The purpose of this book is to supply to the people of Preston and district, for the first time, a complete and authentic record of the adventures of their original local Territorial Infantry Battalion during the Great War, such a record being a chapter of local history which must sooner or later be written; to put into the hands of the relatives and friends of those who have gloriously fallen the story of the unit with which they served faithful unto death, with its accompanying tribute from their surviving comrades; to supply to the latter ... maimed or whole a book which they may hand down to posterity to speak of their service; and last, but not least, to speak to those who shall succeed to our traditions, of Comradeship, Cheerfulness, Endurance, Devotion to Duty, and all the virtues which go to make up “the Spirit of the Regiment.”

The delay in publication has been unavoidable, and even now the book is not as complete as its compilers would wish; in particular, it is not possible to give the names of casualties as they occurred, except in the case of Officers; both Company and Battalion records have had to be destroyed again and again, and there is little material left to work on except the War Diary and individual diaries.

The book is a live product. Every line of it is either written by those who were actually with the Battalion during the period of which they write, or is condensed from the War Diary. It would have been far easier, and, from a literary point of view, more satisfactory, to have handed over the documents to a professional Historian to write up, but it was felt that the vivid descriptions of eyewitnesses, even though lacking in style, were preferable to any such compilation.

CONTENTS

Dedication
PrefacePage
ChapterI.—Early History and Training in England[1]
II.—Early Days and the Battle of Festubert[5]
III.—Trench Warfare[22]
IV.—The Somme Battles[31]
V.—Trench Warfare in the Salient[40]
VI.—The Third Battle of Ypres[61]
VII.—Reorganisation and the Battle of the Menin Road[79]
VIII.—Cambrai[95]
IX.—Givenchy Period[106]
X.—The Advance[126]
XI.—After the Armistice[131]
AppendixA.—The Honours List[137]
B.—The Casualty List[141]

ILLUSTRATIONS

[Frontispiece]: The Colours
Portrait of Lieutenant-Colonel Ralph Hindle, D.S.O.[Facing Dedication]
Reduced Facsimile of the Roll of Volunteers for Service Abroad[Facing Chapter I.]
Group of Officers—Bedford, 1915Facing Page[4]
Photograph—Meteren, 1915"[7]
Battalion about to Parade for Trenches, 1916"[31]
Christmas Card, 1916"[50]
Aeroplane Photograph of Trench Lines in Salient"[57]
Aeroplane Oblique Photograph of Trenches in Salient"[58]
Aeroplane Oblique Photograph, showing Objectives for Third Battle of Ypres"[61]
Panorama Photograph from Pond Farm"[81]
Aeroplane Photograph of D.13.c."[82]
Aeroplane Oblique Photograph of Objectives—Menin Road Battle"[85]
Group of W.O.’s and N.C.O.’s—Delettes, 1918"[106]
Remnant of Givenchy Keep, 1920Page[116]
The Colours Marching Past—BrusselsFacing Page[131]
Site of the Battalion MemorialPage[132]
Divisional Cocarde"[133]

MAPS

Map No. 1—FestubertFacing Page[12]
Map of Battle of Festubert (Sketch Map)"[15]
Map of Battle of Festubert (7 p.m.)Page[16]
Map of Battle of Guillemont"[34]
Map of Battle of Delville Wood"[37]
Map of Battle of Guedecourt"[38]
Map No. 2—Ypres SalientFacing Page[40]
Map of the Third Battle of Ypres, showing ObjectivesPage[63]
Map No. 3—Menin Road BattleFacing Page[83]
Map No. 4—Gillemont Farm Sector"[96]
Map No. 5—Vaucellette Farm Area"[100]
Map No. 6—Givenchy"[108]
Facsimile of German Map, showing Plan of Attack, Captured April 9th, 1918"[110]

A Reduced Facsimile of the Roll of Volunteers for Service Abroad signed in the Public Hall, on 8th August, 1914