17th (Service) Battalion, Royal Fusiliers (Empire)

The 17th (Service) Battalion, Royal Fusiliers (Empire), (17th RF) was a 'Pals battalion' recruited as part of 'Kitchener's Army' in World War I. It served with the 2nd Division on the Western Front from November 1915 until the Armistice, seeing action on the Somme and the Ancre, at Arras and Cambrai (where one of its officers won the Victoria Cross), against the German spring offensive, and in the final Hundred Days Offensive, when it made a daring crossing of the St Quentin Canal.

Recruitment and training

On 6 August 1914, less than 48 hours after Britain's declaration of war, Parliament sanctioned an increase of 500,000 men for the Regular British Army. The newly appointed Secretary of State for War, Earl Kitchener of Khartoum, issued his famous call to arms: 'Your King and Country Need You', urging the first 100,000 volunteers to come forward. Men flooded into the recruiting offices and the 'first hundred thousand' were enlisted within days. This group of six divisions with supporting arms became known as Kitchener's First New Army, or 'K1'.War Office Instructions No 32 (6 August) and No 37 (7 August).Becke, Pt 3a, pp. 2 & 8. The K2, K3 and K4 battalions, brigades and divisions followed soon afterwards. But the flood of volunteers overwhelmed the ability of the Army to absorb them, and the K5 units were largely raised by local initiative rather than at regimental depots, often from men from particular localities or backgrounds who wished to serve together: these were known as 'Pals battalions'. The 'Pals' phenomenon quickly spread across the country, as local recruiting committees offered complete units to the War Office (WO). One such unit was raised by the 'British Empire Committee' (BEC) of 60 Victoria Street, London. Under the leadership of General Sir Bindon Blood (chairman), Herbert Nield, MP, and Major-General Lionel Herbert (secretary), the committee first thought of forming a mounted regiment along the lines of the Imperial Light Horse of the Second Boer War, but the WO indicated that cavalry was not required. Instead, on 30 August the BEC was authorised to raise an infantry battalion and began recruitment next day. The complete battalion was recruited in 10 days and assigned to the Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment) as its 17th (Service) Battalion. On 12 September the battalion went to Warlingham in Surrey to begin its training, where it was clothed, equipped and hutted by the efforts of the BEC. Its first Commanding Officer (CO) was Major Harland Bowden, MP, a former officer in the Royal Field Artillery (Territorial Force).Frederick, pp. 287–9.Inglis, pp. 13–24.James, pp. 49–50.O'Neill, pp. 13–4.Royal Fusiliers at Long, Long Trail.War Office Instruction No 56 of September 1915, Appendix IX.

The battalion was assigned to 120th Brigade of 40th Division, which were renumbered 99th Brigade and 33rd Division in May 1915. This brigade consisted of the 17th (Empire), 22nd (Kensington), 23rd (1st Sportsman's) and 24th (2nd Sportsman's) service battalions of the Royal Fusiliers. In June the battalions moved to Clipstone Camp in Nottinghamshire, where 33rd Division was concentrating. At the beginning of August the division moved to Tidworth Camp for final battle training on Salisbury Plain.Becke, Pt 3b, pp. 31–9.33rd Division at Long, Long Trail.Inglis, pp. 44–8.

27th (Reserve) Battalion The two reserve companies of the 17th RF remained at Warlingham when the battalion departed for Clipstone Camp in June 1915. In August they joined the reserve companies of the 22nd (Kensington) battalion at Horsham in Sussex and were formed into 27th (Reserve) Battalion, commanded by Lt-Col Innes from the 22nd RF. The 32nd (East Ham) Battalion, RF, was formed in October 1915 and eventually its reserve companies also joined 27th (R) Bn. In November the battalion moved to Oxford as part of 24th Reserve Brigade (an all-Royal Fusiliers brigade), and in April 1916 the brigade moved to Edinburgh. On 1 September 1916 the Local Reserve battalions were transferred to the Training Reserve and 27th (R) Bn RF became 103rd Training Reserve Battalion, though the training staff retained their Royal Fusiliers badges. The battalion was disbanded on 14 December 1917 at Catterick Camp.Inglis, pp. 39–40, 186.Training Reserve at Long, Long Trail.

Service On 4 November 1915, 33rd Division was ordered to move to France, to join the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) fighting on the Western Front. On 17 November 17th RF landed at Boulogne and by 21 November the whole division had concentrated at Morbecque. BEF policy was to even up the experience between its New Army and Regular Army formations by exchanging brigades and then distributing the experienced Regular battalions through the New Army formations. On 25 November 99th Bde moved to Béthune where it transferred to 2nd Division in exchange for 19th Bde. Then on 13 December it exchanged two Royal Fusiliers Pals battalions for Regular battalions from 2nd Division, so that the 17th (Empire) and 24th (2nd Sportsman's) battalions were now in 5th Brigade with the highly experienced 2nd Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry (OBLI) and 2nd Highland Light Infantry (HLI).Becke, Pt 1, pp. 41–7.2nd Division at Long, Long Trail.Inglis, pp. 51–8.O'Neill, p. 21.Wyrall, Vol I, pp. 245–6.

