_Hogmanay--with the II. Corps--the blow--new army
establishment--Hospital Camp--disbandment--the passing of the
"17th."_
For some time rumours had been flitting about that certain Battalions
were going to be disbanded in accordance with a programme of
reorganised military establishments. Every New Army unit in the B.E.F.
had about this time qualms of fear that if rumours proved true the
selection might fall on them. Esprit de corps was never stronger and
the very thought of possible separations from brothers-in-arms, fell
as a vague shadowy fear over the 17th because it looked very likely
that the 17th, being the junior H.L.I. Battalion of the Division,
would be the Divisional victim in any re-arrangement that might be
carried out. But nothing definite was known, and the advent of New
Year, 1918, brought with it a feeling of hope for the future.
The Battalion was still billeted in the peaceful villages of
Landrethun and Yeuse. On the opening day of the year the ground was
snow covered, rendering parades well nigh impossible, and so the men
were at liberty. Preparations were eagerly pushed forward for a New
Year Feast, and on the 3rd, in spite of provisioning difficulties,
very complete arrangements had been successfully made considering the
length of time available for providing the men with a seasonable
repast on that evening. The Companies sat down to a feast of roast
pork--which only a few hours before had been a live pig. There was
soup, haggis, plum pudding, apple dumpling, cake, cigarettes, and
copious supplies of beer. The Commanding Officer, accompanied by Major
G.R.S. Paterson, and the Adjutant, visited each Company in turn to
wish them the Compliments of the Season, and the night finished with
song and story.
Work and training was resumed again in earnest the next day as far as
the weather conditions would permit. On the 9th of January the
Battalion moved off, embussing for the forward area to operate on the
II. Corps Line. After a cold journey in a heavy snowstorm, they
arrived at Murat Camp late at night and came under the command of the
35th Division. They found the camp in very bad order and set about
putting it right, meanwhile working parties were carrying on under the
C.R.E. of the Division. Splendid work was carried out by the Battalion
during this period, despite snowstorms and blizzards, and high praise
was given to the unit by the Corps Commander. All the Royal Engineer
Officers connected with the work declared they had never had better
nor keener infantry parties.
On the 16th Major Morton assumed command of the Battalion during the
absence of Lieut.-Colonel Inglis on leave; and on the 18th Major
Morton was ordered to hospital and Major Paterson took over.
_The Battalion Intelligence News Sheet_, inaugurated to keep all ranks
fully informed of the principal events of the day as regards the war,
was circulated, but it could not hope to oust _The Outpost_ as the
real news vehicle of the 17th.
On the 25th of January the Battalion left Murat Camp for a camp near
Woeston and came under the command of the 1st Division, and on the
27th the Battalion relieved the 10th Gloucesters in reserve in the Het
Sas Sector, and carried on improving the line until the 31st of
January--when the blow fell and hopes were dashed to the ground. While
in Brigade Support at Houthust Forest Sector, Major Paterson was sent
for by Brigadier-General C.A. Blacklock, who informed him that the
re-organisation of the Army necessitated the disbanding of an H.L.I.
Battalion in the 32nd Division. The Battalion selected was the junior
one, the 17th. General Blacklock expressed in very generous terms his
admiration for the Battalion, and for all that it had done, and
expressed his sorrow and regret that so fine a unit had to be broken
up, and the officers, non-com. officers and men serving in it would be
drafted to other H.L.I. Battalions, which would necessitate, in many
cases, the breaking up of what had been very long friendships.
Early in January, 1918, it had been decided by the War Office to adopt
the three Battalion per Brigade system throughout the British Army,
and this resulted in the disbandment of many Battalions which had seen
much service abroad, and had won a name for themselves in France.
Perhaps the chief Battalion in the whole army to be disbanded was the
17th Service Battalion of the Highland Light Infantry, and the
disbandment of this Battalion came as a bitter blow, not only to those
who were serving in the Battalion at that time, but also to those who
had served in it at some time or other in the past and possibly to
those who were looking forward to serving with it in the future.
Needless to say all ranks of the Battalion were deeply disappointed at
the Commander-in-Chief's decision, which was received as a calamity.
