British Battalion's Day.

[Captain Chip]

Hello, I was wondering what might a soldier's day be like during the wait for the reservist to join their battalion when the British army was Mobilizing for war between August 4th to the 10th? What did they do? Also, I have been looking at war diaries and one says something about the guards being at vulnerable points. What does that mean?

[Moonraker]

John F Lucy, a member of an Irish regiment based at Tidworth in August 1914, described in There's a Devil in the Drum (Faber & Faber, London 1938) how he and his colleagues mobilised:

"we sold our own review uniforms to visiting contractors. We also sold our mufti clothing and boots, and the other few possessions we had. Property does not encumber Atkins. All superfluous army peace-time gear was given back to the quartermasters; and ammunition, iron rations, jack-knives, and identity discs were received instead. We were all inoculated against typhoid, and some of the men fainted under the full shot. We were advised to make our wills in our soldiers' pocket-books, but the pay columns of these little books interested us more than the will forms. We would get higher pay in the field."

Also at Tidworth, Ben Clouting of the 4th Dragoon Guards was told to let everything go rusty; nothing that reflected sunlight was to be polished.

"Vulnerable points" would have been railway lines, dock, reservoirs and other important infrastructure that were prime targets for saboteurs. Early in the war there was concern, almost amounting to hysteria, about spies. In some cases sentries sufficed, but "war books" (plans drawn up  for use in the event of war) included orders for entire battalions to be sent to major docks. There were a number of accidents, including fatalities, suffered by soldiers guarding railways, attributed to their lack of experience of trains moving on lines.

 

[Captain Chip]

Ok. Thanks.

 

[FROGSMILE]

1 hour ago, Captain Chip said:

Hello, I was wondering what might a soldier's day be like during the wait for the reservist to join their battalion when the British army was Mobilizing for war between August 4th to the 10th? What did they do? Also, I have been looking at war diaries and one says something about the guards being at vulnerable points. What does that mean?

I’m sure that you’ll appreciate that as this forum has been going for some years now most questions have been asked before.  You can gain a lot by using the search facility with sensible terms to interrogate it.  As an example here’s one that came up from a “daily routine” search: https://www.greatwarforum.org/topic/292428-having-a-lovely-time-in-blackpool-2nd-and-3rd-line-battalions-on-the-lancashire-riviera-1916-1916/page/2/#comment-3208791

 

[Captain Chip]

Oh, ok. I'll keep that in mind. My bad if I have caused any inconvenience.

Edited 4 January by Captain Chip

[FROGSMILE]

6 minutes ago, Captain Chip said:

Oh, ok. I'll keep that in mind. My bad if I have caused any inconvenience.

It’s not about “inconvenience”, just that a lot of information is already here for you if you look, and often in exactly the kind of format you would probably be seeking.  There’s also a lot in the parent to this forum, the LongLongTrail.  See: 

1. https://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/soldiers/a-soldiers-life-1914-1918/training-to-be-a-soldier/syllabus-of-infantry-training/

2. https://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/soldiers/a-soldiers-life-1914-1918/training-to-be-a-soldier/syllabus-of-infantry-training-for-senior-training-reserve-and-reserve-garrison-battalions/

Edited 4 January by FROGSMILE

[PRC]

 

2 hours ago, Captain Chip said:

Hello, I was wondering what might a soldier's day be like during the wait for the reservist to join their battalion when the British army was Mobilizing for war between August 4th to the 10th? What did they do?

I'm assuming you talking about those men of the Regular Army who were in the Reserve period of their short service enlistment, rather than Special Reservists?
And I'n not sure what you mean by waiting?

For the men of the Section B and Section D Reserve they would have had a travel warrant to report to their depot. Some may well have travelled great distance so wouldn't have reached the Depot on the same day as mobilisation. My two local regiments, the Norfolks and Suffolks, like many others, had coastal fishing towns and there were certainly instances of individuals being out at sea when mobilisation came and not hearing that we were at war until they docked.

Having reached the depot they would have been kitted out from stores, given a basic medical, and those deemed fit enough sent on to wherever the home based battalion(s) of their regiment were located. So a man reporting to the Norwich Depot of the Norfolk Regiment would then have been sent on to Belfast, so would be likely to be a day or so before the first lot arrived at the barracks there where the 1st Battalion, Norfolk Regiment, were based. It's possible that some of the Regiments reservists had even travelled from Ireland to Norwich before being sent back to Belfast.

