Today's question is about the 9th Battalion Gloucestershire Regiment. A local lad, Pte Ernest Chandler, is listed on the CWGC as dying on the 27th September 1940. There seems very little detail on the 9th aside from them being tasked with guarding Bristol Docks and I wondered if someone could confirm that I'm going down the correct track. Ernest is buried in Heather Leicestershire, the village of his birth, which could indicate he died within the UK mainland rather than on some foreign field. Thanks in advance.
UK, Army Roll of Honour, 1939-1945 Name: Ernest Chandler Given Initials: E G Rank: Private Death Date: 26 Sep 1940 Number: 4860432 Birth Place: Leicestershire Residence: Leicestershire Branch at Enlistment: Infantry Theatre of War: United Kingdom Regiment at Death: Gloucestershire Regiment Branch at Death: Infantry Ernest G Chandler in the England & Wales, Death Index, 1916-2007 Name: Ernest G Chandler Birth Date: abt 1919 Date of Registration: Sep 1940 Age at Death: 21 Registration district: Llanelly Inferred County: Carmarthenshire Volume: 11a Page: 1755 A copy of the death cert would be revealing TD
Here is a brief summary of the Battalion's service. It seems likely that it was guarding Bristol docks. 9th (Garrison) Battalion, The Gloucestershire Regiment The battalion was raised on May 23rd, 1940 at Llanelly and was sent to guard vulnerable points in Wales shortly after being raised, having very little training. After a few more weeks of training near Carlisle it moved to Northern Ireland in October 1940 and spent the rest of its service near Belfast and Knock in a local defence role. It was disbanded on June 30th, 1943.
Sadly the death certificate shows little detail. The description is 'Due to war operations', the district is Llanelly and makes me wonder if it were a training accident given they were raised in May and his death was in September.
The battalion war diary may be worth a look. Home Forces diaries do tend (not always) mention the circumstances of a soldiers death if with the unit. However if he was on leave for example he's less likely to get a mention.
