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Please, can anyone tell me what means when there is a name like that?
1/8th, or sometimes written as 1st / 8th Battalion (of, for example, Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders). I've come across similar names of other battalions - 1/7th, 2nd/6th, etc.
I know the 8th is the Battalion number, but what does 1st refer to? I can't seem to find the answer online.
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I think it's probably a sub-unit, such as a platoon. Depending on what the 8th Battalion is, the sub-units have different names.
If this is wrong, I'm sure someone else will come up with the right answer.
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Thanks, Andysmum.
I agree it's some sort of sub-unit, but wonder what the name of such a unit would be.
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Thanks, Greyghost.
So it doesn't really mean a sub-division. It means there was more than one 8th Battalion, the 1st/8th being the original and front-line battalion, and subsequent ones (2nd/8th, 3rd/8th, etc) being reserve or secondary battalions.
All together they made up the main 8th Battalion. (Well, I suppose that does make them sub-divisions.)
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Princess Louise’s (Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders)
Battalions of the Territorial Force
1/8th (The Argyllshire) Battalion
August 1914 : at Dunoon. Part of Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders Brigade in the Highland Division. Moved to Bedford.
15 April 1915 : transferred to 1st Highland Brigade in same Division.
May 1915 : landed in France.
12 May 1915 : formation retitled to 152nd Brigade in 51st (Highland) Division.
7 February 1918 : transferred to 183rd Brigade in 61st (2nd South Midland) Division.
1 June 1918 : transferred to 45th Brigade in 15th (Scottish) Division. Absorbed troops from disbanded 11th Bn.
http://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/regiments-and-corps/the-british-infantry-regiments-of-1914-1918/princess-louises-argyll-sutherland-highlanders/
See also:
http://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/order-of-battle-of-divisions/51st-highland-division/
http://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/order-of-battle-of-divisions/61st-2nd-south-midland-division/
http://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/order-of-battle-of-divisions/15th-scottish-division/
Regarding the infantry, normally, when troops were moved around the front, their whole division was moved, and the division operated as one large unit in comjunction with iys neighbouring divisions.
An infantry division had 3 infantry brigades. Each brigade initially had 4 infantry battalions - later a trench mortar battery and a machine gun compamy were added.
By the winter of 1017/18, the man-power situation had become acute. Volountary enlistments had fallem off, conscription had not yet kicked in with trained troops, and casualties had eaten up all the manpower.
It was decided to redue brigades tto 3 battallions, breaking up the 4th battalion to use as reinforcements.
This applied to almost all "British" divisions and took effect around Feb 1918 - exceptions were the Guards division and the 4 Canadian divisions (the Canadians chose instead to break up a nearly formed 5th Div).
Although I said that the division moved as a whole, this wasn't always true for the 3 (later 2) brigades of the division's field artillery,
Each brigade usually had 4 batteries of 18-pdr guns, but there might be one of those batteries with 4.5" howitzers.
As an example, during the Easter 1917 attack by the 4 Can divs on Vimy Ridge, the Canadians had the support of 9 British heavy artillery groups (in addition to their 2 groups), plus 7 divisional field artilleries plus 8 field brigades.
Some would come from higher formations (like the 2 heavy groups from the Can Corps), but others wpuld be loaned from divisions and the relief crew changes could come from even more divisions with the relievers not even manning their own guns.
In 1914, the nominal strength of a battalion was 30 officers plus 977 ORs (other ranks)
An artillery bde had abt 750 men, and a company had 150-300 men, according to branch - a div had 2 field coys of REs, 3 Field Ambulance coys, and a signals coy.
The other larger components in a div were the Ammo Supply Column, and a regular supply col - the Divisional Train - so a full strength div would have 16000-17000 all ranks.
http://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/battles/battles-of-the-western-front-in-france-and-flanders/the-arras-offensive-1917-battle-of-arras/
As a footnote, the Canadians (with 13 bde of UK's 5th div under 2 Can div to cope with widening of frontage) took Vimy Ridge in the N half of the Arras offensive.
Simultaneously, Allanby's 3rd Army took the S extension of Vimy Ridge in the First Battle of the Scarpe, with 51 Div on the immediate right of 1st Can Div.
