PRINCIPLE ENGAGEMENTS OF THE RND

The following is the list of main engagements and Deployments of theRND as a whole.

1914

 4th October - Defence of Antwerp-Royal Marine Brigade sent to defend Antwerp

 6th-9th October- Defence of Antwerp- The Rest of the RND were dispatched and joined the Royal Marines on the 6th October. The RND were withdrawn to England on the 11th October, Virtually a whole brigade was lost in the Withdrawl due to a controversial cock up, most crossed the border into Holland and spent the war interned, some were taken Prisoner including many Marines of the Protsmouth Battalion who were acting as rear guard. The overall loss was in the order of 1500men. This caused much anger in parliment.

1915

25th&26th April   - Landing at Cape Helles ( done by Plymouth and Anson Bttn's att to 29th Div). The remainder of the RND stayed on ship

28th April - First battle of Krithia (2nd RN Brigade, Plymouth and Drake Bttns)

1st and 2nd May - Eski Hissarlik (2nd RN brigade, Plymouth and Drake Bttn)

6th-8th May - Second Battle of Krithia

28th April-12th May Defence of Anzac ( RM Brigade minus Plymouth Bttn, plus Deal and Nelson Bttns, 1st Aust Div upto 1st May, then NZ and Aust Div)

2nd May - The Chessboard (RM Brig minus Plymouth Bttn, Deal and Nelson Bttns [all att to ANZAC corps])

4th June -  Third Battle of Krithia (RND)- In this a action the RND suffered Grieviously.

1916

7th -8th/9th January - Evacuation of Helles (RND)

The RND was then dispersed in the Aegean and Salonica on mixed Garrison duties and was gradually broken down with many men returning to sea service via Corfu, the politicians in London decided then that the RND should live and it was put under War Office control and reassembled and transfered to France where it landed in the second week of May. To it was added some divisional Artillery which it lacked in Gallipoli, amongst these artillermen were my own local Kent Territorial RFA which was destined to be virtually wiped out at Passchendaele.

The Battles of the Somme

13th -15th November - Battle of the Ancre (5th Corps, 5th Army)

1917

20th Jan-27th Feb- Operations on the Ancre, this included Miraumont and other local attacks (2nd Corps, 5th Army)

17th & 18th Feb- Miraumont (2nd Corps, 5th Army)

The Battles of Arras.

23rd and 24th April- Second battle of the Scarpe (13th Corps, 1st Army) , this was the action of the 189th and 190th Brigades at Gavrelle.

28th and 29th April- Battle of Arleux (13th Corps, 1st  army)- this was the action involving 188th Brigade and parts of 190th in the fight around Gavrelle Windmill.

The RND stayed in the Gavreel sector for the next couple of months and was pulled up to Belgium for the end of 3rd Ypres

The Battle of Ypres

26thOct to 5th Nov-Second Battle of Passchendaele (13th Corps,5th Army), the RND were heavily engaged to the south of Poelcappel on the Canadians left flank

The RND were then transfered to the Cambrai sector to refit for another tour at Ypres, but the offensive at Cambrai turned pear shapped and the RND were used to stop the rot and stayed in the Flesquires sector.

30th and 31st December- Welsh Ridge-(5th Corps, third army) The RND repulsed a local attack made by Germans wearing white uniforms in the snow, the RND   Suffered heavily, including the last of the Latin Table-Patrick Shaw-Stewart

1918

The First Battles of the Somme

21st -23rd March- Battle of St Quentin (5th Corps, 3rd Army)

24th &25th March- First Battle of Bapaume (5th Corps ,3rd Army)

5th April- Battle of the Ancre (5th Corps, Third Army)-

The Advance to Victory

The Second Battles of the Somme

21st -23rd August- Battle of Albert (4th Corps, 3rd Army), this takes in the Battle of Logeast

Second Battles of Arras

2nd & 3rd Sept- Battle and Breaching of the Drocourt-Queant line(17th Corps, 3rd Army),

Battles of the Hindenburg Line

27th Sept-1st Oct- Battle and Crossing of the Canal du Nord ( 17 Corps, 3rd Army)

8th Oct -Battle of Cambrai (17th Corps, 3rd Army)

8th Oct-Capture of Niergnies

The Final Advance in Picardy

7th November- Passage of the Grand Honnelle (22nd Corps, 1st Army)

11th November- St Ghistain, nr Mons, where it all began!!!!

The RND was disbanded in early 1919, the battalions never to be reformed.

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