List of battalions of the Devonshire Regiment
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[edit]
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.
| Battalion | Formed | Formerly | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regular | ||||
| 1st | 1685 | 1st Battalion, 11th (North Devonshire) Regiment of Foot | ||
| 2nd | 1858 | 2nd Battalion, 11th (North Devonshire) Regiment of Foot | ||
| Militia | ||||
| 3rd (Militia) | 1853 | South Devon Militia[1] | ||
| 4th (Militia) | 1853 | East Devon Militia[2] | ||
| Volunteers | ||||
| 1st (Exeter and South Devon) Volunteer | 1853 | 1st Devonshire (Exeter and South Devon) Rifle Volunteer Corps[3] | ||
| 2nd (Prince of Wales's) Volunteer | 1860 | 2nd Devonshire Rifle Volunteer Corps (Prince of Wales's)[3] | ||
| 3rd Volunteer | 1860 | 3rd Devonshire Rifle Volunteer Corps[4] | ||
| 4th Volunteer | 1860 | 4th Devonshire Rifle Volunteer Corps[4] | ||
| 5th (The Hay Tor) Volunteer | 1860 | 5th Devonshire Rifle Volunteer Corps[5] | ||
Reorganisation[edit]
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.[1]
| Battalion | Formerly |
|---|---|
| 4th | 1st (Exeter and South Devon) Volunteer Battalion |
| 5th (Prince of Wales's) | Amalgamation of 2nd (Prince of Wales's) and 5th (The Hay Tor) Volunteer Battalions |
| 6th | 4th Volunteer |
| 7th (Cyclist) | Cyclist sections of 1st (Exeter and South Devon), 2nd (Prince of Wales's), and 5th (The Hay Tor) Volunteer Battalions |
First World War[edit]
The Devons fielded 28 battalions and lost over 6,000 officers and other ranks during the course of the war.[6] 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.[7] 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.[8]
| Battalion | Formed | Served | Fate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regular[9][10] | ||||
| 1st | 1685 | Western Front, Italian Front | ||
| 2nd | 1858 | Western Front | ||
| Special Reserve[9][10] | ||||
| 3rd (Reserve) | 1908 | Britain | ||
| Territorial Force[9][10] | ||||
| 1/4th | 1853 | Mesopotamia | ||
| 1/5th (Prince of Wales's) | 1908 | India, Sinai and Palestine, Western Front | ||
| 1/6th | 1860 | India, Mesopotamia | ||
| 1/7th (Cyclist) | 1908 | Britain | See Inter-War | |
| 2/4th | Exeter, September 1914 | India, Sinai and Palestine | Disbanded, in Egypt, August 1918 | |
| 2/5th (Prince of Wales's) | Plymouth, September 1914 | Egypt | Disbanded, in Egypt, June 1916 | |
| 2/6th | Barnstaple, September 1914 | India, Mesopotamia | Disbanded, in 1919 | |
| 2/7th (Cyclist) | Totnes, October 1914 | Britain | Disbanded, in 1919 | |
| 3/4th 4th (Reserve), from April 1916 |
Exeter, March 1915 | Britain, Ireland | Disbanded, in 1919 | |
| 3/5th (Prince of Wales's) 5th (Reserve), from April 1916 |
Plymouth, March 1915 | Britain | Absorbed by 4th (Reserve) Battalion, in September 1916 | |
| 3/6th 6th (Reserve), from April 1916 |
Barnstaple, March 1915 | Britain | Absorbed by 4th (Reserve) Battalion, in September 1916 | |
| 3/7th (Cyclist) | 1915 | Britain | Disbanded, in March 1916 | |
| 15th | January 1917 from 86th Provisional Battalion (Territorial Force) |
Britain | Disbanded, in 1919 | |
| 16th (Royal 1st Devon and Royal North Devon Yeomanry) | Egypt, January 1917 | Sinai and Palestine, Western Front | Disbanded, in 1919 | |
| New Army[9][10] | ||||
| 8th (Service) | Exeter, August 1914 | Western Front, Italian Front | Disbanded, in 1919 | |
| 9th (Service) | Exeter, September 1914 | Western Front, Italian Front | Disbanded, in 1919 | |
| 10th (Service) | Exeter, September 1914 | Western Front, Salonika | Disbanded, in 1919 | |
| 11th (Reserve) | Exeter, November 1914 | Britain | Converted to 44th Training Reserve Battalion in September 1916 | |
| Others[9][10] | ||||
| 12th (Labour) | Devonport, May 1916 | Western Front | Became Nos. 152 and 153 Companies, Labour Corps, in April 1917 | |
| 13th (Works) | Saltash, June 1916 | Britain | Became 3rd Labour Battalion, in April 1917 | |
| 14th (Labour) | Plymouth, August 1916 | Western Front | Became Nos. 154 and 155 Companies, Labour Corps, in April 1917 | |
| 1st Garrison | Weymouth, August 1915 | Egypt, Sinai and Palestine | Disbanded, in 1919 | |
| 2nd (Home Service) Garrison | Exeter, July 1916 | Britain | Converted to 5th Battalion, Royal Defence Corps, in August 1917 | |
