CHAPTER XXII

INTENSIVE TRAINING

Fortunately only one day was spent at Molliens au Bois, and on the 21st of June a bus ride took the Civil Service Rifles through Amiens and then round the country for a few hours, and back to Ferrieres, a little village about four miles from Amiens. The Battalion then marched to Guignemicourt, a village without any water supply, a real old-fashioned out-of-the-way country place, which seemed miles away from the war. The big château occupied by Battalion Headquarters was the property of a French “nouveau riche,” who, according to the natives, had made his fortune out of beer. He had fled hurriedly during the German advance, leaving all his furniture behind him, but no trace could be found of the commodity which was alleged to have earned him his francs.

A quaint feature of the village life was the town crier with his drum, who took up his stand in front of the sentry outside Battalion Headquarters and made such announcements as the fixed price of coal, flour, etc., for the ensuing month. His services were utilised by the Civil Service Rifles at the end of their stay to announce to the villagers that any claims against the Battalion must be lodged at the orderly room before the Battalion left the village.

To the members of the Civil Service Rifles who were at Guignemicourt, however, the name does not revive memories of an old-world village or of a quaint town crier. The memory that is inseparable from this village is one of eternal parades. There were not only parades for work, but also parades for play, the Battalion, after spending the morning hard at work on the drill ground, being marched to the football field every afternoon to take part in compulsory football. And for officers the day’s work was carried on after lights out; for many were the hours spent in conferences at Battalion Headquarters long after the men were “between the sheets” in their billets.

The compulsory football took the form of six-a-side games, the sides being chosen in alphabetical order throughout each platoon or specialist section. Every able-bodied officer, warrant officer, N.C.O., or man, had to play, and the games were on the knock-out principle. Only four games could be played at a time, and those who were not playing had to look on, but, as the weather was beautifully fine, the troops soon tumbled to the idea of bringing their writing-pads, with the result that when the Corps Commander and many of the gilded staff drove up to the ground on the afternoon of the 25th of June they found a few men playing football and the majority of the Battalion squatting on the grass writing letters. The final was won by a team from “B” Company.

After the football competition, Major L. L. Pargiter, who was in command of the Battalion during the absence on leave of Colonel Segrave, introduced the game of puttocks--a game which “caught on” at once with the Battalion. Major Pargiter was an enthusiast for sport as well as for work, and he combined the two on the miniature range, where shooting took place every evening, the prizes taking the form of 10 centimes for every bull’s-eye scored. This was apparently too easy a method of making money, for on some evenings nobody put in an appearance except the Officer Commanding Range and the marker.

The eternal parades naturally provoked a certain amount of grousing, but none the less the Battalion had reached a very high standard of efficiency, when Colonel Segrave returned on the 2nd of July, after a month’s absence.

On the next day a Divisional water carnival was held at Picquigny, where R.Q.M.S. Hart improved on his previous year’s success by taking the first two places in the odd craft race. He had trained on the horse pond in the village and his craft finished so far in front of the rest of the competitors that many of the spectators were unaware that he was in the race at all.

The Battalion won the Divisional water polo championship with the following team: Colour-Sergeant W. S. Watts, Corporal O. S. Wraight, and Corporal T. Byron of “B” Company, Lance-Corporal H. G. Terry of “A” Company, and Privates T. N. Smale, “B” Company, S. Paisley and R. Bull, Transport Section. Other members of the Battalion who distinguished themselves were Privates E. Manfield, who was third in the back stroke race, and Privates F. J. Garnham, “B” Company, and P. A. Pooley, “D” Company, who with Corporal Wraight and Private Bull gained for the Civil Service Rifles third place in the Divisional Relay Race. Altogether it was a good day for the Civil Service Rifles.

On the following day Major General Gorringe presented ribbons to those in the Battalion who had been awarded decorations for their work during the Retreat.

A Memorial Service to Civil Servants who had fallen in the war was held in the Château grounds on the 11th of July, at the same hour as the service in Westminster Abbey for the same purpose was being held.

The only other incidents worthy of note during the last week at Guignemicourt were the Battalion Sports Meeting, at which “D” Company won far more points than any other Company, and the visit of a photographer from the French Flying Corps. Every Company and Specialist Section and almost every platoon was photographed, as also were the Battalion football team and many of the horses.

The Battalion returned to Warloy on the 12th of July and relieved the First Surrey Rifles in support positions on the Senlis-Henencourt Road on the 15th.

