THE ENTRY OF THE TERRITORIAL ARMY.
On November 16th the Prince of Wales joined the Army in the Field. It
was the first time since the days of the Black Prince that the Heir
Apparent to the Throne had taken the field in war. His Royal Highness
was received by the troops with delight and acclamation. The courage,
devotion and endurance which he has since displayed on active service
have secured him the love and admiration of every officer,
non-commissioned officer and man of His Majesty's Army, and his name
will descend in history, bright with the honour which he won in the
field.
Early in the month a certain amount of heavy artillery began to arrive
in France. Special positions were selected and prepared all along the
front, and the few guns we had were interchanged between them as
occasion required.
It was from such crude beginnings that we reached the wonderful
developments in the use of heavy artillery which have been witnessed
during the progress of the war. It is of some interest to compare the
number of 6-in. guns and over which we had at that time, with the
number which were deployed on the same front later in the war.
During the latter part of the First Battle of Ypres the weather was
very wet and stormy. The rain gave place to cold northerly winds, and
on the afternoon of November 19th there was a heavy fall of snow. That
evening a hard frost set in which lasted for several days. The men in
the trenches began to suffer severely.
It was at this time, the third week of November, 1914, that
the serious evil known as "Trench Feet" first made its appearance in
the Army in France. The cases were at first labelled "Frost Bite," but
as they were subsequently found to occur without any fall of the
temperature to freezing point, this term was evidently a misnomer.
Indeed, cases have occurred during the month of August.
The condition is caused by prolonged immersion in water, and certainly
can occur when the temperature of the water is as high as 50 deg.F. It is
seldom caused unless the immersion is as long as 24 hours, but the
cooler the water the less is the time required to produce it. In most
cases the temperature of the water has been below 40 deg..
In addition to cold water, the onset is favoured by--
(_a_) Prolonged standing in one position, as is often the case
with men deep in mud.
(_b_) Tight puttees and tight boots.
(_c_) Exhaustion and want of food.
(_d_) A natural tendency to feeble circulation, _e.g._, men who
suffer from chilblains.
(_e_) Lying out, after being wounded, in wet and cold weather.
The condition observed varies very much according to the severity of
the case:--
(_a_) The feet may be merely very painful and tender.
(_b_) Much more often they are very swollen and cold, with but
little feeling in them.
(_c_) Frequently the whole foot is like a big "chilblain" and is
very hot, red and swollen. _Blisters_ are common in all such
feet.
(_d_) The toes may be black and the foot blue.
(_e_) The toes especially, and the foot much more
rarely, may die and become gangrenous.
Except in slight cases, the men affected are quite unfit for duty for
two or three months at least, especially for duty in trenches in cold
weather. If men are sent back to duty too soon, a short exposure at
once brings back all the trouble in an aggravated form. Of course, if
gangrene occurs, the man is permanently invalided.
The only _real_ preventative is to arrange that the men do not remain
deep in mud or cold water for prolonged periods. If this is not
possible, cases of "trench feet" are inevitable. Apart from avoiding
this, the primary cause, various subsidiary causes can be guarded
against; and, from the experience gained in dealing with the
condition, the following instructions were formulated and communicated
to the officers in charge of the men:--
(1) Boots and puttees should not fit tightly and must be taken
off once _at least_ every 24 hours and the feet well rubbed and
cleaned, dry socks put on.
(2) The feet should be kept as clean as possible so as to avoid
septic complications in case of blistering.
(3) _Rubber thigh-boots_ should be supplied to all men in
waterlogged trenches, and these should be large enough to take
two pairs of socks.
(4) Trench-boards should be provided, or brushwood or straw laid
down.
(5) Men should be kept dry by the use of mackintosh over the
shoulders.
(6) Hot food should be supplied whenever this is possible.
It is, of course, evident that all these precautions are often quite
unobtainable. In the Ypres region in the winter of 1914-1915
many men stood for days and nights up to the middle in water, and some
of the communication trenches were impassable because of the depth of
the water. Indeed, a good many men were drowned.
The treatment varies with the severity of the case. Rest with the feet
up and careful washing of the feet is all that is at first needed in
slight cases. If there are blisters or sores these must be treated.
Later on various forms of electrical treatment and massage are of use.
In all but slight cases treatment does not prevent the man being
unable to walk for many weeks without pain.
The number of men invalided for "trench feet" during the winter of
1914-1915 was over 20,000. The 27th Division lost 3,000 men the first
week they were in the trenches in February. With good trenches and
proper care "trench feet" should be of rare occurrence. If under these
conditions they are numerous, someone is to blame. As a result of the
experience gained during the winter of 1914-1915 and the adoption of
the recommendations issued, in the winters 1915-1917, in the Ypres
salient, the "trench feet" cases did not average more than two a day
in an army of over 200,000 men.
