The 7th (City of London) Battalion of the London Regiment was a volunteer unit of the British Army from 1860 until 1961. Recruited from London working men, it sent volunteers to the Second Boer War, saw extensive service on the Western Front during World War I, and defended the United Kingdom as a searchlight regiment during World War II.

Origins

An invasion scare in 1859 led to the creation of the Volunteer Movement in Britain. One of the movement's leaders was the journalist, playwright and poet Alfred Bate Richards, who convened a meeting at St Martin's Hall, Long Acre, London, on 16 April 1859 that led the War Office to authorise the recruitment of Rifle Volunteer Corps (RVCs). Richards himself enlisted 1000 men to form the 'Workmen's Volunteer Brigade'.Beckett, pp. 19, 61, Appendix VI, pp. 277–8.Planck, p. 2. Although the unit began holding parades at the City of London's Guildhall in the autumn of 1860,Morning Advertiser, Times, 24 Sep; Volunteer Services Gazette, 29 Sep; Bengal Hurkaru 31 Oct 1860. the first officers' commissions were not issued until 26 April 1861, when the unit was formally adopted as the 3rd City of London RVC. The men were generally less well-off than some other London RVCs recruited from the professions and middle classes, but the unit received some financial support from the City of London and the Livery Companies. It adopted a scarlet uniform with buff facings and brass buttons, at first with a bearskin and red plume, later with a kepi, together with the motto LABOR OMNIA VINCIT (Work conquers everything) derived from Virgil.Becket, Appendix VII.Frederick, pp. 214–5.Planck, pp. 2–3.Westlake, p. 161.7th City of London Regiment at Regiments.orgBarnes, Appendix III.Ehrlich.

Under the Childers Reforms the RVCs became Volunteer Battalions of Regular Army regiments on 1 July 1881. The 3rd London RVC was designated as the 11th Volunteer Battalion, King's Royal Rifle Corps (KRRC) but continued to use its former title and did not adopt the Rifle green uniform and black buttons of the KRRC.Martin, pp. 1, 4–5.

The battalion did not have its own drill hall, and drill parades were held at Regent's Park, the Ditch of the Tower of London and at Gray's Inn Square. Prize-givings and inspections were held in the Guildhall, and the annual inspection was carried out at Horse Guards Parade. Church parades were held at St Bride's Church, Fleet Street. The headquarters was first at 26 Great Tower Street, then 38 New Broad Street, both in the city, and afterwards at 76 Farringdon Road in Clerkenwell, but in 1903 the battalion raised enough money to obtain larger premises at 24 Sun Street, Finsbury Square.Planck, pp. 8–10.

During the Second Boer War the 3rd City of Londons provided a contingent of the City Imperial Volunteers raised at the Guildhall after the events of Black Week, and volunteers from the battalion also served with the KRRC. For this the unit received its first Battle Honour: South Africa 1900–02.Planck, pp. 8–9.

Territorial Force Under the Haldane Reforms that created the Territorial Force in 1908, the battalion was included in the new all-Territorial London Regiment, taking its place as the 7th (City of London) Battalion. It was assigned to 2nd London Brigade in the 1st London Division.Frederick, pp. 149–50.James, pp. 113–6.Planck, p. 11.Martin, p. 6–7.Barnes, Appendix IV.Becke, Pt 2a, pp. 141–7. Unlike many battalions of the London Regiment the 7th Battalion had no traditional name, but was nicknamed the 'Shiny Seventh' because it wore brass buttons in a brigade whose other battalions all wore black Rifle buttons.

World War I

Mobilisation The battalion had just arrived in camp at Eastbourne for annual training on Sunday 2 August 1914 when news reached them of the mobilisation of the Continental Powers. The battalion immediately entrained for London and the men returned to their homes. Mobilisation came on 5 August. The men were accommodated in Curtain Road and Scrutton Street schools, the transport in Broad Street Goods Yard, and the officers at the Armfields Hotel. A week later, the Commanding Officer, Viscount Hood, asked if the men would volunteer for foreign service, and practically the whole battalion did so, making it eligible to be sent overseas.Planck, p. 12. The men who did not so volunteer, or were unfit, were constituted as a second battalion to which the new recruits were directed. This was named the 2/7th Londons, the service battalion becoming the 1/7th Londons under the command of Col Edward Faux, a long-serving officer of the regiment. In April 1915 a reserve battalion, named 3/7th Londons, was organised to train and supply drafts to the other battalions serving overseas.London Regiment at Long, Long TrailLondon Regiment at Regimental Warpath Planck, pp. 83, 143, 217.Becke, Pt 2b, pp. 9–15.

1/7th Battalion In the weeks following the outbreak of war the 1/7th was marched to training camps at Bisley, Surrey, Crowborough, Sussex, and finally Watford, Hertfordshire, where it joined the 4th London Brigade in 2nd London Division. 1st London Division had been temporarily broken up as a number of individual London TF battalions had already been sent overseas, and the 2nd London Division was being brought back up to full strength in order to proceed to France as a formation. The 1/7th spent the winter of 1914–15 at Watford and then entrained for Southampton, disembarking at Le Havre on 18 March 1915.Planck, 12–7.Becke, Pt 2a, pp. 69–75.

