Introduction

Previous

Jack Phillips

John George (Jack) Phillips was born around July 1890. He died on the Somme on 5 October 1916.

Jack enlisted in the 1/5th Battalion of the Royal Warwickshire Regiment.

Prior to his departure for France he had been engaged to marry Dorothy Cox.  After the war, in 1923 Dorothy married Jack's brother, Ernest Edward Phillips.  Dorothy and Ernest were my grandparents.

Forming of the 1/5th RWR

The 1/5th Battalion of the Royal Warwickshire Regiment was formed on 4 August 1914 at Thorp Street, Birmingham.

The Territorial Force was a complete army recruited from volunteers to help fight the war in Europe.  It was divided into Divisions, each Division was made up of Brigades and each Brigade was composed of Battalions.  A Battalion was usually made up of about 1,000 men including officers. In addition there were many specialist units, such as signalling & engineering attached to the Brigade and Division headquarters. The 1/5th Battalion was part of the Warwickshire Brigade, South Midland Division.

Later that month (August 1914) they moved to Chelmsford, presumably for training.

In March 1915 they sailed form Southampton arriving in Le Havre on 22nd March 1915

On 13 May 1915 the names of the Brigade and Division were changed and the Battalion was from then on part of the 143rd Brigade, 48th (South Midland) Division.

Army Structure

A Battalion was divided into 4 Companies, normally named A, B, C and D Company.  Each Company, when complete, had 227 men and was commanded by either a Major or a Captain.  Each Company was divided into 4 Platoons.

According to family sources a Prayer Book recorded that Jack was a Private in 18 Platoon of the B Company of the 1/5th Battalion Royal Warwickshire Battalion.

The Medal Roll lists his regimental number as 2503 and that he was a Private and later a Corporal.  He entered the theatre of war on 22 March 1915 and Died of Wounds.

>>To France