Mobilisation On 26 July 1914, the 4th Northamptons went into camp at
Ashridge Park for annual training. When the order to mobilise was received on 4 August, it returned to its Clare Street drill hall at Northampton and by 10 August the battalion was at its war station at
Romford as the East Anglian Division concentrated in
Essex. On 20 August it moved to
Bury St Edmunds and formed part of the East Coast defences until the following May. Meanwhile, the formation of duplicate or 2nd Line TF units from Home Service men and recruits had been authorised, and towards the end of 1914 the 2nd East Anglian Division came into existence at Peterborough. The original battalion became the 1/4th, and its 2nd Line became the 2/4th. Later a 3/4th Battalion was formed.
1/4th Northamptons After the Home Service men and the unfit had been transferred to the 2/4th Bn, the 1/4th was brought up to strength with recruits and training continued at Bury St Edmunds. The battalion moved to
Thetford in
Norfolk in November 1914. At Easter 1915 the East Anglian Division moved into the coast defences, the 1/4th Bn being stationed in
Norwich. In May the battalion moved back to Bury St Edmunds to fit out with tropical kit for overseas service. The 1st East Anglian Division was now numbered as the
54th (East Anglian) Division, with the East Midlands Brigade becoming
162nd (East Midland) Brigade. On 29 July the 1/4th Northamptons entrained, and sailed the following day from
Devonport aboard the transport
Royal George. At the beginning of September the 1/4th Northamptons were transferred to
163rd (Norfolk & Suffolk) Bde in 54th Division, and remained with it until the end of the campaign. This brigade held the
Hill 60 sector and the battalion spent its time between that place and 'South Wales Borderers Valley'. The trench lines were close together, within hand grenade range, and between 3 September and 30 November the battalion suffered battle casualties of 35 killed and 129 wounded, as well as a large number of sick. On 27 November the battalion was due to be withdrawn for a month's rest at
Mudros, but torrential rain brought all movement to a halt, followed by freezing conditions, and the battalion was not relieved until 8 December, having suffered further casualties.
Egypt After a week at Mudros, the battalion was transferred to Egypt, landing at
Alexandria on 18 December. On 30 December it was moved by rail and foot to the Western Desert in support of the cavalry and armoured cars operating against the
Senussi before returning to camp near
Cairo in January 1916. Here the 54th Division was concentrated, and the battalion was brought up to strength with drafts, including men from the
Royal Warwickshire Regiment and
Leicestershire Regiment who had seen service on the
Western Front. In April 1916, after rest, the division took up positions in No 1 (Southern) Section of the
Suez Canal defences,
Palestine On 26 March the 1/4th Northamptons were ordered to entrench a position on the Gaza road to cover the mounted troops during the
First Battle of Gaza. However, at midnight they were informed that the action had been broken off and they were in danger of being cut off. After a tricky withdrawal, the battalion rejoined the rest of 162nd Bde. For the
Second Battle of Gaza on 17 April, the battalion supported 1/5th
Bedfordshire Regiment and 1/11th
London Regiment. Two days later the Northamptons took over the lead, advancing towards the
Beersheba road against strongly entrenched Turkish troops. The battalion reached but could not enter the trenches, and by 16.30 about 80 per cent of the leading companies had become casualties and they were pinned down. The survivors withdrew after nightfall, having suffered 10 officers and 366 other ranks killed, wounded and missing. Stationary trench warfare having set in, the battalion was brought up to strength before a new attempt on the Turkish position (the
Third Battle of Gaza) began on 2 November. After the
161st and 163rd Brigades had advanced up the coast to capture the Gaza defences, A Company 1/4th Northamptons was to pass through with tanks in support and capture the positions known as 'Lion', 'Tiger' and 'Dog', north west of Gaza, clear the beach of
Wire entanglements to allow the cavalry through, and finally to occupy a defensive line to cover their withdrawal if required. By 06.30 the first part of the operation had succeeded, and A Company passed through, and captured 'Lion' about 1500 yards further on within an hour, despite the breakdown of the tanks and the ineffectiveness of the covering machine-gun barrage due to mist. The wire on the beach was cleared, but the remaining objectives could not be taken before the Turks counter-attacked. The company was so far ahead of support that it had to be withdrawn. Further attempts at the same operation also failed in face of counterattacks. The Northamptons suffered heavy casualties: five officers and 45 other ranks killed, three officers and 129 other ranks wounded, and 33 missing. However, the attack on the Beersheba position was successful and the Turks retreated, the 1/4th reaching the outskirts of
Jaffa by 25 November. On 27 November the weak (400 strong) battalion distinguished itself at
Wilhelma, decisively repulsing three attacks made by 3000 Turks with ample artillery support. When the battalion's flanks were threatened, the CO ordered counter-attacks by two platoons on each flank to restore the position. The action protected the vital Jaffa–
Jerusalem road, the main supply route for the British force advancing to
capture Jerusalem. The next forward movement was not until March 1918, after which trench warfare set in again. In June the 54th Division was ordered to reinforce the Western Front, the 4th Northamptons entraining for Kantara. But the order was rescinded and the 54th returned to Palestine. The final offensive of the
Egyptian Expeditionary Force (EEF), known as the
Battle of Megiddo, opened on 19 September 1918 with the
Battle of Sharon. 162nd Brigade formed the second wave, attacking at 09.40 into considerable machine-gun and shell fire. The battalion pressed on despite the heat and casualties (including the CO mortally wounded) and reached their objective by 06.45 the following morning after a running fight of 14 miles in which it had taken numerous German and Turkish prisoners for the loss of 75 killed and wounded. As a result of the EEF's attacks on 19/20 September, the Turks retreated and the cavalry took up pursuit. 54th Division was then taken out of the line and concentrated at
Haifa, where it was engaged in repairing communications for the rapidly advancing army.
2/4th Northamptons The 2/4th Battalion formed at Northampton on 27 November 1914. It constituted part of
2nd East Midland Brigade in
2nd East Anglian Division. However, the constant drain of trained drafts sent overseas meant that the 69th Division was never ready for active service, and it remained on Home Defence for the whole war.
9th Northamptons The
Military Service Act 1916 swept away the Home/Foreign service distinction, and all TF soldiers became liable for overseas service, if medically fit. The Provisional Battalions thus became anomalous, and on 1 January 1917 the 62nd Bn became 9th Bn Northamptonshire Regiment in
223rd Mixed Brigade. Part of its role was physical conditioning to render men fit for drafting overseas. Based initially at
Cley next the Sea, it moved to
Sheringham in mid-1918 and remained on the Norfolk coast until disbandment on 24 March 1919. ==Interwar==