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Gloucestershire regiment

M

mjay

knowlegable brummie
Hi
I have 2 Crowley relatives who were from Barford Rd.
any ideas why they would've joined the gloustershire regiment, not something in Warwickshire.
Family believe it was the bantam unit due to under regualtion height and otherwise fit to serve.

Unfortunately both died a month apart and are buried in France.
Can't begin to imagine how my great great grandparents must have felt at this time.

Thanx Mandy
 
Re: Gloustershire regiment

Hi mandy, welcome to the forum. How sad they both died and so close together. It must have been an awful time for your Gt, Gt Grandparents.
I am not sure about the height regulations but I am sure I remember a similar query on here before and someone answered that where you lived had no relevance to which regiment you were assigned to.
 
Re: Gloustershire regiment

Hi Mandy

I see Richard was killed in June 1916 and Sidney in July 1916 and that they were twins. There was also a third Crowley from Birmingham Ralph Edwin. Was he also a relative!!

Tony
 
Re: Gloustershire regiment

Hi
Thank you for the nice welcome.
Yes that's the twins killed in France, although Ralph Edwin we haven't come across that name before, there was another brother George Brocas Crowley DoB 1891 not sure if he served in ww1, haven't found anything as yet.
Thanx
Mandy
 
Yes The 14th Battalion Gloucestershire Regiment was raised as a Bantam battalion. The following taken from the "Long Long Trail" web site:-

14th (Service) Battalion (West of England)
Formed at Bristol on 22 April 1915, by the Citizens Recruiting Committee, as a Bantam Battalion.
June 1915 : came under command of 105th Brigade in 35th Division at Masham. Adopted by War Office 23 June 1915. Moved to Salisbury Plain August 1915.
Landed in Le Havre on 30 January 1916.

Regards

Terry
 
the Glosters had a very good reputation, they were known as the "Glorious Glosters" and wore two cap badges, a small one at the back. Can remember Bill Speakman winning the Victoria Cross in Korea in the 1950's, he was in the Argyll's I think. Bernard
 
Hi Mandy. My Great grandfather Thomas William Bevan also joined the Gloucester regiment. There is a web site you can go to about the regiment. My daughter contacted a researcher on the site who did a search for her on my great grandfather. They were really helpful. 21818 Private Thomas William Bevan was born in Aston and enlisted in Birmingham, on or around the end of July/beginning of August 1915, judging by his service number. 14th Battalion, The Gloucestershire Regiment had been raised in May 1915 as a Bantam battalion which was composed of men who were below regulation height. The men were recruited mostly from Bristol and Birmingham and in August 1915 the Battalion was assigned to 105th Brigade, 35th (Bantam) Division. The training period at Chiseldon and Tidworth came to an end when the battalion left for France in January 1916. The Bantams were soldiers of a height between 5ft and 5ft 3 inches and an expanded chest of 34 inches
Gloucester Regiment..jpgRegards John
 
The Gloucestershire Regt "28th Regt", won the singular honour of wearing 2 cap badges (front and rear), during the siege of Alexandria, 1801, when surrounded the CO, Col Paget gave the Order "rear rank about turn", thus never showing the backs of the soldiers to the enemy.
paul
 
Thank you everyone

My cousins are also researching and we now have photos of the brothers graves in France, one was killed in action the other died from wounds
Must visit France some time..

Also have posted on another thread bout George Brocas Crowley and have had some prompt replies. Really do appreciate the help

Thanks
 
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