70 replies to this topic

[ddycher]

Sorry folks the list again scrambled during edit. I will try to get it back. in the meantime pls PM me if you have any queries ......

The list currently has summaries as known for :

• General Base Depots
  
• Infantry Base Depots (Numbered)
  
• Infantry Base Depots (Lettered)

It includes where known :

• Location
  
• Div. movements
  
• People inc :
  
  • CO
    
  • Adjt
    
  • QM
    
  • DCO's
    
  • Chaplain
    
  • Concert Parties
• Divisional drafts
  
• Post divisional affiliation drafts

Regards
Dave

[Colin W Taylor]

Dave

It's a tricky subject as from my limited knowledge IBDs weren't sometimes attached to divisions in most cases and often sent out drafts when available to the most needy units. Some however seemed to feed certain divisions only. I have the war diary for the No 29 IBD for April 1917 (I can't remember why I got it!) but they provided soldiers almost exclusively to the Warwickshire Regiment (regular, TF and service battalions) in this month with a smattering of soldiers to the Newfoundland Regt. Also the war diary for No 8 IBD ( I have Jan to Nov 1916) has them feeding units of the 8th Division during early 1916 as well as other units. I'll have a read through.

Some war diaries still survive at Kew but they are by no means definitive with many IBDs and dates being missing.

I get the feeling during big battles that your task will be next to impossible.

Regards

Colin

[Ken Lees]

What information do the IBD War Diairies contain?

Ken

[Colin W Taylor]

Ken

I only have those two IBD Diaries but they mention numbers of soldiers arriving and leaving by draft, to their target battalion; sometimes mentioning names of officers leading departing drafts and mentioning trades of those soldiers - signallers, machine gunners etc. Arrivals and departures of instructors are mentioned.

See below for a random example.

If anyone is after lookups from either please let me know.

Regards

Colin

Attached Files

•  ibd.jpg   31.44K   3 downloads

[Ken Lees]

Thanks Colin,

I will add No.24 IBD War Diary to my wants list for my next trip to Kew.

Ken

[ddycher]

Thanks Colin

My actual interest lies in which IBD's fed the 62nd Division between April ~ November 1918. As you say found it was almost impossible to make sense of it. In the web search above I found very few ref's to 62nd Division units.

However thought it might be helpful for folks in general if there was a common "dumping ground" on the GWF for IBD ref's. Actually not an original idea, Charles Messenger and others have recommended doing so in the past.

Thanks again for the Warwicks addition - have put in in the list.

Regards
Dave

[ddycher]

All

When going through the above web search I came across this map of Etaples.

https://www.strongsp...otated-1919.JPG

This appears to show that the IBD's were renumbered first in 1915. I had not come across this before. Anyone have any ref's to an earlier renumbering.

A further marked up copy of this map is here....

http://ecperkins.com...nal-preparation

This would seem to give the location of lettered IBD's at Etaples at the end of the war. Covering E, F, G, J, K, it would match locations above.

Still have not found a similar ref for Rouen.

Regards
Dave

[hywyn]

Dave

War Diary 11th Bn RWF (67th Bde, 22nd Div in Salonika)

24th October 1917

"Lt A J John & 16 OR from 3rd IBD"

31st October 1917

" 23 OR from 3rd IBD"

There may be more but the usual reference is 'from Base'

I don't know if this is 3 IBD in France or a different one for Salonika?

Hywyn

[Chris_Baker]

This page on the LLT was started on Charles Messenger's recommendation here many moons ago: http://www.1914-1918...basedepots.html

[ddycher]

Hywyn - I think this is No.3 IBD at Summerhill, Salonika. There was also a No.1 and No.2 IBD at Kantara to confuse things further.

Chris - thanks for the note. Have been re-reading Charles Messangers "Call to Arms" on this this afternoon and will update the above from this also. Do you know anything about an earlier renumbering ?

Regards
Dave

[hywyn]

ddycher, on 21 July 2012 - 11:46 AM, said:

Hywyn - I think this is No.3 IBD at Summerhill, Salonika. There was also a No.1 and No.2 IBD at Kantara to confuse things further.

Regards
Dave

Thanks Dave
I had visions of them arriving in IBD Rouen and then making their way via Marseilles etc once allocated!!

Hywyn

[ddycher]

As per above. Went back through Charles Messengers "Call to Arms" today.

After going through it again I am struggling to keep ref's aligned with Divisions even before July 1916. Charles shows no.s as high as No.63. So I will go back and check that again.

In terms of locations Charles shows K IBD at Calais but during the web search I came across numerous ref's and maps citing it at Etaples.

Anybody have any further thoughts ?

Regards
Dave

[mikebriggs]

Dave

Excellent source of info, thanks for posting.

I can add that the 1st line TF Battalions of the Sherwood Foresters used (possibly amongst others) the 14 IBD from about July 1916 until at least October 1917. Prior to July 1916 men were sent to Battalions via the 46 (NM) Base Depot.

cheers
Mike

[ddycher]

Thanks Mike

Can you confirm if No.14 IBD was in Etaples or not ? Have not been able to confirm so far.

Regards
Dave

[mikebriggs]

Dave

this stamp on a active service form would suggest it was at Etaples

 15.jpg   50.31K   0 downloads

[ddycher]

Brilliant ! Thanks Mike.

Dave

[ddycher]

There is another good map of Etaples here :

http://expositionvir...ritannique.html

Regards
dave

[mhifle]

Hi,
     Here are movements of Connaught Rangers which mention an IBD which I have found.

