No

Date Died

Surname

Forenames

Rank

Decs

Age

Cause

Country

Location/Sector

Cemetery/Memorial

Notes

1918

1

2nd September

JENKINS

Francis Howard

2Lt

-

21

KIA

France

Southwest of Moislains

Fins New British Cemetery (VIII.H.2)

(1)

2

2nd September

WALLIS

Thomas Francis

Capt

-

25

KIA

France

Southwest of Moislains

Peronne Communal Cemetery Extn (III.N.27)

-

3

2nd September

WILLS

Thomas George Francis

2Lt

-

24

KIA

France

Southwest of Moislains

Peronne Communal Cemetery Extn (III.D.19)

-

Notes:

1.   JENKINS was originally buried in a battlefield grave west of the Canal du Nord, south west of Moislains, and re-buried in Fins New British Cemetery in June 1920.

Those Officers of Other Regiments Who Died in the Great War

Whilst Serving With 12th (West Somerset Yeomanry) Battalion Somerset Light Infantry

No

Date Died

Surname

Forenames

Rank

Decs

Age

Cause

Country

Location/Sector

Cemetery/Memorial

Notes

1

6th November 1917

CHADWICK

Norman Stuart

2Lt

-

28

KIA

Palestine

Gaza

Beersheba War Cemetery (L.68)

(1)

2

6th November 1917

RICHARDSON

Alfred Terence Leatham

Capt

-

25

KIA

Palestine

Gaza

Beersheba War Cemetery (L.61)

(2)

3

2nd September 1918

CLARKE

James Burford

2Lt

-

23

KIA

France

Southwest of Moislains

Peronne Communal Cemetery Extn (III.K.32)

(3)

4

2nd September

TAYLOR

Douglas John Bulpin

Capt

-

28

KIA

France

Southwest of Moislains

Peronne Communal Cemetery Extn (IV.J.15)

(4)

5

6th September 1918

KEEN

William Allan

Capt

-

29

DOW

France

CCS at Mericourt-L'Abbe

Heilly Station Cemetery (VII.B.118)

(5)

6

22nd September

THOMSON

Cyril Ground

Capt

MC

27

KIA

France

North of Bellicourt

Templeux-le-Guerard British Cemetery (I.B.41)

(6)

Notes:

1.   CHADWICK was detached from the South Lancashire Regiment.

2.   RICHARDSON was detached from the West Somerset Yeomanry.

3.   CLARKE was detached from the South Lancashire Regiment.

4.   TAYLOR was detached from the West Somerset Yeomanry.

5.   KEEN was detached from the Middlesex Regiment.   He was wounded near Moislains on 3rd September 1918.

6.   THOMSON  was detached from the West Somerset Yeomanry.

The Battalion was formed at Ismailia, Egypt, on 4th January 1917 from the dismounted 1/1st West Somerset Yeomanry of the 2nd Dismounted Brigade, when the GOC Egyptian Expeditionary Force, Sir Edmund Allenby, gave orders for the reorganisation of the 2nd, 3rd and 4th Dismounted Brigades of Yeomanry – at the time all were serving on Suez Canal defences – and for their conversion to infantry.  The Dismounted Brigades were re-titled the 229th, 230th and 231st Infantry Brigades.  These Brigades were then organised as a Division of the Territorial Force (TF), the 74th (Yeomanry) Division, which commenced assembly on 4th March 1917 near El Arish.  The Division deployed to Palestine and took part in many operations until April 1918, when the Division was re-deployed to the BEF in France, landing in Marseilles on 7th May 1918.   It was held in training in GHQ Reserve until it was deployed to the front line in July 1918.   The Division remained in France for the remainder of the war and at the Armistice the Battalion was in billets at Havinnes, to the east of Tournai.  The Battalion was soon moved to Ollignies, northeast of Ath, where it was tasked with repairing local roads and railways as well as providing educational classes for all personnel.   The Battalion was moved westward on 17th November 1918 to Leuze, via Mainvault, west of Ath, where it began work to repair the Tournai - Leuze railway.   Demobilisation began on 13th December 1918 when 1 officer and 12 men (coal miners)  proceeded to the UK.   On 15th December 1918 the Battalion was moved to Grammont, west of Brussels, via Ostiches, and continued with military and educational instruction.   A further 8 men proceeded to UK on Christmas Day 1918 for demobilisation.  In January 1919 many more men were returned to the UK though the Battalion continued with military, physical and educational instruction.   On 25th January 1919 the Battalion was temporarily moved to Anderlecht, Brussels, in preparation and march past and parade for the visit of King George V, returning to Grammont on 28th January 1919.   Demobilisation continued in February 1919 and on 5th March 1919, 5 officers and 158 men were despatched to 2/4th Battalion Ox & Bucks LI, which was part of the Army of Occupation in Germany.   For the remainder of April and in May demobilisation continued and on 16th June 1919 the cadre of the Battalion, 2 officers and 18 men, departed via the 5th Demobilisation Centre at Lille for Boulogne for the journey to the UK on 20th June 1919.    

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.