Fallen Officers of the Great War

No

Date Died

Surname

Forenames

Rank

Decs

Age

Cause

Country

Location/Sector

Cemetery/Memorial

Notes

Died in 1915

1

15th April

HORNBY

Cyril Blurton

2Lt

-

24

A

UK

Tenby Cottage Hospital

Northampton (Billing Road) Cemetery

-

2

11th November

KENNY

Cecil Stackpoole

2Lt

-

25

LAS

Sea

Irish Sea

Hollybrook Memorial (Panel 65)

-

Notes:

1.   HORNBY died of injuries after a motor cycle accident in Tenby on 8th April 1915.

2.   KENNY fell overboard and was lost from SS "Greenore" in the Irish Sea whilst returning to the Battalion from leave in Ireland.

The 9th (Service) Battalion was formed and assembled at Pembroke Dock on 1st November 1914 as part of "K4, and was placed under command of 104th Brigade of 35th Division.   On 10th April 1915 the Battalion was converted from a Service to a Reserve Battalion, forming a depot for and providing trained reinforcements to 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th Battalions of the Regiment.   The Battalion moved to Kinmel Park, Rhyl, in June 1915 then to Prees Heath near Whitchurch, in August 1915 under command of Colonel J M Ransom.   On 1st September 1916 at Prees Heath, the Battalion was converted to 48th Training Reserve Battalion of 11th Reserve Brigade, losing its Regimental affiliation.

The Battalion lost 17 soldiers during the war.

The King's Light Infantry (Shropshire Regiment) was formed on 1 July 1881 as the county regiment of Herefordshire and Shropshire as part of the Childers Reforms.   It was renamed as The King's (Shropshire Light Infantry) on 10 March 1882.   The Regiment was an amalgamation of the 53rd (Shropshire) Regiment of Foot and the 85th (King's Light Infantry) Regiment of Foot, which became the Regular 1st and 2nd Battalions.  The 1881 reforms also redesignated the Militia and Rifle Volunteers units within the Regimental District as Battalions of the Regiment.   Accordingly, the Shropshire Militia and Royal Herefordshire Militia became the 3rd and 4th (Militia) Battalions respectively, and the 1st and 2nd Shropshire Rifle Volunteer Corps became the 1st and 2nd Volunteer Battalions.  The 1st Herefordshire (Herefordshire and Radnorshire) Rifle Volunteer Corps was also affiliated as a Volunteer Battalion, without change of title.   In 1908, as part of the Haldane Reforms, the two Militia Battalions were merged to form the 3rd (Special Reserve) Battalion and the 1st and 2nd Volunteer Battalions were merged to form the 4th Battalion of the Regimental Territorial Force at Longden Coleham in Shrewsbury. At the same time, the Herefordshire Rifle Volunteer Corps became independent as the Herefordshire Regiment (TF).

A detailed history of The King's (Shropshire Light Infantry) can be viewed here, here, here and here.   Further reading is here - "The King's Shropshire Light Infantry 1881 - 1968":  By Shropshire Regimental Museum (Author) and Peter Duckers (Compiler).   Published in 2009 - ISBN 13 - 978-0752411934.

The History of The King's (Shropshire Light Infantry) in the Great War 1914 - 1918 (edited by Major W de B Wood) - ISBN 13: 978-1843426097 ) provides a detailed account of the Regimental battalions in the Great War.