CHAPTER II

PREPARATION FOR OVERSEAS--BOURLEY CAMP--INKERMAN BARRACKS, WOKING

On arrival at Aldershot we detrained at the military siding and marched off over the switchback road across the edge of Laffan's Plain to Bourley Bottom, some two miles from the town in the direction of Fleet. The camp, which was on the site of one of the usual summer camping grounds, was from the picturesque point of view delightfully situated. It lay in the centre of a ring of low, wooded hills which sheltered it from all wind, and the white tents stood out in pleasing contrast to the surrounding browns and greens of the background. As a place of habitation, however, it could not compare with Gore Street; the canvas was poor, and the general arrangements by no means so modern. Moreover, by its very situation the camp was damp, and in continued bad weather would probably have proved unhealthy. However, we had come there with a purpose--viz., to complete as quickly as possible our military knowledge--and we were in no mood to cavil at details.

From the moment of our arrival we realized that every moment would be precious. A musketry course had to be fired, and the outline of a tactical training programme had already been issued. Musketry commenced on July 17th, two days after arrival, and we fired on alternate days on Cæsar's Camp ranges, hardly a mile away, and on Ash ranges, a good six miles away. As firing was always to commence at 7 a.m. when not prevented by an early morning mist, as frequently happened, we used to rise very early for Ash ranges, and the "butt party" still earlier. Away we would tramp over the rough road to Aldershot, through the silent streets, past the many barracks when "Reveillé" was just sounding, and so out of the town again towards the Fox Hills and our destination at Ash ranges.

Throughout the musketry course the weather was brilliant, but the heat tremendous. Home we would come after a cold ration for lunch, and sing ourselves hoarse as we marched through Aldershot. Many were the comments passed on our singing powers, and truly the men sang well, and marched even better. Our musketry also proved good, and we came out top of our Brigade and second in the Division.

On August 6th Lieutenant-Colonel H. D. Spencely, T.D., Honorary Colonel of the battalion, came and paid us a visit, to our great delight, and we think that he was more than satisfied with what he saw.

We were now embarked on a series of the field operations of which brigade training mainly consists. Each day saw us marching off towards the Long Valley, for ever famous in military annals, there to practise attack formations, advance and rear guards, outposts, fire control, and so forth. Some days we joined battle with the other battalions of the Brigade, one against three or two against two. Norris and Eelmoor Bridges frequently figured somewhere in the scheme of operations, or, again, Cocked Hat Wood or Outridden Copse. Many of the battles were of the most determined description, and casualties were caused, if not by enemy action, at any rate by order of the supervising staff, which consisted frequently of several distinguished soldiers, including General Sir Archibald Hunter, G.O.C.-in-C. Aldershot Command, and Sir Francis Howard, Inspector-General of Troops for overseas. The work was hard and the conditions variable. Sometimes the dust stirred up seemed almost too choking to be endured; at other times one waded through mud and slush well over the boots, to the great detriment of black puttees. Sandy Lane, the euphemistic name for the track to our camp, was notorious for its depth of mud, which the constant passing of vehicles churned up into a paste of most vile consistency.

Many were the amusing incidents of these training days, but one cannot detail them here. Still, they helped us to carry through the long days of strenuous physical exercise.

A pleasant respite, however, was ahead. On August 19th the whole battalion, less a small party left to guard the camp, proceeded to Liverpool for its "last leave," reassembling on August 24th on St. George's Plateau for the return. Great was the enthusiasm that welcomed the battalion and again sent it on its way.

On August 18th fifteen men, too young for foreign service, had been dispatched to the 5th Territorial Force Reserve Battalion K.L.R. at Oswestry, and on August 22nd we said good-bye to nine more machine gunners who were transferred to Grantham. Moreover, a light trench mortar battery was in course of formation in each brigade, and to this we contributed Lieutenant H. E. Barrow to command, 2nd-Lieutenant D. G. Leonard, and twenty-three men. The battery proceeded on September 3rd to Pirbright, returning again after some range practice on September 10th, when they occupied a corner of our camp. Later in September they finally left us for Pirbright, and we saw them no more till we met in the trenches in France.

