The 17th (Service) Battalion, King's Royal Rifle Corps (British Empire League), (17th KRRC) was an infantry unit recruited by the British Empire League as part of 'Kitchener's Army' in World War I. It served on the Western Front, including the battles of the Somme and the Ancre, the Third Battle of Ypres and the German spring offensives. After its losses the battalion was reduced to a training cadre for the rest of the war, helping to prepare newly arrived US troops and others for Trench warfare. It was disbanded in 1919.

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 organisation was the British Empire League (BEL), which advocated unity for the British Empire and had previously raised troops for service in the Second Boer War. On 16 April 1915 it was authorised to raise the 17th (Service) Battalion, King's Royal Rifle Corps (British Empire League), and began recruiting, with headquarters (HQ) at Norfolk House, Laurence Pountney Hill, in the City of London. Lieutenant-Colonel L. Whitehead (formerly of the 1st Surrey Rifles) was appointed to command the battalion on 19 April.17th KRRC War Diary April 1915–June 1919, The National Archives (TNA), Kew, file WO 95/2586/2.Frederick, p. 245.Hare, pp. 94–5.James, p. 95.KRRC at Long, Long Trail.War Office Instruction No 56 of September 1915, Appendix IX.

The volunteers were billeted in Pimlico and parades were held at Devonshire House in Piccadilly, and in Green Park. Lord Cowdray then made the Paddockhurst estate, near Worth, West Sussex, available to the battalion for training. As the men were attested and uniformed, they were sent to Paddockhurst in batches of about a hundred during June, HQ following on 28 June while Norfolk House was kept open as a recruiting office. Clothing and other equipment was supplied by the BEL under a contract with the Army & Navy Stores. Once the battalion had been formally transferred from the BEL to the WO on 1 August, the BEL began raising a second battalion, which became the 20th KRRC (British Empire League Pioneers).

17th KRRC formally became part of 117th Brigade when that was formed on 15 July 1915 in 39th Division. It was brigaded with the 16th (Chatsworth Rifles) and 17th (Welbeck Rangers) Service Battalions of the Sherwood Foresters (SF) and the 16th (Service) Battalion, Rifle Brigade (St Pancras) (16th RB). In September the battalion moved to Hursley Park, near Winchester, where the division was forming. The two depot companies (E and F) remained at Paddockhurst. On 29 September 117th Bde moved to Marlborough Lines at Aldershot, with 17th KRRC occupying Ramillies Barracks and part of Tournay Barracks. The battalion then began progressive training, at platoon, company and finally battalion level, while specialist sections such as machine gunners, signallers and bombers were formed and trained. On 8 November 17th KRRC carried out a route march to Witley Camp in Surrey, where training emphasised entrenching; apart from a brief spell back at Tournay Barracks Aldershot in January 1916 to carry out its musketry course with newly issued rifles, 17th KRRC remained at Witley for the rest of its training. Lieutenant-Col Whitehead having been on sick leave since 15 September, first Captain A.C. Oppenheim (5th Bn London Regiment) then Lt-Col Sladen from 30 November and finally Major J.A. Methuen (Southern Rhodesia Volunteers) from 10 December took temporary command of the battalion. Lieutenant-Col Whitehead relinquished the command on 5 December and Lt-Col E.F. Ward, a retired KRRC captain, took over the permanent command on 13 December, with Maj Methuen as second-in-command.Becke, Pt 3b, pp. 91–100.39th Division at Long, Long Trail.

In October the depot companies of the battalion, together with those of 16th (S) Bn, KRRC (Church Lads Brigade), went to Bexhill-on-Sea to form 19th (Reserve) Bn, KRRC, as a local reserve battalion to supply reinforcement drafts to the two service battalions. It sent a number of drafts to 17th KRRC during its final training.

Service

Mobilisation orders were received on 18 February, and after some delays 17th KRRC began boarding three trains on 7 March bound for Southampton Docks to embark for France with 34 officers and 991 other ranks (ORs). It landed at Le Havre next day, and then went by train and marching to 117th Bde's concentration area at Steenbecque in the First Army area. 117th Brigade was attached to the experienced 8th Division for its introduction to Trench warfare, 17th KRRC going to Bac-Saint-Maur, near Sailly-sur-la-Lys, where companies from the battalion were attached to the 2nd Bn Lincolnshire Regiment and 2nd Bn Berkshire Regiment. Here it suffered its first few casualties. On completion of this attachment on 27 March the battalion marched to billets at Gonnehem outside Estaires, where training continued. Berkeley, p. 151.

