5th Battalion, King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry

The 5th Battalion, King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry (5th Bn KOYLI), was a unit of Britain's Territorial Force formed in 1908 from Volunteer units originally raised in the West Riding of Yorkshire in 1860. It served in some of the bitterest fighting on the Western Front during World War I, leading the attack at the tank battle of Cambrai and defending Bucquoy in March 1918. In the late 1930s, the battalion was converted to air defence in which role it served during World War II in the Battle of France and the Dunkirk evacuation, in North Africa including the Second Battle of El Alamein, and in the Allied invasions of Sicily and Italy, including service in the rebellion in Greece. Postwar, its successor units served in Anti-Aircraft Command until 1955.

Origin

The battalion was formed in 1908 when the Volunteer Force was subsumed into the new Territorial Force (TF) under the Haldane Reforms.Dunlop, Chapter 14.Spiers, Chapter 10.Westlake. The existing 2nd Volunteer Battalion, York and Lancaster Regiment was split up: the companies from Rotherham and Barnsley became 5th Battalion, York and Lancaster Regiment, while the companies from Doncaster and Pontefract combined with two companies from the 1st Volunteer Battalion, King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry (KOYLI) to form the 5th Battalion, King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry.Frederick, pp. 139–40.Frederick, p. 323.Westlake, pp. 260–6,London Gazette 20 March 1908.

By 1914, the new battalion was organised as follows:British Army 1914. HQ, B, C and F Companies at Nether Hall, Frenchgate, Doncaster, (raised on 5 February 1860 as the 20th (Doncaster, Great Northern Railway) and 21st (Doncaster Burgesses) Yorkshire West Riding Rifle Volunteer Corps)Army List.Doncaster at Drill Hall Project. A Company at Drill Hall, Beechnut Lane, Tanshelf, Pontefract (raised on 2 March 1860 as the 18th Yorkshire West Riding RVC)Pontefract at Drill Hall Project. D Company at Pasture Road, Goole (raised on 2 May 1860 as the 28th Yorkshire West Riding RVC)Goole at Drill Hall Project.West Riding at Great War Centenary Drill Halls. E Company at Featherstone G Company at Conisbrough H Company at Maltkiln Lane, CastlefordCastleford at Drill Hall Project.

Together, the TF battalions of the KOYLI and the York and Lancasters constituted the 3rd West Riding Brigade in the West Riding Division.Becke, Pt 2a, pp. 85–91.49 Division at Long, Long Trail.James, p. 91.

World War I Mobilisation Towards the end of July 1914, the units of the West Riding Division left their headquarters for their annual training camps, but on 3 and 4 August they were ordered to return; on 4 August immediate mobilisation was ordered. The 5th KOYLI mobilised at Frenchgate, Doncaster, under Lieutenant-Colonel C. C. Moxon, TD, who had been commanding officer (CO) since 8 October 1912.Magnus, p. 28

Shortly afterwards, TF units were invited to volunteer for Overseas Service and the majority of the battalion did so. On 15 August 1914, the War Office issued instructions to separate those men who had signed up for Home Service only, and form these into reserve units. On 31 August, the formation of a reserve or 2nd Line unit was authorised for each 1st Line unit where 60 per cent or more of the men had volunteered for Overseas Service. The titles of these 2nd Line units would be the same as the original, but distinguished by a '2/' prefix while the parent unit took '1/'. In this way duplicate battalions, brigades and divisions were created, mirroring those TF formations being sent overseas. Later they were mobilised for overseas service in their own right, and 3rd Line or Reserve units were formed.Becke, Pt 2b, p. 6.Magnus, pp. 39, 71–2.

1/5th Battalion After mobilisation, the 1st West Riding Division concentrated in the South Yorkshire area and began training for war. In November the KOYLI battalions were at Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, then in February 1915 at York. On 31 March the division was informed that it had been selected to proceed to France to join the British Expeditionary Force (BEF), and the battalion landed at Boulogne on 12 April. On 18–19 April platoons from the 3rd West Riding Bde were attached to 8th Division for training in the routine of trench duties. On 28 April the West Riding Division took over its own section of the line at Fleurbaix. It now formed part of IV Corps, which attacked at the Battle of Aubers Ridge on 9 May. While the other two divisions of IV Corps made the actual attack, the West Riding Division took over the greater part of the corps' trench line. It was supposed to follow up and occupy the captured enemy line, but the breakthrough did not occur.KOYLI at Long, Long Trail.Magnus, pp. 45–6, 50.

On 12 May, the division was designated 49th (West Riding) Division and the brigade became 148th (3rd West Riding).Magnus, p. 40.

For the next nine months, the 49th Division took part in no major operations but was almost continuously engaged in day-to-day trench warfare, much of it in the Ypres Salient, with the considerable casualties that this entailed.Magnus, pp. 54–6. On 19 December, the division received a sudden attack with the new German phosgene gas, followed by heavy shelling, but no serious infantry attack followed.Edmonds, 1916, pp. 158–62. In January 1916, the division was withdrawn for its first period of complete rest since it first entered the line.Magnus, p. 57.

