![]() ![]() When the British counter-attacked, the Devonshires were heavily involved. The heavy German attacks of spring 1918 saw them return to France, where they stubbornly held onto Nieppe while others retreated around them. In four attacks during the Battle of Arras, the Battalion suffered heavy losses - so much so that they were sent to Northern Italy to bolster the line there. Holding the line there saw them lose 265 men, but they also made two very successful advances near Guillemont at a cost of 376 casualties. They did not take part in the initial phases of the famous Somme offensive in 1916, but they moved to that sector soon afterwards. In 1915 they captured Hill 60 near Ypres, before shelling and counter-attacks saw them lose more than 200 men. It came at a cost though, with two thirds of their officers and a third of their men being lost. Within a month they suffered 100 casualties due to heavy shelling, but they fought well in October during a three-week battle when they helped capture Givenchy Ridge. In August 1914, the 1st Devons left their base in Jersey and landed at Le Havre. Woman sexually assaulted on train in Exeter - police hunt suspect.Exeter biker on the horror crash which almost killed him.They all wore the Devonshire Regiment star. The entire conflict claimed the lives of 11,500 young men from the county.īetween them they won sixty new battle honours, two Victoria Crosses and 1265 other gallantry awards and mentions in Despatches. More than 6,000 men in the regiment were killed - that's roughly the population of Axminster.Īnother 20,000 or so - roughly the population of Tiverton - were injured. Out of the 24 battalions, ten fought in France and Belgium, Mesopotamia, Salonika, Macedonia, Egypt, Palestine and Italy. They grew significantly in size during the conflict, incorporating the two Devon Yeomanry regiments to form twenty-four battalions and a single company. The Devonshire Regiment was a real unit, with two regular battalions, one Special Reserve battalion and three battalions of territorials. (Image: Universal Pictures) (Image: (Image: Universal Pictures)) ![]()
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