Football Battalion

[groom]

My great uncle Robert Alfred Howell's war record show him as enlisting on the 16th August 1914 in the Middlesex Regiment in Woolwich, regimental number 1617. I now see that Ancestry have him as serving in the Duke of Cambridge's Own Middlesex Regiment, Football Battalion. I can't see this mentioned anywhere on his record. Can anyone explain what the football bit was?

I believe he was in France by 19th January 1915 and was wounded on 4th June 1916. He returned to France and was taken prisoner 27th May 1918. He was discharged March 1920.

Thanks

[Rudolf H B]

"The 17th (1st Football) Battalion, Middlesex Regiment (Duke of Cambridge's Own) was raised in London on the 12th of December 1914 by W. Joynson Hicks MP."

"The 23rd (2nd Football) Battalion, The Middlesex Regiment (Duke of Cambridge's Own) was raised in London on the 29th of June 1915 ..."

http://www.wartimememoriesproject.com/greatwar/allied/middlesexregiment17-gw.php

Regards
Rudolf

[groom]

The only problem with that is, if I am reading his records correctly, he enlisted before the 1st football Battalion was formed and was in France before the 2nd Battalion was posted there.

[Rudolf H B]

My granduncle (KIA 1916, Somme) was 2nd Bn., I have to check if he was in Malta or in France.
(1914 Star, BM, VM)

As far as I know, there had been made reorganisations and soldiers had been even transferred from one regiment to another one ... (regiments had been peacetime formations).

The experts will explain that.

Football Battalion (17th Msex):
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Football_Battalion

Rudolf

[km1971]

When you say 'war record' what do you mean? If his service record/pension record is on Ancestry you should post a link. Preferable before tomorrow night while Ancestry is free. If from one of these it will give details of any battalion before the 17th. So on Page 3 there is a column for regiment and battalion changes.

http://interactive.ancestry.co.uk/1262/30850_A000785-00338/4332718?backurl=http%3a%2f%2fsearch.ancestry.co.uk%2fcgi-bin%2fsse.dll%3fdb%3dMedalRolls%26rank%3d1%26new%3d1%26so%3d3%26MSAV%3d1%26msT%3d1%26gss%3dms_db%26gsfn%3dRobert%2bAlfred%2b%26gsln%3dHowell%26dbOnly%3d_F8007A65%257c_F8007A65_x%26dbOnly%3d_F00061C3%257c_F00061C3_x%26uidh%3de13&ssrc=&backlabel=ReturnSearchResults

But medal index cards normally only record regiment, rank and number after he earned the 1914-15 Star.

Red Cross POW cards are online now - for at least 80% of the men anyway. The link has been posted a number of times in the past few days.

Ken

[Rudolf H B]

My granduncle had the regimental number 1546.
Disembarkation date: 26th October 1914.
April 1915: 2nd Lieutenant.
Killed in Action: First Day on the Somme.

The younger granduncle had been Royal Fusilier,
and Sept. 1916 Lieutenant, Middlesex Regiment. 
Disembarkation date: 14th November 1915.
The lucky one got a Military Cross.

Regards
Rudolf

@ Ken,
thank you very much! I found some "new" cousins of my granduncles and was able to check their paperwork on ANC**RY.

[groom]

Thank you for your help. I have just found his Prisoner of War record which says he was Soldat 1617 of the 2nd Middlesex Regt A. He was captured at Aisne.

[Saratan]

Excerpt of War diary 34th Brigade RFA 
4th-31st December 1916. Beauvoir Riviere.

Units of the Bde participated in Brigade, R.A. & Divisional sports.
In the Divisional Football tournament the Bde team, by competition, was selected to represent the Divisional Artillery, and was only defeated in the Divisional final by 17th Middlesex Regt (Footballers Battalion) 2 : 1 . (as in 1915; the 17th Middlesex then winning by 11-0).

would be good to know who played (for either team) and if there were any photos reports of match!