Chapter XLIII: The Reconstituted Battalion

The first step towards securing the future of the Battalion may be said to have been taken when friends of the Regiment in 1918 approached authority with a view to the Prince of Wales assuming the Honorary Colonelcy, so long held by his grandfather, but it had been considered advisable to wait the termination of hostilities. In 1919, however, a letter was received from the Controller to his Royal Highness, stating that the Prince of Wales would accept the position. The appointment which followed in due course was received with unbounded delight in the Regiment.

Many months of delay on the part of the Army Council in forming their post-war policy in regard to the Territorial Force had a most deleterious effect, and thus when the task of reconstituting the Regiment was commenced many difficulties were experienced, the bands of comradeship had loosened, and there was a marked disinclination among the greater part of those who had worn khaki for so long in war to put it on again in peace, whilst the absence of a “young entry” into H.M. Civil Service destroyed our main source of recruits.

The command of the Regiment was offered to Major Viscount Bury, M.C., Special Reserve Scots Guards, who accepted and was appointed Lieutenant-Colonel in February, 1920. He was thus the third of his name to have the honour of commanding the Regiment. A letter was received on behalf of Lord Grenfell, Colonel of the King’s Royal Rifle Corps, pointing out that during the war the Civil Service Rifles, among other battalions, had been affiliated by Army Council instructions to the regiment of which he was Chief, and requesting that the feeling of the Regiment as to the continuance of the connection should be made known to him in reply. Answer was accordingly made that though the Regiment highly appreciated the honour of having been linked to the tradition of so distinguished a Corps, yet they now felt that they would like to stand on the merits of their war record rather than to shelter under the magnificent reputation in the making of which they had not taken part. It was added that the Regiment had for years carried out line drill and had only for a short period drilled as riflemen.

The Commanding Officer was fortunate in securing as Adjutant, Captain (Brevet Major) W. H. Ramsbotham of the West Yorkshire Regiment (Prince of Wales’s Own). He also applied successfully to the Coldstream Guards for a Regimental Sergeant-Major in the person of C.S.M. Stevens, D.C.M., and later, through the instrumentality of General Jeffreys, two Sergeant Instructors were obtained from the same regiment. Captain A. A. Joslin was appointed Quartermaster, a position he held in the Second Battalion throughout the war. Captain A. E. Evans, R.A.M.C., who had served in that capacity with the 1st Battalion in France, was appointed Medical Officer. The following Officers and N.C.O.’s were appointed to the various companies:--

“A” Company.--Major H. F. M. Warne, Captain G. E. Thompson,
D.S.O., Lieutenant F. W. Hounsell, C.S.M. Hyder, C.Q.M.S.
Lewis, M.M.

“B” Company.--Captain R. J. S. Gold, Captain P. Davenport,
M.C., Lieutenants S. A. Seys, M.C., J. L. Hutchison, M.C.,
C.S.M. Torbell, C.Q.M.S. F. Trout.

“C” Company.--Captain L. D. Eccles, Captain H. M. Blomfield,
(from 5th Buffs), Lieutenant P. E. Beddow, Second-Lieutenant
J. S. Oldcorn, D.C.M., C.Q.M.S. Ibbett, M.M., and Sergeant
(A/C.S.M.) A. C. Ridlington, M.C.

“D” Company.--Captain T. N. Sharratt, Lieutenant W. D. Hooper,
Lieutenant P. H. Hall, C.S.M. Callingham, C.Q.M.S. Sale.

Recruiting started slowly and by midsummer some eighty members had joined, to which number was added the Band of twenty-four members, under Band-Sergeant H. W. Blackmore. The Band had all served in this capacity on the Western Front with the 1st Battalion.

It was felt that there was no better way of influencing recruiting than by reviving the Annual Midsummer Camp. This battalion, alone of the 2nd London Division, was fortunate in obtaining leave for this, and a contingent of the Regiment, under command of Major Warne, spent a happy fortnight at St. Martin’s Plain, Shorncliffe. R.S.M. Stevens at this camp earned the commendation of the G.O.C. London District, General Jeffreys, for the remarkable progress made by recruits under his zealous teaching.