| 51st (Graduated) | October 1917 from 206th Graduated Battalion |
Britain | Disbanded, in 1920 | |
| 52nd (Graduated) | October 1917 from 210th (Infantry) Battalion, Training Reserve |
Britain | Converted to service battalion and disbanded in Germany, in 1920 | |
| 53rd (Young Soldier) | October 1917 from 35th Training Reserve Battalion |
Britain | Converted to service battalion and absorbed into 1/5th Battalion in Germany, in 1920 | |
| Volunteer Training Corps[11] | ||||
| 1st Battalion Devonshire Volunteer Regiment later the 1st Volunteer Battalion, Devonshire Regiment |
Exeter | Disbanded post war | ||
| 2nd Battalion Devonshire Volunteer Regiment later the 2nd Volunteer Battalion, Devonshire Regiment |
Plymouth | Disbanded post war | ||
| 3rd Battalion (North Devon) Devonshire Volunteer Regiment | Chester | Disbanded 1918 | ||
| 4th Battalion (South Devon) Devonshire Volunteer Regiment later the 3rd Volunteer Battalion, Devonshire Regiment |
Torquay | Disbanded post war | ||
| 5th Battalion (East Devon) Devonshire Volunteer Regiment | Sidmouth | Disbanded 1918 | ||
Inter-War[edit]
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.
| Battalion | Fate |
|---|---|
| 5th (Prince of Wales's) | |
| 7th (Cyclist) | Originally to convert to 7th (Devon and Warwick) Medium Brigade, Royal Garrison Artillery; however instead disbanded in 1921.[12] |
Second World War[edit]
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.[13] Due to the daytime (or shift working) occupations of these men, the batteries required eight times the manpower of an equivalent regular battery.[14] A number of Light Anti-Aircraft (LAA) troops were formed from the local battalions to defend specific points, such as factories.[15] .[16]
| Battalion | Formed | Served | Fate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regular | ||||
| 1st | 1685 | India, Burma[17] | ||
| 2nd | 1858 | Malta, Sicily, North West Europe[18] | See Post-World War II | |
| Supplementary Reserve | ||||
| 3rd | 1908 | See Post-World War II | ||
| Territorial Army[19] | ||||
| 4th | 1853 | Gibraltar, Britain | ||
| 5th (Prince of Wales's) | 1908 | Britain | Converted to 86th Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery, in 1941[20] | |
| 6th | 1860 | Britain, Ireland | Converted to 628th Heavy Regiment, Royal Artillery, in January 1947 | |
| 7th (Haytor) | 1939 as a duplicate of 5th (Prince of Wales's) Battalion[21] |
Britain | Converted to 87th Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery, in 1941[20] | |
| 8th | 1939 as a duplicate of 4th Battalion[22] |
Britain | Disbanded, in 1947 | |
| 9th | 1939 as a duplicate of 6th Battalion[23] |
Britain | Disbanded, in August 1942 | |
| 10th | November 1939 from No. 80 Group, National Defence Companies |
Britain | Become 30th Battalion, in December 1941 | |
| 11th | July 1940 from Regimental Depot |
Britain, Ireland | Disbanded, in September 1943 | |
| 12th | July 1940 from 50th (Holding) Battalion[24] |
Normandy, North West Europe[25] | Disbanded, in November 1945[26] | |
| 30th | December 1941 from 10th Battalion |
Britain | Disbanded, in 1945 | |
| 50th (Holding) | 1940 | Britain | Became 12th Battalion, in 1940[24] | |
| Home Guard[27] | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Battalion | Headquarters | Formation Sign (dark blue on khaki) | Battalion | Headquarters | Formation Sign (dark blue on khaki) | |
| 1st | Exeter | DVN 1 | 2nd | Ottery St. Mary | DVN 2 | |
| 3rd | Cullompton | DVN 3 | 4th | Barnstaple | DVN 4 | |
| 5th | Bideford | DVN 5 | 6th | Chumleigh | DVN 6 | |
| 7th | Oakhampton | DVN 7 | 8th | Holsworthy | DVN 8 | |
| 9th | Newton Abbot | DVN 9 | 10th | Torquey | DVN 10 | |
| 11th | Knightsbridge | DVN 11 | 13th | Totnes | DVN 13 | |
| 14th | Bovey Tracy | DVN 14 | 15th | Plympton | DVN 15 | |
| 16th | Plymouth | DVN 16 | 17th | Devonport | DVN 17 | |
| 18th | Saltash | DVN 18 | 19th | Seaton | DVN 19 | |
| 20th | Tiverton | DVN 20 | 21st | Plymouth | DVN 21 | |
| 22nd | Exeter (5th Bn Southern Railways) | DVN 22 | 23rd (Drake's) | Tavistock | DVN 23 | |
| 24th | Hartland | DVN 24 | 25th | Illfracombe | DVN 25 | |
| Home Guard Anti-Aircraft units[13][15] | ||||||
