The Fife and Forfar Yeomanry | Page 5

us being confused
with mere infantry.
On 5th September we said good-bye to our friends in Fakenham and
started off on our journey for an unknown destination but--business.
[Illustration: GUARD MOUNTING, FAKENHAM. To face page 8]
[Illustration: ENTRAINING HORSES, FAKENHAM. To face page 8]
CHAPTER II

ABROAD--1915
The last few days at Fakenham were busy ones, chiefly owing to the
floods of new equipment which were at last showered upon us. Two
squadrons got a complete issue of new saddlery, harness, and vehicles,
which meant, in the first place, handing over the old issues to
representatives of the second line, and in the second place, assembling
all the new saddlery (which was issued in small pieces) and packing it
into sacks ready for the voyage. The rest of the saddlery was put on
board without being unpacked. Then our complement of machine guns
was increased from two to six per regiment, which meant taking from
each squadron 1 officer and 20 men to form the new personnel, and
replacing them in the squadrons with men from the second line. By this
arrangement we lost also our adjutant, Captain M.E. Lindsay, who was
made Brigade Machine Gun Officer. Lieutenant H.S. Sharp took
Captain Lindsay's place as adjutant. All ranks were fitted with helmets
(on which pugarees had to be fixed under the eye of the few old
soldiers who had been abroad and knew how to do it), and also with a
complete outfit of khaki drill clothing. This last caused no end of
trouble and annoyance both to the tailors and the men. However, it was
all finished somehow, and it was a very cheery party which embarked
on the train at Fakenham station just after dusk. The entire population
turned out to see us off and wish us luck, and gave us a very hearty
send-off.
Next morning we found ourselves at Devonport, where we were to
embark on H.M.T. Andania (Captain Melsom), a second-class Cunard
Atlantic Liner, and set to at once to load our baggage in the holds.
Speed seemed to be the main concern, the safety of the cargo being
quite a secondary consideration. The Brigade arrived in some dozen or
more trains, each carrying what corresponded to a squadron, its
baggage, which consisted of all sorts of heavy cases and things more or
less breakable such as personal baggage, and saddlery in sacks, and
also motor bicycles and vehicles. Each train was unloaded as it arrived
and its contents thrown holus-bolus into one of the holds, except for the
wheeled vehicles. The result was that there were layers of saddles at the
very bottom of the hold, and further layers at intervals up to the top

sandwiched between ammunition and heavy cases of all kinds.
Fortunately we were never asked to unpack the saddlery.
On Wednesday, 8th September, about 5 A.M., we left the harbour
escorted by two destroyers who took us to abreast Cape Ushant and
there left us.
The first day or two on board was regular pandemonium and most
uncomfortable for the men. Four officers and 140 other ranks from the
second line had joined us at Devonport and we were very overcrowded.
Each man had a stuffy and inaccessible bunk and a place at a table in
the steerage saloon for meals, which had to be served in three relays
owing to the numbers on board. This meant either very perfect time
keeping or very perfect chaos, and, needless to say, for the first few
days it was the latter. The captain also had a habit of always having his
alarm boat drills while some relay was feeding, which did not add to
the harmony. After a few days, however, things went very much more
smoothly, but at no time could it be called a comfortable voyage. For
the officers it was very different. They were not too overcrowded and
were fed like fighting cocks. The deck accommodation was, of course,
ridiculously inadequate, and muster parades, boat drill, and physical
drill in relays was all that could be managed. We also had lectures on
flies, sanitation, and how to behave when we got to Constantinople.
We steered a very roundabout course to avoid submarines and came
into the Straits of Gibraltar from the south-west keeping well south of
the Rock. We hugged the north coast of Africa, and passed a Greek
tramp who signalled to us to stop as a large enemy submarine was ten
miles east of us. As such ships had been used before as decoys for
German submarines, we gave her a wide berth and informed Gibraltar
who were to send out a destroyer to have a look at her. We reached
Malta on 14th September, but we were too late to get into Valetta
Harbour, so we anchored in