This is a list of battalions of the Devonshire Regiment, which existed as an infantry regiment of the British Army from 1881 to 1958.
Original composition When the 11th (North Devonshire) Regiment of Foot became the Devonshire Regiment in 1881 under the Cardwell-Childers reforms of the British Armed Forces, seven pre-existent militia and volunteer battalions of Devonshire were integrated into the structure of the regiment. Volunteer battalions had been created in reaction to a perceived threat of invasion by France in the late 1850s. Organised as "rifle volunteer corps", they were independent of the British Army and composed primarily of the middle class.
BattalionFormedFormerlyRegular1st16851st Battalion, 11th (North Devonshire) Regiment of Foot2nd18582nd Battalion, 11th (North Devonshire) Regiment of FootMilitia3rd (2nd Devon Militia)1853South Devon MilitiaParkyn p.2234th (1st Devon Militia)1853East Devon MilitiaParkyn p.222Volunteers1st (Exeter and South Devon) Volunteer18531st Devonshire (Exeter and South Devon) Rifle Volunteer CorpsWestlake p.632nd (Prince of Wales's) Volunteer18602nd Devonshire Rifle Volunteer Corps (Prince of Wales's)3rd Volunteer18603rd Devonshire Rifle Volunteer CorpsWestlake p.644th Volunteer18604th Devonshire Rifle Volunteer Corps5th (The Hay Tor) Volunteer18605th Devonshire Rifle Volunteer CorpsWestlake p.65
Reorganisation The Territorial Force (later Territorial Army) was formed in 1908, which the volunteer battalions joined, while the militia battalions transferred to the "Special Reserve". All volunteer battalions were renumbered to create a single sequential order. Also in 1908, the 3rd (Militia) Battalion was one of the 23 infantry militia battalions to disband, and so the 4th was renumbered at the 3rd.
BattalionFormerly4th1st (Exeter and South Devon) Volunteer Battalion5th (Prince of Wales's)Amalgamation of 2nd (Prince of Wales's) and 5th (The Hay Tor) Volunteer Battalions6th4th Volunteer7th (Cyclist)Cyclist sections of 1st (Exeter and South Devon), 2nd (Prince of Wales's), and 5th (The Hay Tor) Volunteer Battalions
First World War The Devons fielded 28 battalions and lost over 6,000 officers and other ranks during the course of the war. The regiment's territorial components formed duplicate second and third line battalions. As an example, the three-line battalions of the 4th Devons were numbered as the 1/4th, 2/4th, and 3/4th respectively, with the third line battalions, being redesignated reserve battalions in 1916. Four battalions of the regiment were formed as part of Secretary of State for War Lord Kitchener's appeal for an initial 100,000 men volunteers in 1914. They were referred to as the New Army or Kitchener's Army. The Volunteer Training Corps were raised with overage or reserved occupation men early in the war, and were initially self-organised into many small corps, with a wide variety of names, such as the Bideford and District Emergence League formed in early August 1914 with 80 members. Recognition of the corps by the authorities brought regulation and as the war continued the small corps were formed into battalion sized units of the county Volunteer Regiment. In 1918 these were linked to county regiments.Westlake pp. 4-7
BattalionFormedServedFateRegular1st1685Western Front, Italian Front2nd1858Western FrontSpecial Reserve3rd (Reserve)1908BritainTerritorial Force1/4th1853Mesopotamia1/5th (Prince of Wales's)1908India, Sinai and Palestine, Western Front1/6th1860India, Mesopotamia1/7th (Cyclist)1908BritainSee Inter-War2/4thExeter, September 1914India, Sinai and PalestineDisbanded, in Egypt, August 19182/5th (Prince of Wales's)Plymouth, September 1914EgyptDisbanded, in Egypt, June 19162/6thBarnstaple, September 1914India, MesopotamiaDisbanded, in 19192/7th (Cyclist)Totnes, October 