“PB” Battalions are formed
On 7 September 1916, General Sir Douglas Haig, Commander-in-Chief of the British Expeditionary Force in France and Flanders, sent a proposal to the War Office.
A battalion would be formed at each base (Le Havre, Rouen, Etaples and Calais), manned by troops who were medically rated “Permanent Base”. This would not be organised in the same way as a standard battalion of infantry. Each would have a Lieutenant-Colonel or Major in command; a Captain or Lieutenant as Adjutant; a Quartermaster; a Regimental Sergeant Major (WO Class I); a Regimental Quartermaster Sergeant (WO Class II); one Orderly Room Sergeant; two Orderly Room clerks (NCOs) and one clerk for the RQMS (also an NCO). There would also be seven NCOs for each 1000 “PB” men in the battalion.
For those “PB” men who were not located at a base but somewhere under each of the Armies, a battalion structure was not proposed. Instead, an officer would be placed at Army HQ to co-ordinate the employment of such men, and NCOs would be provided on a scale of seven for each 100 “PB” men.
The officers and permanent staffs described above would themselves be in the “PB” medical category.
The War Office enquired how many men would be in each battalion, and GHQ provided current details (dated 21 September 1916), mentioning that there was no proposed fixed size for such a battalion and noting the increasing demand for such men to work at hospitals and Casualty Clearing Stations.
At Le Havre there were 4500 “PB” men
Rouen 4100
Etaples 5300
Calais 1100.
Approval was given and on 10 November 1916 four battalions came into existence:
1st PB Battalion at Le Havre
2nd PB Battalion at Rouen
3rd PB Battalion at Etaples
4th PB Battalion at Calais.
The numbers of men on the strength of a battalion fluctuated daily, with drafts being sent out for employment with, among others, Prisoner of War Companies, various Schools, Ordnance Depots and ports, and men coming in from convalescent camps and other depots. From 1917 inwards, many would go to units of the new Labour Corps. At one point, 3rd PB Battalion reported that it had more than 11000 men in its ranks, and on Christmas Day 1916, a total of 700 men left for employment elsewhere.
The men continued to be subject to regular medical examination and reclassification if appropriate.
Conversion to Employment Base Depots
On 3 September 1917, the “PB” Battalions became Employment Base Depots, with numbers and locations remaining as before. The men of the battalion at Le Havre were formed into one Pool Area Employment Company, nine Area Employment Companies and two Garrison Guard Companies.
During April 1918, each EBD began to form a number of Garrison Guard Companies, each of three officers and 223 men.
By 31 October 1918, 3rd Employment Base Depot could report that 400,000 men had passed through it since its formation.
In January 1919, 3rd Employment Base Depot ceased to exist, being absorbed into the Etaples General Base Depot. I suspect something similar happened to the others.
Sources
War diary, GHQ Inspector General of Communications. National Archives WO95/3970.
War diary, 3rd Employment Base Depot. National Archives WO95/4186.