The 20th (Service) Battalion, King's Royal Rifle Corps (British Empire League Pioneers) ('20th KRRC' or 'XX KRRC') was an infantry pioneer unit recruited as part of 'Kitchener's Army' in World War I. It was raised in London in the summer of 1915 by the British Empire League. It served on the Western Front from March 1915 as the pioneer battalion of 3rd Division, seeing action at the Battles of the Somme and Ancre. Later it fought at Arras and Ypres, against the German spring offensive, and in the final Hundred Days Offensive, before taking part in the Allied occupation of the Rhineland.
Recruitment and training
On 6 August 1914, less than 48 hours after Britain's declaration of war, Parliament sanctioned an increase of 500,000 men for the Regular British Army. The newly appointed Secretary of State for War, Earl Kitchener of Khartoum, issued his famous call to arms: 'Your King and Country Need You', urging the first 100,000 volunteers to come forward. Men flooded into the recruiting offices and the 'first hundred thousand' were enlisted within days. This group of six divisions with supporting arms became known as Kitchener's First New Army, or 'K1'.War Office Instructions No 32 (6 August) and No 37 (7 August).Becke, Pt 3a, pp. 2 & 8. The K2, K3 and K4 battalions, brigades and divisions followed soon afterwards. But the flood of volunteers overwhelmed the ability of the Army to absorb them, and the K5 units were largely raised by local initiative rather than at regimental depots, often from men from particular localities or backgrounds who wished to serve together: these were known as 'Pals battalions'. The 'Pals' phenomenon quickly spread across the country, as local recruiting committees offered complete units to the War Office (WO). One such organisation was the British Empire League (BEL), which advocated unity for the British Empire and had previously raised troops for service in the Second Boer War. From a headquarters (HQ) at Norfolk House, Laurence Pountney Hill, in the City of London, the League raised the 17th (Service) Battalion, King's Royal Rifle Corps (British Empire League) in April 1915. It continued recruiting so that on 28 August it was able to form a second battalion as a pioneer unit, the 20th (Service) Battalion, [King's Royal Rifle Corps (2nd BEL Pioneers).Frederick, p. 245.Hare, pp. 95–6.James, p. 95.KRRC at Long, Long Trail.War Office Instruction No 56 of September 1915, Appendix IX.
Pioneers were a new addition to the British Army in 1915. They were trained infantry soldiers, but their primary role was to carry out digging and construction at the direction of the Royal Engineers (RE). The men received additional pay and the battalion was equipped with the necessary tools and stores, with the extra transport to move them.Dunn, p. 88. The recruits to the new battalion began their drill in London's Green Park. On 10 September Temporary Major Eric Murray, originally an officer of the Royal Field Artillery, was transferred from the 17th KRRC (BEL) to command the new battalion with the rank of Temporary Lieutenant-Colonel, and on 22 October the temporary quartermaster of the 17th KRRC was transferred to become the adjutant of the 20th KRRC.London Gazette, 24 September 1915.17th KRRC War Diary April 1915–June 1919, The National Archives (TNA), Kew, file WO 95/2586/2.
As recruits continued to come in, the battalion formed its four service companies and two depot companies by about September 1915. In February 1916 the service companies moved to Wellingborough in Northamptonshire, where they continued their training attached to 23rd Reserve Brigade. The battalion was now ordered to join the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) on the Western Front. On 27 March it left Wellingborough aboard three trains for Southampton Docks, where it embarked on the transports Rossetti and Marguerite. Having left harbour the ships had to return to anchor in the Solent due to bad weather in the English Channel, and the men from the Marguerite were sent ashore to a rest camp. After another failed attempt, the Rossetti finally reached Le Havre on 30 March and disembarked the first 10 officers, 212 other ranks (ORs) and the battalion transport. The remainder of the battalion (18 officers and 772 ORs) embarked on the King Edward that evening and arrived the following morning.20th KRRC War Diary March 1916–December 1918, The National Archives (TNA), Kew, file WO 95/1405/4.
22nd (Reserve) Battalion The depot companies of 20th KRRC became the 22nd (Reserve) Battalion, KRRC, and by October 1915 it was in the Andover area of Hampshire, as part of 24th Reserve Brigade. By February 1916 it was at Banbury in Oxfordshire with 26th Reserve Brigade. In June 1916 the brigade moved to Wimbledon Common where it spent the rest of the war training reinforcements for the service battalions of the KRRC. On 1 September 1916 the Training Reserve was established following the introduction of conscription, and 22nd (R) Bn KRRC became 110th Training Reserve Battalion, though the training staff retained their KRRC badges. The battalion was disbanded at Wimbledon on 2 March 1918.
Service After landing at Le Havre, the two parties of the battalion entrained and were reunited at Poperinge on 1 April, where the commanding officer (CO) reported to 20th (Light) Division HQ. Over the following days the companies were in the battle zone, draining trenches and repairing parapets, digging new communication trenches, improving an underground sap leading to a machine gun position, turning a shell hole into an observation post, laying out barbed wire and similar work, resulting in its first few casualties. After two weeks the battalion marched out to J Camp where it resumed training, particularly in musketry, though at first 20th Division could only supply 230 rifles for over 980 ORs, and later 500 dummy cartridges. The battalion started building a rifle range to use when more ammunition arrived. It also undertook pioneer training led by an RE Field Company. The training continued until 19 May when the battalion went by road to join 3rd Division. For the remainder of the war it was to be 3rd Divisional pioneer battalion.Becke, Pt 1, pp. 49–55.3rd Division at Long, Long Trail.