After camp recruiting began to quicken in pace. The Sergeants’ Mess was re-established. The custom of holding two yearly dinners of the Officers’ Mess had been revived, and the first of these was held in November. Among the guests was the newly-appointed Commander of the 4th (Grey) London Infantry Brigade, Colonel F. G. Lewis. Subsequently, H.R.H. the Prince of Wales was approached and he honoured the Regiment by attending the Mess Dinner held in the Alexandra Room of the Trocadero on the 4th April, 1921. There were also present Sir Warren Fisher, K.C.B. (Secretary to Treasury); Sir Henry Gibson (Auditor-General); Major-General Jeffreys (G.O.C. London District); Sir Neville Smyth, V.C. (G.O.C. 47th (2nd London) Division); Colonel F. G. Lewis, Holland Martin, Esq., C.B.E. (Chairman County of London Territorial Force Association); and many old commanding officers of the Regiment, including Colonel A. M. Renny, Lieutenant-Colonel Segrave, Lieutenant-Colonel R. Fielding, Lieutenant-Colonel W. F. K. Newson, Lieutenant-Colonel A. W. Gaze, Colonel R. G. Hayes, T.D., Major A. C. H. Benké, Sir John Lithiby and Sir Charles Walker, K.C.B.

A third dinner, held in November, 1921, at the Civil Service Rifles’ Club, was honoured by the attendance of Lieutenant-General Sir Francis Lloyd, G.C.V.O., who in an admirable speech gave encouragement to those who are working hard for the continued existence and future of their Regiment.

During the time which had elapsed since the Armistice, the activities of the Regiment had been kept well in the public view. The Regiment had taken part in the processional march of the London troops in 1919, when the representatives of the 1st and 2nd Battalions were led respectively by Lieutenant-Colonel Feilding and Lieutenant-Colonel Gaze; at the unveiling by the Duke of York of the memorial to London troops erected in front of the Royal Exchange, and on the occasion of the presentation of colours to battalions of the 56th Division at the Horse Guards’ Parade by H.R.H. Princess Mary it had helped, in company with other troops of the 47th Division, to line the parade ground. The Regiment also sent detachments to the unveiling of the memorial to King Edward VII, and also to the unveiling of the memorial to those men of the Post Office (many of whom served in the Regiment) who fell in the late war.

At Easter, 1921, the pre-war custom of a visit to the Guards Depot at Caterham was revived, and over 100 other ranks received the traditional hospitality and welcome from all ranks of the Depot. This was a great success and had much influence on recruiting. After this camp great efforts were made by members of the Regiment, and the effects were just beginning to be shown, when an event disastrous to the Regiment, as far as recruiting was concerned, occurred. For the month previous to April, 1921, recruits had been coming in at the rate of twelve to fifteen per week, and had that rate of increase been maintained a satisfactory increase of strength would have been seen by midsummer. In April, 1921, the Defence Force was formed. Members of H.M. Civil Service were forbidden to join. The Headquarters Staff were taken away and Headquarters given up to a force which had nothing in common with the Regiment. With the exception of shooting, all its activities were suspended. For over three months this state of affairs continued and had a blighting effect on the regimental prosperity. The other regiments of the Division on the disbandment of the Defence Force secured a large number of recruits from those who had served in the Defence Unit bearing their names, whilst the Civil Service Rifles, through no fault of their own, lost not only those who would have joined had not the Defence Force been formed, but received merely a few individuals as recruits from among all those who had enlisted in the Defence Force. In spite of these difficulties the task was resumed. The Regimental Shooting Programme, seriously curtailed, was carried out, while in July, 1921, at the first post-war camp of the Grey Brigade at Shorncliffe, over 200 other ranks attended. The Regiment there maintained its reputation for efficiency, and the Battalion signallers under Sergeant Maddocks earned commendation by the Inspecting Officer of being the best trained signallers in the Division, whilst the band by their excellent performances on the Leas at Folkestone and in Camp brought themselves into deserved prominence.

In the world of sport the Battalion team reached the semi-final of the Divisional Football Championship, whilst the Civil Service Rifles Harriers gained second place in the Cross Country Championship. The season’s shooting at Bisley was crowned by winning the Middlesex Cup on 10th September, 1921; this cup conferring the primacy for the year on the Regimental team over those from all Territorial units in the six Home Counties. Relative to the winning of this Trophy a letter was received from the Secretary to the Prince of Wales expressing his Royal Highness’s pleasure. Accompanying the letter was a large signed photograph of H.R.H., which, sent as it was on the eve of the departure of H.R.H. on his visit to India gave to all ranks highest gratification as evidence of the support and interest felt for his own Civil Service Rifles by the Prince of Wales.