* * * * *
It was in the closing days of the First Battle of Ypres that the bulk
of the Territorial troops sent to France at that time entered the
fighting line.
In the course of a telegram which I received from Lord Kitchener on
November 2nd, the Secretary of State for War said:--
"The total number of Territorial Battalions in France and ordered
there is 19. I am selecting two more to make up one per Brigade."
These arrangements had been made in response to my urgent
requests that whatever Territorial regiments of yeomanry or
battalions of infantry were ready and available should be sent to
France at once and incorporated with the regular forces there, and
that we should not wait for the divisional formations to be prepared
and completed.
The history of the Territorials is well known. The Volunteers, from
which the Territorial Army sprang, came into being in the years just
following the Crimean War.
For some 10 to 20 years afterwards the Volunteers may be said to have
met with little better than derision. It was said that they only
wanted to wear a uniform and play at soldiers, and hardly anyone
believed in the wonderful spirit which really animated them from the
start. The military and other authorities gave them but little help
and hardly any encouragement, in fact they refused to take the
Volunteers seriously.
In spite of all these drawbacks this wonderful force, under the
leadership of such men as the late Lord Wemyss, Lord MacDonald, and
others, went steadily on, struggling against adversity, but increasing
in strength all the time. The great patriotic spirit which has always
been the soul of the Volunteers, was kept alive by their great leaders
in face of slights and neglect, but it was reserved for Lord Haldane
to devise the scheme which was to make the fullest use of the
Volunteers and bring them to the zenith of their reputation. He
realised that their patriotic ardour might be put to good purpose, and
drafted the scheme whereby, whilst remaining volunteers, they were
formed into a great Territorial Army, administered by the so-called
Territorial County Associations, to whose energy and devotion the
country owes so much.
The result of Lord Haldane's statesmanlike foresight has
been clear to anyone who, during the past four years, has cast his
eyes across the Channel and seen the splendid behaviour of our citizen
soldiers in the field.
I have spoken already elsewhere of what I have always regarded as our
great initial administrative mistake in the war, namely, the raising
of an entirely new Army, when the machinery for expanding the
Territorial Force--especially established by Lord Haldane for the
purpose--I mean the Territorial County Associations--was already at
hand and would have proved by far the most efficient and economical
method of raising the troops required.
Lord MacDonald and those who are left of the early Volunteer soldiers
must, in their old age, rejoice in the knowledge that they have lived
to see the force, which they tended and nurtured against such
appalling difficulties, actually for several months standing between
the Empire and disaster.
Such a spirit as that which the Volunteers cultivated and maintained
is bound sooner or later to make itself felt, and, as the years rolled
on, the country came at last dimly and slowly to realise the
Volunteers' true value. They figured in the field as early as 1882 in
the Egyptian Campaign, and played their part afterwards in much
greater numbers throughout the South African War.
After Lord Kitchener had made his call upon the country for the New
Armies, the Territorials found themselves neglected and put in the
shade.
It is true that by the terms of their engagement, Territorial
soldiers were only available for home defence; but even in peace time
a certain proportion of the force had volunteered to serve anywhere in
case of war, and it was always anticipated that, when the necessity
arose, a renewed call would be made upon the whole force to
do likewise. The response to the call which was subsequently made upon
them shows quite clearly that, had they been asked at first, they
would have come forward almost to a man.
However, as it turned out, they were ignored and the call was never
made upon them. Officers and men alike, naturally and inevitably made
up their minds that they were not wanted and would never be used for
any other purpose than that for which they had originally taken
service, namely, the defence of the United Kingdom.
But the time for the employment of troops other than the Regulars of
the old Army arrived with drastic and unexpected speed. The wastage of
war proved to be so enormous that the fighting line had to be
reinforced almost before the new Armies were in existence.
It was then that the country in her need turned to the despised
Territorials.
The call came upon them like a bolt from the blue. No warning had been
given. Fathers and sons, husbands and brothers, left families, homes,
the work and business of their lives, almost at an hour's notice to go
on active service abroad.
It seems to me that we have never realised what it was these men were
asked to do. They were quite different to professional soldiers, who
are kept and paid through years of peace for this particular purpose
of war; who spend their lives practising their profession and gaining
promotion and distinction; and who, on being confronted with the
enemy, fulfil the great ambition of their lives.
Equally distinct were the Territorials also from what has been called
the New Army, whose officers and men had ample time to prepare themselves
for what they were required to do.
