The Sherwood Foresters in the Great War 1914-1919

The Sherwood Foresters in the
Great War
by W.C.C.
Weetman

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1914 - 1919, by W.C.C. Weetman This eBook is for the use of anyone
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Title: The Sherwood Foresters in the Great War 1914 - 1919 History of
the 1/8th Battalion
Author: W.C.C. Weetman
Release Date: February 6, 2007 [EBook #20527]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
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SHERWOOD FORESTERS ***

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HISTORY OF 1/8th BATTALION SHERWOOD FORESTERS
1914--1919

[Illustration: LIEUT.-COL. G. H. FOWLER. Killed in action at
Hohenzollern Redoubt, Oct. 15th, 1915.]

[Illustration: Arms]

THE SHERWOOD FORESTERS IN THE GREAT WAR 1914--1919

1/8th BATTALION
By
CAPTAIN W. C. C. WEETMAN M.C., CROIX DE GUERRE

With an introduction by BRIG-GENERAL C. T. SHIPLEY, C.B.

NOTTINGHAM THOS. FORMAN & SONS 1920

To Our Fallen Comrades
"In truth they were young Gentlemen, Yeomen and Yeomen's Sons, and
Artificers of the most brave sort, such as went voluntarily to serve of a

gaiety and joyalty of mind: all which kind of people are the Flower and
Force of a Kingdom."
Sir John Smyth To Lord Burleigh On Our Men In Flanders IN 1589-90.

INTRODUCTION
It is not only a great honour to have been asked to write an introduction
to this book, but it is a real pleasure to me to be linked in this manner to
a Battalion with which I was so intimately connected for nearly six
years and in which I made so many friends, of whom many, alas, have
passed the "great divide."
The Battalion has been lucky in finding in Capt. Weetman an author
with such a ready and amusing pen, and one especially who was in a
position to see the workings of the Battalion in almost every phase of
its career and from every standpoint, first as a Company Officer, then
as Adjutant and finally from Brigade Headquarters.
To me, perhaps naturally, the most interesting part of the book is the
early chapters. From the time, in 1911, when I took over the command
of what, I was informed by a Staff Officer qualified to know, was the
best Territorial Brigade in the Kingdom, I was a firm believer in the
Territorial Force. But I hardly think that the most hardened optimist
would at that time have thought it possible for a Territorial Division to
mobilise and march complete with equipment and Transport to its
Mobilisation area on the sixth day after receiving the order "Mobilise."
The amount of work done by Battalions and Companies was
marvellous and only those who experienced it can have an idea of what
it meant.
As for the Training, I don't believe better work was ever done than
during those weeks at Harpenden. True we were lucky in the weather
and in the Training area, and the 8th Battalion were specially lucky in
their excellent staff of Sergeant-Instructors. All ranks put their heart
into the work. I remember particularly the excellent work done by the

large batch of recruits which joined the Battalion at that time, including
surely as good a lot of young Officers as ever joined a regiment. The
author has described fully the training carried out at Harpenden and in
Essex, and that the time and labour spent in it were not wasted is
proved by the manner in which all ranks so quickly took on their
responsibilities in the trenches, and with such success. That the
Territorial Force was in many ways neglected by the Higher
Authorities during those early days is well known, but that the Force
amply justified itself is proved by its actions and was fully recognised
by those General Officers under whose command it came. The
following extract from a speech made by Lieut-General Sir C.
Fergusson, Commanding II Corps, to the Brigade at Locre, when it left
his command, is worth recording to show the high opinion he held of
our work in front of Kemmel. "No Battalion," he said, "and no Brigade
could have held the lines better than you have done or have done better
work than you have done.... Your work during the last three months is
work of which any Brigade and any Battalion might be proud." No
higher praise could have been given to any troops by an officer of such
standing and repute.
I have