In 1915, Lt. Reginald Battersby ran away from home at the age of 14 to enlist in the British Army in the midst of WW1.
He told the recruiter that he was 19 years old and within a week of his enlistment, he was promoted to Lance Corporal. When his father realised what Battersby had done, he intervened and had him commissioned as an officer in the East Lancashire Regiment, citing that a commission befitted his social standing.
Reginald saw action throughout out the Western front and wasn’t spared by the horrors that came with it. During the Battle of the Somme, he became the youngest officer to fight in it at the age of 16. He was placed in command of a 60 man platoon and led them over the top on July 1, 1916.
During the assault, he was shot several times in the back, side and arms by a German MG.
He was able to crawl back to friendly lines to receive medical attention, where he returned to combat a month later; finding out that 75% of his original men had been killed.
During the Battle of Serre, he was hit by an artillery shell, which shredded much of his left leg. Having survived once more, the Army asked him to retire from the military and receive a medical discharge, but instead he opted to receive an artificial leg and return to duty.
He was fitted with a prosthetic limb and returned to the front lines once again; he was now 17 years old.
He remained with his unit until the end of the war, after which he became a priest until his death in 1977
Reginald is the youngest British officer to have served in WW1.
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