1914BritainDisbanded, in 19193/4th4th (Reserve), from April 1916Exeter, March 1915Britain, IrelandDisbanded, in 19193/5th (Prince of Wales's)5th (Reserve), from April 1916Plymouth, March 1915BritainAbsorbed by 4th (Reserve) Battalion, in September 19163/6th6th (Reserve), from April 1916Barnstaple, March 1915BritainAbsorbed by 4th (Reserve) Battalion, in September 19163/7th (Cyclist)1915BritainDisbanded, in March 191615thJanuary 1917from 86th Provisional Battalion (Territorial Force)BritainDisbanded, in 191916th (Royal 1st Devon and Royal North Devon Yeomanry)Egypt, January 1917Sinai and Palestine, Western FrontDisbanded, in 1919New Army8th (Service)Exeter, August 1914Western Front, Italian FrontDisbanded, in 19199th (Service)Exeter, September 1914Western Front, Italian FrontDisbanded, in 191910th (Service)Exeter, September 1914Western Front, SalonikaDisbanded, in 191911th (Reserve)Exeter, November 1914BritainConverted to 44th Training Reserve Battalion in September 1916Others12th (Labour)Devonport, May 1916Western FrontBecame Nos. 152 and 153 Companies, Labour Corps, in April 191713th (Works)Saltash, June 1916BritainBecame 3rd Labour Battalion, in April 191714th (Labour)Plymouth, August 1916Western FrontBecame Nos. 154 and 155 Companies, Labour Corps, in April 19171st GarrisonWeymouth, August 1915Egypt, Sinai and PalestineDisbanded, in 19192nd (Home Service) GarrisonExeter, July 1916BritainConverted to 5th Battalion, Royal Defence Corps, in August 191751st (Graduated)October 1917from 206th (Infantry) Battalion, Training ReserveBritainConverted to service battalion and disbanded in 192052nd (Graduated)October 1917from 210th (Infantry) Battalion, Training ReserveBritainConverted to service battalion and disbanded in Germany, in 192053rd (Young Soldier)October 1917from 35th Training Reserve BattalionBritainConverted to service battalion and absorbed into 1/5th Battalion in Germany, in 1920Volunteer Training CorpsWestlake p. 1141st Battalion Devonshire Volunteer Regimentlater the 1st Volunteer Battalion, Devonshire RegimentExeterDisbanded post war2nd Battalion Devonshire Volunteer Regimentlater the 2nd Volunteer Battalion, Devonshire RegimentPlymouthDisbanded post war3rd Battalion (North Devon) Devonshire Volunteer RegimentChesterDisbanded 19184th Battalion (South Devon) Devonshire Volunteer Regimentlater the 3rd Volunteer Battalion, Devonshire RegimentTorquayDisbanded post war5th Battalion (East Devon) Devonshire Volunteer RegimentSidmouthDisbanded 1918
Inter-War By 1920, all of the regiment's war-raised battalions had disbanded. The Special Reserve reverted to its militia designation in 1921, then to the Supplementary Reserve in 1924; however, its battalions were effectively placed in 'suspended animation'. As World War II approached, the Territorial Army was reorganised in the mid-1930s, many of its infantry battalions were converted to other roles, especially anti-aircraft.
BattalionFate5th (Prince of Wales's)7th (Cyclist)Originally to convert to 7th (Devon and Warwick) Medium Brigade, Royal Garrison Artillery; however instead disbanded in 1921.
Second World War The regiment's expansion during the Second World War was modest compared to 1914–1918. National Defence Companies were combined to create a new "Home Defence" battalion, and in addition to this 25 battalions of the Home Guard were affiliated to the regiment, wearing its cap badge. By 1944 two anti-aircraft rocket batteries (Z Battery) were also part of the regiment.Whittaker p. 107 Due to the daytime (or shift working) occupations of these men, the batteries required eight times the manpower of an equivalent regular battery.Whittaker p. 23 A number of Light Anti-Aircraft (LAA) troops were formed from the local battalions to defend specific points, such as factories.Whittaker pp. 115-116 .