The highest traditions of the Battalion had been maintained
throughout, and the esprit de corps and good comradeship of all ranks
made the news almost unbearable.
As soon as the official notification arrived the Battalion was
relieved by the First Battalion, the Dorset Regiment, and was
withdrawn to Hospital Camp near Woesten where the disbanding was to be
carried out. From then onwards an enormous amount of work fell on
everybody, especially on the Adjutant, Captain Dunsmuir, M.C., who was
responsible for compiling the rolls of the different drafts, which
were to proceed to the various H.L.I. Battalions in France, comprising
the 10/11th, 12th, 14th, 15th, 16th, and 18th Battalions.
On the 11th of February the first draft, consisting of about seven
officers and 200 other ranks marched out of camp to the tune of the
pipes en route for the railway station at Boesinghe, where it
entrained and proceeded to join the 10/11th Battalion H.L.I. Although
there was much cheering as the train steamed away, yet there were many
men with sad hearts at leaving the Battalion they had served in from
the beginning, which had become their home in the Army.
For the next few days that followed, similar drafts were sent off
until the strength of the Battalion was reduced to the establishment
for Headquarters with Transport. For about a week this small unit
carried on, until the Transport section, under the Transport Officer,
Lieut. Smith, was detached, and was attached to the Division where it
remained for some time until it was sent to the base for drafting. All
that remained now was the Headquarters establishment, commanded by
Lieut.-Colonel Inglis, D.S.O., who had returned from leave, and this
establishment was sent to take over another camp which was to be run
as a Divisional Reception Camp for men returning to their units from
leave. About a week later orders were received that some of the H.Q.
personnel were to be drafted away, and on the next day a draft of
about thirty men under R.S.M. Burns proceeded to join the 13th
Entrenching Battalion. A few days later all that was left of the
Battalion under Captain Dunsmuir, M.C., was drafted to the same
Battalion, and Lieut.-Colonel Inglis, D.S.O., and Major Morton, who
was again with the Battalion, were ordered to report to Divisional
Headquarters.
All that remained now of the 17th Battalion Highland Light Infantry
was the name, but that name will always remain in the minds of those
who served in the Battalion, and the mere mention of it brings back
happy memories of days spent both at home and abroad to those who knew
it.
As William Glennie of "A" Company, writes:--"That the good old
Battalion would end, we all expected, as the happy sequence of
completed duty, and somehow we all imagined we would be there. In our
ideal picture of the scene, George Square was clearly outlined;
somehow we fancied old Hughie would order 'Officers, fall out please,'
and while the ranks took the rhythmical right turn, the 'Faither'
would step forward from the right of 'C' Company, give his
characteristic red army salute, shake his cane and rap out 'Quick time
off the parade ground' in his best Troon parade style. But we forgot
the war, as too often in our ideal outlook we did.
* * * * *
"'Fall out ... the 17th Highland Light Infantry....' That was at No. 6
Camp, Calais, in the chill dusk of 6th February, 1918. Back from
Blighty leave, as the news spread, we took it philosophically--the old
Battalion had been disbanded, and scattered to various sister
battalions. Here we were, practically all the originals to the number
of about 50, the sole remnants of 26 months of war, welcomed back to
France for the second time, but not to the Seventeenth; orphans to be
adopted by strange parents.
* * * * *
"'Quick march.' The party swung slowly down the rough track between
the huts. It was one of those innumerable hutted campments behind
Poperinghe. At the junction of the road stood Colonel Inglis, Majors
Morton and Paterson, Captain Dunsmuir and R.S.M. Kelly. It all seemed
so usual, save that there was more handshaking and waving of bonnets.
'Cheerio, old chap--best of luck.' Gone, those pals of three years in
camp, trench, billet and shell hole; but we never knew how great a
part of our life they had become. Then in the look in each other's
eyes, in the huskiness of the voice, rather than in the ill-concealed
tear, came the full realisation of the undying spirit of our old
Chamber of Commerce Battalion, and the certainty that the death of the
Battalion had bequeathed to us the LIVING SOUL OF THE SEVENTEENTH."