Simon Wills, the maritime adviser for WDYTYA?, explains how you can research a relation in this formidable fighting force, like Chris Ramsey’s great grandfather
Shortly after the outbreak of the First World War it was realised that the Royal Navy had been too effective at recruitment. There was an excess of recruits, and not enough jobs for them. They were initially made naval reservists, but soon reorganised into the nucleus of an Army-style division of light infantry for deployment on land. This was named the Royal Naval Division (RND).
Men initially joined the RND from two principal services. The first was the burgeoning ranks of new naval reservists such as the Royal Naval Reserve (RNR) and the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve (RNVR). RNR personnel had prior seagoing experience as merchant seamen or fishermen, whereas RNVR men did not. Comedian Chris Ramsey’s great grandfather, Dryden Gordon Young, joined via the RNVR route. The second early source of RND servicemen was the Royal Marines, initially as a separate brigade. As an example, Thomas Cobb, an experienced Marines sergeant, was transferred to the RND in 1914.
At the outset, the RND was partitioned into eight battalions named after admirals: Anson, Benbow, Collingwood, Drake, Hawke, Hood, Howe and Nelson. Despite being an infantry division, the RND was commanded by the Admiralty not the Army.
Calamitous Campaign
The RND fought at Ostend and Antwerp in Belgium early in the war, as well as the Dardanelles campaign in 1915. Now known more familiarly as ‘Gallipoli’, this was a British action against one of Germany’s allies: the Ottoman Empire (Turkey). It was an attempt to defeat Turkey, weaken the enemy supply chain, and ensure control of the Suez Canal. However, it ended in failure and cost the lives of more than 130,000 men from Britain, the Empire and the Allies – and nearly 400,000 were wounded.
For example, Dryden
Young was bayoneted in the face while attempting to capture Turkish trenches, and had to be evacuated to hospital in Malta. As first lord of the Admiralty Winston Churchill had political responsibility for this military disaster, and was forced to resign. The damage to the RND was extreme, and Benbow and Collingwood were disbanded due to their heavy losses.
Management of the RND was now transferred to the Army, and extra men joined from army battalions. For example, Harold Percy Chilver was an officer in the Royal Field Artillery (RFA) who became part of the RND, which at this point was renamed the 63rd (Royal Naval) Division.
