a. PUNCH’S VICTORY CARTOON USED FOR THE BATTALION CHRISTMAS CARD, 1918
_Frontispiece_
b. FACING PAGE
c. PORTRAITS—
a. COLONEL E. VANSITTART, D.S.O. 4
b. LIEUT.-COL. J. C. PARKER 26
c. LIEUT.-COL. N. I. WHITTY, D.S.O. 62
d. LIEUT.-COL. H. J. WENYON, D.S.O. 144
e. LIEUTENANT D. J. DEAN, V.C. 224
d. SANCTUARY WOOD 34
e. CAFÉ BELGE 34
f. DELVILLE WOOD 52
g. THE MEMORIAL BOARD TO THOSE WHO FELL ON THE SOMME, 1916, PLACED IN
GUILLEMONT CEMETERY 52
h. PHILOSOPHE VILLAGE 66
i. POSEN CRATER 66
j. THE DOUBLE CRASSIER 72
k. LOOS VILLAGE AND PUITS 15, KNOWN AS TOWER BRIDGE 72
l. BATTALION HEADQUARTERS IN THE RAMPARTS AT YPRES 92
m. YPRES 92
n. THE MENIN ROAD AT HOOGE 128
o. INVERNESS COPSE 128
p. MONTIGNY FARM 136
q. VENDELLES 136
r. THE COTE WOOD POSITIONS 138
s. “LEICESTER LOUNGE” 138
t. THE TUMULUS 156
u. VADENCOURT CHÂTEAU 156
v. WATLING STREET, COOKER QUARRY, THE SUPPORT POSITIONS, AND IN THE
DISTANCE THE TUMULUS 160
w. THE BRIDGE OVER THE OMIGNON RIVER 160
x. FONCHES 182
y. WARVILLERS 182
z. CITÉ ST. PIERRE—THE OPERA HOUSE 200
aa. OLD GERMAN CONCRETE OBSERVATION POST IN OUR FRONT LINE OPPOSITE LENS
200
ab. HODSON’S HOUSE 208
ac. CAMERON CASTLE 208
ad. CONCRETE PILL BOX IN LENS 220
ae. DEAN’S POST 220
af. AWOINGT 236
ag. HAUSSY 236
ah. THE RIVER SELLE AND THE MILL FROM WHICH MANY PRISONERS WERE TAKEN
244
ai. THE MEMORIAL BOARD AT HAUSSY 244
aj. MAPS
ak. THE YPRES SALIENT 132
a. To illustrate Phases II and V.
al. ST. QUENTIN TO AMIENS 194
a. To illustrate Phase VII.
am. THE LENS AREA 232
a. To illustrate Phases IV and VIII.
an. CAMBRAI TO MAUBEUGE 254
a. To illustrate the Final Advance. Phase IX.
8th BATTALION, THE QUEEN’S OWN,
ROYAL WEST KENT REGIMENT
PHASE I
THE FORMATION OF THE BATTALION—TRAINING IN ENGLAND—OVERSEAS TO
FRANCE—THE BATTLE OF LOOS
_September 1914–September 1915_
The formation of the 8th Battalion, The Queen’s Own, Royal West Kent
Regiment may be said to have commenced early in September 1914. The men
who enlisted at the various recruiting offices of the Royal West Kent
Regiment at that time were sent down to the regimental depot at
Maidstone. The depot was not built to accommodate half the number of
recruits which came pouring in, and the new-comers got a very bad
impression of what the Army would be like. The feeding arrangements were
bad, and they found that a man was lucky if he got someone else’s dirty
plate, and still luckier if he got some food to put on it. After 5 p.m.
all were allowed out into the town, and it was there that the majority
got their only real meal of the day.
The sleeping accommodation was quite inadequate. There were about a
dozen tents, and the gymnasium, dining-hall, and all available spaces
were crowded. But even then many men had to sleep out of doors. A few
slept in the town, as, although no one was allowed out of barracks, the
military police on duty let it be known that it was possible to get
through the railings without being seen.
The average stay at Maidstone was about three days, and on Saturday,
September 12, some 600 or 700 men were collected and taken by train to
Shoreham-by-Sea, under the command of Major Venables, who returned at
once to Maidstone. The reception at Shoreham was even less encouraging
than at Maidstone. After considerable difficulty the men were got into
some sort of order and marched in simply pouring rain to a field
opposite the infirmary, where there was no accommodation at all, and
they were told to stay under the trees to keep dry. By this time every
man was wet through, and as there was apparently nobody present with
much authority and no likelihood of an improvement, it is small wonder
that many men took train for home, returning on Monday, when things were
rather better. For those that remained bell tents were eventually
pitched, the men being told off ten to a tent. Later some wet blankets
and equally wet loaves of bread were distributed. No feeding utensils
were issued for some days, and a piece of wood or newspaper had to serve
as plate, and the fingers as knife, fork, and spoon. The tea invariably
had half an inch of grease on the top, while the food was almost
uneatable.
On Monday, September 14, the majority of those who had gone away on the
Saturday returned, and a further detachment of some three hundred
arrived, bringing the number up to nearly one thousand. Up to this time
there seems to have been no officer present at all, and the Battalion
had been under the command of Sergt.-Maj. Evans, but on the 14th Col. E.
Vansittart, Commanding Officer, and Lieut. and Quartermaster Guess
arrived, and things began to improve. Capt. Middleton arrived on the
17th, and took up the duties of Adjutant.
The difficulties of maintaining discipline will be understood when it is
said that there were now in camp at Shoreham the infantry of a whole
division, all in mufti, and all, with the exception of a very few
officers and a few N.C.O.s, absolutely untrained. The only man in the
Battalion in uniform was Sergt.-Maj. Evans. The other N.C.O.s were
recognised by a red arm-band for sergeants and a white arm-band for
corporals, while an officer was only distinguishable by the carrying of
a walking-stick. The number of experienced N.C.O.s was quite inadequate,
and the necessary establishment had to be made up by picking out the men
who seemed most intelligent and likely to act as leaders.
The Battalion was brigaded with the 8th Battalion, The Queen’s, Royal
West Surrey Regiment, the 8th Battalion, The Buffs, East Kent Regiment,
the 9th Battalion East Surrey Regiment, and for the first few weeks the
13th Battalion Royal Fusiliers, which made up the 72nd Infantry Brigade,
under the command of Brig.-Gen. B. R. Mitford, C.B., D.S.O. This
Brigade, with the 71st and 73rd Brigades, formed the infantry of the
24th Division, under Maj.-Gen. Sir John Ramsay, K.C.B.
By the end of the month the camp was moved to the Oxenfield, or
Recreation Ground, and the commands in the Battalion were then as
follows:
Commanding Officer, Col. E. Vansittart.
2nd-in-Command, Maj. L. Brock-Hollinshead.
Adjutant, Capt. C. de C. Middleton.
Quartermaster, Lieut. C. Guess.
Sergt.-Maj. H. Evans.
Quartermaster-Sergt. W. Dadd.
Officer Commanding A Company, Maj. F. M. Walters.
Colour-Sergt. Skinner.
Officer Commanding B Company, Maj. E. V. O. Hewett.
Colour-Sergt. Lee.
Officer Commanding C Company, Maj. O. J. Daniel.
Colour-Sergt. Fisher.
Officer Commanding D Company, Maj. J. C. Chillingworth.
Colour-Sergt. Burn.
And about four subalterns per company.
[Illustration:
_Photo by_] [_Elliott & Fry, London_.