No

Date Died

Surname

Forenames

Rank

Decs

Age

Cause

Country

Location/Sector

Cemetery/Memorial

Notes

1916

1

11th September

BARTELT

Fritz William

Capt

-

28

DOI

India

Presidency General Hospital, Calcutta

Corston (All Saints) Churchyard, near Bath

(1)

1917

2

22nd November

BEALEY

Adam Crompton

Capt

-

44

DOW

Palestine

CCS near Jerusalem

Jerusalem War Cemetery (P.10)

(2)

1918

3

9th April

KITCHEN

George Rowland

2Lt

-

20

KIA

Palestine

"Pimple Hill", Jordan Valley

Ramleh War Cemetery (T.28)

-

4

11th April

FEAR

Edgar Leslie Brinsdon

2Lt

-

19

KIA

Palestine

East of Jerusalem

Jerusalem War Memorial (Panel 16)

-

5

30th July

NEWTON

Arthur John

2Lt

-

24

KIA

France

Near Villemontoire

Raperie British Cemetery, Villemontoire (IIA.B.10)

-

Officers of Other Regiments Who Died in the Great War Whilst Serving With 2/4th Battalion TF

1

1st August 1918

JAFFE

Joseph

Capt

-

38

KIA

France

Near Villemontoire

Raperie British Cemetery, Villemontoire (IA.B.2)

(3)

Notes:

1.   BARTELT died of malaria at Presidency General Hospital, Calcutta.   He was cremated and his ashes returned his family in the UK.   The ashes were deposited under a memorial window in Corston (All Saints) Church.

2.   BEALEY was wounded at Kut-el-Enab on 22nd November 1917.

3.   JAFFE was detached from the RAMC and was Battalion Medical Officer.

On the Declaration of War on 4th August 1914 the 4th Battalion TF was based at Lower Bristol Road, Bath, part of the South Western Brigade of the Wessex Division, and was moved to its war station at Plymouth.   The Battalion was then moved to Durrington, on 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 1/4th Battalion TF.   Those temporarily unfit personnel, and those who did not sign the Imperial Service Order were placed in the Second-Line of the Battalion forming the 2/4th Battalion TF at Bath, part of 2nd Wessex Division.   The 2/4th Battalion sailed for India  from Southampton on 12th December 1914, arriving at Bombay on 8th January 1915.   The Battalion served in India under orders of GHQ India.   The Wessex Division was renamed 45th (2nd Wessex) Division and the South Western Brigade re-titled as 135th (2nd South Western) Brigade.  In August 1915 the Battalion was sent to the Andaman Islands (off Thailand) for Garrison and Security duties, returning to India in January 1916.   In early September 1917 the Battalion was deployed to Egypt, arriving at Suez on 27th September 1917 joining the 232nd Brigade of the 75th Division at Deir el Belah, on 16th October 1917.   The Division took part in many operations in Palestine and on 2nd May 1918 the Battalion was detached from the Division and ordered to join the BEF in France.   The Battalion embarked at Port Said on HMT Ormonde for Marseilles on 23rd May 1918 arriving there on 1st June 1918 and joining the 34th Division as the Pioneer Battalion, where it was immediately put to work construction defensive positions.  The Battalion served in France with the Division for the rest of the war and at the Armistice was based in the Vevelghem area, northeast of Lille.   The Division was selected to be a part of the Army of Occupation in Germany and on 14th November 1918 the Division commenced its march into Germany.   The Battalion arrived at Wepion, south of Namur on 23rd December 1918, and arrived at Bonn on 20th January 1919 and then at Troisdorf, on the east bank of the Rhine to the northeast of Bonn, on 31st January 1919.   Personnel of the Battalion underwent military, physical, recreational and education training in February 1919.   During March 1919, 4 officers and 201 men were returned to the UK for demobilisation and 13 officers and 252 men were transferred to 51st Battalion Hampshire Regiment for Army of Occupation duties.   The cadre of the Battalion was moved to the Divisional Reception Camp at Sieburg/Bonn and remained there for the month of April 1919 until it was returned to the UK and demobilised.

Copyright and source:  The Long, Long Trail

The brass “collar dog” insignia worn by men of Pioneer Battalions in the British Expeditionary Force. The design is of a crossed rifle and pick, representing the Battalion's dual fighting and labouring role.

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.

Year

India

Palestine

France

Total

1916

1

1

1917

1

1

1918

2

1

3

TOTALS

1

3

1

5