Somme For the rest of May and June, while two companies remained in camp to continue training, the other two were loaned to 6th Division for sandbagging and repairing front line trenches, and then three companies worked on a new support line. By the beginning of July all four companies were at work. The BEF's 'Big Push', the Battle of the Somme, was launched on 1 July. On 2–3 July 20 KRRC entrained for the south, and then carried out a march in several stages to reach the Somme sector, where 3rd Division took over a section of the front line on 8 July. The next day the battalion began building roads and bridges behind the lines as 3rd Division prepared to attack the German '2nd Position' in the Battle of Bazentin Ridge. The infantry of 8th and 9th Brigades silently deployed on tapes laid in No man's land during the night of 13/14 July. One company of 20th KRRC was attached to 8th Bde and one-and-a-half to 9th Bde, while the rest of the battalion was with 76th Bde in reserve in the old German trenches south of Montauban. When the infantry of 8th Bde had captured the German support line they and the REs were to consolidate the position. and construct strongpoints. The company of 20th KRRC with 8th Bde had the task of fortifying a position known as the 'Rectangle' by making strongpoints at each corner and wiring in between; they had a carrying party from 8th Bn East Yorkshire Regiment to help them. Rather than a prolonged artillery bombardment as had preceded the First Day of the Somme, the Battle of Bazentin Ridge began at 03.20 on 14 July with an intense surprise bombardment of the enemy positions. After 5 minutes the creeping barrage lifted forwards and the leading infantry advanced through the pre-dawn mist and reached the German wire before a shot was fired. On 8th Bde's front the two belts of wire had not been adequately cut by the artillery and the advance was held up, but 9th Bde got into the enemy front trench and a party bombed their way along it to clear 8th Bde's front while 9th Bde went on to attack Bazentin-le-Grand. The British had captured the ridge in one bound, capturing and killing many of the enemy (many more fleeing Germans would have been killed but for the poor British musketry) and the work of consolidation began during the morning. 20th KRRC's party with 9th Bde was relieved about 16.00, while the other party bivouacked overnight at the Rectangle.Hare, p. 133.Miles, 1916, Vol II, pp. 40, 67, 71–2, 78–82, Sketch 10.Miles, 1916, Vol II, Appendices 7–9.
The pioneers continued improving the new positions over the following days. They were under heavy shellfire and at the Rectangle work could only be done after dark. The other two companies, which had been doing some road work in the rear, took over the consolidation on 18 July, but had to stop for a while on 20 July when enemy shellfire became intense. Bitter fighting in the area (the Battle of Delville Wood) continued, 3rd Division attacking again on 23 July. One company of 20th KRRC spent the previous night digging a new trench, suffering several casualties on the way up and being unable to complete it by dawn. Two other companies left camp at 02.00 and came under the orders of 9th Bde. After the partial success of the attack, the whole battalion was ordered up to wire the new line. On the night of 24/25 July two parties were sent up to complete the work, but had to 'stand to' with their rifles under the orders of the nearest infantry officer during en enemy counter-attack. The following evening 3rd Division was relieved and the battalion withdrew for rest and training.Miles, 1916, Vol II, pp. 140–1, 157.
On 4 August 20 KRRC was ordered by XIII Corps HQ to send up two companies (the Right Half-Battalion) to work on defences under the Corps' Commander, RE (CRE) while the Left Half-Battalion continued training. The companies were changed over during the nights of 10–13 August, and then parties from the camp came under the command of 3rd Division's CRE for wiring and constructing dugouts. This work was directed by 183rd Tunnelling Company, RE, while other parties worked on constructing a tramway. 3rd Division went back into the line on the night of 14/15 August, ready to attack on 16 August. Apart from the party working with 183rd Tunnelling Co, all of 20th KRRC's men were taken off their work and concentrated in order to follow the attack and consolidate the ground captured. Guillemont had still not fallen, but the British were now at close assaulting distance; indeed, 'Lonely Trench' was too close to be bombarded by artillery and Stokes mortars had to be used. Zero hour was at 17.40 and the methodical bombardment suddenly increased to intense fire for 3 minutes before the infantry went in. 2nd Battalion Suffolk Regiment of 76th Bde cleared its objectives, despite enfilade fire from Lonely Trench, but the rest of 76th Bde and 9th Bde were stopped by fire from Lonely Trench, on which the mortars had made little impression. 20th KRRC's working party with 9th Bde was sent back, while those with 76th Bde lay out all night, finding it impossible to do any work. Next morning they began digging in. 3rd Division made another unsuccessful attack on Lonely Trench on 18 August and was then relieved during the night of 19/20 August. 20th KRRC still had 6 officers and 235 ORs working on dugouts. They went out next day to dig a communication trench under heavy shellfire, and it was not until 21 August that 20th KRRC was able to concentrate and march out.Miles 1916, Vol II, pp. 184, 191.