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Alfred Phillips – Army Service (1905-1916)

Page history last edited by Jon 14 years, 2 months ago

Alfred Phillips enlisted in the army at Hounslow[1] and served with the 21st (Empress of India's) Lancers[2].

 

The 21st Lancers had a well respected history, with battle honours that included the Battle of Omdurman. The men of the 21st were also quite distinctive in their dark blue uniforms with grey facings, as numerous accounts from the Times show.

 

In this article we have attempted to piece together Alfred’s likely service history based on the few documents that survive and using the service history of other soldiers in the regiment as a guide. However, there is no guarantee that we have got this right!

 

England

Although the date of Alfred’s attestation at Hounslow is not known it seems probable that it would have been around 1904-6 when the regiment was based there[3], perhaps in 1905 when he turned 18. The standard term of service was seven years plus five years in the reserve.

 

The 21st Lancers (Empress of India's) were at the East Cavalry Barracks, Aldershot by 1908. In October 1908 the regiment left Aldershot and moved to Canterbury Cavalry Barracks[4] where they remained for the next few years[5].

 

In May 1910 the 21st Lancers participated in the funeral of King Edward, camping at Hyde Park for the duration before returning to Canterbury on 21st May 1910[6]. 

 

Egypt

The 21st Lancers embarked on the troopship HMT Dongola at Southampton on 21st September 1910 bound for Alexandria, Egypt[7]. It seems likely that Alfred Phillips was on board.

 

It appears that Alfred was serving with the 21st (Empress of India's) Lancers at Abbassia Barracks, Cairo, Egypt when the census was taken on 2nd April 1911. An administrative error appears to have resulted in Alfred being recorded in the census schedule as Albert (See: The 1911 Census – Abbassia Barracks: Albert Phillips).

 

By coincidence Alfred’s cousin George Thomas Phillips was also serving in the British Army of Occupation in Egypt at Abbassia Barracks, Cairo (with the 1st Battalion Welch Regiment). The cousins would probably have been in the same place as each other for just short of two years (See: The British Army in Egypt).

 

The exact dates of Alfred’s service in Egypt are not known, but the service record of another soldier in the regiment records service in Egypt lasting from 21st September 1910 to 30th September 1912 (2 years and 10 days) followed by service in India from 1st October 1912 to 11th November 1919.

 

We can be reasonably confident that Alfred also sailed to Egypt on 21st September 1910 as this was the date that the entire regiment embarked, bar a few soldiers who had been left behind[8]. However, the end date may be less certain as this depends on whether Alfred returned to England (for example, if his seven years service had been reached) or whether he had elected to continue his service and joined the regiment on their passage to India. 

 

If Alfred completed his service in 1912 and returned to the depot in England he would then have been discharged to the reserve[9]. It is possible that this may provide an explanation for his attachment to the 9th Lancers (as shown on his medal card). There are certainly examples of other soldiers who served in the 21st Lancers who were discharged to the reserve, but were then called up in August 1914 and posted to the 9th Lancers.

 

If Alfred re-enlisted it is likely that he would still have been in India with the 21st Lancers when war was declared in August 1914[10]. On balance this would seem less likely given the timing of Alfred’s entry into a theatre of war in September 1914.

 

First World War

Alfred’s service record does not survive[11] which makes it difficult to work out when he served with each corps. This is further complicated because there are two medal cards for Alfred – one under the name Alfred Phillips and another under the name H. A. Phillips (it is possible to tell that they are the same individual as the regimental number - 21L/6353 -  is the same[12]). The 1914 star and the other two medals would have been issued at different times, which may play a part in this.

 

The first medal card shows that Private H. A. Phillips, of the 12th Lancers, entered into a theatre of war on 15th September 1914[13] and received the 1914 star[14]. The associated medal roll confirms these details. 

 

The second medal card shows that Private Alfred Phillips, of the 9th and 21st Lancers, received the British War Medal and Victory Medal[15].

 

On the whole the medal cards and rolls only show the regiments covered by the period of entitlement, indicating that Alfred was attached to the 9th and 12th Lancers at some point during his time in France and Flanders. The 9th and 12th Lancers had already seen action in France by the time Alfred disembarked and his relatively late date of entry into the war (compared to that of the regulars in the regiment who landed in August) is a strong indicator that he was a mobilised reservist.