Another important part of our training took place in the trenches constructed in the vicinity of the Foresters Public-House (or "P.H.," as the maps described it, and as, in fact, it was generally called), which was situated about two miles north of our camp on the far side of the race-course. Here an elaborate set of trenches had been dug, and these the battalions occupied in turn for varying periods not exceeding thirty-six hours, relieving each other in the approved fashion, and carrying on in the trenches as far as possible as they would do in France. An enemy was generally provided in the enemy front line opposite, and silent raids occurred at uncertain intervals. Major Geddes, the Brigade Major, and 2nd-Lieutenant Bevir, the Brigade Bombing Officer, even worked a gas attack on us; but as the sentry thought it was only smoke from an adjacent rubbish destructor the efforts of our enthusiastic staff fell somewhat flat. That these practices were valuable no one can doubt; added to which we learnt something of night-working parties, ration carrying, patrolling, laying of telephones, S.O.S. alarms, and so on; but it must be admitted that nights in the Foresters P.H. Trenches were vastly more uncomfortable than those in any trench sector we held in France in similar weather. Apart from mere practice in trench routine, we carried out some elaborate attacks across these trenches in the "wave" method then in vogue, such an operation on September 19th being performed under the eye of Sir John French, who made some flattering comments on the Division.

Three days before this we had a practice alarm, followed by a concentration of the whole Division in the Long Valley, where our Divisional Commander, Major-General Forster, carried out his final inspection before giving up command. On September 23rd the Division had the honour of being inspected by His Majesty the King. It was a brilliant day, and the scene was one that will long live in the memory of those who took part in it. The Division was drawn up in review order on the Review Ground facing the Pavilion, and after a Royal Salute the King rode round the ranks. It was a pretty severe test of discipline and steadiness, but, as a regular officer was heard to remark in the Aldershot Club that evening, "the men were magnificent, and the march past first rate. You would have thought it was a regular division." The battalion gained great credit for their share in the march past, though the pace set by the band was almost too quick even for riflemen. After this Commanding Officers were introduced to His Majesty, and we set off for home, feeling more than satisfied with our turn out, our discipline, and our drill.

We had all this while been confident of our early departure for overseas. We had had our last leave and been inspected by the King, we had lent our rifles to a draft of men from the Home Counties Division to enable them to complete their musketry before joining us, and we had all been recently inoculated and vaccinated. How near we were then to going abroad only those in the secret know, but gradually the suspicion spread that our time had not yet come, and it proved only too true. Our draft, or what we called "our draft," proceeded overseas direct, and we learned to our dismay that we were shortly to proceed to Woking for winter quarters. It was a terrible disappointment. Everyone had felt that at last the promised day was come, and here were our hopes dashed to the ground once more. The battalion behaved splendidly, however, and only those who knew the men intimately realized how severe was the blow. For two long years had we been training, and now, when our hopes were all but realized, we found ourselves condemned once more to the old grind and the old routine for an indefinite period. Men were almost ashamed to go on leave and face the heartless gibes of those who did not know the facts; but they settled down again to the old tasks with grim determination, feeling that one day they would really be allowed to go, and that the more efficient they made themselves, and the quicker they trained the promised drafts of raw men, the sooner would their ambition be realized.

