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Territorials in 1915 by Dr Bill Mitchinson

10 September 2019

The WFA's Youtube channel continues to attract interest, with over 2600 subscribers. 

In the latest video that has just been launched, Dr Bill Mitchinson talks about the Territorial Force in 1915.

In early 1915, there were about 39 Territorial battalions in France, which amounted to about a quarter of the BEF. The rapid expansion of the army in France diluted this percentage of TF battalions, but further divisions of territorials arrived during 1915, and even into 1917.

How efficient were these 'weekend' soldiers and did they contribute effectively to the British Army's battles in the early part of the war?

Using examples of contemporary reports, were some of these units 'hopeless' or did the regional cohesion of these units give them a degree of superiority in effectiveness over other war-time raised battalions?

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