Many of the Regular Army Battalions have war diaries that start from this period - (although the Norfolks one appears to have been written retrospectively, no doubt the original being lost during the retreat from Mons and the death \ wounding \ capture of several adjutants \ commanding officers).

The one I tend to look at is 1st Battalion, East Surrey Regiment as it has been transcribed and put online. Then stationed at Dublin, it mentions for the 6th August:-
"402 Reservist arrived from depot about 4pm. Posted to cadres, and instructed in fitting equipment and Fire Discipline at once begun. About half these men had left the Colours as long as 6 and 8 years, many having only done 3 years with the colours."

And then on the 7th:-

"242 reservist arrived from Depot about 6am. Most of these men having left the Colours more recently were better trained and as far as possible replaced the 3 year men posted to Colours the previous day. Training of Reservists continued throughout day and programme for day completed, except harness for heavy draft horses and I RAMC orderly."

On the 8th:-
30 Reservist arrived from Depot about 10am. These men had only recently left the Colours and with the inclusion of them enabled the Battn. to mobilize with but few 3 years men in the ranks. The 1st Re-enforcements however which were formed today under Capt. J.K.T. Whish with 99 other ranks were chiefly composed of these men. Commdg. Officer's inspection of Battn. parading in 2 Train loads as per Irish Command Instructions for Embarkation. Colours brought on Parade uncased, and speech made by Lt. Colonel J.R. Longley,
Commdg, who referring to the Battle Honours inscribed on these Colours said he felt sure that the good fighting spirit shown by those who gained these honours would animate those now about to fight for their country. Order for embarkation postponed till 13th inst., and completion of mobilisation reported to Brigadier."

On the 9th: - Platoon Musketry & Drill parades for Reservist.
On the 10th:- Battn. Paraded at 9.15 a.m. in Phoenix Park with 13th Infy. Brigade for inspection by Br. Genl. C. J. Cuthbert CB Commdg. who complimented the Commdg. Officer on the appearance and steadiness of the men. During afternoon Reservists firing on 30 yds. Range
On the 11th:- Battn. Marched by train Loads about 10 miles. Many Reservist found to have badly fitting boots probably due to submission of incorrect returns to OC records on transfer to Army Reserve. As far as possible these boots were changed. Reservist again firing on 30 yd. range. War Establishment of officers reduced by 1 Captain & 2 Subs. Who,
together with 15 NCOs' had been sent to the Depot for training new units.
From the 12th process of embarkation commences.
Extracts courtersy http://qrrarchive.websds.net/PDF/ESD0011914002.pdf

So the period you are interested in could have involved a lot of travel, regular disruption as men were posted in and out sections to be replaced by those who had served more recently, with probably some uncertainty around those posted out or those not originally chosen to help bring the battalion up to campaign strength. Should they be dispatched to the ranks of one of the Regiments Special Reserve Battalions to be called on for future replacements drafts, or retained locally? And by the sounds of things intense training - some at the section \ platoon \ company \ battalion level, and other parts at the specialist level for signallers and the like. One of the things mentioned was that some of the reservists who had arrived had not been in the colours for 6 plus years. During that time the Battalion had moved from an 8 company to a 4 company structure, and there may well have been army-wide changes to equipment, drills and operating procedures. All minor things individually but there would have been a lot collectively to absorb.

As for those not then deemed fit enough immediately for field service then for the infantry battalions I'm familiar with they would have been sent on to the home service Special Reserve Battalion(s), of the Regiment. In war time these became a fully fledged Battalion with Garrison, Training and Holding duties - the latter for the men who would be sent out in future as replacement drafts for the Regiments fighting battalion(s), and as the war went on the recovered wounded and sick deemed fit for frontline service.

Those two options would have accounted for virtually all the mobilised reservists and would have been a fairly binary decision for the staff at the depot processing the returning reservists from the 5th August onwards.

Cheers,
Peter

[Captain Chip]

Ok. so would the sections in a company have their B and D Sections put in as reserve? And would the men of A and C sections be still with the Battalion?

[PRC]

1 minute ago, Captain Chip said:

Ok. so would the sections in a company have their B and D Sections put in as reserve?

Possibly you are mixing up two different things.

On completion of his period in the colours,  a man would move into the Army Reserve Section B. He was back in civvy street, and although in theory refresher training would be available in practice it varied considerably.

