The Bedfordshire Regiment in the Great War
Photographs and biographies from Home, Garrison and Training battalions
Below are a selection of photographs taken in units other than the 'main' combat battalions with their own sections on this site.
This great photo was kindly sent to me from Frank Glass, who's daughter in law is the great niece of Captain Andrew Best McBride, MC. Andrew is the last man on the right standing on the back row. The photo is dated April 1918, so was probably taken JUST before Andrew's death and Military Cross being won on 24 April 1918.
Most of these officers are Captains from various Scottish regiments but there is a smattering of Staffordshire and Kent men and a few Majors to boot. Anyone with information on any of these men would be greatly welcomed as I would love to know who they are! Especially the cheeky looking Major of the Royal Scots Fusiliers sitting fourth from the left on the bottom row!
Ampthill Training Depot Officers, July 1915
John Wainwright was very kind in sharing this photo of the officers attached to the Ampthill Training Depot in July 1915. Where their full names appear, I have identified them from my own records, otherwise they are as the names appear on the caption with the photograph:
Back row left to right; Quarter Master and Honorary Lieutenant J.C. HOOPER, Second Lieutenant R.D.J. HODGSON, Second Lieutenant Frederick Arthur SANSOM, Second Lieutenant Evelyn Ernest Arnold COLLISSON, Lieutenant Frank Alan SLOAN MC, Second Lieutenant Kenneth L. MALLETT, Second Lieutenant Arthur LANG, Second Lieutenant Andrew Cecil THOM-POSTLETHWAITE, Second Lieutenant Robert Edwin OAKLEY MC.
Front row left to right; Captain Rupert Harold GRETTON, Captain Hon. M. St. JOHN (attached from Bedfordshire Yeomanry), Major George Brook YOUNG, Major Frank Augustus Douglas STEVENS (Second in Command), Major A. NELSON (Adjutant), Major Alfred Owen LYON, Second Lieutenant Truman TANQUERAY (attached from RW Surrey Special Reserve).
3rd Battalion Officers, 1915
These are the officers of the 3rd Battalion officers in 1915. Based on identifying when certain officers were present and sent abroad, I have been able to narrow the date down to between 6 June and 6 October 1915.
As with other group photos on this site, I have identified the officers based on the information provided with the photograph. Any full names have come from my own files, otherwise they are copied verbatim from the caption. Please let me know if there are any errors.
Left to right and back to front, they are:
Back row: Second Lieutenant Charles HAYWOOD, Lieutenant William Hugh Byam SHERVINGTON
Next row: Second Lieutenant Charles VERNER, Ralph Branthwayt BEEVOR, W.E. HART, Arthur TOPLEY, A.M. WATT, Arthur Cyril CROSKELL
Next row (standing): Second Lieutenant H.C. PHILLIPS, Lieutenant Frederick WHITTEMORE, Second Lieutenants Albert William EAST, John Thomas COE, F.C.W. NEWMAN, Harry HARGREAVES, Lieutenant Charles Alan Smith MORRIS, Lieutenant Hugh Armine Wodehouse PEARSE, Second Lieutenant Archibald Clare HOLLAND, Lieutenant Henry DUCHESNE, Second Lieutenant Cyril Shaw SHIPPEY, Lieutenant Johnny W.H.T. DOUGLAS, Lieutenant Edward Stephen M. POYNTZ, Second Lieutenant Ronald Johnstone HAYE, Martin Andrew STEWARD, Richard Owen GOULDEN.
Seated: Captain W.E.C. WOOD, Captain Sidney TABOR MC, Major W.C. ROPER-CALDBECK, Captain Sir Frederick William Francis George FRANKLAND Bt., Major Henry Stuart WINDHAM, Lieutenant-Colonel Lord [Arthur Oliver Villiers RUSSELL] Ampthill GCSI GCIE, Major Hugh Stainton POYNTZ DSO (Adjutant), Major H. THORPE (Quartermaster), Captain W.P. DRUCE (Assistant Adjutant), Captain Edward Sidney Chawner GRUNE, Lieutenant I. BOYDE RAMC
Seated (on ground): 2/Lts R.M. BARWELL, Sidney St. George HARE, Harold Arthur BIRD, Owen John Frederick SCHOLTE, Lawrence Alexander Lewis FINK, Reginald Cumberland GREEN, Bernard E.L. HEALE, Maurice NEWFIELD
3rd Battalion Warrant Officers and Sergeants, 1915
1st Garrison Battalion officers, 1916
Not much is available on the regiment's elusive Garrison Battalions who served in India and Burma, so finding this years ago made a welcomed change. The original appeared in The Tatler's Sporting and Country House supplement of late June 1916, although I have not come across it again since so have been unable to improve on the image quality.
The battalion was formed in December 1915 and moved to their posting in February 1916; whether this was taken before sailing abroad or not is unclear.
Any full names are from my own files, with those appearing with initials are as written in the original publication.
BACK ROW: Second Lieutenant J. Williamson, Second Lieutenant W.C.K. Holloway, Second Lieutenant G. Hyman, Second Lieutenant Edward Newill Gwyther, Second Lieutenant A.C. Walker, Second Lieutenant E.C. Lewis, Second Lieutenant F.L. Titchmarsh, Second Lieutenant G.A. Swift, Second Lieutenant A.N. Collingwood
MIDDLE ROW: Second Lieutenant W.A. Linfield, Lieutenant F.R. Curry, Second Lieutenant G. Tanner, Lieutenant H.R. Bousanquet, Second Lieutenant J.D. Walker, Lieutenant H. Callaway, Second Lieutenant William Pharoah Chowns. Second Lieutenant A.E. Gaskin, Second Lieutenant A.C.P. Seymour-iggins
FRONT ROW: Captain R.D. Story, Major W.T. Ward, Lieutenant C.F. Price, Captain L. Morgan-Smith, Colonel W.E.A. Blakeney, Captain H. Sainsbury, Captain G.A. Adams, Captain R. Rushbrooke, Lieutenant J.W.L. Ellis
3rd Garrison Battalion Sergeants, 1919
Although a little worse for wear, this small photograph was also an unexpected find, showing those Sergeants still serving with the battalion in 1919. Many had already seen active service, were suffering from the effects of wounds, or were classified as too old for combat service.
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