World War 1(1914-19)
The 1st Battalion (43rd) fought the Turks in Mesopotamia, where they suffered very heavy casualties, were besieged at Kut and eventually starved into surrender. Of 300 men who were taken prisoner only ninety survived the war. In 1919 the reconstituted battalion took part in the inconclusive campaign against the Bolsheviks in North Russia. The 52nd and most of the affiliated Territorial Force battalions fought on the Western Front. In 1914 they achieved fame at Nonne Boschen by routing the Prussian Potsdam Guards, almost 100 years after they had defeated the French Imperial Guard at Waterloo. From then on, however their experiences of appalling casualties for little apparent gain mirrored those of the rest of the Army. Other battalions fought in Italy and Salonika.