62nd Provisional Battalion

In the summer of 1915, all those soldiers of the Territorial Force who had not taken the Imperial Service obligation or who were medically unfit to serve overseas were placed in Provisional Battalions for home service. Duties included guarding the East Coast.

Officers and men were sent from 2/1st Cambridgeshire Regiment and 2/4th Northamptonshire Regiment to form the 62nd Provisional Battalion at Sheringham, Norfolk.

The first commanding officer was Major George Brimley Bowes, a former officer of the Cambridgeshire Regiment who rejoined the battalion in 1914 and had been senior major in the 2/1st Battalion, which had been formed in autumn 1914. He was succeeded in October 1915 by Lt-Col Charles E F Copeman, who had commanded the 1/1st Battalion on the Western Front from February to April 1915. The Regimental Sgt-Major was Tom Cole, a pre-war Cambs Territorial from Wisbech, who had been a Company Sgt-Major in the 2/1st Battalion.

In February 1916, the officers were: Lt-Col C Copeman, oc; Major G B Bowes, 2ic; QM & Hon Lt H E Verrinder; Capt & Adj P W Gray; Capt F C Henniker, commanding A coy; Capt J E Few, B coy; Capt & Hon Major C W Stanley, C coy; Capt C S de Cerjat, transport officer; Lt R C Verrinder;  Lt C L Tebbutt; Lt H Budgen; 2nd Lt W Selbie; 2nd Lt J Venn; 2nd Lt F Stokes, and 2nd Lt W Lyon.

The 62nd Provisional Battalion, part of 3rd Provisional Brigade, which became the 223rd Mixed Brigade, was attached to 69th Division in the autumn of 1916, and in October moved along the coast to the Cley and Blakeney area.

On January 1st, 1917, the 62nd Provisional Battalion, became the 9th Battalion Northamptonshire Regiment  TF. When men of the Territorial Force were renumbered in March 1917, the number sequence for those of the 9th Battalion was in the 225001-365000 block. The 9th Battalion remained at Cley until the summer of 1918, and then moved back to Sheringham until the end of war.

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