Chapter VIII: Part 8

L.-Cpl. F. H. Apps, L.-Cpl. J. Bellamy, Pte. C. R. Brown, Sergt. H. H.
Cater, Coy.-Sergt.-Maj. C. R. Dyer, Pte. A. French, Pte. H. Lang,
Pte. A. Miller, Sergt. W. Mitchell, D.C.M., Pte. H. Pipler,
L.-Sergt. R. Taylor.

THE MERITORIOUS SERVICE MEDAL

Sergt. H. R. Swain.

After relief on October 16 we moved back to billets at Avesnes, and the next day we marched to Cambrai, where we remained until the 26th, cleaning, refitting, and training. Cambrai was still in an uncertain state. Parts of it were liable to be blown up by delay-action mines. During our stay there the railway lines at and near the station were constantly blowing up. The houses, even if undamaged outside, were wrecked inside. Furniture, pictures, books, and crockery had been broken or mutilated very thoroughly and wantonly in almost every house by the enemy before he left. Our first work was to try to get the houses we were to use as billets into something like order.

A large part of the town—the part which had been burnt—was barricaded off, and no one was permitted to explore. After a day or two we had got our billets into shape, and, having become accustomed to the constant explosions in the town, we had a comfortable time.

While we were at Cambrai the Quartermaster went into hospital after struggling gamely with very indifferent health throughout the whole summer, and there can be no doubt that the loss of Capt. Wood was more keenly felt by all in the Battalion than would have been the case with any other individual. In the opinion of everyone who served with him, he was the finest quartermaster who ever issued a rum ration. He joined the Battalion early in 1916, and for more than two and half years he worked untiringly for the welfare of the men.

Nearly every officer who passed through the Battalion will remember the kindly hospitality he received at one time or another at the Quartermaster’s Mess, and Wood had the happy knack of making all feel at home at once. One of his great troubles was getting the stores loaded on to the baggage wagons for a move. Almost invariably, after eyeing the amount to be taken, and with a particularly severe glance at the size of the officers’ kits, he would say, “I can’t carry it,” but, as he always did succeed in carrying it, this became a standing joke. His work may be summed up by saying that he was the friend of everyone in the Battalion.

On October 26 we returned to Avesnes, where we remained till November 2. On November 2 we moved up to Haussy, now some distance behind our advanced guards, and perfectly peaceful. We spent one night there. We met again many of the civilians who had received us so well and helped us during the fight. They were greatly rejoiced at being free of the Boche, but they were perturbed at the damage done to their village, and very bitter about the enemy’s use of gas shells on October 16. During the night the enemy threw over three or four shells from very long range.

On November 4 the 24th Division relieved the 61st Division. The 73rd Brigade formed the advanced guard, the 17th Brigade were in support, and the 72nd Brigade were in reserve. We moved up to Sepmeries, where we were billeted for the night.

The nature of the fighting had changed considerably since we were last in it. Up to the Battle of Haussy the enemy had been putting up a stubborn resistance, especially where he was defended by a natural obstacle such as the River Selle. Up to then, when there was a fight, it was a very stiff affair, and counter-attacks in great force, supported by annihilating artillery fire, were always likely.

Now it was a case of taking up the hunt of a really retreating enemy. We would still look for fights and we would expect to be shelled at intervals, but the fights were likely to be skirmishes with rear guards of machine gunners rather than with the main enemy force, and the shelling was not likely to be concentrated and continuous as it had been at Haussy. We were to find the advance trying enough, however, for the distances we were to be called on to cover each day were very great, and often in unexpected quarters a company or a platoon would get involved in a pretty desperate local encounter.

However, we felt we were now really entering into the open fighting we had hoped for all through the long years of the war. Although we were still in Divisional Reserve, we could realise by the length of our marches each day what sort of thing was going on in front of us.

On November 5 we marched again forward to Wargnies-le-Grand, where we remained in billets for two nights. Rain was almost continuous while we were there, but the whole Battalion was in excellent spirits. Our long stay at Wargnies was on account of a hold-up on another river line at St. Waast-la-Vallée in front. The advanced guard had not succeeded in taking this in its stride, and an attack was therefore arranged for November 7 at 6 a.m.

The 17th Brigade were to take St. Waast and stop there, and the 72nd Brigade were to advance through them and take up the advanced guard work. At 4 a.m. on the 7th we left Wargnies, and our Battalion remained the advanced guard of the Brigade for the rest of the war.

So little news had penetrated through to us that we had no idea as we marched off in the pitch blackness of that November morning that we were in the last days of the war. We had begun to feel that we should advance on and on to the Meuse, then to the Rhine, then across the Rhine, and then anywhere—to Berlin perhaps. The idea of an armistice had never occurred to us. The village of St. Waast was found to be evacuated by the enemy, and we passed through the Rifle Brigade on to the high ground running north-west from Bavai. The Guards entered Bavai from the south at the same time, and we continued our advance during the day to positions some 2,000 yards east of Bavai. Here we were met by very heavy machine-gun fire, and any advance beyond this line was found to be impossible, and we therefore dug in for the night and pushed patrols forward. Strenuous efforts were made by these patrols during the night to cut out some of the enemy’s machine-gun positions, but he maintained a very heavy fire throughout the night from positions which had obviously been carefully chosen beforehand, and dug by the unfortunate French civilians of the district. Lieut. H. R. Smith and 2nd Lieut. Everson were killed at St. Waast at the commencement of the advance.

