No

Date Died

Surname

Forenames

Rank

Decs

Age

Cause

Country

Location/Sector

Cemetery/Memorial

Notes

1917

1

25th May

SWAYNE

Cecil Maurice Eustace

Lt

-

21

DOI

India

Hospital at Calcutta

Delhi Memorial (India Gate) Face 1

(1)

1918

2

20th April

SHARP

Stanley Ernest Cecil

2Lt

-

28

DOI

Mespot

Kacha, East Persia

Tehran Memorial (Panel 2, Central Column)

(2)

1921

3

2nd May

WHITE

Leslie James Harford

Lt

-

35

DOI

India

Hospital at Lucknow

Lucknow Cantonment Military Cemetery (V.K.4)

(3)

Notes:

1.   SWAYNE died of appendicitis and is buried in Quetta Government Cemetery, Plot 2666.

2.   SHARP may well have been involved in operations in East Persia (now Iran).

3.   WHITE died of ? (WO 339/4819).

On the Declaration of War on 4th August 1914 the 2nd Battalion was based at Quetta (now Pakistan), part of the 4th (Quetta) Division, under command of GHQ India.   The Battalion was transferred to the 1st (Peshawar) Division in December 1917 remaining in India throughout the war performing Garrison and Internal Security duties.   After the war, the Battalion was reconstituted as a Regular Battalion and fought in the brief Third Anglo-Afghan War in 1919, and was involved in active service in Afghanistan and on the North-West Frontier. 

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.