2nd Division was holding the line in the Cuinchy sector, where the raw Pals battalions were introduced to Trench warfare by the experienced units. 17th RF was temporarily commanded by Maj C.G. Higgins from 2nd OBLI. From 30 December to 25 January 1916 the division trained round Busnes, then returned to the Béthune sector, where the battalions began rotating between front line and reserve trenches at Festubert and Givenchy. On 28 February 2nd Division relieved a French division south of Lens. It spent the next two months in this area, alternating spells in the line with training and providing working parties.Inglis, pp. 58–95.Wyrall, Vol I, pp. 247, 252.

On 21 May the Germans put in a major attack on the British positions on Vimy Ridge, preceded by a heavy bombardment and the explosion of a mine. The attack overwhelmed the forward positions of 47th (1/2nd London) Division. 2nd Division was ordered up from reserve in buses and lorries, thereafter holding the line until mid-July while subsequent mines were blown, raids carried out, and the Germans mortared and shelled the positions, including the use of gas shells, but 5th Bde was not engaged in heavy fighting.Edmonds, 1916, Vol I, pp. 216–23.Inglis, pp. 96–115.Wyrall, pp. 252–9.

Somme

That summer's 'Big Push' (the Battle of the Somme) opened on 1 July, and on 15 July 2nd Division was withdrawn from the Vimy front for training. On 20 July it was sent south to join in the offensive and on 25 July relieved 3rd Division at Montauban. 5th and 99th Brigades relieved the troops facing Delville Wood, which had already withstood several attacks. 99th Brigade then attacked on 27 July and succeeded in clearing the rest of the wood. Thereafter the wood and the British starting line, including 5th Bde, was subjected to heavy German shelling, making it difficult to get supplies up to the fighting as the Germans threw in fierce counter-attacks. At 17.15 A and B Companies of 17th RF were sent up to reinforce 99th Bde, suffering heavily from this fire on the way up. There was further German shelling and unsuccessful counter-attacks throughout 28 July; 17th RF suffered 118 casualties in these two days, its first offensive action.Inglis, pp. 115–30.Miles, 1916, Vol II, pp. 157–60, Sketch 20.O'Neill, pp. 121–4.Wyrall, pp. 269–83.

Part of 5th Bde was engaged in the failed first attack from Waterlot Farm towards Guillemont on 30–31 July, then after a short rest it supported 6th Bde in another attack on Guillemont on 8–9 August, but on neither occasion was 17th RF directly engaged. The division then moved to the Hébuterne sector, with 17th RF in the front line.Inglis, pp. 130–42.Miles, 1916, Vol II, pp. 163, 178–9, Sketches 21, 22, 24.Wyrall, pp. 283–94.

This sector was quieter, but there was still considerable mine warfare, shelling and raiding. On the night of 14/15 September 2nd Division carried out a series of large raids as a diversion from the Battle of Flers–Courcelette. These were preceded by discharges of gas and intense bombardments by Stokes mortars as well as field and heavy artillery. 99th Brigade was to carry out the first assault, and 5th and 6th Bdes to begin theirs after the blowing of a mine at 'Cat Street' at midnight. 99th Brigade's attack was cancelled, but parties from 17th RF and 2nd HLI dashed forward after the mine explosion. However, the mine had not destroyed the German barbed wire, which prevented 2nd HLI from getting into their trenches; although 17th RF's parties got into the trench in two places they found then unoccupied and had to return empty-handed.Wyrall, pp. 294–99.

Ancre 2nd Division was relieved on 19 September and after resting and training in Corps Reserve it went back into the line in the River Ancre sector on 30 September. 5th Brigade was divisional reserve and continued training for an attack scheduled for mid-October, rehearsing the attack against dummy trenches. However the attack was repeatedly postponed due to bad weather, the front line and communication trenches filling with water. The attack (the Battle of the Ancre) was finally made on 13 November. On 2nd Division's front the initial assault was made by 5th and 6th Bdes, which formed up at 04.00 in front of the mud-filled trenches and then advanced along Redan Ridge behind a creeping barrage at 05.45. 5th Brigade attacked with 24th RF and 2nd HLI, 17th RF supporting the HLI, each man wearing a patch of red material on his haversack to aid recognition from the air. Another mine was blown at Cat Street in front of the brigade, which gained its initial objective ('Beaumont Trench', the Green Line) and captured large numbers of prisoners, unlike 6th Bde, which was held up by fog and mud. The support battalions, 17th RF and 2nd OBLI, then advanced towards the Yellow Line, but the OBLI lost direction in the mist and drifted north-west. About 120 men of 17th RF got to the Yellow Line ('Frankfort Trench'), but with both flanks in the air they had to withdraw and by 10.25 the battalion (now about 180 strong) had established a right-angle position along 'Crater Lane Trench' linking 2nd Division to the neighbouring 51st (Highland) Division, which had captured Beaumont-Hamel. During the initial attack casualties had been light, but then the enemy reacted with machine gun fire, snipers, and bombing parties, inflicting heavy losses on 5th Bde; 17th RF lost 187 men. The battalion held onto the advanced positions during the night, then 99th Bde went through next day but failed in an attempt to capture 'Munich Trench'. 2nd Division was relieved on 15 November and moved into the back areas to refit and train.Inglis, pp. 145–56.Miles, 1916, Vol II, pp. 494–7, 507–8.O'Neill, pp. 145–6.Wyrall, pp. 301–24.