At Bavai on this day and the next we attached to ourselves various units, some officially sent to us, some found by the wayside. In this way our Battalion for the rest of the war became a small field force, complete in almost every branch of the service. The force consisted of:

8th Royal West Kent Regiment (ourselves), 6th Dragoon Guards (found at Bavai, and glad to come along with us), one section of 18-pounder guns (sent to us officially), one section of 4·5-inch howitzers (found, and keen to remain with us), two sections machine gunners (sent to us officially), one section Stokes Mortar Battery (sent to us officially), one section 6-inch Newtons, under command of our old friend Lieut. Bennett of Hargicourt days. He had brought up his section complete, looking for work, and was delighted to come with us. How all these units were fed during these last days remains a mystery, but we had a splendid time together, and we certainly did not starve.

At 6 a.m. on Friday, November 8, we continued the advance with the North Staffordshire Regiment on our right. The 6th Dragoon Guards did our scouting for us during the whole day, and fairly cleared the ground of the enemy.

By 2 p.m. we had advanced 7,000 yards or more over difficult wooded country. It was great fun, but very tiring. The work of the junior N.C.O.s was particularly good. A lance-corporal with his section of six men would constantly find himself advancing entirely out of sight of the sections on either side. As far as possible we had provided every section commander with a sketch map, and the way they kept direction was really splendid.

On a line some 3,000 yards west of Feignies Station and the village of La Rolies the enemy was again found in very strong positions, and very heavy machine-gun fire was again encountered.

We got up the 6-inch Newtons and the Stokes, and these, with the assistance of the 18-pounders and the 4·5-inch howitzers, shot up the likely places for machine guns. We dislodged a number, and the civilians at La Rolies next day told us of casualties being carried through the village during the night. We advanced a little further before nightfall, and then found ourselves fairly up against it. The enemy machine gunners evidently had instructions to get rid of all their ammunition, and they shot almost without ceasing and made the work of our patrols very difficult. It was bitterly cold, and every man in the Battalion was absolutely beat. We had received orders during the day that we were to stop at night, and other troops would pass through us to take up the chase next day. We had therefore put absolutely every ounce we knew into it that day.

Then at 11 o’clock at night our Commanding Officer was called to Brigade Headquarters to a council of war, in which orders were read to the effect that the 72nd Brigade would continue the advance, and the 8th Royal West Kent Regiment would again lead the advanced guard. It is reported that our colonel, who was almost asleep in his chair, on hearing the orders, uttered two words, “Good God!” and fell asleep with his head on his hands. This was Gen. Morgan’s story, and it was vouched for staunchly by his staff afterwards, but we can hardly believe it. Still it gives some idea of the fatigue which had almost overcome everyone of us on this night of November 8. The pace had been very hot indeed for nearly a week, and on this last day, believing it to be our final go for a time, we had put in that extra spurt which had left us pretty limp.

So on November 9 we were to take Feignies Station and the village of La Rolies, stop there, and let the rest of the Brigade—and we hoped the rest of the British Army—pass through us.

Col. Wenyon tells us that he was most distracted when he got back from that Brigade Conference. He did not know if the men could march the two and half miles to Feignies Station, and, if they could, they certainly could not be expected to fight much, and there was a nasty looking embanked railway to cross.

It was decided finally that the patrols which were out already should be instructed to push on immediately it was light and find out whether there was likely to be a fight. A message was sent to our friends the Cavalry, who were only too pleased to assist. So soon after dawn the mounted men set off. Two platoons, one from D Company, under Lieut. Gedge, one from B Company, under Lieut. Michie, continued the advance they had made during the night, followed by our Commanding Officer and his groom. It was a close finish. The Cavalry men just got there first. Lieut. Gedge, unshaven and dirty, looking like a backwoodsman, was just extricating himself from his tenth embrace by the worthies of the village of La Rolies, when Col. Wenyon arrived. Flags began to flutter from the windows, gallons of coffee were brought out in small cups from every house in the village, and a rusty old gramophone began to play the Marseillaise—the first time for over four years. The enemy had left on bicycles a few minutes before we got there! Our cavalry friends were after them, and got a few later on. Message was at once sent back to the rest of the Battalion that all was well, and they could come quietly up into billets. During the next two hours they all arrived, and were received with the greatest jubilation on all sides. Coffee was poured down throats, cauldrons of hot water were produced, and sore feet and aching limbs were washed and bathed in a most reverent manner by the admiring civilians. Battalion Headquarters was established in the Hôtel du Nord, opposite the demolished station. The rusty gramophone continued to play the Marseillaise all day, the village ladies donned such finery as they had left to them, and strutted the village street, trumpets were blown, more flags were produced, and with laughter and tears the men and women of that little village passed from war to peace. These people had seen the first great onrush of the German Army in 1914—for Maubeuge was only a stone’s throw away—they had borne the German tyranny over four years, the railway station had been burnt to the ground during the last week, and now, almost before the hated enemy had beaten it out of the village, _voila les Anglais—et liberté_.

So ended the fighting of our Battalion in the Great War. That night we heard of the abdication of the Kaiser and the offer of the Armistice.

We slept long and comfortably, almost every man in a proper bed. We began to feel somehow that this was the end. It was more than a trifle disappointing to the soldier in the field of course. We wanted to see the German Army, if not annihilated, at least squarely beaten in a fight. And it looked as though he was to get away without his whipping.

