CHAPTER I

“17TH OF MARCH MEN”

At the annual dinner in London on St. Patrick’s Day the survivors of those who constituted the original 1st Battalion of the Civil Service Rifles commemorate the historic day on which the Regiment first sent a Battalion on active service--the 17th of March, 1915.

It was hardly realised when that Battalion went to France that it would soon become the highest of distinctions in the Regiment to be described as a “17th of March man,” but this distinction is fully recognised now, and he is a much envied man who has the right to attend the Annual Commemoration Dinner.[10]

[10] This dinner was instituted on the 17th March, 1916, in the Reserve Battalion Camp at Hazeley Down, Winchester, where already a number of the originals who had been wounded, had returned. To Captain G. C. Grimsdale fell the honour of taking the chair at the first of these functions, which it was decided should be held annually so long as any “17th of March men” should live to attend them.

There were about 1,100 all ranks who, after eagerly awaiting, during seven long months of training, the summons to join the B. E. F. in France, achieved their ambition on St. Patrick’s Day, 1915, and entrained at Watford in the early hours of the morning. Throughout their stay in Watford, where they had been billeted since November, 1914, they had received the warmest hospitality, and it is not surprising, therefore, that their pride in going to the front was tinged with regret at leaving such good friends.

After a roundabout journey, Southampton was reached at 11.0 a.m., and the Battalion had to confine itself for the rest of the day to a few hundred yards of quay, impatiently awaiting embarkation, which was not carried out till dusk. Four boats were used--the _Balmoral_, _City of Chester_, _Jupiter_ and _Munich_--boats used in the piping times of peace for pleasure trips along the coast. There were no bands playing, no cheering crowds, but just three or four bored officials, embarkation officers, and dock policemen. Thus the 1st Civil Service Rifles,[11] under the command of Lieut. Colonel A. M. Renny, left England, having on board the four boats thirty officers, 1,046 other ranks, and 78 horses.

[11] See Appendix for list of officers.

In addition, Captain H. B. Farquhar had taken a small advance party some days earlier.

On the whole the Civil Service Rifles were not favourably impressed with Havre where the battalion disembarked at about 9.0 a.m. on the 18th of March, the chief disappointment, perhaps, being that there were little or no signs of the Great War. No welcoming crowds of pretty French girls were there to meet them, and almost unnoticed they marched through the town and up the hill which led to the camp above Harfleur. Here the troops, perspiring after the steep climb, in what they thought was full marching order, learnt that there were many more things for the unfortunate Infantry soldier to carry in France. Winter clothing was issued, and although it was very welcome on that bitterly cold afternoon, the weight of it made everyone look forward with more than usual keenness to the coming of Spring.

A bitterly cold night was spent in the tents, and at 3.0 p.m. on the following day, the Battalion made its first acquaintance with the troop trains of the B. E. F.--the men’s compartments of which bore the now familiar legend:--

Chevaux (en long) 8 Hommes 37-40

Lieutenant A. Roberts and fifty-nine other ranks had to be left behind as a first reinforcement--an arrangement made by a thoughtful G. H. Q. to ensure that the whole of the Civil Service Rifles should not be wiped out in their first battle.

After a most wearisome journey, lasting twenty-four hours, the Battalion detrained at the little station of Berguette.

The march from Berguette to the billets in the village of Cauchy a la Tour was an ordeal never to be forgotten by those who suffered it. Fifteen miles on pavè roads, in full marching order with a blanket in addition, tested to the uttermost men who were already fatigued by the extreme discomfort of the cattle train. But Cauchy was reached, without loss, at midnight, and to the consternation of all ranks, no trace could be found of the billeting party or of the billets. This was indeed a bitter blow to the exhausted troops, who settled down in the main street, and began to wonder whether they had to march still further, for there were no signs of life in Cauchy. The situation was eventually saved by waking up M. le Maire, on whom, it is said, Lieutenant Carlisle so successfully tried his French that billets were found after the Battalion had been waiting in the road for two hours. Some say the straw was clean, others say it was otherwise, but it mattered little that night. Any place was good enough, provided the troops could be left to sleep in peace.