| Formation Sign (dark blue on khaki) |
Headquarters or Location | AA Formation and Designation | Formation Sign (dark blue on khaki) |
Headquarters or Location | AA Formation and Designation | |
| DVN 101 | Plymstock | 144th Battery, 18th Anti-Aircraft Regiment (Home Guard) (Z battery) | DVN 102 | Plymouth | 142nd Battery, 18th Anti-Aircraft Regiment (Home Guard) (Z battery) | |
| DVN 1 | Exeter, (Great Western Railways) |
A Troop LAA | DVN 9 | Newton Abbot, (Great Western Railways) |
A Troop LAA | |
| DVN 10 | Torre, (Great Western Railways) |
A Troop LAA | DVN 16 | Plymouth and Laira Junction, (Great Western Railways) |
A Troop LAA | |
| DVN 17 | Plymouth, (Dockyards) |
A Troop LAA | DVN 17 | Ernesettle and Bull Point Ammunition depots |
B Troop LAA | |
| DVN 22 | Barnstaple, (Southern Railways) |
A Troop LAA | DVN 22 | Exeter and Exmouth, (Southern Railways) |
B Troop LAA | |
| DVN 22 | Exeter Junction and Axminster, (Southern Railways) |
C Troop LAA | DVN 22 | Templecombe and Yeovil Junction, (Southern Railways) |
D Troop LAA | |
| DVN 22 | Oakhampton, Meldon Quarry, Tavistock and Bere Aslton, (Southern Railways) |
E Troop LAA | DVN 22 | Launceston and Wadebridge, (Southern Railways) |
F Troop LAA | |
Post-World War II[edit]
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.
| Battalion | Fate |
|---|---|
| 2nd | Disbanded, in June 1948[28] |
| 5th (Prince of Wales's) | Reformed, in January 1947. Later amalgamated with the 4th Battalion, in May 1950.[21] |
1957 Defence White Paper[edit]
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.
| Battalion | Fate |
|---|---|
| 1st | Amalgamated with 1st Battalion, Dorset Regiment to form 1st Battalion, Devonshire and Dorset Regiment[29] |
| 4th | Transferred to the Devonshire and Dorset Regiment without a change in title[22] |
References[edit]
- ^ a b Parkyn p.223
- ^ Parkyn p.222
- ^ a b Westlake p.63
- ^ a b Westlake p.64
- ^ Westlake p.65
- ^ "The Devonshire Regiment In the First World War". Retrieved 6 April 2021.
- ^ Westlake, Ray (2020). Guide to the Volunteer Training Corps 1914-1918. Uckfield: Naval and Military Press. p. 23. ISBN 9781783315390.
- ^ Westlake pp. 4-7
- ^ a b c d e "Devonshire Regiment". Retrieved 7 April 2021.
- ^ a b c d e "Unit History: Devonshire Regiment". Retrieved 7 April 2021.
- ^ Westlake p. 114
- ^ "7th (Cyclist) Battalion, The Devonshire Regiment". Archived from the original on 30 November 2007. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
- ^ a b Whittaker p. 107
- ^ Whittaker p. 23
- ^ a b Whittaker pp. 115-116
- ^ "Devon Home Guard". Retrieved 7 April 2021.
- ^ "1st Battalion, Devonshire Regiment". Retrieved 7 April 2021.
- ^ "2nd Battalion, Devonshire Regiment". Retrieved 7 April 2021.
- ^ "The 4th, 6th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th and 30th Battalions The Devonshire Regiment in World War Two". Retrieved 7 April 2021.
- ^ a b "The 5th and 7th Battalions The Devonshire Regiment in World War Two". Retrieved 7 April 2021.
- ^ a b "5th Battalion, The Devonshire Regiment". Archived from the original on 9 February 2007. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
- ^ a b "4th Battalion The Devonshire Regiment (and all Devonshire infantry successors)". Archived from the original on 5 March 2007. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
- ^ "6th Battalion, The Devonshire Regiment". Archived from the original on 19 April 2007. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
- ^ a b "The 12th and 50th Battalions The Devonshire Regiment in World War Two". Retrieved 7 April 2021.
- ^ "12th Battalion, Devonshire Regiment". Retrieved 7 April 2021.
- ^ "12th Battalion The Devonshire Regiment". Retrieved 7 April 2021.
- ^ "History of the Home Guard". Retrieved 18 October 2015.
- ^ "2nd Battalion, 11th Regiment of Foot / 2nd Battalion, The Devonshire Regiment". Archived from the original on 1 January 2007. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
- ^ "1st Battalion, 11th Regiment of Foot / 1st Battalion, The Devonshire Regiment". Archived from the original on 26 February 2007. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
Bibliography[edit]
- 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