The Leicestershire Regiment

Battalions of the Regular Army

1st Battalion
August 1914 : in Fermoy, Ireland. Part of 16th Brigade, 6th Division.
Moved on 19 August 1914 to Cambridge and landed at St Nazaire on 10 September 1914.
17 November 1915 : transferred to 71st Brigade in same Division.

2nd Battalion
August 1914 : in Ranikhet. Part of Gharwal Brigade, Meerut Division of the Indian Army.
12 October 1914 : Division landed at Marseilles for service in France.
Moved to 28th Indian Brigade in Egypt, 7 November 1915.
Early December 1915 moved to Basra in Mesopotamia, rejoining 7th (Meerut) Division.
Landed at Suez on 22 January 1918 and took part in Palestine campaign.

3rd (Reserve) Battalion
August 1914 : in Leicester. A training unit, it remained in UK throughout the war. Moved within a few days of declaration of war to Portsmouth but by May 1915 was at Hull, for duty with the Humber Garrison.

Battalions of the Territorial Force

1/4th Battalion
August 1914 : in Leicester. Part of Lincoln and Leicester Brigade, North Midland Division. Soon moved to Luton and by November 1914 was at Bishop's Stortford.
Landed at Le Havre 3 March 1915.
12 May 1915 : formation became the 138th Brigade, 46th (North Midland) Division.

1/5th Battalion
August 1914 : in Loughborough. Part of Lincoln and Leicester Brigade, North Midland Division. Soon moved to Luton and by November 1914 was at Bishop's Stortford.
Landed at Le Havre 28 February 1915.
Record same as 1/4th Bn.

2/4th Battalion
Formed at Leicester in September 1914 as a second line unit. Became part of 2nd Lincoln and Leicester Brigade, 2nd North Midland Division. Moved in January 1915 to Luton and by July 1915 was at St Albans. August 1915 : formation became the 177th Brigade, 59th (2nd North Midland) Division.
April 1916: moved to Ireland.
January 1917 : returned to England and moved to Fovant.
24 February 1917 : landed in France.
8 May 1918 : reduced to cadre strength and returned to England with 16th Division.
20 June 1918 : absorbed by 14th Bn.

2/4th Battalion
Formed at Loughborough in September 1914 as a second line unit. Record same as 2/4th Bn.
3 February 1918 : disbanded in France.

3/4th and 3/5th Battalions
Formed at Leicester and Loughborough respectively in early 1915.
8 April 1916 : became 4th and 5th Reserve Battalions and by now were at Grantham. On 1 September 1916, 4th absorbed 5th. Later moved to Catterick and on to North Coates and Louth.

Battalions of the New Armies

6th (Service) Battalion
Formed at Leicester in August 1914 as part of K1 and attached as Army Troops to 9th (Scottish) Division.
April 1915 : transferred to 110th Brigade, 37th Division.
Landed in France on 29 July 1915.
7 July 1916 : transferred with Brigade to 21st Division.

7th (Service) Battalion
Formed at Leicester in September 1914 as part of K2 and attached as Army Troops to 15th (Scottish) Division.
April 1915 : transferred to 110th Brigade, 37th Division and record thereafter same as 6th Bn.

8th (Service) Battalion
Formed at Leicester in September 1914 as part of K3 and attached as Army Troops to 23rd Division.
April 1915 : transferred to 110th Brigade, 37th Division.
Record same as 6th Bn.
28 June 1918 : reduced to cadre strength, surplus men going to 7th Bn.
29 June 1918 : transferred to 25th Division and returned to England.
7 July 1918 : cadre transferred to 14th West Riding Regiment.

9th (Service) Battalion
Record same as 8th Bn.
20 February 1918 : disbanded in France. Men went to 6th, 7th, 8th and 11th Bns and some to VIII Corps Reinforcement Camp for posting to other units.Some went to 20th Entrenching Battalion.

10th (Reserve) Battalion
Formed at Portsmouth in November 1914 as a Service battalion for K4 and came under orders of 96th Brigade, original 32nd Division. Moved to Barnard Castle in June 1915 and in November 1915 went to Rugeley Camp at Cannock Chase.
10 April 1915 : converted into a Reserve battalion and Brigade became 1st Reserve Brigade.
1 September 1916 : converted into 5th Training Reserve Battalion of 1st Reserve Brigade.

11th (Service) Battalion (Midland Pioneers)
Formed at Leicester in October 1915 by the Mayor and a local committee.
March 1916 : landed in France.
1 April 1916 : came under orders of 6th Division as a Pioneer Battalion.

12th (Reserve) Battalion
Formed at Leicester in March 1916 as a reserve battalion. Moved to Newcastle area in July 1916.
1 September 1916 : converted into 83rd Training Reserve Battalion of 19th Reserve Brigade.

14th (Service) Battalion
Formed at Aldeburgh in June 1918, absorbing the cadre of the 2/4th Bn.
26 June 1918 : came under orders of 47th Brigade, 16th Division which was reforming at Aldershot.
Landed in France 30 July 1918.

Other Battalions

13th (Labour) Battalion
Formed in Autumn 1916.
October 1916 : landed in France, moved to Third Army.
April 1917 : transferred to Labour Corps as 20th and 21st Labour Companies.

1st (Home Service) Garrison Battalion
Formed at Easington in May 1916. August 1917, converted into 9th Bn, the Royal Defence Corps.

51st (Graduated) Battalion
Up to 26 October 1917, this was known as 261st Graduated Battalion and had no regimental affiliation. Before that it had been 10th Battalion of the Training Reserve and up to September 1916 had been the 15th (Reserve) Battalion of the Yorkshire Regiment. A training unit based at Ipswich, it was part of 216th Brigade in 72nd Division. In January 1918 it went to 207th Brigade of 69th Division at Clipstone Camp but by April 1918 had moved to Thoresby. In September 1918 it moved to 208th Brigade in the same Division and location.

52nd (Graduated) Battalion
Up to 27 October 1917, this was known as 267th Graduated Battalion and had no regimental affiliation. Before that it had been 15th Battalion of the Training Reserve and up to September 1916 had been the 13th (Reserve) Battalion of the Lancashire Fusiliers. A training unit based at Witham in Essex, it was part of 218th Brigade in 73rd Division. In January 1918 it went to 207th Brigade of 69th Division at Clipstone Camp but by April 1918 had moved to Thoresby. In September 1918 it moved to 208th Brigade in the same Division and location.

53rd (Young Soldier) Battalion
Up to 27 October 1917, this was known as 12th Young Soldier Battalion and had no regimental affiliation. Before that it had been 13th (Reserve) Battalion of the Sherwood Foresters. A basic recruit training unit based at Rugeley Camp, it was part of 1st Reserve Brigade. By November 1918 it had moved to Clipstone Camp.