Festubert

The 2nd London Division, soon afterwards numbered 47th (1/2nd London) Division, went into the line near Béthune to be instructed in trench warfare by Regular troops, the 1/7th carrying out working parties and suffering its first casualties.Planck, pp. 18–9.Maude, pp. 12–7. After holding a section of the line near Festubert in early May, the battalion became the first in the 47th Division to go into action. As the left hand unit of the division it was temporarily attached to the neighbouring 22nd Brigade of 7th Division, which attacked on 16 May during the Battle of Festubert. Elements of the battalion advanced as far as the German support line, but found themselves ahead of their flanking troops and returned to hold the captured German front line. Their casualties that day were 23 killed and 128 wounded.Planck, pp. 21–6.Maude, pp. 19–20.

Loos

After spending the summer holding the line near Loos, the battalion was withdrawn for intensive training for the forthcoming Battle of Loos. This was a carefully rehearsed attack that began on 25 September 1915 following four days of bombardment and the release of a gas cloud. The battalion's first objective in this attack was a mining Spoil tip known as the Double Crassier, then it was to move on to take the German second line about 400 yards further on. The battalion followed the gas and smoke cloud and successfully captured its objectives. It then consolidated the position and beat off a counter-attack. Casualties for the day were heavy, totalling 14 officers and 250 other ranks.Planck, pp. 31–43.Maude, pp. 26–31.Cherry, pp. 113–7.

Vimy

During the winter of 1915–16 the 1/7th Londons carried out regular tours of duty in the Loos sector. losing a steady stream of casualties to artillery and mine attacks.Planck, pp. 44–54.Maude, pp. 37–47. In March 1916 the 47th Division took over part of the Vimy sector on the west side of the Vimy Ridge. On 21 May 140 Bde (temporarily under the command of Col Faux of the 1/7th) was subjected to a heavy bombardment, and the Germans attacked in the evening. The weight of the attack fell on 1/7th and 1/8th Londons, who were forced back from their front and support lines halfway down the slope. 1/7th made a local counter-attack, but it was too weak to succeed. After a night and day of confusion, the 1/6th and 1/7th Bns pushed forward 250 yards to reoccupy an old French trench which they consolidated and thereby prevented any further enemy advance. They were relieved in the evening of 22 May, having suffered heavy casualties.Planck, pp. 57-71.Maude, pp. 49–56.Cave, pp. 58–63.

High Wood

In late July 1916 the 1/7th marched south to begin training to enter the ongoing Somme offensive. The battalion practised on positions marked out by flags, and adopted identification stripes on their arms: A Company blue, B Co green, C Co red and D Co yellow. On 15 September, 47th Division attacked High Wood to cover the left flank of the tank-led attack of the adjacent divisions on Flers. The first objective for 140 Bde was a line clear of High Wood (the Switch Line), the second was the Starfish Line on the forward slope, and then the strong Flers Line. The 1/7th and 1/15th were to open the attack, after which the 1/8th would pass through to capture the Starfish Line and finally the 1/6th would pass through and continue to the Flers Line. The 1/7th advanced rapidly behind a creeping barrage and took over 100 prisoners, but suffered severe casualties in taking the Switch Line and consolidating just in front of it. The battalion was relieved on the evening of 17 September and moved forward to relieve the 1/8th in the Starfish Line, where they were counter-attacked and bombarded for two days. By the time they left the line on 20 September the 'Shiny Seventh' were caked in mud and had suffered over 300 casualties. The regiment was awarded the battle honour Flers-Courcelette.Planck, pp. 75–82.Maude, pp. 61–8.

Butte de Warlencourt

In rest camp the battalion was reinforced by a draft of nearly 200 troops from the East Surrey Regiment and returning wounded men of the 7th. It then returned to the High Wood sector on 5 October for another general attack, this time with little preparation. Thebattalion was to attack through the 1/8th Londons (Post Office Rifles) and seize the objective, a mound known as the Butte de Warlencourt. At first casualties were light, but after some 300 yards the leading waves reached the skyline and were virtually wiped out by machine-gun fire. The survivors dug in as darkness fell, with the nearest supports some 600 yards away. After a day under shellfire the battalion was withdrawn the following night. Casualties had been another 300 officers and men. This action won the regiment the battle honour Le Transloy.Planck, pp. 83–90.Maude, 71–3.

Ypres

The 47th Division transferred to the Ypres Salient, at that time a quiet sector, and the 1/7th received a draft from the 25th (County of London) Cyclist Battalion, who had spent the whole war so far in England and were unusually well trained.Planck, pp. 91–113.Maude, pp. 79–94. For several months the battalion did tours of duty in the line in the area of Hill 60 and 'The Spoilbank'. This was part of the line being prepared for the Battle of Messines, and the troops were carefully trained for this set-piece attack. After the explosion of huge British mines on 7 June, the task of 1/7th was to attack from the Spoilbank, take the German front lines and then swing round to capture the 'White Chateau'. The attack broke through with little opposition, but was held up at the White Chateau. The 1/6th Londons then passed through and the two battalions enveloped and captured the position. The captured area was consolidated and held despite shelling and German counter-attacks. Over three days the battalion suffered 64 officers and men killed, 275 wounded and 13 missing.Planck, pp. 114–7.Maude, pp. 95–100.

On 15 September a 60-man party of the battalion, after special training, made an afternoon attack on a troublesome German strongpoint in front of the 'Clapham Junction' position. This had held up several previous attacks but the 1/7th Londons took it, naming it 'Cryer Farm' after 2/Lt B.N. Cryer who was killed leading the attack. The position was reinforced during the night and held off three counter-attacks before the battalion handed over the sector to Australian troops on 16 September and left the Salient.Planck, pp. 125–7.Maude, p. 109.

Bourlon Wood