If this was _not_ the end, we were ready to take up the chase again, and run after the Hun to the end of the world; if it _was_ the end, we had a notion that in our small corner of this world-wide four years’ struggle we had tried to do our job.

CAMBRAI TO MAUBEUGE.

_To illustrate the Final Advance. Phase IX._
]

[_Reproduced by permission of the Geographical Section, General
Staff._
]

We must mention that at Feignies Station on this last day we captured an enemy minenwerfer factory complete. It was an enormous place, with sufficient ammunition to blow up most of the German Army, and we think we are probably safe in saying the most valuable single capture made in a single day by any battalion in the war. It was a pity it could not have been captured years earlier.

During the whole of this final advance from Niergnies to the Mons—Maubeuge road the 24th Division advanced during the six weeks a distance of fifty miles. During the last three days, from Wargnies-le-Grand to Feignies, our Battalion led the advanced guard over seventeen miles.

During the six weeks the Battalion captured 250 prisoners, two field guns, three tanks, one enemy minenwerfer factory, and large numbers of dumps of all kinds.

Our casualties were 9 officers and 48 other ranks killed or died of wounds, and 5 officers and 113 other ranks wounded.

PHASE X
FROM THE ARMISTICE TO THE DISBANDING OF THE CADRE
_November 1918–June 1919_

The early morning of November 11 found the Battalion still at La Rolies, under the command of Maj. R. G. Rogers, the Commanding Officer and 2nd-in-command both being on leave. At 5 a.m. on that date, what was to be the final march back from the forward area was commenced, and the Battalion passed through Bavai to Pissotiau, a distance of some seven miles. On the route the news of the signing of the Armistice was read by a D.A.P.M. Passing Bavai Station a group of A.S.C. men asked what the cheering was about, and were told by one of our men that the infantry in the line were tired out and were being relieved by the A.S.C.

The billets at Pissotiau were very bad and overcrowded, and it is small wonder that the news of the cessation of hostilities, which arrived about 1 p.m., evoked no great enthusiasm. To make matters worse, there was no beer or other suitable beverage with which to celebrate it. There is a rumour that one officer found a partially filled rum jar and had a small celebration all to himself, but we take no responsibility for the story, and give it for what it is worth.

The following day the accommodation was slightly improved. The inhabitants gave us a warm welcome, and were in no way to blame for our discomforts.

The ordinary routine of life out of the line was carried on, including on the 13th a much-needed visit to the baths and an issue of clean clothing. On the 14th a thanksgiving service was held for the cessation of hostilities.

On the 17th we left Pissotiau without regret, and marched, hoping for better billets, about eleven miles to Sepmeries, but found them very nearly as bad as those we left. The weather for some days had been extremely cold, and the Battalion had little cause to enthuse over its first few days of peace.

On the 18th the march was continued to Lourches, where good billets were found and much appreciated. As the crow flies, the distance between Sepmeries and Lourches is about eleven miles, but many roads were impassable on account of destroyed bridges, and the distance covered was very much greater. In addition to other discomforts, the men’s boots were in very bad condition, as there had been no fresh issue since the heavy work of the final advance.

The next day a further move, this time quite short, was made to Bruille.

Throughout the march the most noticeable thing was the large number of French refugees returning from the occupied territory.

All British and French lorries travelling in a westerly direction were full of them, and they were making their own way in streams along each of the main roads, getting a lift here or there from a staff car, lorry, or transport wagon, and then struggling bravely on on foot, many bootless and still more hungry.

On November 20 Maj. Brown arrived back from leave and took over command, and a couple of days later Maj. Rogers went into hospital with trench fever and did not rejoin us. He commanded B Company for nearly nine months, and was a most successful company commander, very reliable and extremely thorough. Lieut. H. G. Michie took over the company for a few weeks, and then Capt. A. Drumgold, D.S.O., was transferred from C Company to command permanently. A few days previously, Capt. C. F. Penton, who commanded D Company from immediately after the Battle of Loos until he was wounded on the Somme, returned and resumed command of his old company.

On the 21st we moved a couple of miles to Masny in order to get better accommodation, and the march to winter quarters was continued on the 25th to Landas, about ten miles, and again the next day, when we had a short journey to Nomain.

Nomain was a large village which accommodated ourselves and the North Staffords. It was very similar to any other French village of the same size, and afforded fairly comfortable billets without being in any way luxurious. It had the advantage of containing quite a number of passable football grounds, which were, as a rule, very scarce in this part of the world. Each company had its own ground and made full use of it. Boxing and running were also taken in hand, but never attracted the same popularity as football.

Originally we expected to stay at Nomain for a few days only, and then to move on to Tournai, but the troops already there, who were to proceed to Brussels, were delayed from one cause and another, and eventually we only got into Tournai just in time to make arrangements for Christmas.

While at Nomain we twice had lorries to take some of the Battalion over to Lille for a joy ride.

Perhaps the outstanding event of the stay at Nomain was the mock election which was carried on with great enthusiasm for three days. It was at the time of the General Election at home, and, in order to place the issues before the Battalion, the Colonel, who had returned from leave on November 29th, selected five candidates, each of whom had to undertake to stick to the official programme of the party he was to represent. The whole scheme was carried through in the spirit in which it was started, and no attempt was subsequently made to take advantage of the relaxation of certain points of discipline which was necessary during its progress. The candidates were: Coalition, Cpl. Wray; Independent Liberal, Pte. Daft; Labour, Capt. Selfe; Independent (John Bull Party), Lieut. Jackson, and Discharged Soldiers and Sailors, Pte. Airs.

