers Reforms, which saw the amalgamation of the 39th (Dorsetshire) Regiment of Foot and the 54th (West Norfolk) Regiment of Foot. These two units became respectively the Regular 1st and 2nd Battalions of the Regiment, with the Regimental Depot based at Depot Barracks, Dorchester. The 1881 reforms also redesignated the Militia and Rifle Volunteer Corps (RVC) units within the Regimental District of Dorsetshire as Battalions of the Regiment - the Dorsetshire Militia forming the 3rd (Militia) Battalion and the 1st Dorsetshire RVC forming the 1st 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 1st Volunteer Battalions formed the 4th 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 Dorchester Regiment constituted of up to 14 Regular, Territorial Force, Service, Home Service, Garrison and Reserve Battalions.

A detailed history of the Dorsetshire Regiment can be viewed here and here.

Page last updated: 18th May 2024

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