Special training for Scots at Chelsea

[Macnab]

I have a cutting from a local Scottish newspaper about my grandfather, dated 12 March 1915:

"Sgt Harry McNab, one of our local National Reservists who joined the 2/5th Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders at Hawick, is now at Chelsea undergoing a course of special military training. He is included in a party of thirty commissioned and non-commissioned officers selected from the Scottish Command for this purpose."

To give more context, he lived in Rothesay, served with the Bute National Reserve, and when he joined his old colours in February 1915 he was sent to the training centre at Hawick, so he appears to have been appointed sergeant quickly.

Can anyone tell me more information about this "special training" at Chelsea, please? If possible I'd like to know more about how were men selected and what was the purpose and content and duration?

Thanks very much.

Steven

[heatherannej]

Hi Steven

Hopefully others more knowledgeable than I can help you in your quest but I did find this:- http://www.bl.uk/world-war-one/articles/training-to-be-a-soldier ......

there are several links you can 'hit' within it, that give you a further insight into the subject ..... it may help, it may not :-)

Chelsea is mentioned but I don't know enough to say whether Chelsea was actually any more important than any other military training site ....

Hope others can give you more information .... Heather

[Macnab]

Thank you very much, Heather. The article you mention seems to give a likely answer to the main part of my query in the paragraph titled Specialist schools:

"Finally, a whole network of schools grew up to teach specialist skills, either to equip individuals for a new role, or so they could go back to their units and train others. Thus, men might find themselves sent off to learn, for example: how to command a platoon or company .... "

That appears to be consistent with my grandfather joining up in February 1915, becoming a sergeant, then going to Chelsea in March 1915 for the quoted "course of special military training", before returning to Hawick and then to Ripon for training with the second line of the battalion, after which they were drafted to join the first line in the Middle East in February 1916, where he was appointed Company Sergeant Major by March 1916.

The author of the article recommends for further reading Private 127768, Memoirs of a Tommy by John Jackson. This is an excellent read, by a man who was a Lance Corproal with the 1st Cameron Highlanders and served from the early days of the war through to Germany in 1919. Another excellent book is The First Hundred Thousand by Ian Hay, who served with as a young young officer with the 10th Aygyll and Sutherland Highlanders, and covers up to the battle of Loos.

Both men wrote contemporaneously, and their books are easy to read but with a very informative style, and include detailed descriptions of their training in 1914-15. If you haven't read them I recommend both books highly.

Many thanks again. I hope that your post may spark off some further response by others.

Steven

[heatherannej]

Good luck Steven ......... :-)