South East England Regiments in the First World War

South East England was home to nine historic infantry regiments during the First World War: the Bedfordshire Regiment, Cambridgeshire Regiment, Essex Regiment, Hertfordshire Regiment, Norfolk Regiment, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, Royal Berkshire Regiment, Royal Sussex Regiment and Suffolk Regiment. Together, they recruited thousands of volunteers from counties stretching from East Anglia to the Thames Valley, with their battalions serving in every major theatre of the war.

The term Home Counties generally refers to the counties surrounding London, although there is no single official definition. Several infantry regiments from this region, including the Royal Berkshire Regiment, Royal Sussex Regiment, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, Bedfordshire Regiment and Hertfordshire Regiment, were commonly associated with the Home Counties. Their close proximity meant neighbouring regiments often recruited from adjoining communities while maintaining strong county identities.

Light infantry regiments were trained to move quickly, operate independently and fight in dispersed formations rather than the tightly packed battle lines used during earlier conflicts. By the First World War these tactical differences had largely disappeared, but regiments such as the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry retained their distinctive traditions, customs and heritage as Britain's historic light infantry.

For many British soldiers, the journey to the Western Front began in South East England. After completing their training, troops travelled by rail to Channel ports including Dover, Folkestone, Newhaven and Southampton, where they boarded troopships for France. On arrival, they continued by train or on foot to reinforcement camps before joining their battalions near the front line. For thousands of men, South East England was both their final glimpse of home and their first welcome back after the war.

Whether you're starting with a service number, regiment, battalion or simply a soldier's name, the Army Service Explorer helps identify the most likely military unit, understand its wartime role and explore where it served during the First World War. From there, each regiment's dedicated research hub provides battalion histories, recruitment information and detailed guidance to help you build a clearer picture of a soldier's military service.

The British Army's regimental system was based on historic counties rather than modern administrative boundaries. Each county developed its own infantry regiment, fostering strong local identities and recruiting traditions. Although neighbouring regiments often drew volunteers from nearby towns and villages, each maintained its own battalions, history and customs. During the First World War, these county identities remained an important part of military service, even as battalions fought alongside one another across the battlefields of Europe and beyond.