Artists Rifles First Battalion ; Second Battalion & Third Battalion
[Much of the detail here are excerpts from the text of "The regimental roll
of honour and war record of the Artists' Rifles (1/28th, 2/28th and 3/28th
battalions, the London Regiment T. F.) Commissions, promotions, appointments and
rewards for service in the field obtained by members of the corps since 4th
August, 1914" ]
THE THIRD BATTALION and No. 15 (ARTISTS' RIFLES) O.C.B. Meanwhile on the 1st
January, 1915, by which date old Artists and others were beginning to arrive
from the Colonies for training as Officers, a third Battalion, "3/28th London"
had been started (at first severely restricted to two Companies under a Major),
in which all subsequent recruits had to be enrolled. It was placed under the
command of Lt.-Col. William Shirley, an old friend of the Corps, recently
retired from the Indian Army, who had been acting as Second-in-command of
2/28th. He brought very special qualifications to the post, having been for some
years an Army Instructor in India, at Sandhurst, and at Cambridge University,
where on the outbreak of war he was holding the appointment of Director of
Military Studies. On occasions this Battalion, which was principally officered
in the first instance by senior N.C.O's sent home for the purpose from l/28th in
France, was over 3,000 strong and in 3 years had passed 9,352 recruits through
its ranks. After a period of recruit training in London, which included the
construction at Kenwood of a series of entrenchments and dug-outs on the most
up-to-date Continental models, it also went into camp in Richmond Park, whence
it was moved in July, 1915, to High Beech in Epping Forest, thence to Hare Hall,
Romford, and finally to Berkhampstead, and on the absorption of the original 2nd
Battalion by the 1st it was re-
numbered 2/28th.*
In May, 1915, instructions were issued for the formation within this Battalion
of a separate School of Instruction for newly gazetted Officers of other
Territorial regiments on similar lines to the School in France and during the
next few months upwards of 1,500 such Officers passed through the School courses
and examinations.
In November, 1915, the Regiment was officially recognised by Army Order as an
Officers' Training Corps, and the Home Battalion became the 2nd Artists Rifles
O.T.C
In March, 1916, its separate School, then at Gidea Park, was converted into four
Companies of cadets to which recruits were passed on for training as Officers
after receiving a preliminary military training in the ranks of the other four
Companies, the whole being under the command of Colonel Shirley and run by
Artists' Officers and Sergeant Instructors. In August, 1916, by which date the
organisation of Officer Cadet Battalions throughout the United Kingdom had been
perfected, the four Cadet Companies were separated from Colonel Shirley's
Battalion and transformed into "No. 15 (Artists Rifles), O.C.B." which was
placed under the command of Lt.-Col. E. St. L. Shaw (1st East Surrey) an
invalided Regular Officer, with a Staff of Artists and other Officers and
Sergeant Instructors. Thenceforth recruits enrolled in 3/28th were sent, on
completion of their preliminary training, indiscriminately to No. 15 or to any
other O.C.B. in which there were vacancies at the moment, while No. 15 as part
of the general scheme of these O.C.B. 's received Cadets from other units
besides the Artists.