On satisfactory completion of a 12 year short service, the soldier had a one off option to enlist in Army Reserve Section D for a further four years as a reservist. While this was a "new" enlistment he would retain his old service number and on mobilisation would report to his old regimental depot.

On being mobilised the Army Reservists from Section B and D were in the general pot to help bring the home based Regular Army Battalion up to campaign strength. It was then up to the Battalion which men were utilised for that purpose and which held back for future replacement drafts.

For example a man who had done 12 years in the colours and was in the first year of being a Section D Reservist might be deemed more usuable that a 3 and 9 Section B Reservist who had not been in uniform since 1906 and never served overseas.

These Sections have nothing to do with the section which is part of a platoon which is part of a company which is part of the Battalion.

Cheers,
Peter

[Captain Chip]

Ah. I am talking about the 2nd Battalion Royal Irish Regiment. You see in the war diaries, the battalion at camp Willsworthy was ordered to head to Devonport. for 3 days, a draft of reservists arrived by train. This was between Jul 29 and Aug 9th, 1914.

 

 

Edited 4 January by Captain Chip

[PRC]

Looking at the War Diary the Battalion was put on a provisional war footing on the 29th July 1914, and was recalled from presumably its summer camp to Devonport where it had been based since 1913. (See Long Long Trail https://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/regiments-and-corps/the-british-infantry-regiments-of-1914-1918/royal-irish-regiment/

As Devonport was likely to be one of the key embarkation points for the British Expeditionary Force and it's ongoing supply, the 2nd Battalion is effectively told to secure the area.

Pre-war peacetime strength of the 2nd Battalion is likely to be 500-600 Other Ranks. For campaigning this would rise to just over 1,000. Some of the existing soldiers might be under 19 and so by the Army's own guidelines should be left behind, while others might be regarded as too old for service in the field.

Mobilisation proclaimation goes out on the 5th August 1914.

Army Reserve Section B and Section D would have reported to the Regimental Depot at Dublin. Following a medical, those found fit for campaigning would have been sent on to Devonport.

War Diary Friday August 7th, Devonport.  First batch of reservists, 300 odd arrived from Depot.

Saturday,  August 8th, Devonport. Second lot of reservists arrived and we are now practically ready and complete to proceed on active service.

Sunday,  August 9th, Devonport. The final draft of reservists arrived.

11.45 a.m.Monday,  August 10th, Devonport. The G.O.C. Bd. Gen. Beauchamp Doran inspected the battalion.

10.45 p.m. Wednesday,  August 12th, Devonport. “A” + “B” Coys under command of Lieut Col St. J. R. Cox left barracks and entrained for destinarion unknown.

12.15 a.m. Thursday, August 13th, Devonport.  “A” + “B” Coys left Devonport + arrived at Southampton  at 7 a.m. C + D Companies  under command of Major S.E. St. Leger followed about an hour afterwards, Embarked on the S.S. “Herschell” at 9 p.m.. No Naval Officer was present to hand the ship over to us and allot berths. ……

Appendix 1 to the August 1914 War Diary adds issues identified with the mobilisation.
I.  No travelling kitchens were available, their loss was severely felt – They were not issued to this Battn until 19.11.14
II. Difficulty was experience in obtaining ordnance stores, more especially boots of usual size required.
III. The reservists were badly fitted with boots at the Depot. On many cases also  their serge clothing + caps had to be changed.
IV. A mass of correspondence was thrown on Coy. Officers. Had the Battn. moved on the 8th Day, it would have been quite impossible to have completed the documents of the reservists.
(a)    The details in 75% of Army Books 64 had not been entered correctly. The men had not signed.
(b)    Yellow forms for separation allowance had to be filled in with names of wife + children then signed by both the men + Coy officers
(c)    Almost exactly the same detail had to be taken down in connection with the allotment of pay.
(d)    Wills had not been made.

Timeslines are not clear for those last two daily entries as they read more like a review of the previous days events, with entries otherwise timed before events occurred.

But activities for the Reservists are likely to be the same as those from the East Surrey Regiment War Diary from the arrival of the first batch of reservists on the 7th onwards.

• Selection of the Reservists to be used to bring the Battalion up to campaign strength, (with possible de-selection for some as more useful candidates arrived in the later batches) 
• Placement in their new Company \ Platoon \Section
• Drill
• Lots of time on the rifle range
• Route marches.
• Re-equipment as necessary
• Refresher training for specialists.
• Paperwork
• Griping about boots!