The campaign was started by a general meeting, at which each candidate had ten minutes in which to lay his programme before the constituents, and then ten minutes answering questions, after which each one carried on his campaign separately. The issue soon developed into a fight between Coalition and Labour, and eventually the Labour candidate just got home, largely, we believe, though we may be prejudiced, by frequent allusions to the working-man’s beer.

General Morgan attended one meeting and spoke in favour of the Coalition candidate, who also had the support of Lieut. Fitch, the educational officer; the latter gave an impassioned harangue of three-quarters of an hour in broad Canadian dialect, which should have finally convinced any waverers of the justice of his cause.

There can be no doubt that the great majority of us knew a lot more about the issues before the electors at home at the end of those three days than we did at the beginning. The balloting took place on December 12, and in the evening a Battalion Concert was held in the school building, at which the progress of the count was announced. It was at this concert that the news was received of the award to Lieut. D. J. Dean of the Victoria Cross, won two and half months before. The scene at this announcement has been described in an earlier chapter.

On December 7 His Majesty the King visited Tournai, and eighty-five officers and other ranks were taken by lorry to represent the Battalion on the route from Tournai to Lille.

On December 3 the advanced party, which had been at Tournai since our arrival at Nomain, returned, the move being indefinitely postponed. Only the billeting officer, 2nd Lieut. W. E. W. Thomas, remained to look after our interests. The barracks at which the troops were to be quartered were definitely allotted to the Brigade, but the areas for officers’ billets and messes were not quite so clearly defined, and there was a distinct tendency on the part of the unscrupulous to snatch the best accommodation available. 2nd Lieut. Thomas succeeded quite well in resisting the attempts of these marauders, but even then some of the company messes and billets were not as good as they should have been for times of peace, and on the day of arrival at least one mess had been annexed by a Divisional Office for its junior clerk!

It was at about this time that we heard of the award of the Croix de Guerre by the President of the French Republic to 2nd Lieut. Thomas, for assistance in the evacuation, under heavy fire, of the civil population from Haussy in October. His perfect knowledge of French was frequently of great service to us.

Fresh advanced parties proceeded to Tournai on the 17th, and the Battalion followed the next day, arriving in time for dinners. The town had been evacuated by the Germans without a fight. The outskirts showed signs of some shelling, and the bridges over the Scheldt had been destroyed by the enemy, but the town itself had been very little damaged except for the railway station and its neighbourhood, which showed every sign of the effectiveness of our aerial bombing. The cathedral and the main square seemed to be quite untouched. The population was distinctly friendly, as was usually the case in all districts which had been in the hands of the enemy. All the shops were open, and they had succeeded in collecting very fair stocks.

The barracks consisted of five massive buildings round an open space or barrack square. Each battalion had one of the buildings and a portion of a fourth for its quarters, while the fifth was divided up for use as class-rooms under the educational scheme and for canteens and recreation rooms. We do not doubt that the Germans left the barracks in a state of absolute filth, but at the same time British troops had occupied them for some weeks, and we do not think that there is any excuse for the awful condition in which they were when handed over to us.

It is difficult to see that any effort at all had been made to clear away the rubbish or clean the place generally, and it was in a very similar condition to the billets at Cambrai, which we had taken over direct from the Boches.

Needless to say, we very soon made enormous improvements all round, and in a short time had made the barracks as comfortable as the material available would allow. In the barrack rooms the stoves and windows were repaired, the rubbish cleared, and the whole place scrubbed out; broken bedsteads were repaired where possible, and fresh straw obtained for the palliasses. A sergeants’ mess and company mess rooms were fitted up, and proper storerooms made for the Quartermasters’ stores. The recreation room was taken in hand, furnished comfortably, and a piano obtained; newspapers and periodicals were provided as far as possible, and a lending library started with such books as could be collected or obtained from home. A ping-pong table was put up, and proved a great attraction, and a wet and dry canteen, including a coffee bar, was run in the adjoining room. The star turn was perhaps the barber’s shop, which was fitted up with all modern conveniences, and where one could get a hair cut and shampoo little inferior to those obtainable in the West End of London. The Divisional Commander, when he came round to inspect the barracks, was particularly struck by the barber’s shop, and remarked to the Brigadier, “This is the Battalion to get things done.”

The company officers’ messes and billets were passable. Battalion Headquarters, on the other hand, were most luxuriously housed. 21, Rue de L’Esplanade, was a house containing a “diningroom, two other reception rooms, conservatory lounge, six bedrooms, bath (h. & c.), and usual offices, company’s water, electric light and gas,” and the whole furnished with a comfort which would have done credit to an English home, and which was most unusual for the continent.

At about 6 p.m. on December 21 the alarming report was brought to Battalion Headquarters that the barracks were on fire, but on investigation it proved to be a building in close proximity, part of which was being used as a hospital, and the remainder—the part which was on fire—as billets for the 7th Northants, who had only come into the town and taken up their quarters there that afternoon. The corridor connecting the hospital with the burning building was quickly demolished by volunteers, mainly from the 72nd Brigade, and the former was saved, but the latter was absolutely gutted, in spite of the efforts of the local native fire brigade. It was a large building, and fanned by a good breeze the fire raged fiercely for about three hours, and was quite an impressive sight.