 

Although we cannot be certain of the dates that Alfred served with the 9th and 12th Lancers it appears that both regiments were in the area around Bethune in January 1916. However, the little evidence that we have suggests that Alfred was attached to the 12th Lancers by this point[16].

 

The 12th (Prince of Wales's Royal) Lancers were in billets at Campagne at the start of 1916. On Sunday 2nd January 1916 ‘the dismounted company[17] and headquarters proceeded to Desvres for entrainment to Bethune to proceed from there to relieve infantry in the trenches. 15 officers and 372 other ranks.’[18]

 

A further entry on Wednesday 19th January 1916 states that the dismounted company were at Noyelles.

 

Throughout the remainder of January 1916 there were frequent entries recording small numbers of casualties and the last entry[19] for the month reads: ‘Monday 31st. Casualties dismounted company 1. O. R. Killed.’[20]

 

Alfred died at the age of 28 on 31st January 1916[21] and he is buried[22] at Vermelles British Cemetery[23], 10 km north-west of Lens.

 

The entrance to Vermelles British Cemetery with the shrine in the background.

 

Alfred was buried in Plot II, grave A7 which is located to the right of the main entrance, in the first row between the entrance and the shrine (as seen above – Alfred's grave is the nearest to the left of the photograph in the front row of graves).

 

The inscription on Alfred’s gravestone reads:

6353 Trooper

Alfred Phillips

21st E. of I. Lancers

31st January 1916

 

A faithful brother

A loving son

He died, his duty nobly done

At rest

 

Photographs taken on a visit to the cemetery on 19th May 2008.

 

 

