The Lonsdales Land in France, November 1915: Difference between revisions
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As we discovered in the previous chapter the Lonsdales had left the familiar grounds of [[Blackhall Camp]] to continue their training at various other camps, leaving the border counties of Cumberland and Westmorland. The Prees Heath Camp in Salop (present-day Shropshire) was their first move. It was here that they formed part of the 97th Brigade along with the 15th, 16th and 17th Battalions of the Highland Light Infantry. After a short stay at Wensleydale in Yorkshire they were stationed at Salisbury Plain for a few weeks in the autumn until orders were received to prepare to move out and proceed to France. On the [[23 November]] 1915, the Lonsdales entrained at Codford for the port of Folkstone where, at 1am, they sailed on board the steamer Princess Victoria with the rest of the 97th Brigade, at that time under the command of Brigadier-General Jardine.<ref name="wylly">{{Wylly|pageno=71}}</ref> The months they had spent in training at home had come to an end and the eight hour journey from Folkstone, at least for some men, was most likely spent in reflection of what awaited them when they finally reached their new port, Boulogne.▼
[[File:Grandstand at Blackhall Racecourse.jpg|thumb|400px|The grandstand at [[Blackhall Racecourse]]]]
[[File:Lt-Col Machell, Blackhall.jpg|thumb|400px|[[Percy Wilfred Machell|Lt-Col. P.W. Machell]], at [[Blackhall Racecourse]]]]
[[File:Prees Health hutments construction.jpg|thumb|400px|Hutments at Prees Heath, Salop, c.1915]]
[[File:Wenlsey Camp 1915.jpg|thumb|400px|Wensley Camp near Leyburn, Yorkshire, 1915]]
▲As we discovered in the previous chapter the [[Lonsdale Battalion|Lonsdales]] had left the familiar grounds of [[Blackhall Camp]] to continue their training at various other camps, leaving the border counties of Cumberland and Westmorland. The [[Prees Heath Camp]] in Salop (present-day Shropshire) was
The Lonsdales landed on the shores of France at a strength of 31 officers, 2 warrant officers and 995 other ranks.<ref name="wylly" /><ref>In the [[11th Battalion War Diary, November to December 1915|Battalion war diary]] it states 23 officers and 896 other ranks, a substantial discrepancy between the two sources.</ref> They moved to Longpré by train on the [[25 November]], already having to leave behind Capt. L.B. Hogarth and three other ranks in hospital due to sickness.
:{{quote-left}}Very good moving on gradually, so the men get used to [[gw:billet|billeting]]; it’s a big change for these lads, accustomed to having everything done for them. Their minds move slowly and they think it’s still training; so far we have got along first rate, much better than others. [[Spring-Rice]] very good at getting the transport along.{{quote-right}} <ref name="lonsfrance">[[Record of the XIth (Service) Battalion (Lonsdale) - In France]], [[25 November]].</ref>
It was their second day in France and preparations would need to be made but it wasn’t long, in fact only one day at Gorenflos, before they marched again, this time to Picquigny on the [[27 November]] and Villers-Bocage the following day. The men were not kept idle as during their brief stay there they were involved in close order drills, route marches and inspections, something, at least, they were not unfamiliar with having spent many hours and days fine-tuning these very things back home. On the [[2 December]] the Lonsdales continued across countryside to Molliens-au-Bois involved in much the same as before, however, with the wet weather that had befallen them, instead of gruelling route marches the men were involved in physical drills, lectures and more inspections.<ref name="wddec15" /> Their Commanding Officer,
[[File:Albert Basilica, 1916.jpg|thumb|400px|The destruction of the Albert Basilica after the first bombardment in 1916]]
The Lonsdales remained at Molliens-au-Bois for ten days where it was "settled that we go for practical training, attached to old units
Trenches were functional and served a specific purpose but many were hastily dug or in bad states of repair. Inclement weather would invariably be the cause for appalling muddy conditions that the men had to endure on a daily basis suffering not only physical but also psychological discomforts. Trenches that were in battle-razed areas were in so terrible a condition that they hardly resembled trenches at all. However, for the time being the Lonsdales remained in the area of Bouzincourt for six days supplying platoons to garrison nearby trenches. Here, the men tried to make the best of everything including getting used to the unpleasant, penetrating odours of lime, manure, sweat, chloride and death.<ref name="bardgett1" /> Lt-Col. Machell found the time to speak to his men about the issue of complaining in difficult circumstances and the importance of remaining positive. In his report he states:
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Machell’s positive outlook on situations, that to most would seem bleak and despairing, was a credit to his natural ability as a strong, yet sympathetic leader. His men had looked up to him during their formative months of training and continued to do even when circumstances were less desirable. He gave the men direction and a sense of purpose. There would have been men without understanding for what it was they were fighting for, but to fight for their commanding officer was something, at least, the majority would do resolutely. The men had been educated on what to expect and this was something they had to get used to as by mid-1916 it was going to get a lot worse.
