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Archiver > GREATWAR > 2001-08 > 0996984373


From: Iain Kerr <>
Subject: Re: [WW1] Royal Fusiliers
Date: Sun, 05 Aug 2001 05:06:13 +0100
References: <5.1.0.14.2.20010801052740.009f05d0@pop.clara.net>
In-Reply-To: <013b01c11b95$771f46a0$a7586bd5@newsystem>


At 21:55 02/08/01 +0100, you wrote:

>Iain
>
>Thank you very much for the information.
>
>You stated that the 2nd Battalion Kings Fusiliers embarked in March 1915 at
>Gallipolli, but my ggrandfather only joined them on 20 July 1915. How long
>was the training he received, likely to have taken? Is he likely to have
>signed up in 1914, but not be ready to travel with the rest of the battalion
>in March? Or is it more likely that he joined after the initial rush?
>
>I appreciate your thoughts and comments.
>
> Michelle

Michelle,

Having quoted back my entire message, you then misquote me. The man's
regiment was The Royal Fusiliers *City of London Regiment) and he serving
in the 8th Battalion of that regiment when he died. There is no such
regiment as the "King's Fusiliers". Accuracy is important here because
there were several fusilier regiments at the time and all of them, as
well the rest of the British Army owed loyalty to the sovereign.

Second, I said that the 2nd Battalion embarked from Avonmouth (which is
near Bristol) in March 1915. That battalion did not land on Gallipoli
until 24 April where it was on operations until January 1916.

You say that he joined the 2nd Battalion on 20 July. So he would have been
a reinforcement draft sent out from UK to replace the men killed or wounded
in the first months of the Gallipoli operation. His training, possibly in
the 5th or 6th Battalions which were reserve battalions in the UK could
have been 12 weeks or more. But it is difficult to speculate on limited
facts. The rush of volunteers was intense in August and September 1914 but
it continued apace well into 1915. [Conscription was not introduced until
1916.]

Yours aye,

Iain Kerr in Windsor, Berkshire, United Kingdom
Web Page at: http://home.clara.net/iainkerr/index.htm
RootsWeb Sponsor and Listowner for the WORLDWAR2 Mailing List.

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