On 6 April 17th KRRC moved to Béthune, going into the front line trenches of the Cuinchy sector next day. It began a routine of spells in the line interspersed with spells in billets, when working parties were constantly required. There was a trickle of casualties both in the line and among working parties from shellfire and occasional bombing exchanges with the enemy. On 21 April one officer and 35 ORs were transferred from 17th KRRC to help form 117th Brigade Machine Gun Company. After a spell in the support line the battalion took over the trenches in the Festubert sector at the end of April, and then continued rotating with the other battalions between support and the trenches at Festubert and Givenchy. The defences at Festubert comprised a series of 'islands' in the waterlogged countryside, and one of C Company's islands was raided by the enemy on 27/28 June, though the garrison (1 non-commissioned officer (NCO) and 6 men) and their neighbours put up a strong resistance and the raiders failed to obtain any prisoners for identification. A retaliatory raid by17th KRRC two nights later was also unsuccessful, the artillery failing to cut the enemy barbed wire sufficiently. Another raid by the battalion on 11 July employed a Bangalore torpedo to cut the wire, but there was a second belt and the raiders came under heavy fire and suffered casualties.

Somme

The Somme Offensive had been going on since 1 July, and on 11 August 39th Division was ordered to march south to join in. 17th KRRC reached Authie, near Doullens on 25 August and officers and NCOs reconnoitred the trenches they were to take over. From 29 August the battalion stood by at X Camp at Bertrancourt, awaiting orders from Reserve Army to go up to the front. Reserve Army began a series of minor operations along the River Ancre in early September. On 3 September 39th Division was ordered to secure a few hundred yards of high ground north-west of St Pierre-Divion, to cover the flank of 49th (West Riding) Division advancing up the river valley. The left attack was made at 05.10 by 117th Bde, with 16th RB and 17th SF leading, while 17th KRRC in support moved up to occupy the British front line. The attacking battalions got into the enemy front trench, but then called for urgent support. 17th KRRC sent B and C Companies across No man's land to assist, suffering heavy casualties (including all the officers) on the way. Nevertheless, small parties from the battalion got into the German trench and began working their way up the communication trenches. One party of two sergeants and 10 ORs made it almost to the German second line, and then held their ground for five hours, both sergeants being killed. The rifleman who took command held the party together until they ran out of grenades, when he withdrew them to the British line. Runners were unable to get through the enemy barrage to get news back to Battalion HQ. About 12.00 A and D Companies assembled in No Man's land to support 16th RB. However, it was clear that 117th Bde's assault had failed, and at 13.00 orders arrived to withdraw the battalion to the British lines, which was made difficult by the scattering of small parties and the heavy enemy shellfire. The battalion was relieved that evening and returned to Bertrancourt. It had gone into action with 21 officers and 635 ORs, and had lost 11 officers killed or died of wounds, 37 ORs killed, 161 wounded and 106 missing.Hare, pp. 156–8.Berkeley, pp. 194–5.Miles, 1916, Vol II, pp. 278–82, Sketch 35.

Three days later the battalion was back in the front line at Auchonvillers, where it was joined by a draft of 102 reinforcements. On 14 September, when it was in support at Mailly-Maillet, it received a further 205 reinforcements from 2nd Entrenching Battalion (the men had trained in England with the 3/5th Battalion, London Regiment (London Rifle Brigade)). 39th Division entered the Battle of the Ancre Heights on 5 October and 17th KRRC moved up into brigade reserve in Authuille Wood, with three companies in the captured 'Leipzig Salient'. On 8 October Maj Methuen led up B and C Companies to support 16th SF, who were holding the southern face of the much fought-over 'Schwaben Redoubt'. That evening the whole battalion relieved the Foresters, establishing HQ in the ruins of Thiepval. On 12 October the battalion was put under the orders of 118th Bde, and two days later supported 4th/5th Black Watch, who attacked to complete the Capture of Schwaben Redoubt. At about 17.15 the Black Watch requested help to clear part of the enemy trench, and Maj Methuen took up B and C Companies, completing the task by 02.00 on 15 October. The enemy kept up a heavy bombardment of the position, and put in two counter-attacks in the morning, which were driven back with heavy casualties to the attackers, and a number of prisoners taken. 17th KRRC was relieved from the Schwaben on 16 October, having suffered casualties of 11 ORs killed, 38 wounded and 13 missing, with further losses suffered by working parties over the following days.Hare, pp. 173–4.Miles, 1916, Vol II, p. 454.