The History of the Prince of Wales' Civil Service Rifles

To William Manning Esq r . M.P. Lieutenant Colonel Commandant ,
The Officers and Privates of the Bank of England Volunteer Regiment . This Print is by permission most respectfully dedicated by their obedient servant , John Wallis Junior
By the courtesy of the Governor and Company of the Bank of England, the possessors of the original print.
The uniform is similar to that worn by the Somerset House Volunteers of the period.
London: Published, August 30th, 1804, by John Wallis, Jun., 16, Ludgate Street. Frontispiece.
THE HISTORY OF THE PRINCE OF WALES’ OWN CIVIL SERVICE RIFLES PRINTED BY WYMAN & SONS LTD., FETTER LANE, E.C., FOR P.W.O. CIVIL SERVICE RIFLES, SOMERSET HOUSE, STRAND 1921
TO THOSE CIVIL SERVICE RIFLEMEN WHO LAID DOWN THEIR LIVES IN THE GREAT WAR
These pages have been put together under pressure of the desirability of placing their contents without further delay in the hands of a public virtually limited to Regimental members past and present, their relatives and friends. They do not aim higher than setting on record the unvarnished chronicles of several generations of volunteers who have never yielded place to any in their pride and love of regiment.
Before the close of the last century the story of the Regiment’s thirty years’ existence had been written by the officer who to-day has been the right hand of the Editor in the task of bringing the record down to the year of the War. The latter has to thank Colonel Merrick for giving up much of his time to this object, and for allowing a reprint of the earlier portion.
Captain Bell was good enough to make himself responsible for the tale from the year 1909 to 1914. Major Kirkby has kindly given his supervision in preparing certain tabular statements which are found as appendices. Yet this book would never have reached the printers’ hands but for the initiative shown by Captain Davenport as regards the narrative of the first Battalion in War. His achievement prompted the search for an author who could and would do the same for the widely ranging story of the movements of the second Battalion. Into this gap stepped Major Benké who, in a short space of time delivered the completed task. It will be agreed that both these officers, aided in some parts by collaborators, have produced a readable and human account of those events of which they can speak at first hand, made clearer by the excellent sketch maps which accompany the narratives of operations.