It is believed that after the billeting party had left Havre, the destination of the 47th Division was changed, and the Civil Service Rifles were already at St. Omer before any message reached the billeting party, who did not arrive at Cauchy until about twenty-four hours after the Battalion was billeted.

The Battalion trained, somewhat impatiently, for three whole weeks at Cauchy a la Tour. The troops, it must be admitted, were bored with it, as would appear from the following description in a letter home:--

“The village is in the middle of a flat colliery district. The northern horizon is filled with great hills of slag from the mines--like Egyptian pyramids, whence comes an eternal shrill whistle. The well in the market square from which we draw our water is 100 feet deep, and it is difficult to get near the bucket for the crush of civilians and khaki. The women are mostly fat and sans corsets. They sell French papers and herald their approach with a toot of a horn. Mud carts are drawn by dogs. Horses can be seen working treadmills. The constant stream of motor lorries bringing food stores to the front passes along the highway. We hear the distant boom of big guns--a famous part of the firing line is 18 miles away. But the preponderant thought with us all is ‘Where is this bloody war?’”

On the 22nd of March, the Battalion was inspected by Field-Marshal Sir John French, accompanied by General Sir Douglas Haig and General Sir Chas. Munro. The Commander-in-Chief’s remark “The men are splendid” was afterwards reproduced in large type on the Civil Service Recruiting Posters in London underneath a photograph of Sergeant G. L. Eager, looking very much at home in a trench.

The first Civil Service Rifles Sports Meeting in France took place in a small rough field in Cauchy a la Tour, on the afternoon of the 28th March. The following account of it is taken from the Regimental Diary:--

“The events included 500 yards--winner, Private L. P. Winter, of ‘D’ Company; 250 yards (Sergeants)--Sergeant Rathbone (a dark horse) ‘thrown in’ with 20 yards start; 250 yards (officers)--Captain and Adjutant F. W. Parish 1st, Captain W. F. K. Newson 2nd; Second Lieutenant Benké 3rd. Inter-Company tug-of-war--‘A’ Company beat ‘B’ Company on the third pull. Officers three-legged race--Second Lieutenants Benké and Stevens easy winners. Lieutenants Chalmers and Carlisle next. Inter-Company team race (1 officer, 20 other ranks)--‘B’ Company 1st, ‘D’ Company 2nd. Inspection of Officers’ chargers and also of transport horses for best turnout; two races of 250 yards for ‘visitors’--the small boys of the village who also participated in scrambles for small change. Obstacle race, where one obstacle proved too much for all but six starters--Lance-Corporal Cocky Oliver 1st; Lance-Corporal H. Battersby 2nd; Lance-Corporal W. J. Irving 3rd. The Commanding Officer afterwards distributed prizes to the winners. Much amusement caused by their nature. We had broken away from the salad bowl, tea spoon and tobacco cabinets, etc. and substituted packets of chocolate, tinned fruit, tins of sardines, box of candles (though Cauchy is illuminated throughout by electricity), and, for officers, tins of dubbin and bully beef tin openers.“

It may, perhaps, be remarked that all the winners at this Sports Meeting mentioned in the Regimental Diary have survived the war--with the sad exception of Lieutenant R. Chalmers.

The only other incident of note during the training at Cauchy was the visit to the Division of the Bishop of London, who, according to the Regimental Diary, was touring the back areas. His Lordship preached to the 140th Brigade on the 29th of March, but the only comment that can be found is that “We had to wear our heavy packs and were kept waiting for some time.”

On the last day at Cauchy, the 6th of April, news was received of the first death in the Battalion on active service. Private W. E. Little of “D” Company, who had left the Battalion on the 4th, suffering from cerebro spinal meningitis, having died in hospital at St. Omer. Thus the 17th of March men had already lost one man before they reached the firing line.