Somme

In February, the division moved to the Somme sector. Here, it spent the next few months alternating trench duties with working parties and training for the forthcoming Somme Offensive. For this, the 49th Division formed the reserve for X Corps, which was tasked with seizing the Thiepval Spur, after which the 49th was to pass through and continue the pursuit. 148 Brigade moved up to assembly trenches in Aveluy Wood before dawn on the day of the attack (1 July). The attack was a disaster along most of the line, but the 36th (Ulster) Division initially made good progress. By the end of the day, it was cut off in the German lines, with its flank open to attack from Thiepval. 148 Brigade was ordered to make a second attack on Thiepval at midnight with 1/4th and 1/5th KOYLI. However, at 23.30 it became clear that the survivors of the Ulsters had retired to their original front trenches and the attack was called off.Edmonds, 1916, pp. 394–9, 414–5.Magnus, pp. 87–94.

By 14 July, the British had taken the Leipzig Redoubt on the Thiepval Spur, and while the offensive continued 49th Division remained holding this area, with a number of small actions and suffering a good deal of shelling, at the same time preparing trenches and dumps for a renewed attack. This was made on 3 September at the end of the Battle of Pozières, but 1/5th KOYLI was not directly involved in the failed action. 49th Division continued minor operations towards Thiepval during the Battle of Flers-Courcelette (15–22 September) before the offensive petered out.Magnus, pp. 100–7.

Ypres

During the summer of 1917, the 49th Division was earmarked for operations along the Flanders coast that failed to materialise. In October it was moved to the Ypres sector to join the Third Ypres Offensive. It took part in the Battle of Poelcapelle on 9 October, with 148 Bde on the left and 146 (1st West Yorkshire) Bde in the centre of the attack. The troops had a long night approach march in rain across appalling ground under shellfire, and only just reached the jumping-off tapes in time for Zero. When the attack went in at 05.20, the rain stopped so that the German defenders had perfect visibility. 148 Brigade was immediately stopped by a flooded stream, leaving 146 Bde to advance alone. They managed a few hundred yards before being stopped by a broad belt of undamaged German barbed wire. The division was now pinned down under fire from artillery, riflemen hidden in shell craters, and from machine guns in German pillboxes on the higher ground ahead. Although some of these pillboxes were taken, the division's attacking troops were back at their start line by the afternoon, having suffered heavy casualties.Liddle, pp. 221, 281–2.Magnus, pp. 138–41.Wolff, pp. 223, 226–8, 233–5.

By the beginning of 1918, the BEF was suffering a manpower crisis and the decision was made to break up one battalion in each infantry brigade. 1/5th KOYLI was the battalion chosen in 148 Bde: some of the men were drafted to the 1/4th Bn, the remainder joined 2/5th Bn in 62nd (2nd West Riding) Division (see below) which thereafter became simply 5th KOYLI.

2/5th Battalion

The 2/5th Bn KOYLI was formed at Doncaster on 10 September 1914 and became part of the 2/3rd West Riding Bde in the 2nd West Riding Division. These were later numbered 187 Bde and 62nd Division respectively.Becke, Pt 2b, pp. 41–8.62 Division at Long, Long Trail.

Until April 1915, they had no weapons with to train. Some Lee-Enfield rifles were then received, but these were withdrawn in May, and until the beginning of 1916 the 2nd Line Territorials had to make do with .256-in Japanese Ariska rifles, keeping their ammunition in their pockets until 1914 pattern webbing equipment arrived. With these antiquated weapons the 62nd Division was under orders to move at short notice to defend the East Coast, for which railway trains were kept in readiness. Training was also disrupted by the frequent calls to supply reinforcement drafts to the 1st line serving on the Western Front. In May 1915, the Home Service men of 187 Bde were withdrawn to form 26th Provisional Battalion serving in coast defence in North East England. In October, the division's 2nd Line battalions were reduced to 600 all ranks, the unfit men being posted to the 26th Provisional Bn and the surplus to the 3rd Line, which became the draft-finding unit.Magnus, pp. 73-4.Army Council Instructions, January 1916, Appendix 18.

In May 1915, the division moved into camp in 'The Dukeries' area of Nottinghamshire, where it trained until October, when it concentrated round Retford. It then went into the Tyne defences where it dug an entrenched defence line in December. It moved to Larkhill Camp on Salisbury Plain for battle training in January 1916 and finally received SMLE Mk III rifles and Lewis guns, but in June it was sent to the East Coast defences once more, where it was scattered round East Anglia. Here battle training was less convenient and it was again called upon to provide drafts to the Western Front. In October, it moved inland to Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire.Magnus, pp. 74–6.

Finally, in October 1916, orders were received to bring the division up to full establishment and prepare for overseas service. Embarkation began at Southampton on 5 January 1917, and the division completed its concentration in France on 18 January.Magnus, pp. 76–7. It took its place in the line in the Somme sector opposite Serre. Shortly afterwards, the German army began a planned retreat to the Hindenburg Line (Operation Alberich) and from 15 February to 19 March the division's units were engaged in patrol work and stiff actions against rearguards while advancing across the devastated (and booby-trapped) ground until that line was reached. The division was then shifted to the line opposite Bullecourt in the southern part of the Arras sector.Magnus, pp. 117–23.

Bullecourt