On arrival at Tournai, preparations for Christmas were taken in hand. As far as the dinners were concerned, we had been told that we could rely entirely on the Divisional Canteen, but, fortunately as it turned out, we decided to get what we could on our own, and the only thing which was left was the most important of all—the beer. This we were most solemnly assured would turn up without fail in time for Christmas, but on the morning of the 24th there was still no news of it, and on representations being made to the Brigade, they realised that the matter was serious, and obtained a lorry for each battalion to fetch its own. Lieut. Outram, who went in charge of our lorry, made straight for our old haunts round Bully-Grenay, where he knew all the breweries, and arrived back in the very nick of time with a good supply. It afterwards transpired that the truck containing the Christmas fare for our division got mislaid on the railway. All our company dining-halls were decorated, and the dinners of roast pork and beef, with vegetables, plum pudding, fruit, cigars, and at last the belated beer, were a great success, but tragedy was only just averted. The beer actually did not arrive until the dinners had been in progress for half an hour, and only those who have spent a Christmas on active service will realise what the absence of beer would mean. As usual the officers and sergeants waited at table.

The dinners were followed by equally substantial teas, and a Battalion concert, at which the star turn was a short sketch, written by the Commanding Officer and performed by the officers.

The sketch, entitled “How they spent it,” was most amusing, but, without any aid from the book, the mere sight of the performers in the most ridiculous civil attire, borrowed from the local inhabitants, was enough to send the house into roars of laughter; Mr. Bowen, attired in tall hat and tail coat, both much too small, over khaki trousers, and with a very high collar, was perhaps the funniest of the lot. The principal characters were: an old gentleman, Mr. Fitch; his solicitor, Mr. Thomas; his sisters, Capts. Penton and Mackaskie; his brother-in-law, Mr. Bowen; his niece, Mr. Binney; and his profligate nephew “Archie,” Capt. Drumgold. The acting of the two sisters was really quite clever, and the sketch was received with shouts of merriment which drowned a good deal of the dialogue.

On Boxing Day, in vile foggy weather and in a sea of mud, the rest of the Battalion beat the officers at football by 3–1. It was a very poor match on account of the weather conditions, but was designed mainly to work off the effects of Christmas, and was partially successful.

The great thing in these days was education. Lieut. Fitch, who was appointed educational officer, carried out his duties with the greatest enthusiasm and energy, and made the scheme a success in the face of many difficulties. It was decided that the only practical way of running the scheme was to make the platoon the unit, and the platoon commander responsible for the education of his command just as he was for its military training. The educational officer is to be congratulated on the results. The scheme of education by platoons was originated in our Battalion, and afterwards adopted throughout the Division.

In connection with the educational scheme, a Dramatic Society was formed. This was quite voluntary, and attracted many members, who met in the evenings for the purpose of reading Shakespearean or other plays. The members were divided into groups, and each group chose its own play. One of the groups intended producing an abridged version of “Julius Cæsar,” but the order for a large draft to proceed to the Rhine cut short the project.

A special group was formed for the production of Arnold Bennett’s Comedy, “The Title,” which was having an excellent run at the Royalty Theatre in London. Lieut. Fitch wrote to Mr. Arnold Bennett, who gave permission for the production of the play, provided that any proceeds went to charity, and who also sent us a copy of the book.

The reading and rehearsing of the piece was commenced on December 30, and lasted for nearly five weeks, during which a great deal of real hard work was put in. Col. Wenyon was producer, and the play was originally cast as follows:

_Mr. Culver_ LIEUT.-COL. H. J. WENYON.

_Mrs. Culver_ LIEUT. B. HIGGINS.

_Hildegarde Culver_ } their { LIEUT. R. C. C. J. BINNEY.

_John Culver_ } children { LIEUT. F. C. M. CHAUNCY.

_Tranto_ MAJ. H. S. BROWN.

_Miss Starkey_ LIEUT. J. E. JORDAN.

_Sampson Straight_ LIEUT. W. E. W. THOMAS.

_Parlour Maid_ LIEUT. H. R. JAMES.

Two changes had subsequently to be made, which caused a considerable set-back in the progress of rehearsals. Maj. Brown left early in January to attend a course at Aldershot, and Lieut. Thomas was claimed by the Brigadier for an important part in the revue being produced by the Brigade Concert Party. Lieut. E. O. Goulden took over the part of Tranto, and Capt. J. H. Selfe succeeded Lieut. Thomas as Sampson Straight.

The play was produced in the salons at Battalion Headquarters, 21, Rue de L’Esplanade, on the evenings of February 1, 3, and 4, 1919.

The production was a great success, and well repaid the thoroughness of the work which was given to it. The whole of the cast did well, the best performances being perhaps by Col. Wenyon and Lieut. Chauncy.

On the first night most of the battalions and other units in the Division were represented in the audience; the second performance was attended by the Divisional and Brigade Commanders and their staffs, and the third performance, which was followed by a dance, was honoured with the presence of the nurses from the British Hospital.