Our stay at Aldershot, although it had not proved the final prelude to our move overseas, had not been without its value. During the long period of training in the different stations where we had been quartered work had to a certain extent suffered either from lack of facilities or from the special attention that had to be paid to drafts, and also from the changes necessitated by the latters' departure. Consequently an undue proportion of time had perforce been devoted to certain special aspects of training, such as physical drill, rifle exercises, bombing, and so forth; little scope being provided, except occasionally, for the more practical side of training of which field operations mainly consist. During the period at Aldershot we had for the first time worked daily not only as a self-contained unit with all the specialists cooperating according to their particular functions, but also as part of an active field force, represented by not only the whole Brigade, but by the various arms of the service, which nominally work in unison during active operations. The experience gained was therefore very valuable, and the instruction in trench routine gave every man some inkling, at any rate, of what the real life in the line was like.

On September 27th the battalion set off on a fine, sunny day to march to Woking, a halt being made about 12.30 p.m. in a pleasant wood for dinner, which had been cooking in field kitchens as we marched along. We arrived at our destination in comfortable time for tea. Inkerman Barracks in normal times must be a very pleasant spot. They stand well on high ground above Woking and close to the hamlet of St. John's, and are well laid out. Unfortunately, owing to a lack of space we shared these barracks with the 2/5th K.L.R., and in addition a squadron of Bedfordshire Yeomanry and a company of A.S.C. were also accommodated in the outbuildings. We had half the barracks, together with the guard-room and the orderly-room at the entrance to the barrack square, while the officers had the officers' quarters. The 2/5th K.L.R. had the other half of the barracks and most of the married quarters for their officers. We had also one or two of these small cottages. The mess we shared jointly.

For training there was a large field next the barracks, and some rough ground behind, where final assault courses were constructed. There were several pieces of common land in the near vicinity, and some four miles away was the splendid piece of country known as Chobham Common. On the whole, therefore, we were well off; while the barrack square was admirably suited for close order drill, there being just room to move a whole battalion _en masse_.

The barracks were very dirty when we took them over, but before long they became spotless under the keen eye of the Commanding Officer at his weekly inspection. The men were accommodated in large dormitories, the majority on beds; and though the rooms were apt to be somewhat cold and draughty, there was no real cause of complaint. There was a Y.M.C.A. hut in the barrack square, and another one nearer Woking.

The morning after our arrival the Commanding Officer read out the message from His Majesty the King, in which he expressed himself most satisfied with the appearance of the Division at the review, and his confidence that when the time came the men would fight as Lancashire men always fought. He added, however, that he would reserve his final message until definite orders were received to proceed overseas. On October 3rd General Broadwood inspected the battalion in the barrack square, and all officers were introduced to him. We now commenced a further General Musketry Course at Pirbright Ranges, the weather being on the whole good, though intensely cold.

The promised drafts now began to arrive, and between October 10th and 23rd 229 men arrived, bringing the strength of the battalion up to 1,116 men. On their first arrival the new-comers created no very favourable impression, but by the time that we proceeded overseas they had grown and broadened out almost beyond recognition. After considerable discussion all the drafts of the Division were sent to Training Reserve Battalions at Aldershot for six weeks--an arrangement which certainly had some points in its favour, but in the light of experience probably more against it.

On October 6th the Signal Section competed in an efficiency competition, open to all battalions in the Aldershot Command, and finished a good winner over a large number of competitors. This was the prelude to further victories in similar competitions won by the battalion, to which we shall refer later.

On October 14th an elaborate mine explosion took place at Frith Hill under the most realistic conditions, including an occupation of the crater by a large force from the adjoining model trench system. The proceedings were admirably stage-managed, and were witnessed by a most imposing display of General and other Officers from all parts of the country. The detonation was expected to be such that even as far as Woking all windows had to be left open for fear of damage from concussion. However, so heavy was the charge, and apparently so light the soil, that, so far from anything very spectacular occurring, a small quantity of earth was flung almost silently into the air, and the greater portion of it fell back into the place from which it had been dislodged. In spite of this misfortune, the occupation party dashed forward, and, regardless of the heavy fire from the enemy trenches, consolidated the position and constructed wire entanglements with great vigour and determination.

