The 68**** and 69**** number series

After the 2/6th Battalion had been reduced to Cadre on 7th May 1918, 16 Officers and 665 other ranks were transferred to “K” Infantry Base Depot (IBD) at Calais. At the same time 15 Officers and 560 other ranks of the 2/5th Battalion were also posted to the IBD at Calais following the disbanding of that Battalion.

---

Transfer to the Queens (1/22nd and 1/24th Battalions) in August 1918

Following the disbandment of the 2/5th and 2/6th Battalions some of the men were compulsory transferred to the Royal West Surrey (Queen’s) Regiment and posted to either the 1/22nd or 1/24th (County of London) Battalions (The Queen’s) in August 1918 and allotted new regimental numbers.

A very interesting picture showing a mixed group of Sherwood Foresters and the County of London (The Queen’s) Regiment. It is interesting to speculate that this picture might represent the transfers of August 1918.

Transfer to the 1/22nd Battalion London Regiment 25th-26th August 1918

The names of 80 men who transferred from the 2/6th Battalion, Sherwood Foresters to the 1/22nd Battalion, London Regiment can be identified.

Of these:

12 (15%) were men from the original deployment of the 2/6th Battalion in February 1917.

The remaining 68 (85%) had been posted to the 2/6th Battalion after January 1918; the majority of these in March and April 1918 to make up for losses on the 21st March and the later Battle at Kemmel Hill.

These 80 men were issued numbers between 686195 and 693555.