The War Service of the 1/4 Royal Berkshire Regiment (T. F.) | Page 2

at their respective
armouries throughout that famous Bank Holiday. At last, at 7.20 p.m.

on the next day, August 4th, the order for mobilisation was received,
and conveyed throughout the county that night by the police and eager
parties of volunteers. The plan of mobilisation had been closely studied
in all its details, and worked with complete smoothness. By 2 p.m. on
the 5th the assemblage at Reading was complete, and after a laborious
day spent in medical inspection, drawing of equipment and of
ammunition, 28 officers and 800 other ranks entrained in the evening
for their war station at Portsmouth, while 2 officers and 65 other ranks
remained at Reading to receive the transport from the remount depôt.
At Portsmouth three days were spent mainly in digging, until a new
move on the 9th brought the whole of the South Midland Division
together at Swindon. Here on the 14th the battalion was invited by
telegram from the War Office to volunteer immediately for foreign
service. At this date the formation of the new service units had scarcely
begun, and few realised how widely the common burden of
responsibility would be shouldered in the next few weeks. The question,
therefore, arose naturally in many minds, why those whose patriotism
had led them without encouragement and sometimes with derision to
qualify for the defence of the country in peace, should be the first
called upon to extend their statutory obligation when emergency arose.
None the less, within a few days a large majority of the men, and
practically all the officers, had volunteered. History will, I believe,
honour this prompt decision and recognise its value.
On August 16th, the division entrained for Leighton Buzzard, and the
battalion spent four days in billets at Dunstable, 8 miles away, before
setting out on the 20th on a 70-mile trek to its final destination at
Chelmsford. In spite of the heat, the dusty roads and the small
opportunities afforded since mobilisation for practice in marching, the
journey was successfully accomplished in four days. The inhabitants of
Stevenage, Hoddesden, Waltham Abbey and Fyfield, where we billeted
in succession, to whom the passage of troops was still a pleasing
novelty, and the provision of billets more than a business transaction,
received us with every kindness. Thus Chelmsford became the adopted
home and theatre of training for the battalion, except for the period
September 24th-October 16th, which was spent in three adjacent
villages, Broomfield and Great and Little Waltham. The relations

between the town and the soldiers were excellent throughout, and many
warm friendships were made; while in the surrounding country the
landowners and farmers made the troops free of their land, thereby
greatly assisting the field training, which was carried on
uninterruptedly through a fine autumn and a wet winter. We lost in
September for duty with the New Armies the permanent
sergeant-instructors, one of whom had been attached to each company
in peace time, but were fortunately allowed to retain our regular
adjutant, Captain G. M. Sharpe, and the R.S.-M. (afterwards Lieut.
Hanney, M.C.). About the close of the year the double-company system
was adopted, under which the two headquarter companies became 'A'
Company, under the command of Major Hedges, while Captain
Battcock commanded B Company, composed of the men from
Wallingford, Wantage and Newbury, Captain Lewis C Company, from
Windsor and Maidenhead, and Captain Thorne D Company, from
Abingdon and Wokingham. Many memories will remain with us of the
laborious days and nights spent throughout those seven months, of
company training in Highlands, fights on Galleywood Common, route
marches up the long slope of Danbury Hill, journeys to Boreham Range
in the darkness of a winter dawn, returning after dusk with a day's
firing behind, and long hours spent in guarding the Marconi station in
rain, snow and mist. All ranks were very keen and eager, especially
before illness, the monotony of routine and disappointment at receiving
no orders for overseas, produced some inevitable reaction. Colonel
Serocold has indeed expressed his opinion that the battalion, while
under his command, was never better trained than at the end of
November, 1914.
At last, however, on the evening of March 30th, 1915, amidst many
expressions of goodwill and regret from the townsfolk, who thronged
the streets, the battalion entrained for France, and left Folkestone in the
S.E.R. packet boat Onward at 11 p.m.
CHAPTER II
FIRST DAYS ON ACTIVE SERVICE

The night was calm and bright with stars as, with an escorting destroyer,
we crossed rapidly to Boulogne. After disembarking we marched to the
Blue Base above the town, clattering over the cobbles, and drawing the
heads of the curious to their bedroom windows. Here we lay down in
tents and endured with the mitigation of one blanket a bitter frost. That
evening we continued our journey towards the