Another dramatic effort was the revue produced at the Tournai Theatre, under the personal direction of Gen. Morgan, by the Brigade Concert Party, and called “Harem Scarem,” or “The Sultry Sultana.” It was originally intended as a Christmas entertainment, but did not appear until much later. The delay was partly caused by the funny man, a really excellent low comedian, carrying his humour to the point of getting himself demobilised without warning when at home on special leave to procure properties for the production. As he had one of the longest parts, and rehearsals were at the time well advanced, his behaviour caused a serious set-back, and 2nd Lieut. W. E. W. Thomas was roped in by the General to deputise. In the first act, which represented Diogenes and the Tub, Gen. Morgan himself appeared most successfully as Diogenes.

As was to be expected with a production under Gen. Morgan, the revue was very well staged, and had a successful two weeks’ run.

The Divisional Concert Party also appeared at the theatre, and there were cinema shows in the town to help the troops pass their evenings. Dancing became very popular with many of the officers, C Company being pioneers in this respect.

In the earlier stages of the stay at Tournai, training and other work continued very much as usual, except for the substitution of education for military training during a portion of the time available, but as demobilisation advanced and demands for working parties increased, the number of men available for parade gradually diminished, and after a time every man had to be used on some form of employment or fatigue.

So much looting from supply trains had been going on, that D Company was permanently billeted in the vicinity of the station for the purpose of picketing all trains that came in.

Football was, of course, the principal sport. On arrival we had the usual difficulty in finding a suitable ground, but we eventually secured one on the outskirts of the town some little way from the barracks, which, after sundry shell-holes had been filled in and turfed, proved to be extremely useful. An inter-platoon competition was held in the Battalion, an inter-company competition in the Brigade, and an inter-unit competition within the Division. Our Battalion team was a very useful one. Coy.-Quartermaster Sergt. Judd in goal, Sergt. Scott at centre-forward, and the Medical Officer, Capt. Frier, among the half-backs being perhaps the most prominent. In the divisional competition we were beaten in the semi-final by the attached army brigade of artillery, who were a very hot lot, and who, we believe we are right in saying, eventually won the competition.

The Company Competition was never finished, and the final of the Platoon Competition between (we believe) Nos. 1 and 13 Platoons ended in a draw and was never replayed.

Joy rides by motor-lorry became fairly frequent in the later stages at Tournai. Sometimes these meant a visit to Lille, and at others a trip to some part of the old battlefields at which the Battalion had fought, and they included visits to the Salient, the Lens area, the Somme, and a round trip via Cambrai, Awoingt, Haussy, and Hargicourt to St. Quentin, and back along the route of the March Retreat to Amiens.

Demobilisation commenced on Jan. 2, and went on steadily until the end of February. In January 113 other ranks were demobilised, and in February four officers and 221 other ranks. On February 6 a warning order was received for ten officers and 200 other ranks to be prepared to join the 10th Battalion in the Army of Occupation on the Rhine, and on February 25 the four-company system was abandoned and the Battalion was reorganised into a draft company under Capt. Penton, and a cadre company under Capt. Thompson. By the end of February demobilisation was temporarily complete.

On March 2 five riding horses were transferred to the 9th East Surreys, who were joining the Rhine Army, fifteen other animals went off by train for demobilisation, and a further five left to be sold locally; the next day a further fifteen were demobilised.

A spell of very cold weather was experienced at Tournai, starting with a heavy snowfall on January 26 and 27, and the snow did not finally disappear until February 17.

On February 21 the ceremony of the presentation of the King’s Colour took place, and to enable the Battalion to practise the necessary ceremonial all our duties were taken over by the 3rd Rifle Brigade from the 16th to the 22nd.

The ceremony took place on the Champs de Manouvres, and the troops on parade were the 9th Battalion East Surrey Regiment, the 8th Battalion The Queen’s Own (Royal West Kent Regiment), under the command of Capt. C. F. Penton (Lieut.-Col. H. J. Wenyon, D.S.O., being unfortunately unable to attend), and the 12th Battalion Sherwood Foresters, the parade being under the command of Brig.-Gen. R. W. Morgan, C.M.G., D.S.O. The presentation was to be have been made by the Army Commander, Gen. Sir Henry Horne, K.C.B., K.C.M.G., but he was unfortunately indisposed, and deputed Lieut.-Gen. Sir Arthur Holland, K.C.B., D.S.O., commanding 1st Corps, to take his place.

The Brigade was drawn up on three sides of a square, with the Queen’s Own in the centre. The weather, which had been very wet during the night and early morning, was brilliantly fine at 11 a.m. when Sir Arthur Holland arrived, accompanied by Maj.-Gen. A. C. Daly, C.B., Commanding 24th Division and the Corps and Divisional Staffs.

The Corps Commander was received with the General Salute, and the consecration service then commenced. On its conclusion the Colours were handed to the Presenting Officer by the Seconds-in-Command, and were received from him by the Senior Subalterns kneeling on the right knee. Capt. F. Proctor was acting as our 2nd-in-command, and the senior subaltern was Lieut. E. O. Goulden, M.C. The Colours were then marched to their battalions, and received with the Royal Salute.

The Presenting Officer then addressed the parade as follows:

“Brig.-Gen. Morgan, Officers, Warrant Officers, Non-Commissioned Officers, and Men of the 72nd Infantry Brigade. The first thing I have to do is to apologise for the absence of the Army Commander. He had fully intended to come, and had been looking forward to the privilege of presenting these colours, but I am sorry to say he is unwell, and consequently has been unable to come. I have, therefore, the privilege of being here in his place, and the honour of presenting the King’s Colour to the battalions now on parade, an honour enhanced in this case by the fact that the presentation takes place at the moment of victory, and to battalions which have fought in this the greatest war in the history of the British Empire.

