NOTE BY THE EDITOR
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.
To Major Duncan Lewis, the writer of those pages in which the necessarily uneventful story of the third Battalion is found, we express our indebtedness. Captain Doubleday is best fitted to tell of the beneficent work of the Regimental Aid Fund, and thanks may be expressed here on behalf of all those who benefited by the activities of himself and his fellow-helpers. In the very difficult task of compiling the lists of all ranks who served in the Regiment during war time, we have to thank Major Ramsbotham—the Adjutant—for his energy in this and, indeed, in all matters connected with the needs of the Regiment.
Attention is directed to the statistics relating to the numbers who served in the Regiment, and who were transfers, which will be found at the end of Appendix VI.
Nine hundred and sixty-seven commissions were granted from the ranks. The Dead number 1,227.