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The Great War (1914-1918) Forum

Remembered Today:

Larkhill


DaveR

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Looking for information on Larkhill Camp No 25 in Oct/Nov 1915.

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Dave, I'll be surprised if you get much information specifically on Camp 25, especially just relating to two months.. It was in the south-western part of the 30 sets of hutments that comprised Lark Hill and Durrington camps (with numbers 31 to 34 being to the west at Rollestone. Unit and personal accounts seldom refer to a a camp with a particular number, but the letters of Frank Haylett (held at the Imperial War Museum: 02/35/1) describe life in a RFC training centre at Lark Hill in 1915-16. On February 10, 1915, he wrote of the very tough regime imposed by the sergeants, who had been told to get the men fit in the shortest possible time, with all drills being done much more rapidly than in any other section of the army.

There's a gap of some months in the letters, but in February 18, 1916, he proudly announces his appointment to the Quartermaster’s office for Camp 25. The mud is worse than it was at "30 Camp" and he has had 50 men cutting channels to drain the water away.
It's some years since I consulted the letters, but it's probable that more of them describe his time in Camp 25.
I have postcards showing camps 15, 20, 21, 22 and 23 - and they all look the same - but not 25.
If you giver us some background to your query, this may enable others to help. Are you interested in an RFC man, for example, or an infantryman?
This
will give you an idea of the conditions at Lark Hill, probably in early 1916. Note that following my querying in this Forum whether the men shown were in RFC uniforms, the vendor has annotated his original description.
Moonraker
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  • 2 weeks later...

Moonraker,

thanks for that. My interest is in the St. Helens Pals, 11th South Lancs, who were there from mid September till early November 1915 for their final training before France. Major Champion's diary says they were in 'Camp 25 about 1000 due N of St......' Could the last part be Stonehenge?

Dave

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