The Fifth Leicestershire | Page 7

suited our County battalion
even in 1908, and our only wonder is that it was not introduced before.
When, on the 18th of February, the G.O.C. returned from a week's visit
to France, and gave us a lecture upon the very latest things, we knew
we might go at any time. Actually at noon on the 25th we got the order
to entrain at Harlow at midnight, and the next morning we were on
Southampton Docks.
We left behind at Sawbridgeworth Captain R.S. Goward, now Lieut.
Colonel and T.D., in command of a company which afterwards
developed into a battalion called the 3rd 5th Leicestershire. This
battalion was a nursery and rest house for officers and men for the 1st
Fifth. It existed as a separate unit until the 1st of September, 1916, and
during those months successfully initiated all ranks in the ways of the
regiment, and kept alive the spirit which has carried us through the
Great War.
CHAPTER II.
EARLY EXPERIENCES.
26th Feb., 1915. 16th June, 1915.
After spending the greater part of the day (the 26th February) lounging
about the Hangars at Southampton, we at length embarked late in the
afternoon--Headquarters and the right half battalion in S.S. Duchess of
Argyle, left half, under Major Martin, in S.S. Atalanta. The transport,
under Capt. Burnett, was due to sail later in S.S. Mazaran, since

torpedoed in the Channel, but they embarked at the same time as the
rest. Four other ships containing Divisional Headquarters and some of
the Sherwood Foresters were to sail with us, and at 9 p.m., to the
accompaniment of several syrens blowing "Farewell," we steamed out,
S.S. Duchess of Argyle leading. The Captain of the ship asked us to
post a signaller to read any signals, Serjt. Diggle was told to keep a
look out and assist the official signaller, a sort of nondescript Swede or
other neutral, like the rest of the crew. We soon sighted some war
vessel, and asked if they had any orders, the reply being, according to
Serjt. Diggle, "No go"--according to the Swede, "No no." The Captain
preferred to believe the latter, and as there were no orders continued his
course, though we could see the remainder of our little fleet turn round
and sail back. The weather was appalling, the sea very rough, and long
before we had reached half way we were all very ill. This was not
surprising, as our transport was built for pleasure work on the Clyde,
and, though fast, was never intended to face a Channel storm. Each
time a wave crashed into the ship's side we imagined we had been
torpedoed; in fact, it was one long night of concentrated misery.
We reached Le Havre in the early hours of the morning, and
disembarked, feeling, and probably looking, very bedraggled. From the
quay we crawled up a long and terribly steep hill to the rest
camp--some lines of tents in a muddy field. Here, while we waited 24
hours for our left half Battalion, of whom we had no news, we were
joined by our first interpreter, M. Furby. M. Furby was very anxious to
please, but unfortunately failed to realise the terrible majesty of the
Adjutant, a fact which caused his almost immediate relegation to the
Q.M. Stores, where he always procured the best billets for Capt.
Worley and himself. On the morning of the 28th we received an issue
of sheepskin coats and extra socks, the latter a present from H.M. the
Queen, and after dinners moved down to the Railway Station, where we
found Major Martin and the left half. Their experiences in the Channel
had been worse than ours. Most of them, wishing to sleep, had started
to do so before the ship left Southampton on the 26th; they were almost
all ill during the night, so were glad to find a harbour wall outside their
port-holes the following morning, and at once went on deck "to look at
France"--only to find they were back in Southampton. They stayed

there all day, and eventually crossed the next night, arriving on the 28th,
feeling as bad as we did, and having had all the horrors of two voyages.
We were kept waiting many hours on the platform, while the French
Railway staff gradually built an enormous train, composed of those
wonderful wagons labelled "HOMMES 36-40, CHEVAUX EN LONG
8," which we now saw for the first time. Hot in summer, cold in winter,
always very hard and smelly, and full of refuse, they none the less
answered their purpose, and a French troop train undoubtedly carries
the maximum number of men in the minimum of accommodation.
During this long wait we should all have starved had it not been for the
kindness of an English lady, Mrs. Sidney Pitt,