Footnotes

  1. As noted in Alfred's entry in the Soldiers Died in the Great War database, Naval and Military Press Ltd 2006. ▲
  2. The 21st Lancers, formerly 3rd Bengal European Light Cavalry, were a cavalry regiment originally raised by the East India Company but later re-designated as a crown regiment in the British Army. The 21st were awarded the title 'Empress of India's' by Queen Victoria as a result of their charge at Omdurman in the Sudan in 1898. In 1899 the 21st Lancers returned to England and remained until 1912, when they were sent back to India. Source: http://www.qrl.uk.com/h_21.html ▲
  3. A number of surviving service records show that other soldiers in the regiment enlisted at Hounslow in 1904-1905. In addition to this a report in The Times places the regiment in Hounslow in November 1905 and a brochure from 1906 advertising the Wilkinson Sub-Target Rifle reproduced at http://www.rifleman.org.uk/Sub-target_devices.htm states that the ‘apparatus has been installed and can be inspected’ at the 21st Lancers—Hounslow amongst other places. ▲
  4. The move was reported in The Times on 30th September 1908 which stated that ‘The 3rd Dragoon Guards, from the Curragh, will arrive at Aldershot on October 13, and will be quartered in the East Cavalry Barracks, vacated by the 21st Lancers, who leave for Canterbury.’ ▲
  5. A number of photographs and records exist which show that the regiment was still based at Canterbury Cavalry Barracks, Kent in 1909. The website http://www.tugsworld.com/bonzo/gen/biographies/Nicholson-Edward.htm describes the service of Edward Nicholson, 21st (Empress of India's) Lancers. The documents the family holds include a postcard showing the 21st at church parade in Lydd, Kent in 1909. Service records for other soldiers include a number of references to Canterbury in this period. ▲
  6. Dispersal of the Troops, The Times, 21st May 1910. ▲
  7. A short article 'Movement of Troops' in The Times on 20th September 1910 reported: 'The changes ordered in the constitution of the British forces in Egypt are to begin to-morrow, when the 21st Lancers, from Canterbury, are to embark at Southampton in the DONGOLAfor Alexandria, to relieve the 7th Dragoon Guards, who will embark in the same vessel at Suez on October 3 for India.' The same details for the movement were also given in The Times on 26th July 1910 which reported on the War Office’s announcement of the schedule of reliefs for the coming season. ▲
  8. The strength of the 21st Lancers was the subject of a House of Commons debate in November 1911 . Colonel Seely told the house: ‘This regiment embarked in September, 1910. Seven men who had been left behind were sent out in February last; no other draft has yet been sent, but the necessary number will be sent this trooping season. The establishment of the regiment is 592, and the strength on October 1st was 560.’ ▲
  9. If this was the case, Alfred should appear in the electoral registers wherever he was living in 1913 or 1914. If these registers have survived they may provide the proof that Alfred completed his service in 1912 rather than re-enlisting for a further term. ▲
  10. The 21st (Empress of India's) Lancers spent the duration of the war in India. At first they were a part of the 4th (Rawalpindi) Brigade in the 2nd (Rawalpindi) Division from 4th August 1914 until October 1914. In October 1914 the 21st joined the Risalpur Cavalry Brigade in the 1st (Peshawar) Division and remained with this brigade until 1918. The 21st Lancers gained a battle honour at Shabkadar on 5th September 1915 but there is no indication from Alfred's medal card that he was involved in this battle. The 21st (Empress of India's) Lancers, provided drafts of men to form a Service Squadron for action on the Western Front , drawn from reservists at Tidworth. However, Alfred was dead by the time this service squadron was established in June 1916. Sources: http://www.warpath.orbat.com/indian_divs/2_ind_div.htm#4_bde, http://www.warpath.orbat.com/indian_divs/1_ind_div.htm#risalpur and http://www.1914-1918.net/lancers.htm ▲
  11. Alfred's service record was destroyed in 1940 during the blitz. ▲
  12. As an additional point of confirmation, the entries in the respective medal rolls both show the same date of death. ▲
  13. This page in the medal roll for the 12th Lancers lists 12 individuals of whom 10 entered into a theatre of war on 15.8.14 and another on 21.8.14. H. A. Phillips is the only individual on this page who is listed as entering into a theatre of war on 15.9.14. ▲
  14. Although Alfred was not awarded a clasp to go with his 1914 star (for men who served under enemy fire in France and Belgium between 5th August 1914 and 22nd November 1914) this does not necessarily mean that he was not entitled to it. The clasp was authorised in 1919 but whilst the award of the medal was automatic, a claim had to be submitted and substantiated by an officer after the end of the war. In many cases soldiers who qualified but died during the war did not receive this, as their next-of-kin made no such claim. ▲
  15. A symbol on this card indicates that the 9th Lancers was the regiment stamped on the reverse of the Victory Medal. The associated medal roll for the 21st Lancers shows that Alfred Phillips was a Private in the 9th Lancers. ▲
  16. The war diaries of the 9th and 12th Lancers tell a very different story for the date of Alfred’s death – the 9th Lancers recorded a very quiet day whilst the 12th Lancers recorded the death of a dismounted cavalryman. The records of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission show that Alfred was a private from the “A” Squadron of the 21st (Empress of India's) Lancers attached to the 12th Lancers, perhaps indicating that this was his final regiment. ▲
  17. The 'dismounted company' was a description used for the cavalry when they entered the trenches. ▲
  18. War Diary for the 12th (Prince of Wales's Royal) Lancers, 2nd January 1916 (WO 95/1140). ▲
  19. War Diary for the 12th (Prince of Wales's Royal) Lancers, 2nd January 1916 (WO 95/1140). ▲
  20. The casualties in January 1916 appear mostly to have occurred whilst soldiers were on duty in the trenches, rather than during an attack. Although there is no detail provided for Alfred's death it is possible that this was also the situation in his case. ▲
  21. Alfred's record in the Commonwealth War Graves Commission database gives his Service No as 6353. Additional information given in the record states that he was the son of George Charles and Esther Jane Phillips, of 40, Gowlett Rd., East Dulwich, London. http://www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=252309 ▲
  22. Vermelles Cemetery, Grave/Memorial Reference: Plot II. A. 7. ▲
  23. Vermelles Cemetery is maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Further details of the cemetery and a plan showing the plots can be found on their website at http://www.cwgc.org/search/cemetery_details.aspx?cemetery=2000089&mode=1 ▲

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