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.
CONTENTS
| PAGE | ||
| [Note by the Editor] | ix | |
| [PART ONE] | ||
|---|---|---|
| [History of the Civil Service Rifle Volunteers] | 1 | |
| [PART TWO Story of the 1st Battalion] | ||
| [Introduction] | 53 | |
| [Chapter I.] | “17th of March Men” | 55 |
| [Chapter II.] | Givenchy and Festubert | 59 |
| [Chapter III.] | A “Bon War” | 68 |
| [Chapter IV.] | Loos and the Spinney | 75 |
| [Chapter V.] | Winter in the Loos Salient | 81 |
| [Chapter VI.] | Notre Dame de Lorette | 90 |
| [Chapter VII.] | Vimy Ridge, 1916 | 93 |
| [Chapter VIII.] | Calonne Ricouart and Souchez | 100 |
| [Chapter IX.] | The Trek | 104 |
| [Chapter X.] | High Wood | 111 |
| [Chapter XI.] | Eaucourt L’Abbé and the Butte de Warlencourt | 118 |
| [Chapter XII.] | A Rest Cure in the Ypres Salient | 123 |
| [Chapter XIII.] | The Salient in Winter | 129 |
| [Chapter XIV.] | The Moringhem Trek | 135 |
| [Chapter XV.] | Messines, 7th June, 1917 | 140 |
| [Chapter XVI.] | The Renaissance | 147 |
| [Chapter XVII.] | Last Days in the Ypres Salient | 151 |
| [Chapter XVIII.] | Another Rest Cure—Gavrelle and Oppy | 158 |
| [Chapter XIX.] | Bourlon Wood and the Hindenburg Line | 162 |
| [Chapter XX.] | The Retreat | 177 |
| [Chapter XXI.] | Months of “Wind-up” | 191 |
| [Chapter XXII.] | Intensive Training | 197 |
| [Chapter XXIII.] | The Great Advance | 202 |
| [Chapter XXIV.] | Back to the Coalfields | 215 |
| [Chapter XXV.] | The Armistice | 218 |
| [Chapter XXVI.] | Home | 223 |
| [Story of the 2nd Battalion] | ||
| [Preface] | 227 | |
| [Chapter XXVII.] | Formation—Training—Irish Rebellion, 1916—Departure for France, June, 1916 | 228 |
| [Chapter XXVIII.] | France, 22nd June, 1916, to 19th November, 1916—In the Trenches at Neuville St. Vaast—Battalion Raid—Journey to Marseilles | 237 |
| [Chapter XXIX.] | The Voyage to Salonica—Malta—Salonica, 30th November, 1916—Journey to Katerina—Outpost at Stipi | 248 |
| [Chapter XXX.] | Leaving Katerina—Trek to the Doiran Front—Karasuli Night | 259 |
| [Chapter XXXI.] | On the Doiran-Vardar Front—The Advance | 267 |
| [Chapter XXXII.] | Alexandria, 23rd June, 1917—Ismailia—Belah—Desert Training—Gambli and Tel el Fara—El Shaulth—Preparations for the Palestine Offensive | 279 |
| [Chapter XXXIII.] | Beersheba, 1917, October 21st to November 4th—Wadi Welfare | 289 |
| [Chapter XXXIV.] | Kauwakah and Rushdi Systems—Attack—Sheria—Muntaret—Huj—Nejileh—and to Gaza via Sheria | 300 |
| [Chapter XXXV.] | The March from Gaza Up Country—Enab—The Capture of Jerusalem—Tel el Ful—Bireh | 311 |
| [Chapter XXXVI.] | Ibn Obeid—Bethany—Jebel Ektief—Jerusalem—Mukmas | 323 |
| [Chapter XXXVII.] | Jerusalem—Mukmas—Jericho—Es Salt—Wadi el Jib | 331 |
| [Chapter XXXVIII.] | El Haud—Ain Arik—Surafend—Kantara—Alexandria—Journey to Italy | 339 |
| [Chapter XXXIX.] | Journey through Italy and France—Reconstruction—Moulle—St. Sylvester Cappel—Mont Rouge—Locre—Dranoutre—Mont Vidagne | 348 |
| [Chapter XL.] | Neuve Eglise—Messines—Houthem—Wytschaete | 357 |
| [Chapter XLI.] | America Corner—The Attack—Crossing the Lys—Bousbecque—Roncq—The Pursuit to the Scheldt—Petit Tourcoing—Avelghem—The Armistice—Courtrai—March over Devastated Area—Boesinghem—Base Duties—The End | 363 |
| [Story of the 3rd Battalion] | ||
| [CHAPTER XLII] | 373 | |
| [Chapter XLIII.] | The Reconstituted Battalion | 379 |