I wonder, sometimes, if the eyes of the country will ever be opened to
what these Territorial soldiers of ours have done.
I say without the slightest hesitation that without the assistance
which the Territorials afforded between October, 1914, and June, 1915,
it would have been impossible to have held the line in France and
Belgium, or to have prevented the enemy from reaching his goal, the
Channel seaboard.
Between the beginning of November and the end of the Battle of Ypres,
Territorial battalions were constantly arriving. A special training
camp was formed for them at St. Omer under a selected commander. This
post was admirably filled first by Brigadier-General Chichester, and
later by Brigadier-General Oxley.
I have already told of the fine work done by the Oxfordshire Hussars
and the London Scottish--the first Territorials to enter the line of
battle.[1] Their splendid example was well followed, and the record
they established nobly maintained by each unit of the Territorial Army
as it successively took its place in the trenches.
[Footnote 1: The North and South Irish Horse went
to France much earlier than these troops but were
employed as special escort to G.H.Q.]
Of these units, the Warwickshire Horse Artillery Battery detrained at
St. Omer in the beginning of November. Of the cavalry, the Oxfordshire
Hussars disembarked at Dunkirk about the middle of September; the
Northumberland Hussars came to France in October; the Leicestershire,
North Somerset, Essex and Northampton Regiments of Yeomanry
during November; and the Surrey towards the end of December.
All these units received a course of training in the St. Omer camp of
instruction. I often rode amongst them, and was much impressed by the
fine material in men, horses and equipment of which they were
composed, and with the rapid progress which they made.
I knew from my experience as Inspector of Yeomanry a good many years
ago what efforts these Yeomanry Regiments had for a long time made to
live up to the times and render themselves efficient. Although I now
found that the old type of hunting farmer was not so fully represented
in their ranks as formerly, yet a valuable leavening of this class
still remained, and they were for the most part commanded and
officered by county men of position and influence, accustomed to
hunting, polo and field sports.
In a very short time we were able to use the Yeomanry in the front
line. The Oxfordshire, Leicestershire, North Somerset and Essex were
incorporated in brigades of the Cavalry Divisions, and the
Northumberland, Northampton and Surreys were employed as Divisional
Cavalry. The same practical value attached to the Warwickshire Battery
of Horse Artillery, upon which Lord Brooke had expended so much time
and energy for years preceding the war.
Twenty-three battalions of Territorial infantry were sent to France
in 1914. Of these the London Scottish and the infantry battalion of
the Honourable Artillery Company arrived in September. The 5th Border
Regt., Artists' Rifles, 6th Welsh, 5th Black Watch, Queen's
Westminsters, 10th Liverpools (Scottish), 13th London (County of
London), 8th Royal Scots, 9th Highland Light Infantry, 5th Scottish
Rifles, 9th London Regt., 4th Royal Welsh Fusiliers, 2nd
Monmouths, Hertfordshire, 4th Seaforth Highlanders, 4th Suffolks, 6th
Cheshires, and 6th Gordon Highlanders arrived in November, whilst the
7th Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders and the 12th London came in
December.
These units were all put through a course of training at St. Omer.
There was a great difference between individual battalions as regards
their actual condition when they came out, and the time required to
prepare them to take their places in the trenches.
Some were much better commanded and officered than others. There was a
marked distinction to be noted in their physique and quality. But, on
the whole, it may be fairly said that they promised to furnish most
valuable reinforcements to our severely tried army. The energy they
displayed and the progress they made were really wonderful.
As Inspector-General of the Forces between 1908 and 1912, I had
constant opportunities of watching the training of the Territorial
Army in the first years of its existence as such. I was familiar with
the earnest and successful endeavours they had made to profit by the
vastly improved conditions and status secured to them by Lord
Haldane's wise and skilful administration. The same zeal which
characterised them so remarkably as Volunteers was applied in greater
force and with intensified confidence when, as Territorials, they were
organised, commanded, staffed, equipped and trained on sound methods
and up-to-date lines.
All this seven or eight years' experience operated to the greatest
advantage when these Territorial battalions arrived in the theatre of
war and commenced their final preparation to fill the gaps in our
line, through which, as I have shown, the Germans must have
penetrated had the Territorial Army not existed to step into the
breach.
The H.A.C. was the first unit to follow the London Scottish. I
inspected them at the front on November 9th--the day upon which they
joined the Indian Corps--and they presented a splendid appearance. I
never saw a finer lot of men. They afterwards established a record in
the war which is well worthy of the fine old corps from which they
spring.
The Queen's Westminsters and the 8th Royal Scots only embarked on the
1st and 4th of November respectively, yet their condition was so good
that they were able to be sent to the front immediately after the
H.A.C.
