The Queens Own Royal West Kent Regiment
Units / Commanding Officers
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Units of the Queens Own together with their Commanding Officers - August 4th 1914 to November 11th 1918.
Note - Officers on the Active List of the Regular Army, Special Reserve and Territorial Army are given their permanent rank held on the date of assuming command; Officers of the Retired List and of the New Armies their temporary rank. Acting rank is not shown. Only honours earned before the war are mentioned. The date given is that on which command was assumed, where it has been impossible to discover the exact date, the month only is mentioned. The names of officers who acted in command for short intervals between the departure of a commander and the arrival of his successor are omitted.
|
Dates |
In Command |
|
| Colonel of the Regiment | 1904 to 1921 | Major- General Sir Edmund Leach, KCB |
| The Depot | ||
| mobilized, August 4th 1914. | August 4th 1914 | Major P M Robinson, CMG |
| August 5th 1914 | Colonel G W Maunsell | |
| April 10th 1915 | Lieut-Col W E Rowe | |
| May 20th 1916 | Lieut-Col E A Iremonger | |
| April 5th 1917 | Lieut-Col J P Dalison | |
| October 2nd 1918 | Major G D Lister | |
| 1st Battalion | August 4th 1914 | Lieut-Col A Martyn |
| mobilized, August 4th 1914. | October 13th 1914 | Major M P Buckle |
| Embarked, August 13th 1914. | November 3rd 1914 | Capt H D Buchanan-Dunlop |
| Served in France and Flanders to December 11th 1917. | November 19th 1914 | Major P M Robinson, CMG |
| In Italy to March 31st 1918. | September 13th 1915 | Capt H D Buchanan-Dunlop |
| In France and Flanders to April 23rd 1919. | September 12th 1916 | Major R Lynch White |
| Reformed at Gravesend. | November 15th 1916 | Capt H D Buchanan-Dunlop |
| May 26th 1917 | Major R Lynch White | |
| August 25th 1917 | Major B Johnstone | |
| October 9th 1918. | Major Jack K Kay | |
| Lieut-Col A Martyn returned to the Battalion from 1st to 3rd November | ||
| 2nd Battalion | August 4th 1914 | Lieut-Col S H Pedley |
| On August 4th 1914 was stationed at Multan, India. | January 14th 1916. | Major R J Woulfe-Flanagan |
| Mobilized, January 17th 1915. | ||
| Embarked January 30th 1915. | ||
| Served in Mesopotamia; embarked for home as a cadre, July 26th 1919. | ||
| Reformed at Rugeley. | ||
| 3rd Battalion | August 4th 1914 | Lieut-Col Sir A S TGriffith-Boscawen |
| Mobilized, Maidstone, August 4th 1914 & moved to Chatham. Moved to Leysdown (Isle of Sheppey) in Summer 1918. | April 22nd 1916 | Major C D Barrow |
| Disembodied, July 29th 1919. | March 3rd 1918 | Lieut-Col E V O Hewett, OBE, DSO, CMG. |
| 1/4th Battalion | August 4th 1914 (C.O. from 4th January 1911) | Lieut-Col C N Watney |
|
Formed from 4th Battalion, Territorial Force from men who volunteered
for overseas service. Mobilized, Tonbridge, August 4th 1914. |
October 8th 1918 | Major C B Robb, took over command on October 8th, 1918, and was in command during the Afghanistan Expedition |
| Embarked, October 29th 1914, to India. | ||
| Served in India, taking part in the Afghanistan Expedition with the Baluchistan Force, May 6th to September 11th 1919. | ||
| Embarked, October 30th, 1919. | ||
| Disembodied, November 24th 1919. | ||
| 2/4th Battalion | Appointed on formation | Colonel A T F Simpson |
| Formed, April 25th, 1915, as a Kent Composite Battalion, and was renamed on June 14th 1915. | August 15th 1915 | Major H Smithers |
| Embarked, July 18th 1915. | October 20th 1915 |
Major E J F Vaughan (Devon Regiment) |
| Served in Gallipoli, Egypt and Palestine. | December 22nd 1915 | Colonel A T F Simpson |
