More research - 1st Surrey Rifles in the Great War 1914 -18.

The first Surrey Rifles were actually a SE London recruited and based unit who's barracks were in Flodden Road, Camberwell SE, the barracks are now long gone although much of the Victorian housing present at that time remains in what is now a sought after area with high property prices. 

My Wife's Great Uncle - Rifleman Zachariah Patmore 653350 - was recruited there in 1914 and sadly killed in Action in January 1917 at Ypres aged 29. Thus I have been doing some research into the unit and it's War Record. In so doing I came across this wonderful photograph of members of the Rifles during the period at Flodden Road Camp prior to being sent to France, clearly taken in one of the roads around the barracks and I have been trawling Goggle earth to see if I can identify the houses and the distinctive features, so far with no luck. I'm intrigued with the large disc object on the footplate of the wagon but just can't work out what it is! I'm wondering if it's some kind of plaque  maybe as it seems to have been placed there for the photo. The smiling faces are very poignant given what they would experience during their time in France where they suffered extremely heavy casualties. Below is a description of their fight to take 'High Wood' in 1916:

 'At 15.30, the battalion was ordered to capture a length of enemy-held trench (the 'Starfish Line') that lay between 140 and 141 Bdes. All went well until the leading platoons topped the ridge east of High Wood, when they came within view of the enemy's guns. Whole platoons were wiped out by direct hits, but the others carried on until they were able to make a determined assault on the trench. The 'Starfish Redoubt' was carried and connection made with the remnants of 140 Bde, but the losses made it impossible to continue to take the second objective (the 'Cough Drop'). Of the 19 officers and 550 men who had gone into the attack, only 2 officers and 60 men remained, the rest being dead or wounded'.

The caption for the photo below says:  LCpl Pat O'Keeffe spars with a private of the 21st (County of London) Battalion, London Regiment (First Surrey Rifles) in Camberwell, London, in 1914 (IWM Q53492)

A War Record of the 1st Surrey Rifles was written in 1928 and I'm currently reading through it.

                                                      1st Surrey Rifles, a 1928 history.

The Memorial to the 1st Surrey Rifles in Camberwell, SE LOndon.

Just look at that list of Battle Honours!