No

Date Died

Surname

Forenames

Rank

Decs

Age

Cause

Country

Location/Sector

Cemetery/Memorial

Notes

1916

1

15th January

BRUTTON

Robert Hall

Major

TD

53

DOI

India

Station Hospital, Ambala, north of Delhi

Ambala Cantonment Cemetery (21.A.2)

(1)

1917

2

13th November

ELLIOTT

Horace William

2Lt

-

37

KIA

Palestine

"Junction Station", southeast of Ramleh

Ramleh War Cemetery (P.8)

-

3

22nd November

BANES-WALKER

Gerald

Capt

-

28

KIA

Palestine

El Jib, Nebi Samwil, near Jerusalem

Jerusalem War Cemetery (X.3)

-

4

23rd November

HANNAFORD

William Allan

2Lt

-

19

KIA

Palestine

Nebi Samwil, near Jerusalem

Jerusalem War Cemetery (G.21)

-

5

23rd November

MAJOR

Arthur Oswald

Capt

-

42

KIA

Palestine

Nebi Samwil, near Jerusalem

Jerusalem War Cemetery (G.27)

-

Notes:

1.   BRUTTON died of malaria.

No

Date Died

Surname

Forenames

Rank

Decs

Age

Cause

Country

Location/Sector

Cemetery/Memorial

Notes

1

9th April 1918

MOLONEY

Frank

2Lt

-

21

KIA

Palestine

Jordan Valley

Ramleh war Cemetery (N.40)

(1)

2

10th April 1918

GOULD

Ernest William

2Lt

-

19

KIA

Palestine

Jordon Valley

Ramleh war Cemetery (S.45)

(2)

3

7th August 1919

TERRY

Leslie Ryder

Lt

-

26

DOI

Egypt

Military Hospital at Cairo

Cairo War Memorial Cemetery (P.56)

(3)

Notes:

1.   MOLONEY was detached from the Rifle Brigade.

2.   GOULD was detached from the South Lancashire Regiment.

3.   TERRY was detached from the Royal Warwickshire Regiment.  He died of ? at the Military Hospital at Cairo.

On the Declaration of War on 4th August 1914 the 5th Battalion TF was based at the County Territorial Hall, Taunton, part of the South Western Brigade, Wessex Division and moved to its war station at Plymouth.   The Battalion then moved to Salisbury Plain, in preparation for its move 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 1/5th 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 2/5th Battalion TF).   The 1/5th Battalion sailed for Bombay from Southampton on 9th October 1914, arriving on 9th 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 was re-titled as 129th (South Western) Brigade.  In April 1917 elements of the Division (including the 1/5th Battalion) was moved to Egypt under command of 233rd Brigade of 75th Division.   In late 1917 the Division was deployed to Palestine in the Egyptian Expeditionary Force.   After the final battles of 1918 against the Ottoman Empire the Division was withdrawn and went into reserve at Tyre.  On 22nd October 1918 it was moved to Haifa and was there on 31st October 1918 when Turkey signed an Armistice.  A gradual move back to Egypt took place, the units going via Lydda and Kantara.  By March 1919 Divisional HQ was at Alexandria and brigades at Heliopolis and Ismailia.  The Division remained in existence, gradually demobilising, until 1 April 1920 when most units had returned to the UK.

The Regiment was formed from the two Battalions of the 13th (1st Somersetshire) (Prince Albert's Light Infantry) Regiment of Foot as the Prince Albert's Light Infantry (Somersetshire Regiment) on 1st July 1881 under the Childers Reforms.   As the Regiment consisted of two Battalions, there was no need for it to amalgamate with another Regiment.   The reforms also provided for a Depot at Jellalabad Barracks in Taunton, and, as the county Regiment of Somersetshire, the county's Militia and Rifle Volunteer Battalions were integrated into the Regiment as numbered Battalions - 3rd Battalion (formerly 1st Somerset Light Infantry Militia), 4th Battalion (formerly 2nd Somerset Light Infantry Militia), 1st Volunteer Battalion (formerly 1st Somersetshire Rifle Volunteer Corps), 2nd Volunteer Battalion (formerly 2nd Somersetshire Rifle Volunteer Corps), 3rd Volunteer Battalion (formerly 3rd Somersetshire Rifle Volunteer Corps).  Within months of the formation, the Regiment was retitled to Prince Albert's (Somersetshire Light Infantry).  

In 1908, under the Haldane Reforms, the Militia and Volunteers were reorganised with the 3rd and 4th Militia Battalions almalgamated to form the 3rd (Special Reserve) Battalion and the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Volunteer Battalions reorganised into the 4th and 5th Battalions of the Regimental Territorial Force (TF).

After the Declaration of War on 4th August 1914 and at various stages up to 1st July 1918, the Regiment formed and either disbanded, reorganised or reconstituted up of 20 Regular, Territorial Force, Service, Garrison, Reserve and Home Service Battalions.