“The Colours which I have entrusted to your keeping are the symbols of your allegiance to your King and to your Country, and as such they will, I know full well, be honoured and guarded by you on all occasions and at any price, and that you by your deeds and by your conduct will worthily uphold the glorious traditions of your regiments, not only in war, but equally in peace. I want you to remember that the trials which will face you in peace are as great and more insidious than the trials which you have so heroically overcome during this war, but if, when you return to civil life, you face these trials with the same loyalty, steadfastness, and self-sacrifice which have been the mainsprings of your actions and the foundations of your success out here, then I am convinced that no stain will be placed on the fair fame of your regiments by any act of yours.

“The 72nd Infantry Brigade has a magnificent record throughout this war. It first fought at Loos in 1915, after a long and trying march up from the Coast. It was next engaged in the attack on Guillemont and in the heroic defence of Delville Wood. It was then transferred to the 1st Corps, and performed fine service during the Vimy Ridge operations, when just prior to the attack it held the Canadian assault trenches, and endured with the utmost steadiness the brunt of the German artillery counter-preparation. The Brigade then moved north, and took a distinguished part in the Battle of Messines and in the Third Battle of Ypres. In the Great German Offensive of 1918, the 72nd Infantry Brigade played a glorious part, holding up many overwhelming attacks, and by its courage and fighting spirit saving the situation on many occasions.

“To such gallant battalions I, with absolute confidence, entrust these Colours in the name of His Majesty the King, asking you to remember that, as they represent all that is most glorious in the past history of your regiments, so they must be an inspiration enabling you to add to your Country’s glory in the future.”

Brig.-Gen. Morgan, in a brief speech of thanks, said:

“Sir,—In the name of the 72nd Infantry Brigade, and on behalf of the battalions on parade to-day, I beg to thank you for the honour done to them in the presentation of Colours, and for the reference to their services in your address. These battalions are justly proud of their record in the war, and, speaking for myself, I have always found it a very great honour to have them under my command.

“All may soon cease to exist as units, but the Colours will remain as a lasting symbol of their loyalty and devotion to His Majesty; and, should it ever be found necessary to reform the battalions, the flags which you have just presented to them will form a rallying-point round which will again be displayed that lofty sense of duty, comradeship, and devotion which has ever distinguished the 9th Battalion East Surrey Regiment, the 8th Battalion Royal West Kent Regiment, and the 12th Battalion Sherwood Foresters.”

Battalions then moved to the Saluting Base, and marched past, after which the Brigade formed up in line, advanced in Review Order, and gave a General Salute.

Sir Arthur Holland congratulated all ranks on their turn-out and steadiness in the ranks. The parade was then dismissed.

On March 4 the 9th East Surrey Regiment, which had been with the Brigade since its formation in September 1914, left to join the Rhine Army.

On March 5 orders were received for the reduction of the establishment to Cadre A, and on March 16 four officers and two other ranks were demobilised, followed on the 30th by one officer and nineteen other ranks.

The draft for the 10th Battalion left on March 17, and consisted of Capt. Drumgold, Lieuts. James, Bowen, Binney, and Beynes, and 131 other ranks. Capt. Penton, Lieuts. Brunger, Jackson, Gibbons, and Smith, with the balance of the men, proceeded to the Rhine on their return from leave. Lieuts. Gobell, Herd, and Lane, with twenty-nine other ranks, also went to the 10th Battalion on April 10, and a further ten other ranks on the 22nd. Three officers were demobilised on April 16, and twelve other ranks on April 24, and this practically reduced the Battalion to the revised establishment for the permanent Cadre.

Before leaving Tournai a farewell ball was given by the N.C.O.s of the 72nd Infantry Brigade to the inhabitants of the town. It was a great success, and nearly all the officers and N.C.O.s of the Brigade were present during the evening, the Brigadier, with a fair Tournaisienne, leading the grand march at the commencement of the second half of the programme.

On March 21 the barracks were evacuated, as Belgian troops were coming in, and the men were billeted in the Chaussée de Lille, Battalion Headquarters remaining at 21, Rue de L’Esplanade.

On March 26 the Cadre, less the transport who followed on the 28th, left Tournai and took up its quarters at Lamain, a village four miles west of the town, just off the main road to Lille. Lamain was a straggling and thoroughly rustic village, and the men were quite comfortably billeted by twos and threes about the farm-houses. The stay at Tournai had been very pleasant, and at first the troops did not much like the change to a rural life, but they soon settled down.

Joy rides by motor-lorry continued, one of these from Lamain being a three-day trip to Ostende, Zeebrugge, Bruges, and Blenkenberg. On the return journey the lorry broke down at Pithem, a village with no accommodation and some miles from anywhere. The station-master, on being approached, said that he knew a hotel proprietor in the next town who would be delighted to put up the party, and wired to this worthy to be prepared to receive them. On arrival they found the place, including the hotel, to be in ruins, but no British troops had previously been seen there, and their arrival was looked upon as a great event. Mine host, with many apologies for the circumstances which made it impossible to provide each visitor with a separate apartment, proceeded to do them very well indeed, and parted from them next day with many protestations of eternal friendship. The railway officials insisted on giving the whole party a free warrant home, and so the trip ended very satisfactorily.

