Those Officers of Other Regiments

Who Died in the Great War Whilst Serving With 11th Battalion Somerset Light Infantry TF

1

11th September 1918

TAYLOR

Robert Lester

2Lt

-

24

DOW

France

CCS at Aire

Aire Communal Cemetery (IV.D.27)

Worcs Regt (1)

Notes:

1.   TAYLOR was detached from the Worcestershire Regiment.   He was wounded by a shell at Le Pont Riquelt, near Merville, on 8th September 1918.

The 11th Battalion TF was formed on 1 January 1917 from what had previously been the 85th Provisional Battalion of the TF. This Battalion had originally formed up at Yeovil in April 1915 from “Home Service only” personnel of the Regiment and was under command of 227th Brigade.   The Battalion moved to Herne Bay in October 1917 and then to Wrentham, Suffolk, in March 1918.  Between 27 April 1918 and 16 July 1918, it was titled ‘Garrison Guard’ Battalion".  On 6th May 1918 the Battalion moved to France and was placed under command of 177th Brigade, 59th (2nd North Midland) Division for active service, where it remained until the end of the war.   At the Armistice the Battalion was stationed in the Pecq area, northeast of Lille and was moved to Noeux-les-Mines on 3rd December 1918 where it continued to train and started educational classes for all ranks.   The Battalion was moved to Abancourt, southwest of Amiens, on 14th January 1919 and a detachment was sent to Abbeville.   Its duties were to prepare staging camps for men who were in the process of demobilisation and were en-route to the UK.   The Battalion was moved to Calais on 8th March 1919 for Garrison duties including providing detachments sent to the British Military Prison for security duties.   On 1st August 1919 the Battalion provided 265 personnel for deployment to Egypt and the Black Sea.   The 11th Battalion Somerset Light Infantry was disbanded on 31st August 1919 when remaining personnel were 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.