| Disbanded, September 13th 1918. | March 3rd 1916 | Lieut-Col A E Norton (W.I.R.) |
| June 26th 1916 | Captain E W Dillon | |
| July 27th 1916 | Lieut-Col N E Money, DSO (Shropshire Yeomanry) | |
| October 28th 1917 | Major P Jude (The Buffs) | |
| November 20th 1917 | Lieut-Col W Beswick (Royal Welsh Fusiliers) | |
| 3/4th Battalion | ||
| The home service portion of the 1/4th Battalion was formed in September 1914, and known as the 4th (HS) Battalion until October 22nd 1914, as the 4th (Reserve) Battalion till February 9th 1915, and as the 2/4th till it became the 3/4th on June 14th 1915. | Appointed on formation | Colonel A T F Simpson |
| Embarked May 31st 1917. | June 14th 1915 | Lieut-Col J D Laurie |
| Served in France and Flanders. | June 1st 1916 | Colonel A T F Simpson |
| Disbanded March 27th 1918. | October 10th 1917 | Captain E James (Lincoln Regiment) |
| 4/4th Battalion | ||
| Formed July 14th 1915, moved to Cambridge. | July 14th 1915 | Lieut-Col C D Disney-Roebuck |
| Became 4th (Reserve) Battalion on June 16th 1916. | January 1st 1917 |
Major R W McKergow (Sussex Yeomanry) |
| Combined with 3/5th Battalion September 1st 1916. | ||
| Disbanded in May 1919. | ||
| 1/5th Battalion | ||
| Mobilized, August 4th 1914. | August 4th 1914 | Lieut-Col F A Frazer |
| Embarked October 29th 1914. | June 10th 1918 | Major C D Clark |
| Served in India. | September 18th 1918 | Lieut-Col F A Frazer |
| Embarked for Mesopotamia, December 5th 1917. | ||
| Embarked for home, December 27th 1919. | ||
| Disembodied January 28th 1920. | ||
| 2/5th Battalion | ||
| Formed October 1914, Bromley. | Appointed on formation | Major E B Willis |
| Disbanded November 14th 1917, at Canterbury. | September 7th 1916 | Major Edward Graham Savage |
| Reserve Battalion. | November 21st 1916 | Major C L Willoughby-Wallace (Royal West Surrey Regiment) |
| 3/5th Battalion | ||
| Formed July 12th 1915, Bromley. | July 12th 1915 | Major Geoffrey Cecil Bulwer Jenyns |
| Amalgamated with 4/4th to form 4th (Reserve) Battalion, September 1st 1916. | ||
| 6th Battalion | ||
| Formed August 4th 1914, Maidstone, moved to Colchester, then Purfleet in September 1914, before going to billets in Hythe in December 1914. Moved to Aldershot February 1915. | August 19th 1914 | Major P M Robinson, CMG |
| Embarked June 1st 1915 for Boulogne. | November 14th 1914 | Colonel G E Even, CB |
| Served in France, Flanders and Germany. | January 3rd 1915 | Lieut-Col E F Venables |
| Disbanded, November 1919. | November 29th 1915 |
Major C S Owen (Royal Welsh Fusiliers) |
| November 16th 1916 | Lieut W R A Dawson | |
| May 3rd 1917 |
Captain W J Alderman
temporarily in command when killed in action on 20th November 1917 |
|
| August 27th 1917 | Captain W R A Dawson | |
| December 1st 1917 |
Major P Whetham (Manchester Regiment) |
|
| February 18th 1918 | Captain W R A Dawson | |
| March 29th 1918 |
Lieut W C Cook (East Surrey Regiment) |
|
| May 14th 1918 | Captain H Peploe | |
| June 6th 1918 | Major W R A Dawson | |
| October 23rd 1918 | Major L C R Smith | |
| 30th March 1919 to 23rd April 1919 | Major Jack K Kay (acting Lt-Col) | |
| 23rd April 1919 | Major C L Porter, CMG., DSO., (East Kent Regiment) | |
| 7th Battalion | ||
| Formed, September 5th 1914, Maidstone. April 1915, moved to Colchester, May 1915, Salisbury Plain | September 6th 1914 | Colonel A W Prior |
| Embarked, July 26th 1915 for Le Havre. | October 12th 1915 | Major J T Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes |
| Served in France and Flanders. | November 28th 1916 | Major A E Phillips |
| Disbanded July 16th 1919. | January 7th 1917 |
