In his work of revival, there is no doubt that Colonel Parish had everything in his favour. In the first place he had sole command of the unit and was not worried by any orders from either Brigade or Division. The training was to be done entirely under the Commanding Officer’s own arrangements, the only condition laid down being that every one must have musketry practice on the range. In the second place the Battalion was sent to a pleasantly situated training area many miles from the firing line, and thirdly the billets were excellent—in many cases better than the men had ever had before in France. Practically every sergeant, at least, had a real bed in an inhabited house.

In these circumstances it would have been strange indeed if all ranks had not responded wholeheartedly to the call of their Commanding Officer, whose enthusiasm quickly spread throughout the Battalion. It is true the “spit and polish” days of General Cuthbert were put into the shade by the scrubbing and polishing which were indulged in from morning till night in the early days at Tatinghem, and all the time-honoured jokes and gags about Bluebell Metal Polish, Kiwi, etc., were literally worked to death. Men groused and joked alternately about the new craze, and one wag chalked up on a billet door a colourable imitation of the Regimental crest, beneath which he had substituted the words “Ich Posh” for the actual motto. Thanks to the inclement weather, there was no chance during the first few days to do anything but remain in billets and “clean up,” and when eventually the rain ceased and Colonel Parish saw his Battalion on parade, he was so proud of the men that he spent a good deal of his spare time thereafter in persuading General Officers and others to come and inspect them. The Civil Service Rifles, in consequence, underwent inspections during this holiday by General Plumer (twice), Brigadier-General Kennedy, and Brigadier-General Bailey, in addition to numerous inspections by the Commanding Officer. The men endured these ordeals with little or no grousing—for they had now learnt to take a proper pride in their smart appearance.

The Commanding Officer’s chief worry was lack of a parade ground where he could drill his battalion, and the Adjutant was ordered to find one. It was in vain that he said the local farmers objected to their pasture being ruined by the tramping of army boots, so eventually he discovered a field without a gate to it, and hoped the farmer would not turn up during battalion drill. The farmer did not appear himself, but his wife came on parade and protested so loudly to the Adjutant that the Commanding Officer exclaimed in a loud voice “Send that woman off parade. This is not a woman’s battalion.” This brilliant sally, however, was wasted on the woman, who continued to protest volubly—and those who have heard a French peasant woman when she is roused will realise how difficult it was to induce her to leave the field.

The great day of the training was the Regimental Rifle Meeting, run almost on Bisley lines, which was held on the ranges at Moulle, on the 6th of August. Prizes were offered for the best sergeant and the best corporal in the Battalion, for the best private in each Company, and for each member of the Platoon having the highest average. In addition, all prize winners were to have a day’s leave.

The Prize Meeting was a great success, and the keenest interest was taken in the competitions, on which there were various sweepstakes, while, in addition, two members of the Battalion “made a book” on one of the competitions, their most profitable dupe being the Commanding Officer himself.

“C” Company appear to have swept the board as far as Platoon averages went, as two of their Platoons took the first two places, and one other tied with numbers eight (“B” Company) and thirteen (“D” Company) for third place. The following received silver wrist watches suitably engraved for the occasion:—

Best Sergeant in the Battalion:
Sergeant H. Salmon - ‘C’ Company.
Best Corporal:
Corporal O. L. H. Levey - ‘C’ Company.
Best Privates:
‘A’ Company - Privates L. W. V. Wilkinson and H. A. Vernham, tied.
‘B’ Company - Private W. J. Tuckett.
‘C’ Company - Privates E. A. Honney and A. Strong tied.
‘D’ Company - Private F. T. G. White.

The Officers’ competition was won by Second-Lieutenant G. E. Tatum, ‘C’ Company.

Best Sergeant in the Battalion:
Sergeant H. Salmon- ‘C’ Company.
Best Corporal:
Corporal O. L. H. Levey- ‘C’ Company.
Best Privates:
‘A’ Company- Privates L. W. V. Wilkinson and H. A. Vernham, tied.
‘B’ Company- Private W. J. Tuckett.
‘C’ Company- Privates E. A. Honney and A. Strong tied.
‘D’ Company- Private F. T. G. White.

Shortly after the Rifle Meeting the Battalion became attached to the 142nd Brigade, and this caused a move to Moringhem, but after two General Officers’ inspections in four days the Civil Service Rifles, to their great joy, returned to their old billets, the 140th Brigade having been sent to the Tatinghem area for training.