2/10th Battalion Territorial Force
Th e battalion was formed at Oldham in Aug 1914, reaching establishment in September.Nov 1914 to 198th Brigade, 66th Division. They remained in Southport, Lancashire until May 1915 when they moved to Cuckfield in Sussex, then on to Pease Pottage in June. In July they provided 300 plus men to the 1/10th to replace their losses at Krithia, Gallipoli. In august 1915 they moved to Shoreham on Sea, engaged in coastal defence.
In November the battalion moved to Burham in Kent and later to Crowborough in Sussex, where they engaged in training for the western front. In March 1916 they moved again to Colchester where they were made up to number by drafts from Oldham. In july 1916 the battalion sent a draft of 350 men to the 1st battalion Kings Regiment at the Somme.
An advance party was sent to France in February but the main arrived in France in March 1917, landing at Boulogne and marching to St Martins Camp, then on to Calonne sur Lys, then to La Basse. Where the 2/10th remained in reserve at Le Quesnoy. Thet went into the front line in mid March and immediately started taking casualties. In June the battalion moved out of the front line to Bray.
In August the 2/10th were in reserve near Coxyde preparing for an attack towards Lombartzyde where they practised crossing the Yser Canal.. In November they were in the Neiuport bains area near the sea. On the 23rd September they met up with the 1st battalion who had come up from Ypres.
In October the division marched to Ypres and camped in the devastation beside the Menin Road On the 8th the battalion marched off towards Passchendeale, supporting the East Lancs in their attack. They went through Augustus wood and were subjected to heavy shellfire until the night of the 11-12th October when they were relieved. The exhausted troops marched back through the ruins of Ypres and rested at supply dumps at Vlamertinghe. On the 17th they moved further to the rear (St Omar) for a period of R & R and rebuilding and training.
By November they found themselves back in the salient (Ypres) alternating time spent at the front with bringing up supplies, but they were never out of range of the german guns and continued to take casualties. They spent Christmas at Hondighem Camp near Hazebrouck.
In January 1918 they returned to the front line at Frazenberg Ridge and at Hussar Camp when out of it, where they still suffered under the german artillery.
In February 1918, as part of the army re-organisation, the battalion was disbanded. Approx 250 men went to the 1/10th, the remainder went to the 1/7th and the 1/8th Manchester Regiment in the 42nd Division
Amateur Soldiers, K W (Bill) Mitchinson
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