BattalionFormedServedFateRegular1st1685India, Burma2nd1858Malta, Sicily, North West EuropeSee Post-World War IISupplementary Reserve3rd1908See Post-World War IITerritorial Army4th1853Gibraltar, Britain5th (Prince of Wales's)1908BritainConverted to 86th Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery, in 19416th1860Britain, IrelandConverted to 628th Heavy Regiment, Royal Artillery, in January 19477th (Haytor)1939as a duplicate of 5th (Prince of Wales's) BattalionBritainConverted to 87th Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery, in 19418th1939as a duplicate of 4th BattalionBritainDisbanded, in 19479th1939as a duplicate of 6th BattalionBritainDisbanded, in August 194210thNovember 1939from No. 80 Group, National Defence CompaniesBritainBecome 30th Battalion, in December 194111thJuly 1940from Regimental DepotBritain, IrelandDisbanded, in September 194312thJuly 1940from 50th (Holding) BattalionNormandy, North West EuropeDisbanded, in November 194530thDecember 1941from 10th BattalionBritainDisbanded, in 194550th (Holding)1940BritainBecame 12th Battalion, in 1940
Home GuardBattalionHeadquartersFormation Sign (dark blue on khaki)BattalionHeadquartersFormation Sign (dark blue on khaki)1st ExeterDVN 12nd Ottery St. MaryDVN 23rd CullomptonDVN 34th BarnstapleDVN 45th BidefordDVN 56th ChumleighDVN 67th OakhamptonDVN 78th HolsworthyDVN 89th Newton AbbotDVN 910th TorqueyDVN 1011th KnightsbridgeDVN 1113th TotnesDVN 1314th Bovey TracyDVN 1415th PlymptonDVN 1516th PlymouthDVN 1617th DevonportDVN 1718th SaltashDVN 1819th SeatonDVN 1920th TivertonDVN 2021st PlymouthDVN 2122nd Exeter (5th Bn Southern Railways)DVN 2223rd (Drake's)TavistockDVN 2324th HartlandDVN 2425th IllfracombeDVN 25Home Guard Anti-Aircraft unitsFormation Sign (dark blue on khaki)Headquarters or LocationAA Formation and DesignationFormation Sign (dark blue on khaki)Headquarters or LocationAA Formation and DesignationDVN 101 Plymstock144th Battery, 18th Anti-Aircraft Regiment (Home Guard) (Z battery)DVN 102 Plymouth142nd Battery, 18th Anti-Aircraft Regiment (Home Guard) (Z battery)DVN 1 Exeter, (Great Western Railways) A Troop LAADVN 9 Newton Abbot, (Great Western Railways) A Troop LAADVN 10Torre, (Great Western Railways)A Troop LAADVN 16Plymouth and Laira Junction, (Great Western Railways)A Troop LAADVN 17Plymouth, (Dockyards)A Troop LAADVN 17Ernesettle and Bull Point Ammunition depotsB Troop LAADVN 22Barnstaple, (Southern Railways)A Troop LAADVN 22Exeter and Exmouth, (Southern Railways)B Troop LAADVN 22Exeter Junction and Axminster, (Southern Railways)C Troop LAADVN 22Templecombe and Yeovil Junction, (Southern Railways)D Troop LAADVN 22Oakhampton, Meldon Quarry, Tavistock and Bere Aslton, (Southern Railways)E Troop LAADVN 22Launceston and Wadebridge, (Southern Railways)F Troop LAA
Post-World War II In the immediate post-war period, the army was significantly reduced: nearly all infantry regiments had their first and second battalions amalgamated and the Supplementary Reserve disbanded. BattalionFate2ndDisbanded, in June 19485th (Prince of Wales's)Reformed, in January 1947. Later amalgamated with the 4th Battalion, in May 1950.
1957 Defence White Paper Under the 1957 Defence White Paper, it was announced that the Devonshire Regiment would amalgamate with the Dorset Regiment, to form the Devonshire and Dorset Regiment, in May 1958. BattalionFate1st Amalgamated with 1st Battalion, Dorset Regiment to form 1st Battalion, Devonshire and Dorset Regiment4thTransferred to the Devonshire and Dorset Regiment without a change in title
References
Bibliography H. G. Parkyn, Journal of the Society for Army Historical Research, Vol. 15, No. 60 (Winter, 1936), Society for Army Historical Research, 1936 Ray Westlake. Tracing the Rifle Volunteers: A Guide for Military and Family Historians, Casemate Publishers, 2010