11th Battalion Royal Sussex Regiment (1st South Downs)

11th Battalion Royal Sussex Regiment
(1st South Downs)

11th Bn Royal Sussex at Cooden October 1914 (©Paul Reed)

Researching a man from this battalion? See my WW1 Research page.

This battalion was formed on 7^th September 1914 by Lieutenant Colonel Claude Lowther MP and Committee. The principal recruiting offices were located at:

Bexhill on Sea

Bognor

Eastbourne

Hastings

Seaford

Worthing

Some 1,100 men enlisted in 56 hours.

All original enlistments were given an "SD" (South Downs) prefix to their regimental number.

The original composition of the Battalion was:

A Company : Eastbourne double company.

B Company : Eastbourne, Bexhill and Hastings.

C Company : Worthing, Herstmonceux, Horsham and Newhaven.

D Company : Bognor and Chichester.

Training took place at Cooden Camp, near Bexhill, from September 1914 until July 1915. At this stage the War Office took over direct control of the battalion and it moved to Detling Camp, near Maidstone in Kent. On 29^th September 1915 the battalion moved to North Camp, Aldershot. In October it became part of 116^th Brigade, 39^th Division. This division had been formed at Winchester in August 1915, but concentrated at Witley via Aldershot in October/November 1915. From this date until March 1916, the battalion stayed at Witley Camp.

It crossed to France via Southampton on 5^th/6^th March 1916, landing at Havre.

It served on the Western Front with 116^th Brigade, 39^th Division until the Spring of 1918. Following heavy losses in the German Offensive of March/April 1918 the battalion was reduced to a training cadre on 23^rd May 1918. It moved to Boulogne as part of the 25^th Division on 30^th June 1918, and then crossed to England. The battalion was reformed at Aldershot, moved to Deal (Kent) and absorbed other Royal Sussex Regiment personnel and the 13^th Battalion Royal West Kents. At this stage it was part of the 75^th Brigade, 25^th Division. On 9^th September 1918 this unit became the 236^th Brigade and left the 25^th Division, sailing from Dundee to North Russia on 17^th October 1918. After service here, it returned to England in mid-1919 and was finally disbanded.

Battles and Engagements

1916

30 June Boar’s Head, Richebourg [D Company only]

Battles of the Somme

3 September Fighting on the Ancre [Hamel]

26-28 September Battle of the Thiepval Ridge

5 October – 11 November Battle of the Ancre Heights

14 October Capture of the Schwaben Redoubt

21 October Capture of Stuff Trench

13 & 14 November Battle of the Ancre

1917

Battles of Ypres (3^rd Ypres)

31 July – 2 August Battle of the Pilckem Ridge

16-18 August Battle of Langemarck

20-25 September Battle of the Menin Road Ridge

29 October – 10 November Second Battle of Passchendaele

1918

First Battles of the Somme

22-23 March Battle of St Quentin

24-25 March Actions on the Somme crossings

24-25 March Battle of Bapaume

26-27 March Battle of Rozieres

Battles of the Lys

16 April Fighting on the Wytschaete Ridge

17-19 April First Battle of Kemmel Ridge

25-26 April Second Battle of Kemmel Ridge

29 April Battle of the Scherpenberg

Commanding Officers

Sept 1914 – July 1915         Lieut Colonel C.Lowther MP
July 1915 – June 1916         Lieut Colonel H.J.M.Grisewood
July 1916 – March 1917      Lieut Colonel G.H.Harrison DSO
March 1917 – June 1917     Lieut Colonel W.C.Millward DSO
June 1917                             Lieut Colonel E.N.Snepp (Norfolk Regt)
June 1917 – July 1917         Lieut Colonel C.E.Cummins (12^th Durham Light Inf)
July 1917 – March 1918       Lieut Colonel W.C.Millward DSO

Original Officers September 1914

Commanding Officer: Lt-Col C.Lowther MP

Major: G.G.E. de la Warr

Captains:

Grisewood, H.J.M.

Grosvenor, Hon. R.

Howard, W.

Leith, F.

Lytton, Hon. N.

Paget, O.

Lieutenants: Grisewood, G. Second Lieutenants: Bennett, G.

Hughes, S. Burgess, C.

Kidd, L. Cassels, E.

Page, E. Cunningham, K.

Pratt, G. Harrison, C.C.

Read, W. Penruddocke, C.

Trew, R. Winsland, F.

Tyler, H.

Quarter-Master: Trydell, W.F. Hon Lieut-QM

Medical Officer: Dr W.Amsden

Officers March 1916

Commanding Officer: Lt-Col H.J.Grisewood

Major: Hon N.S. Lytton

Adjutant: Capt C.E.A.Terry (late Buffs)

Quarter-Master: Hon Lieut-QM B.F.Swain

Captains: G.E.S.Campbell Lieutenants: G.Bennett

E.Cassels C.Burgess

G.M.J.A.Grisewood C.Campbell-Harris

W.C.Millward F.Cassels

J.W.W.Nason J.H.Cooling

O.Paget E.S.Northcote

H.Tyler C.Penruddocke

L.C.Pharazyn

Second Lieutenants:

F.W.Battley R.G.K.Limbery-Buse

H.H.Beardsley R.H.Lupton

N.C.Carter C.L.Mitchell

A.E.Charlwood P.W.M.Orme

A.B.Cragg A.R.M.Pearing

F.Grisewood R.H.Richards

L.A.Groves T.A. St John

E.B.T.Jones A.G.Vidler

E.X.Kapp

J.C.Keliher

H.S.Lewis

Summary of Battalion Casualties March 1916 – April 1918

		OFFICERS			OTHER RANKS
	Killed	Wounded	Missing	Killed (c)	Wounded	Missing
Richebourg 30.6.16	-	4	2 (a)	30 (4)	80	32
Hamel 3.9.16	-	3	8 (a)	105 (5)	160	123
Stuff Trench 21.10.16	3	3	-	73 (11)	186	77
Ypres 31.7.17	1	3	1(b)	27 (150 K/W/M)	-	-
Menin Road 24/27.9.17	3	7	-	51 (195 K/W/M)	-	-
Somme March 1918	3	11	6 (b)	67 (300 K/W/M)	-	-
Ypres 16/27.4.18	1	1	1(b)	40 ("heavy casualties")	-	-

NOTES:

K : Killed in Action
W : Wounded
M : Missing

(a) Subsequently known to have been killed.
(b) Subsequently known to have been taken prisoner.
(c) Figures from ‘Soldiers Died in the Great War’; figures in brackets are from Btn ‘War Diary’.

BOOKS

Blunden, Edmund Undertones of War (First published 1928)

Memoir by one of the major twentieth century War Poets who served with the 11^th Btn from May 1916 until February 1918. Mentions many names, both officers and men. A superb account of the battalions activities.

Lytton, Neville The Press and the General Staff (Collins 1920)

The author was an original 11^th Btn officer who was later attached to the Staff of the 39^th Division, and eventually posted to GHQ. Mentions the names of many officers.

McPhail, Helen On The Trail of the Poets: Edmund Blunden (Pen & Sword Books 1999)

One of a number of guidebooks in the ‘Battleground Europe’ series following some of the major war poets. This one deals with Edmund Blunden, and covers his service well – with a few minor errors. Some good photos, including named portraits and groups.

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