As another form of instruction suitable for men about to proceed overseas, we commenced, under R.E. supervision, deep dug-outs on Dawney's Hill. These were worked in the first instance by the 2/5th K.L.R. and ourselves in continuous forty-eight hour shifts. Other men were meantime engaged in such exercises as construction and capture of a strong post, wiring and revetting, throwing live bombs (each man throwing one by day and one by night), and instruction in gas-helmet drill, including the standard tests; and in addition there was the usual rapid loading, bayonet fighting, and drill.

On November 3rd Captain Barnett was examined by a Medical Board and found to be permanently disabled by the injury to his head which had been caused by the accident previously mentioned. He proceeded, accordingly, the next day on leave, pending the _Gazette_ notifying the relinquishment of his commission; and Captain Wurtzburg took over his duties, being subsequently gazetted Adjutant.

To any battalion, however well trained, Captain Barnett, by reason of his vast experience of every side of military training, would have been invaluable. It is therefore quite impossible to over-estimate the benefit that a young battalion like ours derived from his knowledge and efficiency. The Commanding Officer had just previously left us for a few weeks to undergo a slight surgical operation, and the Command had devolved on Major C. W. Wilson, in the absence of Major H. K. Wilson, who was attending the Senior Officers' Course at Aldershot.

On November 15th a draft of four officers--Lieutenant Ormrod, 2nd-Lieutenants McCormick, E. E. Paul, and Moseley--from the 6th Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers arrived, and their arrival was most timely. We were being absolutely swamped with courses of every possible description; in addition, we had to maintain and relieve regularly an officer with the deep dug-out party; there were numerous courts of inquiry and courts-martial on foot, and the result, of course, was that the shortage of officers had become acute. Moreover, to stimulate efficiency, the Divisional Commander had devised four competitions--route marching by a battalion; bayonet fighting and physical training, each by a company; and wiring by a platoon. Preliminary Brigade competitions were held, and we were selected to compete in the Division for the first three events.

On November 21st the Division organized a concentration march and billeting scheme for our Brigade, involving a march of some eight miles to Chertsey. Coming as this did only two days before the final of the Divisional Route Marching Competition it was rather a severe handicap. However, on November 24th the whole battalion (except about half a dozen men required to guard our quarters), accompanied by a full regimental transport, set off on a fifteen mile march, which was to be done in five hours. Marks were given for accurate timing in passing the starting and finishing posts, for appearance of the men at the end of the march, for march discipline, and for correct contents of vehicles and packs. Hidden judges watched us at different parts of the march; others checked our halts, ten minutes every hour; and the contents of one platoon's packs were duly examined. The battalion marched magnificently, and although a cooker horse dropped a shoe and had to be shod by the cold shoer and regain the column without trotting, and although during the latter part of the march the road was inches deep in sand along a steep gradient, the last vehicle was clear of the finishing point with five seconds to spare. Our casualties were only two or three men, and but for the concentration march would never have occurred. After some discussion over the case of another battalion, who, contrary to the rules of the competition, had marched all the way headed by a band who did not wear packs, we were declared the winners, which we should have been in any case had we not forfeited a large number of points. We lost these because one man had no boot-laces in his pack; he remembered afterwards that they were in his pocket after all; and another man was also apparently deficient of some small article of kit. However, the battalion had every reason to be proud of itself, and the result certainly served to remind the Divisional Headquarters that other battalions existed besides the two Brigades in their close vicinity at Blackdown. "B" Company trained for the bayonet fighting, and, under Captain Moon, put up a display on November 29th, before the Chief Instructor of the London District School, which astonished him, and in due course they were declared the winners. "D" Company, under Captain Parker, also produced a splendid exhibition of physical training, and were proclaimed joint winners with the company of another battalion. In these last two competitions Company Sergeant-Major-Instructor McLelland, A.G.S., deserved the very greatest credit; he had been indefatigable in his exertions, and his methods proved most efficient.

For the continued successes of the battalion we were awarded a richly deserved twenty-four hours off parade.

