Information from this site regarding 1st Battalion KRRC
1st Battalion
The 1st Battalion was at Glencoe when the war broke out, and fought at the battle of Glencoe or Talana Hill on 20th October 1899 (see 1st Leicestershire Regiment and 1st Royal Irish Fusiliers). The battalion did splendid work in that action, and their losses were very severe. Colonel Gunning and 4 other officers and 13 men being killed, and 6 officers and 75 men wounded.
On 30th October, at Lombard's Kop or Ladysmith, the battalion was with Grimwood (see 1st Liverpool Regiment). Like the rest of his force, they were hard pressed, their losses being 3 officers and 1 man killed, 1 officer and 32 men wounded, besides about 30 taken prisoners. In the appendices to the Report of the War Commission, p 375, it is noted that "this party was sent on in advance at the battle of Lombard's Kop, but were left behind on the general retirement of the force, no order having apparently been given to them to retire". The party endeavoured to retire, but it was too late; they were surrounded, and after a sharp fight surrendered.
In the great attack on Ladysmith on 6th January 1900 (see 1st Devonshire Regiment), the 1st King's Royal Rifles were in the thick of the fight. The usual garrison of Waggon Hill was three companies of the battalion; among other reinforcements, four other companies reached the hill at 7 AM, and all day long the fiercest fighting of the campaign surged about the crest and side of the hill until the final charge by the Devons, shortly after 5 pm, cleared the ground. The losses of the battalion on the 6th were about 10 killed and 20 wounded. Three officers and 5 non-commissioned officers and men were mentioned in Sir George White's despatch of 23rd March 1900.
In Sir Redvers Buller's northern movement the 1st King's Royal Rifles were in the IVth Division under Lieutenant General Lyttelton, and in the 8th Brigade under Major General Howard, — the other regiments of the brigade being the 1st Liverpool, 1st Leicestershire, and 1st Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers. Near Amersfoort on 24th and 25th July 1900 there was stiff fighting, in referring to which Lord Roberts says, "On which occasion the 13th and 69th Batteries RFA, the 1st King's Royal Rifles, and the 2nd Gordon Highlanders distinguished themselves, especially the Volunteer company of the latter regiment".
Again at Amersfoort on 7th August, and near Geluk between 21st and 24th August, there was fighting, but the Boers were always driven back till the great position at Bergendal was reached. There a really important battle, opening as it did the way to Koomati Poort, was fought (see 2nd Rifle Brigade). In this action the 1st King's Royal Rifles were not heavily engaged.
After Bergendal the IVth Division went with General Buller to Lydenburg, in which neighbourhood other actions were fought. The force then marched up and down the awful sides of the Mauchberg and other mountains, and afterwards back to the railway. In the operations about Badfontein en route for Lydenburg the Leicesters and 1st King's Royal Rifles were mentioned by Lord Roberts "as dragging the guns of a battery up a steep hill, whence a heavy fire was brought to bear on the Boers". On 9th September the 1st King's Royal Rifles dislodged the enemy from a position on the Mauchberg. In his final despatch of 9th November 1900 General Buller mentioned 7 officers and 5 non-commissioned officers.
The battalion was brought into Pretoria to be present at the proclamation of the annexation on 25th October 1900,—an honour which was deserved as well as appreciated.
In Lord Roberts' final despatch 28 officers and 40 non-commissioned officers and men of the King's Royal Rifle Corps were mentioned. These commendations included the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Battalions.
During the second phase of the war the battalion was employed in the Eastern Transvaal, and afterwards in Cape Colony. During part of 1901 they were doing column work under General Babington, Colonel Campbell, and other commanders. On 16th July 1901 the battalion entrained from Balmoral to De Aar, where they took over the guardianship of seventy miles of railway, building and occupying the blockhouses. They were still on this duty when peace was declared.
At Baakenlaagte on 30th October 1901, when Colonel Benson's rear-guard was destroyed and he himself killed (see 2nd East Kent Regiment), the King's Royal Rifles were represented in the force by the 25th Battalion Mounted Infantry, which did very excellent work. The 25th Mounted Infantry was composed of one company from the 1st Battalion, two companies from the 4th Battalion, and one company from the 3rd Battalion King's Royal Rifles. Three officers and 15 men of the 1st company held out on the gun-ridge until the Boers retired after dark. Two officers, Lieutenants Bircham and R E Crichton, 4 non-commissioned officers, and 1 rifleman were commended for distinguished gallantry. Fourteen men of the regiment were killed, and 3 officers and 24 men wounded. Altogether about 7 officers and 13 non-commissioned officers and men were mentioned in despatches by Lord Kitchener during the campaign, and in his final despatch 11 officers and 16 non-commissioned officers and men were mentioned. Some of these names were stated to belong to the 1st and some to the 3rd Battalion, but in other cases the battalion is not mentioned in the despatches. The 1st could certainly claim the majority.
The VC gained by Lieutenant the Honourable F H S Roberts in the attempt to rescue the guns at Colenso is at least one of the dearly-paid-for trophies secured by the regiment, if it cannot be claimed by the 1st Battalion.
