Troops marching at ease - but a shambles?

[Bob Davies]

3 hours ago, FROGSMILE said:

Footsore rather than happy as such after a route march over the plain Bob.  1 RWF were very old school.  I can still remember the CSM repeating the order down the line “March to Attention” as we approached Lucknow Barracks after a 10-miler in marching order.  I asked questions and learned it was battalion standard practice and it was only my subsequent reading of historical matters subsequently that helped me understand where that deeply ingrained practice came from.  The regiment had never been amalgamated since 1689 and routines and terminology were passed down with remarkable consistency.  We paraded in “musketry order” long after muskets existed and collected our rifles from the small red brick lock ups with hand painted signs: A-Company “arms kot” (Hindustani for secure place).  These are just a couple of examples.  Apparently the Battalion had been in Lucknow Barracks many times before too!

That is interesting to read that FROGSMILE.

We often read in the War Diaries connected to the Great War of the troops being involved in 'musketry training' during their time out of the line/trenches.

So for that wording to have still been in use in the 1960s upholds the regiments traditions, in my mind at any rate.

I wonder if they still do?

[charlie962]

Bernard Arthur Breese' was initially reported missing.

CWGC have him on a concentration report.

[Bob Davies]

6 minutes ago, charlie962 said:

Bernard Arthur Breese' was initially reported missing.

CWGC have him on a concentration report.

Thank you for this Charlie, from my understanding the Worcesters were heading in a south easterly direction from the bottom corner of Polygon Wood in the direction of Gheluvelt, which was approximately  2000 yards away. So a read of the WD and a look at a map will tell us where he fell. As this was part of the battle of Gheluvelt, it does not matter if he fell on the start line Polygon Wood or in the village of Gheluvelt, in my opinion. If you see what I mean @lostinspace

A basic map is here;http://www.worcestershireregiment.com/h_gheluvelt.php

I will go and find a trench map now, to find where his body was found.

[Bob Davies]

The grid ref of where his body was found means he had made it as far as Gheluvelt.

An edit here as I found out how to mark the map, not a wise thing to do in reality.

Polygone Wood Cemetery was obviously the nearest place to lay Bernard Arthur Breese to rest after his body was found at grid 28NE. J. 22.d.5.0.9.0

Screenshot courtesy of National Library Scotland.

Edited 3 January by Bob Davies

[lostinspace]

Great information. Looks like Bernard had another brother, Charles Walter, born 13 June, 1894 (according to the info on the IWM site). Care to go down that rabbit hole?

Dave

 

[FROGSMILE]

3 hours ago, Bob Davies said:

That is interesting to read that FROGSMILE.

We often read in the War Diaries connected to the Great War of the troops being involved in 'musketry training' during their time out of the line/trenches.

So for that wording to have still been in use in the 1960s upholds the regiments traditions, in my mind at any rate.

I wonder if they still do?

I don’t know if they still do, and they’ve been amalgamated now, so I think that there will have been dilution.  I’ve noticed that almost every aspect has been divided to try and have some elements of both, but in the end it’s neither because it’s a fudge.  Of course all professions have their own language, but what I recall was quite archaic (e.g. unit celebration parties were called ‘smokers’, tea infused with rum was ‘gunfire’).  Of course I knew no different, and just soaked it up along with everyone else until it became second nature.  I do recall that when brigaded with a Green Jackets battalion they didn’t understand a word we were talking about.

Incidentally it’s not true that step was always kept, often when ground was more difficult the command “break step” was given and every man could place his feet as he saw best whilst trying to maintain the same pace and progress.  It’s right though that step would be kept as much as possible so that the easy swinging cadence of the march gave a natural rhythm that ate up the miles as naturally as possible.  Having the regimental band play, alternating with the battalion’s corps of drums as was the convention, always made a difference. 

 

Edited 4 January by FROGSMILE

[Captain Chip]

I know this is not the American Civil War and all, but during a march, the men would be slightly out of line due to exhaustion, and sore feet. But the are orders for the rifles to be held like that. In the Civil War, the order was route step. I don't fully know if this is the case in these photos but thats what is looks like to me.