Regards Mark


A draft of 100 Other Ranks left 3^rd Battalion for 16^th Infantry Base Depot, Etaples, France 25 May 1916

A draft of 100 Other Ranks joined the 6th Battalion in France 15 June 1916
Draft arrived from 16^th Infantry Base Depot, Etaples
Draft had arrived at Depot 26 May 1916

Private 3/7166 Christopher Kinsella posted to British Expeditionary Force France via Folkestone 14 July 1916
Arrived 16th Infantry Base Depot at Etaples 15 July 1916

3/6887 Private Michael Glancy and 3/7038 Private Thomas P Doyle posted to 16th Infantry Base Depot 24 July 1916

Private 3/7166 Christopher Kinsella joined 8th Entrenching battalion from 16^th Infantry Base Depot 1 Aug 1916

4479 Private Michael McNeely posted to 6^th Battalion via the 16^th Infantry Base Depot  at Etaples 6 Aug 1915

5178 Company Sergeant Major Richard Benjamin Homer posted to 16^th Infantry Base Depot at Etaples, via Folkstone and Boulogne 5 Dec 1916 posted to 6^th Battalion 6 Dec 1916

7275 Company Quater Master Sergeant John Thorpe O’Neill posted to 11^th Infantry Base Depot 16 Feb 1917. Moved onto the 6^th Battalion 20 Feb 1917

4823 Sergeant Patrick Fleming reverts to Lance Sergeant on proceeding oversea’s to join the 6^th Battalion via 16^th Infantry Base Depot 22 May 1917
Arrived 6^th Battalion 24 May 1917

6060 Lance Corporal Patrick Joseph Casey posted 16^th Infantry Base Depot 18 Sept 1917

9110 Acting Corporal George Evans posted to 16^th Infantry Base Depot and reverts to paid Acting Lance Corporal 15 Jan 1918
Posted to 6^th Battalion 17 Jan 1918

4/6810 Private Terence Loftus posted to 6^th Battalion via ‘G’ Infantry Base Depot 27 April 1918

5959 Company Sergeant Major A Piper posted from 3^rd Battalion to ‘L’ Infantry Base Depot France as part of the 5th Battalion 24 July 1918

Colour Sergeant John Mc Ilwain as Quarter Master Sergeant was posted with a draft from Dover to the British Expeditionary Force ‘L’ Infantry Base Depot at Rouen France to be Orderly Room Sergeant.
The draft fell in outside the dining tents and marched off to Admiralty Pier at 3pm. They boarded the Leopold II at 4pm and sailed at 5:30pm. The Leopold II arrived at Calais at 7:30pm. 7 Aug 1918
‘L’ Infantry Base was at Beaumaris and was known as a very sandy camp.
Colour Sergeant John Mc Ilwain landed France enroute to ‘L’ Infantry Base Depot 8 Aug 1918

Draft of 91 from Connaught Rangers to 7^th Royal Irish Regiment via the ‘L’ Infantry Base Depot 1 March 1919

[ddycher]

Thanks Mark

Have added above.

Any idea why the 6th Connaught Rangers were fed from No.11 IBD in Feb 1917 ? Doesnt show in the service record where this was by any chance ?

Regards
Dave

[mhifle]

Hi,
      Looking more closely, it is actually the 16th IBD. Sorry about that.

Regards Mark

Attached Files

•  ONeil.jpg   28.49K   0 downloads

[ddycher]

Mark

Thanks for checking.

Regards
Dave

[ddycher]

Sorry was adding details of which IBD's have War Diaries in the National Archives and seem to have messed up my own formatting.

Will come back tomorrow and tidy up.

Regards
Dave

[WalkEric]

Hi

I have found the following middlesex men with details of the base depot they were posted from and the battalion they were posted to.

33038 Cecil Edward Kirk - 41 IBD 25/11/1916 to 18th Btn
33186 Percival Eshmate - 41 IBD 25/11/1916 to 16th Btn
33235 Alfred George Webb - 41 IBD 29/11/1916 to 13th Btn
33280 Ernest Henry Amsdon - 41 IBD 16/12/16 to 19th Btn
33285 Herbert H Jackson - 41 IBD 24/11/16 to 4th Btn
33448 George Ernest Fenn - 41 IBD 18/9/17 to 1/7th Btn
33471 John Harper - 41 IBD 1/1/17 to 16th Btn
33744 Andrew Davis - 41 IBD 5/2/17 to 21st Btn
33775 Robert J Metcalf - 41 IBD 5/2/17 to 21st Btn
33832 Henry Charles Metcalf - 41 IBD 6/1/17 to 11th Btn
33850 Frederick William Rawlins - 41 IBD 8/1/17 to 12th Btn
33973 Thomas Sheppard - 41 IBD 8/1/17 to 12th Btn

I believe 41 IBD was in Etaples.

Hope this helps.

Ian

[ddycher]

Ian

Big help - thanks. I had not been able to confirm location of No.41 previously. Will add your drafts into the list on the top when I sort out the formatting mess later in the day.

Thanks again.
Dave

Post script : reformatting could take a while. Cant import the file again (too big?) without losing its original format. Line by line is painful. Anybody have any better ideas on how to maintain a list inside a thread ?

[ss002d6252]

Does the forum recognise the Forum PRE tag. If it does them wrapping the list with the tag ' [PRE ]'and '[\PRE]' may work.