This was an all Territorial regiment.
Battalions of the Territorial Force
1/1st Battalion:
August 1914 : in Hereford. Part of Welsh Border
Brigade, Welsh Division.
24 April 1915 : transferred to North Wales Brigade,
Welsh Division.
13 May 1915 : formation became 158th Brigade, 53rd
(Welsh) Division. Landed on Gallipoli. They embarked
at Devonport on the SS Euripedes on 16th July 1915.
There were 29 officers and 969 other ranks. On reaching
Port Said the Bn. was reduced to 25 officers and
750 ORs and these men went on to land at 'C' beach
at Suvla Bay on Gallipoli on the 9th August at 7.20
am.Their divisional artillery had been left behind
in England under orders for France, and the Division
had no wheels and no horses. For their part in the
landing at Suvla Bay on 9th August the bn. was mentioned
in despatches by Ian Hamilton." .......the
1st/1st Herefordshire, which attacked with impetuosity
and courage between Hetman Chair and Kaslar Chair
about Azmak Dere on the extreme right of his line."
1 June 1918 : left the Division and moved via Italy
to France, landing at Taranto (Italy) on 22 June
1918.
30 June 1918 : attached to 102nd Brigade, 34th Division.
2/1st Battalion:
Formed in Hereford in September 1914 as a second
line unit. Moved in December 1914 to Aberystwyth.
19 April 1915 : attached to 205th Brigade, 68th
Division at Northampton. In May to June 1915 the
battalion worked on north London defences in the
Billericay area. Moved to Bedford in July 1915 and
on to Lowestoft in November. Moved to Herringfleet
in May 1917 and finally disbanded on 10 September
1917.
3/1st Battalion:
Formed in Hereford in February 1915 as a depot/training
unit. Moved to Abergavenny and by September 1915
was at Oswestry. Renamed 1st Reserve Battalion on
8 April 1916. Merged with 4th Reserve Battalion
of the King's Shropshire Light Infantry on 24 July
1917.
The regiment had a close relationship with, and
technically was part of the same corps as, the King's
Shropshire Light Infantry. Many volunteer recruits
from the county went into the KSLI .
The Herefordshire Light Infantry
extracted from "The Territorial
Battalions, A Pictorial History 1859-1985" by
Ray Westlake
further details are given on these battalions in appropriate
sections of the site
The 1st Admin Battalion of Herefordshire and Radnorshire Rifle Volunteers was formed in 1861, and contained the several rifle companies that were formed by both counties. Amalgamated as 1st Herefordshire Rifle Volunteer Corps in 1880, the battalion became a volunteer battalion of the King's Shropshire Light Infantry in 1881. In 1908, it formed the Herefordshire Battalion of the KSLI, but by the following year, had been redesignated 1st Battalion, The Herefordshire Regiment.
The 1/1st Battalion went to Gallipoli with the 53rd (Welsh) Division in 1 9 1 5. It later moved to Egypt and then on to France for the last months of the war. The 2/1st and 3/1st remained in the UK as training and reserve units.
Increased to two battalions in 1939, the 1st Herefords served throughout NW Europe during 1944-5. The 2nd Battalion remained at home as part of the 38th Infantry Division.
The Herefordshire Regiment was designated `Light Infantry' in 1947 and in 1986 formed part of the 5th Light Infantry (Volunteers
