Household Battalion
Encyclopedia
The Household Battalion was an infantry
battalion
of the British army
during the Great War. It was formed in September 1916 from the reserves of the Household Cavalry
regiments (the 1st Life Guards, 2nd Life Guards and the Royal Horse Guards
) to help fill the every-increasing demands for infantry on the Western Front
. Considerable effort was expended in the conversion of cavalrymen into footsoldiers trained and equipped for trench warfare
. The battalion spent its entire existence on the Western Front as part of the 4th Infantry Division
, arriving as the Battle of the Somme was ending in early December 1916. Its fought in the Battle of Arras
and later at Third Ypres, suffering severely in the assault on Poelcappelle
. Its last major engagement was the defence of Bourlon Ridge during the Battle of Cambrai in late 1917. By this time, it had become apparent that there were insufficient reserves to support all the Household Cavalry regiments that had been converted to infantry (in particular, the Guards Machine Gun Regiment
s) and it was disbanded as part of a general reorganization in February 1918.
Men of the battalion were paid cavalry rates of pay (a little more than infantry) and wore cavalry uniforms while on leave. The battalion was commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Wyndham Portal
throughout the 14 months of its existence.
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
battalion
Battalion
A battalion is a military unit of around 300–1,200 soldiers usually consisting of between two and seven companies and typically commanded by either a Lieutenant Colonel or a Colonel...
of the British army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
during the Great War. It was formed in September 1916 from the reserves of the Household Cavalry
Household Cavalry
The term Household Cavalry is used across the Commonwealth to describe the cavalry of the Household Divisions, a country’s most elite or historically senior military groupings or those military groupings that provide functions associated directly with the Head of state.Canada's Governor General's...
regiments (the 1st Life Guards, 2nd Life Guards and the Royal Horse Guards
Royal Horse Guards
The Royal Horse Guards was a cavalry regiment of the British Army, part of the Household Cavalry.Founded August 1650 in Newcastle Upon Tyne by Sir Arthur Haselrig on the orders of Oliver Cromwell as the Regiment of Cuirassiers, the regiment became the Earl of Oxford's Regiment during the reign of...
) to help fill the every-increasing demands for infantry on the Western Front
Western Front (World War I)
Following the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the German Army opened the Western Front by first invading Luxembourg and Belgium, then gaining military control of important industrial regions in France. The tide of the advance was dramatically turned with the Battle of the Marne...
. Considerable effort was expended in the conversion of cavalrymen into footsoldiers trained and equipped for trench warfare
Trench warfare
Trench warfare is a form of occupied fighting lines, consisting largely of trenches, in which troops are largely immune to the enemy's small arms fire and are substantially sheltered from artillery...
. The battalion spent its entire existence on the Western Front as part of the 4th Infantry Division
4th Infantry Division (United Kingdom)
The 4th Infantry Division is a regular British Army division with a long history having been present at the Peninsular War the Crimean War , the First World War , and during the Second World War.- Napoleonic Wars :...
, arriving as the Battle of the Somme was ending in early December 1916. Its fought in the Battle of Arras
Battle of Arras
The name Battle of Arras refers to a number of battles which took place near the town of Arras in Artois, France:*Battle of Arras , a clash between the French and the Spanish...
and later at Third Ypres, suffering severely in the assault on Poelcappelle
Battle of Poelcappelle
The Battle of Poelcappelle marked the end of highly successful British attacks during the Battle of Passchendaele. Pitting the attacking forces against relatively intact German defences in rain and muddy conditions like those in August, the main attack was a failure and only the diversionary attack...
. Its last major engagement was the defence of Bourlon Ridge during the Battle of Cambrai in late 1917. By this time, it had become apparent that there were insufficient reserves to support all the Household Cavalry regiments that had been converted to infantry (in particular, the Guards Machine Gun Regiment
Guards Machine Gun Regiment
The Guards Machine Gun Regiment was a regiment of the British Army. It was initially formed in 1915 when machine gun companies were formed in the Guards Division. In April 1917, the four companies were grouped together as a single battalion of the Machine Gun Guards, before being re-designated by...
s) and it was disbanded as part of a general reorganization in February 1918.
Men of the battalion were paid cavalry rates of pay (a little more than infantry) and wore cavalry uniforms while on leave. The battalion was commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Wyndham Portal
Wyndham Portal, 1st Viscount Portal
Wyndham Raymond Portal, 1st Viscount Portal PC GCMG DSO MVO was a British politician.The eldest son of Sir William Wyndam Portal, 2nd Baronet, and Florence Elizabeth Mary Glyn CBE, daughter of Hon...
throughout the 14 months of its existence.