The following article was written for the 1994 Spring issue of the Western Front Association journal "Stand To" and is reproduced here by kind permission of the author John M. Cameron. Thanks go both the author and the W.F.A. for allowing this article to be shown here, which was first reproduced in 2009 in an earlier version of this website. Notes originally added by the author will remain as they were at time of print. Additional research and notes have been included by Adam Fulton’s Grandson. Where this is the case the letters (hf) will precede the note to separate it from those not originally published.
By John M. Cameron
From his own notes, supplemented by additional information in War Diaries, references in The Border Regiment in the Great War and taped comments.
"At Bangour Hospital, the wound healed without trouble. For me it was a very suitable place as it was within easy reach of the family and friends. We, the patients, had lots of freedom. When able to get about we were allowed afternoon visits to Edinburgh by bus. The buses at that time were running on gas which was contained in a large bag on the roof. On recovery and after a short leave at home, I was sent for convalescence to Harrogate. The Grand Hotel there had been turned into a convalescent home for wounded officers through the generosity of Lady Furness, and she was a frequent visitor. Life was somewhat quiet and there is no outstanding memory.
After a month at Harrogate and some home leave, I was sent to Heaton Park, Manchester,[note 1] to do light duty in a camp of thousands of low fitness category soldiers, housed in wood huts. My company commander was Captain J. R. Trench. He and I became great friends; with frequent evening visits into Manchester city which he knew well. I think he had been employed in an underwriting firm there before the war. He was the son of a church dignitary. His brother had been the subject of an espionage incident in Germany just prior to the outbreak of war. During the time at Heaton Park, the state of my fitness was periodically assessed by a medical board. Apparently I had some heart abnormality that could not be identified. Perhaps it was the aftermath of St. Vincent’s Angina that I had in Monsall Fever Hospital. I was not conscious of there being anything wrong with my heart and it did not prevent me from competing in the Camp Aquatic Sports and winning a sprint.
About the middle of 1918, I was considered fit enough to return to my regiment, the 3rd Border Regiment in camp at Crosby, Liverpool.[note 2] I remained with the 3rd Border Regiment until after the Armistice doing mostly extra-regimental duties, i.e. duties outside company work and troop training. I conducted drafts of reinforcements to France on two occasions - and delivered them complete despite likely desertions. For several weeks I was attached to Lord Forrester’s staff for the reception of American troops on their disembarkation at Liverpool. Military bands played throughout and well-medalled N.C.O,’s handed out to each soldier H.M. The Kings Letter of Welcome.
Armistice Day was celebrated, first with a formal parade at the camp at Crosby with the Regimental Band, then we, most of the officers, went into Liverpool in the afternoon and evening. I was one of a party that had dinner at the "Bear’s Paw" in Lord Street at which there were some extraordinary capers and much drinking. Later the Day was commemorated by the presentation of a silver salver, on which was inscribed the signatures of officers present (including mine) at the Armistice Day parade, to the sergeant major in charge of the band. The salver is now in the Regiment’s museum in the Castle, Carlisle.[note 3]
Some time after the Armistice, I, with some other officers, received instructions to go to Southampton for embarkation for duty in the Middle East. However on arrival at the port the embarkation officer informed us that the move had been cancelled - Turkey had sued for peace - and we had to return to our home unit.
Early in January, 1919, I with Lieutenant Sangers (a son of Lord George Sangers, a well known circus proprietor) were sent to join the 2nd Border Regiment which was in the 8th Division of the Army in Northern Italy. [By now he had reverted to temporary Lieutenant.] We had an interesting journey out being on our own, unhampered by troops. We spent a day each at Havre, Paris (with a meal at Maximes), Turin, Milan and Verona before reporting to the Battalion. Lieut Colonel Meiklejohn was in command and he was not at all pleased when I let him know I was a medical student and so due for demobilisation. Within a few weeks I was on my return to the U.K. This time in charge of a draft of Gordon Highlanders for demobilisation. After an adventurous train journey through France, I delivered the draft, nearly complete, to a depot on the coast - then went on by myself to Edinburgh where I was demobilised."
[Adam Fulton actually changed his course of study and qualified as a veterinary surgeon; studying at the Royal Dick College in Edinburgh. He later became fed up with working at home - he was in practice in Crieff at the time when he read an advertisement from the Colonial Office; they wanted vets in British Guiana. He applied and had a successful interview - and took it for granted that he would be going out to British Guiana. A week after a letter arrived with his appointment - to the Gold Coast.
He was there for 25 years later moving to Sierra Leone and the Gambia. He was virtually unaffected by the Second World War except when once when returning from leave in the U.K. when the ship he was travelling on, the M.V. Accra, was torpedoed in Mid-Atlantic; there were 22 deaths amongst the crew, mainly in the engine room, but no passengers were hurt. He had rather an uncomfortable time before being taken back to Liverpool.
In 1951 he had to retire from the Colonial Service and returned to Scotland where he and his wife lived in Glenfarg, Perthshire. He was taken on by the Agriculture Department for the testing of cattle; a job which lasted till 1960 when he finally retired. He remained in Glenfarg until he moved down to Galloway. He now lives in Kirkcudbright, where I met him.
While we were talking in his conservatory at Kirkcudbright, a rather noisy jet aircraft flew overhead, drowning out all conversation - a common enough occurrence in Galloway and the Borders. This reminded him of the times in France when the enemy aircraft which flew low and enfiladed the trenches. Eventually his battalion got Lewis guns - platoon had one each. "We used it at odd times - at night. I had an idea that if the Lewis gun was trained, if they ever came up again we’d give in to them. By sheer luck I was standing at the post where this Lewis gun was and was handling the gun when one of these things came along. And honestly, I’d no idea what to do. I mean, I pressed the button but the thing was so quick and so noisy that it was just a waste of ammunition. It’s the noise that does it."
We looked at his scrapbooks and his photograph albums; as we talked and mentioned the names of those referred to in the newspaper cutting and shown in the photographs, he was able to recall events of so many years ago. My wife and I found him to be a most interesting man—one of the world’s real gentlemen.]
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In Memory of Adam Fulton of the Border Regiment
| The following dates and locations of service are copied from his original Record of Service (Army book 439) | |
| 10 March 1915 | Commissioned 2nd Lieutenant |
| April 1915 - June 1915 | 3rd Border Regiment |
| June 1915 - 22 September 1915 | 10th Border Regiment |
| 5th August 1915 | Promotion to Lieutenant |
| September 1915 - September 1916 | 6th Border Regiment (wounded 26th September 1916) |
| December 1916 - February 1917 | 3rd Border Regiment |
| February 1917 - August 1917 | 1st Border Regiment (wounded 14th August 1917) |
| 20th July 1917 | Made acting Captain |
| 29th November 1917 - 20th December 1917 | 3rd Border Regiment |
| 20th December 1917 - 28 August 1918 | Command Depot, Heaton Park |
| 28 August 1918 - 31 December 1918 | 3rd Border Regiment |
| 31st December 1918 - January 1919 | 2nd Border Regiment |
| February 1919 | Demobilised |
- Reminiscences and Experiences of Adam Fulton in the Great War (Part One)
- Reminiscences and Experiences of Adam Fulton in the Great War (Part Two)