On the 18th of July the welcome news was received of a successful French counter-attack on a large scale in the Soissons region. The news was cheering to all ranks, but no one even suspected that this was the beginning of the end, and that in four months’ time the Armistice would be signed.

On the 20th of July the 17th Battalion was relieved by the Civil Service Rifles in front line trenches due east of Millencourt, and a company of American Infantry of the 131st Regiment, 33rd U.S.A. Division, became attached for instruction in trench warfare. The American troops were of fine physique and were very keen, but what seemed to appeal to them most was the excellent cooking of the Civil Service Rifles cooks. Many of them declared that although they were living in trenches they had not been fed so well since they left home.

Each of the four Companies of the 131st Regiment (1st Battalion) spent twenty-four hours under instruction with the Civil Service Rifles, and on the 24th of July, the whole of the American Battalion became attached to the 140th Brigade and relieved the Civil Service Rifles who moved back to Contay. Colonel Segrave and his Adjutant, four Company Commanders and some senior N.C.O.’s remained with the U.S.A. troops until the following day, when all returned to Contay except the Commanding Officer and Adjutant, who were attached to the American Battalion for a further period of two days. In the meantime the four Company Quartermaster Sergeants were attached to the American Quartermaster to assist him in rationing his Battalion while it was in the front line.

After five days at Contay the Civil Service Rifles relieved the 17th Battalion in support to the front line recently held, where they were relieved on the 30th of July by the 19th Battalion, and moved back to the positions on the Senlis-Henencourt Road, now occupied by the forward Battalion of the Brigade in Divisional Reserve.

The month of August, 1918, was certainly an eventful one, for it brought with it a general advance on the whole of the Corps front.

There was little in the early days of the month to suggest the startling changes that were to come over the military situation in the immediate vicinity of the 47th Divisional front, though as time went on, the news of advances in various parts of the allied line revived an enthusiasm that had perhaps been on the wane since the beginning of the year.

There was as yet no talk of a coming attack by the 140th Brigade, and on the night of the 5th of August, after spending two days in Warloy, the Civil Service Rifles relieved the 24th Battalion on the right of the Divisional front, just outside Albert on the Amiens Road. But although there had been no special preparation for an attack, it was thought quite likely that one might soon be made, as the enemy had withdrawn his line from the position round Albert, and even from the town itself it was believed.

“B” Company occupied parts of the two old German front lines, and had sentry groups also along the west side of the railway embankment overlooking the River Ancre. It appeared to be quite true that the Germans had withdrawn, for no trace of one was seen on the Battalion front.

On the 6th of August news was received that Colonel Segrave, who was at the time Acting Brigade Commander, had been promoted to the rank of Brigadier General, and he left forthwith to command the 152nd Brigade in the 51st Division, and the Civil Service Rifles had to part for good with one who had been to them something far more than a Commanding Officer.

Although Colonel Segrave’s promotion had been more or less expected for some time, he received very short notice to depart, and was not even given an opportunity to say good-bye. It is difficult to say whether he or the Battalion felt the parting more keenly, for he was loved by those whom he commanded as much as he loved them--which is saying a great deal.

No story of the 1st Civil Service Rifles can be complete without an appreciation of one who is regarded by all who served under him as the finest Commanding Officer the Regiment ever had. His gallantry in the field has already been referred to, and it was fortunate for the Battalion that all its big defensive battles were fought during the year in which Colonel Segrave commanded, for it was in such battles, rather than in attacks which had been rehearsed in every detail, that able leadership meant so much. Both at Bourlon Wood and in the Retreat the Civil Service Rifles owed a great deal to the guiding hand of their Commanding Officer.

But it was not only owing to his ability as a leader, nor to his exceptional bravery under fire, that his presence gave such confidence to the troops. They always knew that in Colonel Segrave they had a Commanding Officer who devoted himself wholeheartedly to the welfare of the Civil Service Rifles. He was a red-hot enthusiast for the Regiment, and would tolerate nothing that was, in his opinion, likely to bring it into disrepute. A tireless worker himself, he would have no idlers among his officers, N.C.O.’s or men.

These are but a few of the qualities in Colonel Segrave which cause men to speak with genuine pride of the fact that they served under him. Outstanding among his characteristics was his pure unselfishness. All that he did was done for his Regiment. He sought no personal glorification. He indeed “did good by stealth and blushed to find it fame.” But the splendid work he did for the Civil Service Rifles during the hardest year of the war can never be forgotten by those who had the good fortune to serve under Colonel Segrave.