Home > Army Organisation > Infantry > The Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry

 

To trace the movements and actions of any battalion, click on the Divisions with which it served

 

Battalions of the regular army

 

1st Battalion:

August 1914 : in Ireland, at the Curragh. Part of 14th Brigade, 5th Division. Landed at Le Havre 15 August 1914.
12 January 1916 : transferred to 95th Brigade, 5th Division.

 

2nd Battalion:

August 1914 : in Hong Kong. Returned to England early November 1914.
November 1914 : moved to Winchester and attached to 82nd Brigade, 27th Division.
Landed at Le Havre 21 December 1914.

 

3rd (Reserve) Battalion:
August 1914 : in Bodmin. A depot/training unit, it remained in UK throughout the war.
Moved on mobilisation to Falmouth and on in May 1915 to Freshwater (Isle of Wight) for duty with Portsmouth Garrison.

 

 

Battalions of the Territorial Force

 

1/4th Battalion:

August 1914 : in Truro. Part of Devon and Cornwall Brigade, Wessex Division. Moved on mobilisation to Falmouth but by end of August 1914 was at Perham Down (Salisbury Plain).
9 October 1914 : sailed for India, landing Bombay 10 November 1914. Joined Bareilly Brigade in 7th (Meerut) Divisional Area.
28 January 1916 : landed at Aden, coming under orders of Aden Brigade. Moved to Egypt 13 February 1917.
June 1917 : attached to 75th Division.

 

2/4th Battalion:

Formed at Truro in September 1914 as a home service ("second line") unit. Became part of 2nd Devon and Cornwall Brigade, 2nd Wessex Division.
12 December 1914 : sailed for India, and remained there throughout the war.
Arrived at Karachi on 9 January 1915. Came under orders of 1st Quetta Brigade in 4th (Quetta) Division. Moved in October 1915 to Multan Brigade in 3rd (Lahore) Divisonal Area. In March 1916, transferred to Ferozepore Brigade in same Area. Moved with brigade (now renamed 44th Brigade) to 16th (Indian) Division in February 1917. Moved in March 1917 to Dehra Dun Brigade in 7th (Meerut) Divisional Area and transferred to Delhi Brigade in same Area in March 1918.

 

3/4th Battalion:

Formed at Bodmin in March 1915 as depot/training ("third line") unit. Moved to Bournemouth in October 1915 and on to Hursley Park (Winchester). in spring 1916.
8 April 1916 : became Reserve Bn and absorbed 5th on 1 September 1916.
Moved to Bournemouth in October 1916, Sutton Veny in March 1917, Larkhil in October 1917and finally Ireland in April 1918. The Bn was based at Buncrana at the end of the war.

 

1/5th Battalion:

August 1914 : in Bodmin. Part of Devon and Cornwall Brigade, Wessex Division. Moved on mobilisation to Falmouth but by end of August 1914 was at Salisbury Plain. Foreign service volunteers were moved to the 1/4th Bn; the 1/5th was now understrength and was replaced in the Brigade by the 1/6th Bn, the Devons. Moved to Newquay and then Falmouth. Moved in April 1916 to Perham Down.
April 1916 : moved to Tidworth and converted to a Pioneer Battalion, attached to 61st Division.
Landed at Le Havre 22 May 1916.

 

2/5th Battalion:

Formed at Bodmin in May 1915 as a home service ("second line") unit. Moved to Tavistock and in spring 1916 on to Hursley Park (Winchester).

8 April 1916: became 5th (Reserve) Battalion. Absorbed into 4th (Reserve) Bn on 1 September 1916.

 

 

 

Battalions of the New Armies

 

6th (Service) Battalion:

Formed at Bodmin in August 1914 as part of K1 and attached to 43rd Brigade, 14th (Light) Division. Moved to Aldershot but by November 1914 was at Witley. Moved back to Aldershot in February 1915. Landed at Boulogne on 22 May 1915.
20 February 1918 : disbanded in France. .

 

7th (Service) Battalion:

Formed at Bodmin in September 1914 as part of K2 and attached to 61st Brigade, 20th (Light) Division. Moved to Aldershot and Woking but by November 1914 was at Pirbright. Moved to Witley in February 1915 an Amesbury next month. Landed at Boulogne on 25 July 1915.

 

8th (Service) Battalion:

Formed at Bodmin in September 1914 as part of K3 and attached to 79th Brigade, 26th Division.. Moved to Codford and was in billets in Bath in November 1914. Moved to Sutton Veny in May 1915. Landed at Boulogne 22 September 1915. Salied from Marseilles for Salonika 13 November 1915.

 

9th (Reserve) Battalion:

Formed in Falmouth on 29 October 1914 as Service Battalion of K4 and attached to 103rd Brigade, original 34th Division.
10 April 1915 : became Reserve battalion. Moved to Wareham.
1 September 1916 : absorbed into the Battalions of 10th Reserve Brigade of Training Reserve
.

 

10th (Service) Battalion (Cornwall Pioneers):

Formed at Truro on 29 March 1915 by the Mayor and the City. Moved to Penzance and in October 1915 to Hayle. Adopted by War Office on 24 August 1915.
20 June 1916 : landed at Le Havre and attached as Pioneers to 2nd Division. (16 July - 7 November 1917 : attached as Pioneers to 66th Division).

11th (Reserve) Battalion:

Formed in Launceston in November 1915 as a Reserve Bn. Moved to Chisledon in March 1916.
1 September 1916 : became 95th Battalion of 22nd Reserve Brigade of Training Reserve
.

 

 

Other battalions raised by the regiment

 

12th (Labour) Battalion:

Formed in Plymouth in April 1916 and moved to France as Army Troops to Fourth Army.
April 1917 : became 156th and 157th Companies of the Labour Corps.

 

13th Battalion:

Formed in Aldeburgh 1 June 1918, but absorbed by 6th Bn, the Somersets in same month.

 

Did you know? Harry Patch, the longest-surviving British Army veteran of the war, served with the DCLI.

 

This page is dedicated to the memory of Joseph Lavell Smith, a Canadian officer of the Ontario Regiment who was attached to the regiment during the war; and David James Trembath, a pre-war regular who saw action with 1st Battalion.

 

 

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