When the war cloud broke over Europe in the summer of 1914 the E.C.H. was in a very flourishing condition. During the season 1913-14 38 hares had been killed, which remains a record for the pack. There was every prospect of a good year to follow, especially as R. D. Crossman was to have stayed till the end of the Easter Half, and he had already hunted the hounds with considerable success.
But all this was changed. Crossman and R. W. G. Dill, his first whip, both got commissions. They left at Christmas. Crossman closed the Journal Book in the following way:
“I think it is rather hard luck on Dill and myself having to leave, but country comes even before hunting, and I only hope this infernal war will end soon.”
He went out to fight and was killed. His whip Dill went right through the War but emerged unhurt. Few more promising hound men ever existed than R. D. Crossman, but, like many another, he gave up everything to serve his country.
G. G. Cox-Cox, Crossman’s second whip, stayed until Christmas 1915, and was succeeded by W. A. D. Eley in the Easter Half. Both the seasons 1914-15 and 1915-16 were fairly successful, though in the latter only nine hares were killed. The war-time conditions were of course very difficult. Little breeding took place, and consequently the pack decreased in size. The food also was inferior; but Champion always had the hounds fit and ready for work. Owing to the E.C.O.T.C. parading every Thursday the beagles were only able to hunt two days a week in the Easter Half.
During a hunt about this time a very promising young bitch was killed on the railway line close to Remenham. I mention this because it has been my misfortune on the very day I am writing this to see for the first (and I hope the last) time a hound run over by a train. The accident was unavoidable. All the whips were 300 yards behind and the train came out of a mist. Poor Ranter was cut in two, and it was a miracle that the whole pack was not destroyed. From time to time these accidents have occurred, especially often at this place (on the bridge at Remenham), and future Masters will do well when hunting this part of the country to have several fellows always on the line, because hares invariably cross it.
Mr. A. Knowles, first whip in Easter Half 1915, has supplied me with the following information:
“As far as I can remember the Prince of Wales came out with us twice during the Michaelmas Half of 1914. Once a meet at the Sanatorium and once at the Queen’s Head, Bray. If there is no note of it in the Beagle Book Champion will remember the details. In the Easter Half of either 1914 or 1915, from a meet at Datchet, we got mixed up with the Windsor Drag. The hare crossed the line of the drag. Some of the drag hounds continued with the beagles, and I think that an odd couple or so of the beagles joined the drag hunt. Anyhow I remember shutting up about three couple of the drag hounds in Datchet on the way back to kennels in the evening, and sending a message for them to be fetched.
“In 1912 there was a very good hunt, which ended with the hare swimming out and drowning in a reservoir at Staines. Another time I remember having a good hunt somewhere in the neighbourhood of Ditton. We lost the hare in a garden, and found her eventually in a basement cellar. I think that was in 1914 Easter Half, but I am not certain. I hunted hounds one day Easter 1915, meeting at the ‘Prince of Wales’ on the Slough Road. We found immediately, circled round by Butts back to the ‘Prince of Wales’ field, then the hare ran the Slough Road to the ‘Burning Bush,’ down Common Lane to the Drill Hall, and was picked up ‘stone cold’ by some Coldstream Guardsmen who were having a lesson in map reading by the bridge over Jordan. Of course the hare was lost, as far as we were concerned, because I was not informed of her fate until too late.
“In 1913 Michaelmas Half, from a meet at the Sanatorium, the hare ran up the Racket Court field (next to Walpole House) from South Meadow and was killed in the garden of Booker’s House opposite the old Fives Courts.”