Transport Officer.

Medical Officer.

After a day at Boulogne the battalion went by train to St. Omer and from there marched to Remilly-Werquin. Here it had two or three days’ rest and then, in the hottest weather, marched by stages, passing the Commander-in-Chief on the way, to billets and bivouacs at Meteren, near Bailleul, which brought it, of course, into the immediate vicinity of the two regular battalions.

VI. 7th Battalion

As has already been shown, the 6th Battalion was much over strength within a very short time of its raising, and from the surplus of this unit arose the 7th Battalion. By the 17th September this consisted of two thousand men, all in plain clothes. There was a common expectation at this time that khaki uniform was all ready for the recruits who came up voluntarily to serve and that the men would be turned out soldiers, as far as clothes were concerned, with the utmost promptitude. This was unfortunately not the case, and as, naturally, the recruit under the circumstances joined in his very worst garments, the battalion, like others, was soon ridiculously ragged. It was some days before uniform of any sort was handed out, and then it was but a temporary makeshift. A few D.P. (drill purpose) rifles were available for each company.

The birthplace of the 7th Buffs was Purfleet, Essex, and the first officers belonging to it were Captain B. E. Furley (temporarily), Lieut. E. H. Allen and 2nd Lieut. A. G. Kenchington, who were transferred from the 6th Battalion with 1,600 recruits, 600 of whom passed on again to start the 8th Battalion. The first regularly appointed commanding officer was Lt.-Colonel Gilbert Johnson, who assumed command at the end of September, and his second-in-command was Major A. F. Campbell Johnston, very well known a few years back in the 2nd Battalion and who did good work as regards instilling the ancient regimental spirit into new soldiers’ minds. Both the new officers and the new men showed the greatest keenness and anxiety to learn, and with such a state of things the manufacture of a new fighting unit becomes comparatively easy. As in the case of other units, the senior officers and warrant officers were, generally speaking, men who had retired from the service, and though in some cases their knowledge and methods were somewhat antiquated, their experience was invaluable and their zeal indubitable. There were also a considerable number of veteran privates, and so it was that the new armies at first consisted of old soldiers time-expired, who felt bound to present themselves again, and spirited young fellows who did not wait for conscription. This was a great combination, for the former, though for the most part somewhat obsolete, were zealous and could, at any rate, teach the rudiments, and the latter were so eager to learn that teaching became a pleasure. Being young and business-like, they soon passed the old men as competent soldiers because they assimilated what the others had to teach and added practical go-ahead methods. The respectful love and sympathy of the new soldier for his white-headed instructor was quite touching, and the old man, loving to come back to his ancient trade, appreciated fully the fine type of recruit he had now to deal with. Thus a quaint spirit of friendship and a curious comradeship arose, which did much to make Kitchener’s armies what they were and to instil a spirit of esprit de corps and honour. It was a pity that later on recruits were posted to any corps that required reinforcements at the time, but, after all, these were for the most part conscripts. Amongst the new hands were men from various parts of England, though the majority came from Kent. The junior officers were of almost every profession and business and were wonderfully eager and full of esprit de corps.

The remainder of the year of 1914 was spent in hard and steady drill and training and short temporary moves of quarters. There were two changes of commanders by February, 1915, Colonel Johnson leaving on the 14th November and Lt.-Colonel Young, of the Indian Army, relieving him, being himself replaced by Lt.-Colonel W. F. Elmslie, of the Lancashire Fusiliers, a little later. On the 3rd March, 1915, Major Campbell Johnston was transferred elsewhere. He was relieved by Major C. Parmiter, of the King’s Liverpool Regiment, who ten years before had been adjutant of the 1st V.B. The Buffs. By March the battalion had advanced as far as brigade training, and in April the route came for Colchester, where the rest of the 18th Division was assembled. Manœuvres in Suffolk under General F. J. Maxse, commencing at the end of April, were a preliminary to a series of pretty strenuous brigade and divisional field days in Wiltshire directly afterwards. On the 9th June General Poett left the 55th Brigade, which was taken over by Br.-General Martyn, late of the Royal West Kent. H.M. The King inspected the division at Stonehenge on the 24th June and expressed himself well pleased. July saw the end of the preliminary work. Final leave was commenced on the 7th.

The Colonel of the Buffs, General Sir Arthur Paget, inspected the battalion on the 13th, and on the 27th July the brigade left its camp at Codford for Folkestone en route for Boulogne, to be merged into the valiant army of Britain and her Colonies, an army destined to prove, and which indeed had already proved, that the modern Englishman was bred true to type and was a worthy descendant of his heroic sires.