The Sportsman's Battalions, also known as the 23rd (Service) Battalion
and 24th (Service) Battalion (2nd Sportsman's),
Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment) were among the
Pals battalions formed by the
British Army in the early stages of the
First World War (1914–1918). Rather than be taken from a small geographical area, these particular
battalions were largely made up of men who had made their name in sports such as cricket, golf, boxing and football or the media. It was intended for upper and middle class men, physically fit, able to shoot and ride, up to the age of 45.
The first battalion, which accepted men up to the age of 45, was formed at the
Hotel Cecil in
The Strand in early September 1914 by Mrs E. Cunliffe-Owen after she gained permission from
Lord Kitchener. From November 1914 until June 1915, training took place at a purpose-built camp at
Grey Towers
Grey Towers was a crenellated mansion with 85 acres of grounds on Hornchurch Road in Hornchurch, England. It was built in 1876 and brought into public use as the New Zealand Convalescent Hospital during the First World War. In the interwar period ...
in
Hornchurch, Essex. In June 1915 the battalion was attached to
99th Brigade,
33rd Division, and landed at Boulogne in November 1915 and on 25 November transferred with the 99th Brigade to the
2nd Division.
The battalion saw action on the
Western Front Western Front or West Front may refer to:
Military frontiers
*Western Front (World War I), a military frontier to the west of Germany
*Western Front (World War II), a military frontier to the west of Germany
*Western Front (Russian Empire), a majo ...
at
Vimy Ridge, the
Somme __NOTOC__
Somme or The Somme may refer to: Places
*Somme (department), a department of France
*Somme, Queensland, Australia
*Canal de la Somme, a canal in France
*Somme (river), a river in France
Arts, entertainment, and media
* ''Somme'' (book), a ...
and the battle for
Delville Wood.
It included several first class cricketers, the lightweight boxing champion of England, an ex-mayor of Exeter, and the author
John Chesshire
John is a common English name and surname:
* John (given name)
* John (surname)
John may also refer to:
New Testament
Works
* Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John
* First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John
* Second E ...
. Taking
Surrey County Cricket Club
Surrey County Cricket Club (Surrey CCC) is a first-class club in county cricket, one of eighteen in the domestic cricket structure of England and Wales. It represents the historic county of Surrey, including areas that now form South London ...
as an example,
Ernie Hayes,
Bill Hitch and
Andy Sandham
Andrew Sandham (6 July 1890 – 20 April 1982) was an English cricketer, a right-handed batsman who played 14 Test matches between 1921 and 1930. Sandham made the first triple century in Test cricket, 325 against the West Indies in 1930, and ...
joined the battalion.
The 24th (Service) Battalion (2nd Sportsman's) was raised in London on 20 November 1914 by Mrs Cunliffe-Owen, became attached to 99th Brigade, 33rd Division in June 1915 and transferred to 5th Brigade in 2nd Division in December 1915.
Famous recruits included the millionaire politician
Sir Herbert Raphael and cricketer
C. P. McGahey. Training took place at
Hare Hall
Hare Hall is a house and grounds located in Gidea Park in the London Borough of Havering, east London.
It was built in 1769–70 as a country house for John A. Wallinger and since 1921 has housed the Royal Liberty School.
The Palladian mansion ...
near
Romford. Amongst those recruited was Frederic Thomas Horne, the Liberal Agent for West Gloucestershire, who fell at the
Somme __NOTOC__
Somme or The Somme may refer to: Places
*Somme (department), a department of France
*Somme, Queensland, Australia
*Canal de la Somme, a canal in France
*Somme (river), a river in France
Arts, entertainment, and media
* ''Somme'' (book), a ...
on 5 September 1916.
A third Sportsman's Battalion, the 30th (Reserve) Battalion, Royal Fusiliers, was formed in July 1915 from remaining depot companies of the First and Second battalions. During 1915 its headquarters were in Hornchurch,
Leamington Spa
Royal Leamington Spa, commonly known as Leamington Spa or simply Leamington (), is a spa town and civil parish in Warwickshire, England. Originally a small village called Leamington Priors, it grew into a spa town in the 18th century following ...
, Oxford, and finally at the Fort in
Leith.
Soldiers
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Glossop
Glossop is a market town in the Borough of High Peak, Derbyshire, England. It is located east of Manchester, north-west of Sheffield and north of the county town, Matlock. Glossop lies near Derbyshire's borders with Cheshire, Greater Manches ...
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Pas-de-Calais
Pas-de-Calais (, " strait of Calais"; pcd, Pas-Calés; also nl, Nauw van Kales) is a department in northern France named after the French designation of the Strait of Dover, which it borders. It has the most communes of all the departments ...
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Brentford is a suburban town in West London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It lies at the confluence of the River Brent and the Thames, west of Charing Cross.
Its economy has diverse company headquarters buildings whi ...
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Brentford is a suburban town in West London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It lies at the confluence of the River Brent and the Thames, west of Charing Cross.
Its economy has diverse company headquarters buildings whi ...
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Delville Wood,
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[{{Cite web , title=Henry George Purver {{! Service Record , url=https://www.footballandthefirstworldwar.org/henry-purver-service-record/ , access-date=5 July 2020 , website=Football and the First World War , language=en-US]
References
* ''Hard as Nails: The Sportsmen's Battalion of World War One'': The Sportsman's Battalion of World War I by Michael Foley
Kitchener's Army
Pals battalions
Royal Fusiliers