Major E M Liddell (West Riding Regiment.) |
| 21st February 1917 | Major A E Phillips | |
| April 7th 1917 | Lieut-Colonel L H Hickson | |
| May 3rd 1917 | Captain P N Anstruther | |
| June 9th 1917 | Major C H L Cinnamond (R.I. Rifles) | |
| March 18th 1918 |
Captain J D Crosthwaite (1st Battalion London Regt.) |
|
| April 2nd 1918 | Major A E Phillips | |
| April 15th 1918 | Lieut-Colonel L H Hickson | |
| July 15th 1918 | Major A E Phillips | |
| August 23rd 1918 | Lieut-Colonel L H Hickson | |
| 8th Battalion | ||
| Formed September 12th 1914. | October 1st 1914 | Colonel E Vansittart |
| Embarked August 30th 1915. | October 6th 1915 | Major J C Parker |
| Served in France and Flanders. | August 31st 1916 | Major N I Whitty |
| Disbanded June 14th 1919. | January 20th 1917 | Major J C Parker |
| November 3rd 1917 | Major N I Whitty | |
|
December 6th 1917 - August 30th 1919 |
Lieut-Col H J Wenyon | |
| 9th Battalion | ||
| Formed, October 24th 1914. | October 19th 1914 | Lieut- Col O J Daniell |
| Became 22nd Training Reserve Battalion, September 1st 1916. | ||
| 10th Battalion | ||
| Formed May 12th 1915. | May 6th 1915 | Lieut-Col A Wood Martyn |
| Embarked May 4th 1916. | September 15th 1916 | Major W F Soames |
| Served in France and Flanders till November 9th 1917; in Italy till March 2nd 1918; then in France, Flanders and Germany. | February 10th 1917 | Lieut-Col A Wood Martyn |
| Disbanded on January 3rd 1920. | June 10th 1917 |
Captain S H Beattie (Northampton Regiment) |
| March 1st 1918 | Major F A Wallis | |
| March 15th 1918 | Lieut-Col A C Corfe | |
| March 23rd 1918 | Major F A Wallis | |
| May 7th 1918 |
Major the Hon E R Thesiger (Surrey Yeomanry) |
|
| 19th April 1919 |
Major G W Howard (Essex Regiment) |
|
| 10th June 1919 |
Major M Beevor (Middlesex Regiment) |
|
| 1st August 1919 | Major C F Penton | |
| 29th September 1919 |
Major G C Stubbs (Suffolk Regiment) |
|
| 11th Battalion | ||
| Formed May 12th 1915. | May 12th 1915 | Lieut-Col H L Searle |
| Embarked May 3rd 1916. | February 1st 1916 |
Lieut-Col A F Townshend
(Scot Rifles) |
| Served in France and Flanders till November 9th 1917; in Italy till it returned to France and was disbanded on March 16th 1918. | September 15th 1916 | Lieut-Col A C Corfe |
| September 20th 1917 |
Lieut J C Beadle (Royal East Kent Yeomanry) |
|
| January 8th 1918 | Major A J Jimenez | |
| February 21st 1918 | Lieut-Col A C Corfe | |
| 12th Battalion | ||
| Formed, February 5th 1916. | February 5th 1916 | Colonel Arthur Gordon Jeffrey(s) |
| Became a Battalion of the Royal Defence Corps, April 15th 1918. | ||
| 1st Home Service Battalion | ||
| Formed April 1st 1916. | April 1st 1916 | Lieut-Col C W Warden |
| Became a Battalion of the Royal Defence Corps, April 15th 1918. | ||
| The Volunteers | ||
| The Volunteer Regiment of The Queens Own was formed in 1917 by the amalgamation into four Battalions of the nine Battalions previously allotted to the West Kent and Mid Kent Groups of the County Volunteers | ||
| Regimental Commandant | Colonel C E Warde, MP | |
| 1st Volunteer Battalion | Colonel J Rowlandson | |
| 2nd Volunteer Battalion | Lieutenant - Colonel A C Borton | |
| 3rd Volunteer Battalion | Major Sir Philip Dawson, Kt | |
| 4th Volunteer Battalion | Major C H Gray | |
| Unknown Battalions | 14th July 1917 to 31st July 1917 | Lieut A E Jones |
| 11th October 1917 |
Major H Gardiner, DSO (West Riding Regiment) |
|
| 31st March 1918 to 15th April 1918 |
Major W Hodson, MC. (Cheshire Regiment) |
|
| 13th April 1918 | Major W C Cook, MC. | |
This page was last updated on 05-Mar-2021.
Copyright © 2008 Janet & Richard Mason