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If you (or your local library) has an Ancestry sub, you can get the war diaries of the 1/8 A&SH. (A unit's war diaries gives day by day info on a unit;s activities)
https://search.ancestry.co.uk/search/db.aspx?dbid=60779
Browsing for "Princess Louise's ..." in the 51st/15th Div gets the unit's war diaries
Piece 2865/2: 8 Battalion Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders (1915-1918)
Piece 1944: 45 Infantry Brigade (1915 - 1919)
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Browsing for "Various (Infantry Brigades xx Division)" in the xx Div gets the Brigade's war diaries
Piece 2861/1-6: 152 Infantry Brigade: Headquarters (1915 May - 1916 Dec)
Piece 2862/1-4: 152 Infantry Brigade: Headquarters (1917 Jan - Sep)
Piece 2863/1-4: 152 Infantry Brigade: Headquarters (1917 Oct - 1918 Apr)
Piece 2864/1-4: 152 Infantry Brigade: Headquarters (1918 May - 1919 Apr)
Piece 3059/1-4: 183 Infantry Brigade: Headquarters (1918 Jan - 1919 Aug)
Piece 1943/1-5: 45 Infantry Brigade: Headquarters (1917 Jan - 1919 Jun)
http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/
Looking up wo95/2865, etc, gets:
Reference: WO 95/2865/2
Description: 8 Battalion Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders. Latter part of March 1918 (from 18 March) not included
Date: 1915 Apr - 1918 Mar
Reference: WO 95/1944/1
Description:
8 Battalion Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders
Date: 1918 Mar. - 1919 Nov.
Reference: WO 95/1943/4
Description:
45 Infantry Brigade: Headquarters.
Date: 1918 Jan 1 - 1918 June 30
Reference: WO 95/1943/5
Description:
45 Infantry Brigade: Headquarters.
Date: 1918 July - 1919 June
Reference: WO 95/2861/1
Description: 152 Infantry Brigade: Headquarters.
Date: 1915 May 1 - 1915 Nov 30
Reference: WO 95/2861/2
Description: 152 Infantry Brigade: Headquarters.
Date: 1915 Dec 1 - 1916 Apr 30
Reference: WO 95/2861/3
Description: 152 Infantry Brigade: Headquarters.
Date: 1916 May - July
Reference: WO 95/2861/4
Description: 152 Infantry Brigade: Headquarters.
Date: 1916 Aug 1 - 1916 Sept 30
Reference: WO 95/2861/5
Description: 152 Infantry Brigade: Headquarters.
Date: 1916 Oct 1 - 1916 Oct 31
Reference: WO 95/2861/6
Description: 152 Infantry Brigade: Headquarters.
Date: 1916 Nov 1 - 1916 Dec 31
Reference: WO 95/2862/1
Description: 152 Infantry Brigade: Headquarters.
Date: 1917 Jan 1 - 1917 Mar 31
Reference: WO 95/2862/2
Description: 152 Infantry Brigade: Headquarters.
Date: 1917 Apr 1 - 1917 May 31
Reference: WO 95/2862/3
Description: 152 Infantry Brigade: Headquarters.
Date: 1917 June - July
Reference: WO 95/2862/4
Description: 152 Infantry Brigade: Headquarters.
Date: 1917 Aug 1 - 1917 Sept 30
Reference: WO 95/2863/1
Description: 152 Infantry Brigade: Headquarters.
Date: 1917 Oct 1 - 1917 Oct 31
Reference: WO 95/2863/2
Description: 152 Infantry Brigade: Headquarters.
Date: 1917 Nov 1 - 1917 Nov 30
Reference: WO 95/2863/3
Description: 152 Infantry Brigade: Headquarters.
Date: 1917 Dec 1 - 1918 Jan 31
Reference: WO 95/3059/1
Description: 183 Infantry Brigade: Headquarters.
Date: 1918 Jan 1 - 1918 May 31
Reference: WO 95/1943/4
Description: 45 Infantry Brigade: Headquarters.
Date: 1918 Jan 1 - 1918 June 30
Reference: WO 95/1943/5
Description: 45 Infantry Brigade: Headquarters.
Date: 1918 July - 1919 June
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Many thanks, mgnv.
Although an Ancestry user for many years, there's such a lot on it that I have / had no idea was there - such as the regimental war diaries.
A whole new area to explore!
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