The time spent in the trenches around Albert in the winter of 1915 was by far very different to those dug at camp in Carlisle. [[gw:Entrenching|Entrenchment]] training was just one of many basic skills the Lonsdales were taught at
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Their arrival in France did more good for the men than they may, at first, have known. They were honing their skills, learning the way of trench life - as unpleasant as it could be – and garnering instruction on the effective use of their everyday tools that would, ultimately, keep them alive.
The year was coming to a close and on the [[15 December]], Capt. L.B. Hogarth, having recovered from his sickness at Boulogne, was now attached for duty in Commanding the Royal Engineers of the 51st Division.<ref name="wddec15" /> For a few days the Lonsdales had been at the front, the Companies separated and attached to other battalions.<ref name="lonsfrance" /> Lt-Col. Machell went out daily to visit each Company in the line and noted that
The Lonsdales situation would see no major events for the next few months but their routine remained fairly consistent. They were still at the front near Bouzincourt and [[Albert (Somme)|Albert]], relieving the 1/6th Argyle and Sutherland Highlanders on the [[19 December]]. It was around this time Captain C.H. Clart, the Commanding Officer of B Company, was admitted to hospital and in his absence Captain B.C. Harrison took over as commanding officer of the Company. The trenches they occupied were of a loam and clay mixture, which were in a dreadful state. The Battalion's 2nd in Command, [[P. G. W. Diggle|Major P.G.W. Diggle]], also an officer that held high esteem for the men wrote of these trenches stating that:
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What would have been a much easier task in suitably dry and firm trenches was made nigh on impossible in these mud-encased channels where they were tasked with repairing the trenches and constructing dugouts. The simplest of demands would have brought the men new challenges and, in some cases, immediate danger due to the flooding and the fear of being [[gw:sniping|sniped]] at when moving overground. The Lonsdales pulled through, working together efficaciously to get the task in hand done. Lt-Col. Machell praised the men for their unwavering efforts by stating:
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▲:“The men are excellent. I am very energetic, as you may imagine, and they respond splendidly. I am quite delighted with them. They are not foolish at all, just sensible, and do their job without the smallest fuss, though the hardships for them are demandable. For us it is much better, as we can generally get dry socks and a better place to lie in…I have nothing to complain of at all. I am working day and night”.
Machell's confidence in, and support for, his men did not go unnoticed by Major Diggle, whose veneration of his superior was all the more apparent in his words of a man that always put the concerns of others before himself:
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Much to the relief of the men, within three days the 17th Highland Light Infantry took over their positions and the Lonsdales moved back to camp at Bouzincourt, out of the perpetual mud and the damp. On Christmas Eve, one officer and 50 other ranks were involved in supplying [[gw:fatigue duty|fatigues]] for the Royal Engineers in erecting hutments, whilst on Christmas Day, the Lonsdales held a church parade, then {{A Company}} moved to Aveluy where they [[gw:billet|billeted]] and supplied guards and further fatigues for [[97th Brigade]] Headquarters.<ref name="wddec15" />
During the Christmas period, His Majesty the King sent a seasonal message to all his {{gw|troops}} throughout every theatre of war to convey his feelings and praise the men in their duties:
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On the [[31 December]], all four Companies of the Lonsdale Battalion were now situated at Aveluy. One man was involved in a court of inquiry for a self-inflicted wound to his foot, the finding of which was deemed accidental and here ended the Lonsdales first five weeks in France. The year 1915 may have come to a close but the Lonsdales journey would continue.
==References
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[[Category:Battalion history|03]]
▲[[Category:Battalion history]]
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