Chris, Mack,
Spent some time thinking of these men and dug up a little more for you which might be of use. It would appear that they were medically downgraded men so initial guess was right.
Article comes from 25th Battalion and Depot.
"When the seven Territorial Battalions he reached war establishment, there still remained at Halton Camp a number of men, either surplus or unfit, or who had not undertaken the Imperial Service obligation. These were formed into a "Provisional Company 18th Rifle Brigade T.F.", and later on the departure of the 18th Battalion overseas were attached, three hundred and thirty-five strong, to the 21st Battalion, and commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel A.B. Williams.
On 21st December they became a unit, under the name of Depot Rifle Brigade T.F., and on the 22nd December they moved to Reading, where concurrently with draft-finding they found duties at the Ordananc Depot at Didcot. There was only one officer besides Colonel Williams, and it is not suprising that the latter has placed on record the difficulty of coping with these two duties simultaneously, and of carrying out the heavy clerical work involved.
In March 1916, two companies were formed and on 26th August of the same year the unit was raised to the establishment of a battalion ( one thousand five hundred and four all ranks ), constituted a battalion on 4th September, and on 8th September was despatched to Falmouth, where it relieved the 7th Battalion Royal Fusiliers on the coast defences in that area and at Pendennis Castle; it was quartered till the ned of the war at Trevethan Camp. The duties of the Battalion were henceforth confined to coast defence and draft finding; depot work being carried out by a newly constituted depot of which more hereafter.
The Battalion provided drafts for the other six T.F. Battalions of The Rifle Brigade, and was fed with Category B recruits from the Depot and with drafts of Ctegory B men from the T.F. Reserve Battalions of other regiments, mostly form London; In December 1916 a draft of five hundred and twenty-nine men was despatched for 19th, 20th and 21st Battalions in S.S. Ivernia which was torpedoed in Suvla Bay on 1st January 1917, one Acting Corporal and thirty five Riflemen were drowned.
Colonel Williams retired on account of age in December 1916, and in February 1917 Lieutenant-Colonel G. Rippon took over command and retained it till on 26th March 1919 the Battalio was disbanded and those remaining on the strength transferred to the books of the Rifle Depot.
The Depot was reconstituted on 2nd September 1916, as No. 32 (Rifle Brigade) T.F. Depot at 9 Tufton Street, Westminster, to fit out recruits and administer men invalided from overseas battalions till they were posted to a unit for duty.
It continued open till 17th July 1912, when it was closed after having been amalgamated with the Depot, Royal Defence Corps, since 7th April that year."
So it looks like a lot of your Mancs men went to Didcot and then Falmouth after being medically downgraded, as there is no indication of them going to Battalion in their medal rolls.
Hope this helps a little more to give you an insight into these men.
Never even made it to Winchester
Andy
