Post Office Rifles

[joboy]

I understand that the Post Office Rifles were the 1st/8th Battalion of the City of London Regiment and I have an ancestor who died in the battle of the Somme in 1916.
He had a cousin who was a 'letter sorter' in the 1891 census who enlisted in the
2nd/4th Battalion of the same regiment in 1915 and died at Mons in1917.
I can find no evidence that, even though he was a 'letter sorter' in civil life, there is no likelihood that the 2nd/4th Battalion also were, or became, part of the Post Office Rifles.
Or ........... hopefully, does anybody know otherwise?
joboy


(Mod Note: Modified post in order to remove capitals from title, which causes email alerts to be classed as spam.)

[manmack]

hiya joboy,the 2/4th are a second line battalion of the royal fusiliers,mack

[joboy]

Thanks Mack,
What I have is that the 2nd/4th were the 'London Regiment (Royal Fusiliers)' and what I would like to know is whether or not there may have been an amalgamation with the 1st/8th 'London Regiment (Post Office Rifles)' ?
I cant quite understand why a 'letter sorter' in civvy life would be in the 1st/8th if there was'nt a connection with the 2nd/4th however brief it may have been in those turbulent times.
I understand that the Post Office Rifles were combatants despite their name.
joboy

[manmack]

hiya joboy,the 1/8th absorbed the 2/8th battalion,he may have already been in the 1/4th before the war,they are all territorial batts so he may have lived in the area of their barracks,mack

[joboy]

Good point Mack ......... they both hailed from Marylebone and lived just a street or so apart.
joboy

[manmack]

joboy,the 2/4th had their depot at 112 shaftesbury st,city rd,north london,
the 1/8th were at.
130 bunhill row,east london
mack

[joboy]

Thanks again Mack ....... the two depots were only a few hundred yards apart so it makes sense.
Must have been close to the dividing line between north and east London.
joboy