For a searchable list of men who served in the Jersey Contingent click on the link below http://www.greatwarci.net/scripts/db/search_form-jc.php The "Proudest Day in Our History" declared the headline of the Jersey Evening Post on the 2nd of March 1915; "Never has the community been so deeply stirred". The remarkable event being referred to by the Island's leading newspaper was the departure that morning of the Jersey Contingent. And it was a remarkable event. For the first - and indeed only - time in its history, the Channel Island of Jersey was officially sending a formed body of soldiers to war. It was an occasion that caught the imagination of the population, and thousands of Islanders turned out at St Helier's harbour to cheer their newly found champions off. Of course, we now know the conflict these eager young volunteers were leaving for was one of the most terrible in history. Not surprisingly then, before it ended nearly four years later, it was to extract a heavy toll on the 317 Jerseymen who joined the Contingent in 1915. A total of 83 would die during its course, or immediately after of related effects. At least 100 more were seriously wounded; many of whom returned home with physical or psychological disabilities that in some cases led to a premature death in the years that followed. Now, it has to be said that within the broader maelstrom of that dreadful war, these figures are of course infinitesimal. Even within the context of Jersey alone, which lost at least 1,000 men during the First World War, they are small. But that's not to say the story of the Jersey Contingent isn't worth recording. This small band of Islanders hold a unique position in their Island's history, and their bravery, endurance, and sacrifice, should always be remembered with honour. For a brief history of the Jersey Contingent click on the link below http://www.greatwarci.net/army/jersey/jerseycontingent/jc1.htm
Heres something else I've found about the Jersey Contingent They were a group of 326 Jerseymen who volunteered in 1915 and were attached to the 7th Bn Royal Irish Rifles ..... later after 7th RIR was disbanded in Oct 1917 they transferred on to 2nd RIR and finally 2nd Hants in Jan 1918 Ian Ronayne has a book that is due out in August 2009 ..... something to look out for !!