All this time the specialists were receiving what may be described as intensive training. Apart from the ordinary work under their own instructors, they attended lectures and demonstrations of various descriptions with the object of increasing their efficiency and familiarizing them with the conditions under which they would have to work. The snipers in particular received great attention, and were not infrequently proceeding to Aldershot in connection with training. A splendid model miniature range was also constructed by them in one of the huts in the barrack square.

On December 11th Captain Moon left us to join the Portuguese Expeditionary Force as an interpreter; and on Christmas Eve Major C. W. Wilson proceeded overseas for a tour of instruction in the Ypres Salient. On Boxing Day the battalion proceeded on a final three days' last leave, receiving an even warmer welcome and send-off than before from the good people of Liverpool, who realized that the departure of the battalion for the front was imminent at last.

From Christmas till our actual departure was a period of intense activity. Travelling Medical Boards came and examined our "Category men," who were dispatched to various units according to their medical fitness; others were earmarked, by reason of special knowledge, for munition works, and so forth. Nominal rolls had to be completed and checked, casualty forms filled up for every man, the N.C.O. establishment completed, and a hundred other items of detail to be foreseen and provided for.

On February 4th we had a further welcome addition of officers--2nd-Lieutenants Royle, Goulding, Evans, and Rothwell, all of whom had seen considerable active service with the 1/6th K.L.R., and Lieutenant Parkinson and 2nd-Lieutenants Dugdale and Rule, from the "King's Own." Of the latter, Lieutenant Parkinson was a fully qualified R.F.C. pilot resting after a "crash."

On February 17th Major Turner, now convalescent after a serious wound received while serving with the 1/6th K.L.R., arrived as O. i/c Details, and began to take stock of everything; and on January 22nd the battalion appeared for the first time in khaki puttees, a sure sign that a real move overseas was intended. All the animals were examined and "duds" replaced, and all vehicles completed in all items of equipment. The distinguishing patch first approved at Aldershot, and originally consisting of a small rectangle of black and green cloth in two equal triangular sections (later divided by a thin red strip), was now abolished, and we found our new mark was a green diamond worn on each sleeve between the elbow and the shoulder.

In spite of our manifold activities, we managed to have some really good entertainments, to which our newly formed orchestra, Rifleman Kessen, the conjurer, and another rifleman, a superb banjo artiste (unfortunately, in a low medical category), added talent of the highest order; and the Divisional Band,--the old 6th it was--which had been selected from all the bands to accompany the Division overseas, came from time to time to give us the benefit of their music.

On February 3rd, 1917, we were inspected at Woking by H.R.H. the Duke of Connaught, who in a short speech wished us all God-speed.

On February 12th the transport and Lewis gunners, with their respective officers, under the command of Major H. K. Wilson, entrained at Brookwood at 9.30 a.m. for Southampton. The Battalion was to proceed on February 14th viâ Folkestone. The long years of training were over; the memories of Blackpool, Margate, Canterbury, Bourley were fast fading away. Only the future concerned us now. All that could be done by training had been done, and it now rested with each individual whether the battalion maintained its reputation and assisted the Division to justify the confidence placed in it by His Majesty the King, who had sent us the following most gracious message:--

* * * * *

"OFFICERS, NON-COMMISSIONED OFFICERS AND MEN OF THE 57TH DIVISION,

"On the eve of your departure for active service I send you my heartfelt good wishes.

"West Lancashire Regiments have earned a high reputation on the field of battle, and from the impression I formed on the occasion of my inspection of your Division last September, I am confident that you, too, will equally uphold the traditions of the fine regiments whose names you bear.

"Your period of training has been long and arduous, but the time has now come for you to prove at the front the results of your instruction, and with your comrades now in the field to maintain the unceasing efforts necessary to bring this war to a victorious ending.

"Good luck and God speed.

"GEORGE R.I."

"_February 2nd, 1917._"