Cheers,
Peter

[Captain Chip]

9 minutes ago, PRC said:

Looking at the War Diary the Battalion was put on a provisional war footing on the 29th July 1914, and was recalled from presumably its summer camp to Devonport where it had been based since 1913. (See Long Long Trail https://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/regiments-and-corps/the-british-infantry-regiments-of-1914-1918/royal-irish-regiment/

As Devonport was likely to be one of the key embarkation points for the British Expeditionary Force and it's ongoing supply, the 2nd Battalion is effectively told to secure the area.

Pre-war peacetime strength of the 2nd Battalion is likely to be 500-600 Other Ranks. For campaigning this would rise to just over 1,000. Some of the existing soldiers might be under 19 and so by the Army's own guidelines should be left behind, while others might be regarded as too old for service in the field.

Mobilisation proclaimation goes out on the 5th August 1914.

Army Reserve Section B and Section D would have reported to the Regimental Depot at Dublin. Following a medical, those found fit for campaigning would have been sent on to Devonport.

War Diary Friday August 7th, Devonport.  First batch of reservists, 300 odd arrived from Depot.

Saturday,  August 8th, Devonport. Second lot of reservists arrived and we are now practically ready and complete to proceed on active service.

Sunday,  August 9th, Devonport. The final draft of reservists arrived.

11.45 a.m.Monday,  August 10th, Devonport. The G.O.C. Bd. Gen. Beauchamp Doran inspected the battalion.

10.45 p.m. Wednesday,  August 12th, Devonport. “A” + “B” Coys under command of Lieut Col St. J. R. Cox left barracks and entrained for destinarion unknown.

12.15 a.m. Thursday, August 13th, Devonport.  “A” + “B” Coys left Devonport + arrived at Southampton  at 7 a.m. C + D Companies  under command of Major S.E. St. Leger followed about an hour afterwards, Embarked on the S.S. “Herschell” at 9 p.m.. No Naval Officer was present to hand the ship over to us and allot berths. ……

Appendix 1 to the August 1914 War Diary adds issues identified with the mobilisation.
I.  No travelling kitchens were available, their loss was severely felt – They were not issued to this Battn until 19.11.14
II. Difficulty was experience in obtaining ordnance stores, more especially boots of usual size required.
III. The reservists were badly fitted with boots at the Depot. On many cases also  their serge clothing + caps had to be changed.
IV. A mass of correspondence was thrown on Coy. Officers. Had the Battn. moved on the 8th Day, it would have been quite impossible to have completed the documents of the reservists.
(a)    The details in 75% of Army Books 64 had not been entered correctly. The men had not signed.
(b)    Yellow forms for separation allowance had to be filled in with names of wife + children then signed by both the men + Coy officers
(c)    Almost exactly the same detail had to be taken down in connection with the allotment of pay.
(d)    Wills had not been made.

Timeslines are not clear for those last two daily entries as they read more like a review of the previous days events, with entries otherwise timed before events occurred.

But activities for the Reservists are likely to be the same as those from the East Surrey Regiment War Diary from the arrival of the first batch of reservists on the 7th onwards.

• Selection of the Reservists to be used to bring the Battalion up to campaign strength, (with possible de-selection for some as more useful candidates arrived in the later batches) 
• Placement in their new Company \ Platoon \Section
• Drill
• Lots of time on the rifle range
• Route marches.
• Re-equipment as necessary
• Refresher training for specialists.
• Paperwork
• Griping about boots!

Cheers,
Peter

Oh! Great! Looks like I will have to do Chapter's 1,2,3, and 4 all over again. But thanks mate.

[Captain Chip]

Ok, quick question. In the War Diaries of the 2nd Battalion, I found that they kept getting more and more draft.  Particularly in 1914. How is this possible? Where were they getting these men? 

[PRC]

18 minutes ago, Captain Chip said:

Ok, quick question. In the War Diaries of the 2nd Battalion, I found that they kept getting more and more draft.  Particularly in 1914. How is this possible? Where were they getting these men? 

Using the 1st Battalion, East Surrey Regiment example I set out, their pre-war strength for a UK based infantry battalion was likely to be 500-600 other ranks, but could be more. Campaign strength was just over 1,000.  The three lots of mobilised reservists they received brought another 674 men who had been found fit for campaigning. Once the Battalion had chosen the best and set of for France, the surplus would then head for the 3rd Battalion. Because of the exchange that had gone on this would include the under 19's, those who had only recently entered trainining as new recruits and those deemed too old for campaigning.

