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12th (Service) Battalion (Pioneers)
Divisional Troops, 24th Division
Outline History
- 1914: Battalion formed in Derby on 1 October 1914. Attached to the newly raised 24th Division to be used as Army Troops.
- 1915: In April the battalion was redesignated as Pioneers (troops for manual labour as opposed to fighting) within 24th Division. 24th Division arrived in France during August and was involved in the Battle of Loos.
- 1916: In February, 1916, Captain F.J. Roberts of the 12th Battalion began producing the famous 'Wipers Times', a satirical trench magazine. The magazine ceased in December 1918 and went under several different names at different times e.g. 'New Church Times', 'Somme Times', 'BEF Times', and finally 'Better Times'. Involved in the Battle of Delville Wood and Battle of Guillemont (part of the Somme battles). For more details of the 12th Sherwood Foresters and the Battle of the Somme, see Dr. Mike Briggs' 'Chesterfield Sherwoods on the Somme' website.
- 1917: Involved in several battles: Battle of Vimy, Battle of Messines, Battle of Pilkem, Battle of Langemarck.
- 1918: Involved in several battles: Battle of St. Quentin, Somme Crossings, Battle of Rosieres, Battle of the Avre, Battle of Cambrai, Pursuit to the Selle, Battle of Valenciennes, Battle of the Sambre and the capture of Le Quesnoy, Passage of the Grande Honelle.
Biographies of 12th Battalion Men
- None
Websites about the 'Wipers Times'