The Queen's Westminsters were sent to the 7th Division to relieve the
Artists' Corps, which then became an Officers' Training Corps.
I saw a great deal of the Hertfordshires during the very few days they
were training at Headquarters, and found them a particularly fine
regiment. Although they only embarked on November 5th, they were at
Ypres in the 1st Corps Reserve ten or eleven days later and before the
end of the battle. The 10th Liverpools have a fine record. They
embarked on November 1st and joined the 9th Brigade on the 25th of the
month south of Wytschaete, where they were in the first line trenches
on the 27th, between the Royal Fusiliers on the left and the 5th
(Northumberland) Fusiliers on the right.
The 9th Highland Light Infantry were incorporated in the 5th Brigade
(2nd Division) on November 24th, about ten days after their arrival in
the country. The 2nd Monmouths, the London Rifle Brigade, and the 5th
Scottish Rifles were incorporated in the 3rd Corps on November 19th,
after some eleven or twelve days in the country.
Many other examples can be quoted to show how quickly these
Territorial troops, following the lead given to them by the
Oxfordshire Hussars and the London Scottish, accustomed themselves to
the severe and trying conditions of war, and of what real value they
were at this critical time.
The inexperience of regimental officers was, of course, the greatest
difficulty we had to contend with when these troops first took the
field. This was a most serious drawback in view of the vastly
increased responsibility which falls upon leaders of all ranks in war
as it is conducted to-day, but they improved beyond all expectation,
and every week found them more efficient.
I have so far spoken of the Territorial Army in regard to its
employment in units of regiments and battalions at a most critical
time in the war, when reinforcements were badly needed. I come now to
the time when, a few months later, they entered into the campaign as
complete divisions.
The great mass of military opinion held that the highest practical
unit in which Territorial soldiers could be organised was the brigade
of four battalions. The regular gunner had no use for Territorial
horse and field artillery. Engineer Volunteers had for some time
existed, but only in small numbers and in particular localities.
Although the Army Service Corps and the Army Medical Corps had for
years been represented in the Volunteer Forces by small units and
detachments, it was never considered that those services could be
efficiently and practically performed by any but "whole-timers."
Backed up by the opinion and advice of a very few soldiers of
experience, the Secretary of State for War cast all this prejudice to
the winds, and determined upon a regular and complete divisional
organisation for the Territorials. It was indeed a great and
courageous decision. "What!" exclaimed the gold-bedizened smart young
horse artillery commander, "do you mean to say you are going to allot
Territorial horse artillery batteries to your mounted brigade? You
must be mad! It takes years even to approach the necessary degree of
efficiency."
The field gunner, immersed in his latest developments to ensure the
utmost accuracy of fire, the howitzer and heavy field artillery
expert, the scientific and highly-trained sapper, all joined in the
hue and cry, until Lord Haldane's conceptions almost collapsed and
expired in a ferment of ridicule. But he remained steadfast. The
mounted brigades received their Territorial batteries of horse
artillery. Fourteen complete Territorial divisions were formed of
three brigades of infantry, three brigades of field artillery, one
brigade of howitzers, one brigade of heavies, field and signal
companies of Engineers, companies of Army Service Corps and Army
Medical Corps.
Lord Haldane had only some eight or nine years to wait for his reward.
Within that time he saw his Territorials doing splendid and invaluable
work as complete divisions in the field, and fighting with success
against the most powerful and efficient army in the world. When I say
he "got his reward," I may well be misunderstood. He got nothing but
calumny and grossly unjust abuse; but the "reward" to such a man does
not come in the ordinary way. He had proved the value of his great
work, and that is all the reward he ever wanted.
It is to this organisation that I largely attribute the success of
the Territorials in the field throughout the war. Each unit learned by
degrees its own relative place and position in the great
divisional machine. Enthusiasm was raised in the idea engendered in
all ranks that they formed part of a great engine of war, furnished by
their own counties and immediate neighbourhoods. At first, certainly,
they were crude and untrained, but every day they improved through
instruction, and developed great intelligence under a thorough and
practical exposition of the objects to be aimed at.
The strength of the new arrangement lay chiefly in the fact that each
division was commanded by an experienced general officer of the
regular forces, assisted by a well-selected and competent staff of
regular officers.
Six divisions in all arrived in France between November 3rd, 1914, and
April 30th, 1915, namely, the 46th (North Midland), the 47th (London),
the 48th (South Midland), the 49th (West Riding), the 50th
(Northumbrian), and the 51st (Highland).
A prominent part was taken in the fighting of 1915 by all these
divisions, as will be more fully recounted in subsequent pages.