This practically concludes the history of the Battalion overseas. The Cadre finally left Lamain for home, entraining at Baisieux in two parties on June 2 and 3. Lieut.-Col. Wenyon went home on leave separately, and Capt. Proctor was in command, the other officers being Capt. Mackaskie, the adjutant, 2nd Lieut. George, and Lieut, and Quartermaster Green, with Regt.-Quartermaster-Sergt. Dunk and some thirty-five other ranks. The party embarked at Antwerp on the 6th, and reached Tilbury on the morning of the 7th, after a fine crossing. They immediately proceeded by train to Prees Heath, near Whitchurch, in Shropshire, where Lieut.-Col. Wenyon rejoined, and there the transport was handed in and the whole Battalion finally demobilised.

A word here will not be out of place on the services to the Battalion of Lieut.-Col. H. J. Wenyon, D.S.O. He joined the Battalion as a platoon commander immediately after the Battle of Loos, and succeeded Capt. Wood in command of A Company at the end of May 1916. After six months attached to the staff he returned as 2nd-in-command in August 1917, and assumed the command on the departure of Lieut.-Col. N. I. Whitty, D.S.O., in December 1917, and continued to hold it until the disbanding of the Cadre in June 1919. His period of command included, in addition to the trench warfare in the devastated area in the early part of 1918 and at Lens in the summer, the fifteen days’ continuous fighting which started with the great enemy attack on March 21, and also the final advance from Cambrai in October and November. In both these battles the success with which the Battalion fought was largely due to the untiring energy and splendid example of the Commanding Officer. He earned the D.S.O. at Inverness Copse in September 1917, and a bar to it for his great work during the March Retreat, and was subsequently awarded the Ordre de la Couronne and the Croix de Guerre by the King of the Belgians. Whatever he undertook, he carried through with a determination and energy which communicated itself to all ranks under him, and because he expected nothing but the best from everyone, he got the best.

It would be possible here to mention the names and services of many officers, warrant officers, N.C.O.s, and men which have not been specifically mentioned in this narrative, but if the list were once commenced, it would be difficult to know where to stop, and the inclusion of some names and exclusion of others might appear invidious. We feel, however, that the mention of two names will not be out of place.

Regt.-Sergt.-Maj. F. Greenaway, D.C.M., who came out with the Battalion as a L.-Sergeant, continued (with one break of a few months during which he was at home on the sick list) to serve with it until after the Armistice. He did most gallant work on the Somme, and was awarded the D.C.M. for bravery during the Ypres fighting of 1917. He was a most popular Company-Sergeant-Major of A Company for over a year, and took up the duties of Regimental-Sergeant-Major when Regt.-Sergt.-Maj. Rankin was killed in May 1918.

Sergt. William Carr, M.S.M., also came out with the Battalion, and he never left it except for periods of short leave until he was demobilised in January 1919. He took over the duties of Orderly Room clerk immediately after the Battle of Loos, and was from then onwards a great mainstay to many successive adjutants. He knew the regimental number, name, initials, and history of nearly every man who ever served with the Battalion. On receiving a query from the Record Office _re_ one, say, Pte. Jones, the Adjutant would inquire if Sergt. Carr remembered him, and the reply would probably be, “Yes, sir, No. 4286 Pte. Jones, P. He joined us at Messines, and was transferred to the Labour Corps when we were at Hulluch.” A lion for work, he never spared himself under any circumstances, and his services to the Battalion can hardly be estimated. His Meritorious Service Medal was a very well-earned decoration.

The last act before the final demobilisation of the Cadre was the escorting of the King’s Colour to the Regimental Depot at Maidstone on June 14, 1919.

The journey of the escort party of Non-Commissioned Officers, under the command of 2nd Lieut. F. H. George, M.M., was made with very little ceremony, and was unknown to all but a very few of the thousands who had served with the Battalion. Yet it was an important event, for at the moment when the King’s Colour was finally handed over at Maidstone, the 8th Battalion The Queen’s Own (Royal West Kent Regiment) was disbanded—as a military unit. Officers and men who had served with and loved the Battalion had marched out into their new walks of life, and were scattered through the length and breadth of the country and throughout the Empire. Yet among these thousands there is not one who does not feel that with its disbanding the Battalion has completed only its first great task, and that other duties lie ahead which will still test its powers to the utmost. In the war the real strength of a battalion could be gauged from the conduct of its men when detached from their unit. During the final advance some of the greatest work of all was that done by isolated parties of young soldiers under the command of junior non-commissioned officers, working often for many hours on difficult patrol work, without any possibility either of keeping touch with their comrades or of being directed or observed by their superior officers.

Now in the difficult days of peace there are isolated posts in all corners of the world being attacked, consolidated, and held by small parties of our old Battalion. The qualities of endurance, loyalty, steadfastness, and self-sacrifice which enabled the Battalion to work together as one man during the fighting in France, will still weld together the detached units and maintain the Battalion as a living force in the world for all time. Should it ever be found necessary to reform the Battalion as a military unit, the King’s Colour will, in the words of Gen. Morgan, previously quoted, “form a rallying-point round which will again be displayed that lofty sense of duty, comradeship, and devotion which has ever distinguished the 8th Battalion The Queen’s Own (Royal West Kent Regiment).”

APPENDIX