The mobilised 3rd Battalion, and in the case of the Royal Irish Regiment, the 4th Battalion as well, were made up of Special Reservists. These men had done six months in the colours before going into the Army Reserve. They had therefore done their basic training, and were familiar with army routines and organisations. These like the mobilised reservists were now being put through intensive training to get them ready to go campaigning. Meanwhile additional reservists would dribble in who for one reason or another had not got back in time - including those who had been given permission to emigrate on condition they purchased an open return ticket. The mobilised reservists who had been found unfit originally for campaigning would also have been going through physical trainining.  As the supply of mobilised reservists ran down so the drafts began increasingly to be composed of special reservists.

Meanwhile some of the regulars wounded at the start of the campaign and who had been medically evacuated to the UK recovered enough to be posted to the 3rd or 4th Battalion and assessment made of their fitness for further fighting service and inclusion in drafts. The new recruits from immediately pre-war would have got the training under their belt and the under 19's would have had a birthday. Soon, with the pressure to keep Battalions in the field, the recruits to the regular army, (rather than Kitcheners New Army), from the opening weeks of the war had got 12-16 weeks training done and they too were being sent out - much to the disgust apparently of the officers who received them.

The system couldn't carry on like that and if it hadn't been for the arrival of the Indian Army then the British Expeditionary Force would have been done.

Cheers,
Peter

[Captain Chip]

Ok. And how were they split up in the Battalion? 

[PRC]

35 minutes ago, Captain Chip said:

Ok. And how were they split up in the Battalion? 

Do you mean the drafts? As far as I known it would have been a local decision based on whatever criteria seemed important to the Commanding Officer at the time. The temptation might be to just place them wherever they were most needed, but that ran the risk of creating a part of the Battalion that was totally lacking in experience. While looking into the 2nd Battalion I came across another piece that talked about a situation with another battalion which where in the line and effectively down to three Company's. The arrival of a large draft of Special Reservists was seen as an opportunity to used them as a reserve Company who could gradually get accustomed to life in the frontline. Unfortunately when the Battalion was attacked the next day and was slowly being forced back onto the reserve line, that newly arrived draft broke and ran, it's officers and nco's lacking the experience to keep them steady.

To give that group an experienced cadre of men would have meant rebalancing the whole Battalion, transferring in men from other Companies who may have been already earmarked for promotion, but that of course weakened the Companies they were coming from in the short-run. A difficult choice when you are in the front line.

However the alternative of placing them in penny packets around the Battalion also required more effort and ran the risk that too much resource was being spent on bringing the new arrivals up to speed. Easiest to do when the Battalion has been rotated out of the line to a training area but not always a luxury that was granted.

So the Commanding Officer would have had a number of options and would have had to make a call. And of course drafts could vary in size enormously - how you catered for ten men would be different to 100, and the arrival of six specialists for example might pretty much dictate where they would be deployed.

Cheers,
Peter

[Captain Chip]

Ok. Makes sense. Thanks.

[Captain Chip]

Sorry for asking questions so often but I am very interested in this. What was the structure of a Regular Company then before the reservist arrived?

[PRC]

15 minutes ago, Captain Chip said:

Sorry for asking questions so often but I am very interested in this. What was the structure of a Regular Company then before the reservist arrived?

As I understand it and if you are talking about on mobilisation on the 5th August 1914 then the structure was exactly the same - same number of platoons and sections, just with the manpower for most if not all proportionately reduced. Once they were in the field and suffering the attrition of combat and campaigning then thats a bit of a "how long is a piece of string" question - you'd have to glean what you could specific to any one battalion by checking sources like war diaries.

Cheers,
Peter

[Captain Chip]

Ok. It's just that you Brits sure do have a strange way of going about things with your army. And I am turning into new to this whole ww1 thing. ut thanks again!

 

[Michelle Young]

Maybe us Brits think you Americans have a strange way of going about things with your army …..😙

[Captain Chip]

Touche.

[FROGSMILE]

4 hours ago, Captain Chip said:

Ok. It's just that you Brits sure do have a strange way of going about things with your army. And I am turning into new to this whole ww1 thing. ut thanks again!

 

We’ve had a standing regular army for over a century longer than you’ve had a country and it’s done rather well for most of that time, so being “strange” is perhaps only in the eye of the beholder.  There tends to be a different view when looking at the wrong end of a fixed bayonet.

Edited 7 January by FROGSMILE