Commanding Officers of the 9th Battalion
During September 1914 three new armies were raised as reinforcements. The 13th Division of the “ First New Army” included the 9th Battalion Worcestershire Regiment which was part of the 39th Brigade. The majority of the original personnel of the 9th Battalions were raised in the County of Worcestershire, though many enlisted in Birmingham.
On the 24th June 1915 the 9th Battalion left Avonmouth and headed for Gallipolli (via Valetta, Malta and Alexandria, Egypt). After some hard and difficulty fighting in Gallipoli the battalion moved to Mesopotania (now Iraq) in December of 1916. In 1918 they moved to Turkey and was disbanded on the 19th December 1919.
The 9th Battalion was raised again in August, 1939, when, at the conclusion of Summer Camp on Salisbury Plain, the 7th Battalion split. The Kidderminster, Stourbridge, Bewdley and Stourport companies remained with the 7th, while companies based on Dudley, Langley and Halesowen provided the nucleus of the 9th. The battalion was commanded by Lieut.-Colonel J. Parkes, M.C., D.C.M., who shortly relinquished the command to take over the 7th Battalion, while Lieut.-Colonel R. H. Edwards, T.D., took over command until October 1939, when Lieut.-Colonel W. R. Prescott, M.C., took command.
The battalion then moved to Adderbury, near Banbury, where, until June, 1940, it carried out internal security at the R.A.F. stations at Bicester, Little Rissington and Brize Norton. In June, 1940, the battalion concentrated as a unit of the 182 (Birmingham) Infantry Brigade, 61 Division, in a tented camp at Winchcombe in Gloucestershire, for training, as was thought, for operations in N.W. Europe. This, however, did not materialise, for after preparations for a move to a tropical climate had been completed, the battalion suddenly moved to Northern Ireland and was stationed at Portrush.
Lieut.-Colonel Prescott relinquished command in October 1940. He was succeeded by Lieut.-Colonel R. R. Cripps (Artist Rifles), during whose tenure of command the battalion was stationed at Strabane, Londonderry, Cookstown, Tynan and Ballycastle. In February, 1943, under the command of Lieut.-Colonel J. H. O. Wilsey, the battalion moved to Clacton-on-Sea, staying there two months, chiefly for "Exercise Spartan," before moving to Hertford.
The battalion then moved to St. Margaret's Bay to carry out coast defence, now commanded by Lieut.-Colonel K. G. Exham (Duke of Wellington's Regiment). In May 1944 the command changed to Lieut.-Colonel M. M. A. Bryant (The Gloucestershire Regiment) and moved to Folkestone and thence to Shorncliffe. Here the command of the battalion was taken over by Lieut.-Colonel C. P. G. Wills, O.B.E.,
In May 1945, after the battalion had moved again to Hothfield Camp, near Ashford, information was received that the Division was to reorganise as a Light Division. This meant that the battalion was to be completely transportable by air and was to be trained to fight in any theatre of operations. In June, 1945, Lieut.-Colonel Wills departed to take command of the 1st Battalion in Germany, and was succeeded by Lieut.-Colonel D. H. Nott, D.S.O., M.C., and under his command the battalion set to preparing for its new task. However, with the collapse of Japan in August, 1945, this last project was abandoned and in November 61 Division was disbanded. For a short time the battalion came under command of East Kent district until finally entering into "suspended animation" on 31st December, 1945.
Below is a list of all the officers who have commanded the 9th Battalion Worcestershire Regiment from 1914 to 1945.
MORE DETAILS ABOUT EACH OFFICER MY BE OBTAINED BY CLICKING ON THE INDIVIDUAL SURNAME
Surname |
Forename/s |
First Commissioned in to |
From |
To |
William Ernest |
The York and Lancaster Regiment |
1914 |
Jan. 1915 |
|
Nunn |
Mervyn Henry |
Worcestershire Regiment |
Jan. 1915 |
Aug. 1915 |
Hubert |
- |
- |
Aug. 1915 |
- |
Foster |
C. E. |
- |
- |
Nov. 1915 |
William Frederick Oliver |
Militia of East Surrey Regt |
Nov. 1915 |
|
|
Salis |
E. A. A. |
- |
Jan. 1916 |
Apr. 1916 |
- |
|
- |
- |
- |
Sladden |
C. E. |
- |
Aug. 1918 |
Sep. 1918 |
Gibbon |
- |
- |
1919 |
May 1919 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
John |
Worcestershire Regiment |
Aug. 1939 |
Sep. 1939 |
|
Robert Harry |
Worcestershire Regiment |
Sep. 1939 |
Oct. 1939 |
|
William Ralph |
Worcestershire Regiment |
Oct. 1939 |
Oct. 1940 |
|
Cripps |
R. R. |
Artist Rifles |
Nov. 1940 |
Sep. 1942 |
Tolley |
W. E. |
Royal Lincolnshire Regiment |
Sep.1942 |
Jan. 1943 |
John Harold Owen |
Dorset Regiment |
Jan. 1943 |
Oct. 1943 |
|
Kenneth Godfrey |
Duke of Wellington Regiment |
Oct. 1943 |
May 1944 |
|
Bryant |
M. M. A. |
Gloustershire Regiment |
May 1944 |
Aug. 1944 |
Charles Pearce Germon |
Worcestershire Regiment |
Aug. 1944 |
Jun. 1945 |
|
Derrick Norrington |
Worcestershire Regiment |
Jun. 1945 |
Jul. 1945 |
|
Donald Harley |
Worcestershire Regiment |
Jul. 1945 |
Dec. 1945 |
Notes:
Major R. G. Minchin officiated in command from the 8th October to 8th November 1940.