1^st Beds were in 5 Division, 15 Brigade.

All the notebooks were written on the right hand page and additions, photos, cartoons or other documents were added to the left hand page.

In August 1914 the Battalion was posted at Mullingar

Book One

Friday 3^rd Aug.          About * p.m. a wire arrived directing my Armagh Detachment to move at once to Clifden wireless station and make preparations for its defence.  On proceeding to the railway station I was informed that no special could be got before Monday afternoon.  The Dublin office would be closed and nobody with authority to arrange specials would return before 9 o’clock on Monday morning.  Fortunately owing to the Ulster trouble the telephone office was kept open all night and I wired to the Headquarters Irish Command to kindly arrange for a special.  The Detachment reached Clifden about 10 pm on Saturday night.  Marconi’s agent to whom I had wired met us but said he could not allow us into the compound without the sanction of the company for which he had wired.

            This arrived as we completed our march in the dark and in a deluge of rain otherwise we should have been obliged to dispense with it.  Picquets and sentries were soon posted & the men got under cover.  On arrival at Clifden the inhabitants thought we had come down to stop gun running and were by no means pleased to see us.  When they realised war with Germany was impending they could not do too much for us, and asked if they might fire a salute with revolvers when we left finally for Mullingar.  I begged to be excluded.  For the next few days we had a busy time entrenching I had to arrange for feeding the men and to start a grocery bar – nothing could be bought in the compound.  In addition I had to arrange for the transport of 100 tons of war material daily to the compound.  The local carter went on strike for double wages but by getting a motor lorry from Galway I made them see the error of their ways.  We remained there until the 7^th Aug.

On the opposite page is a sketch map of the locations through which the Battalion had travelled.

14^th August.  We entrained at Mullingar at about 2 a.m. & reached Belfast about 10 a.m. the inhabitants were taken by surprise but there was much waving of flags.  We embarked on the Oranza and sailed at 2 p.m.  The voyage was uneventful there appeared to be a lot of shipping about & occasionally we saw a man of war in the distance.  On the 15^th at night in a heavy rain storm we nearly ran down a ship, of course all lights were *** **

16^th August.  We reached Havre at 6.30 a.m. and marched to the rest camp through cheering crowds by noon – a very hot march. 

17^th Left the rest camp at 8 p.m. and marched some miles to the station where we spent the rest of the night lying on the platform.  We entrained about 4 a.m. and the train left at 6 a.m.

18^th August.  Le Cateau was reached at 9 p.m. and we marched 4 miles to Pommereuil where we arrived about 11 p.m. and got into billets about midnight.  For food on the way up we had to manage as best we could a certain amount of hot water was procured from the engine for making tea.  Each Company had a *** for the officers and a lot of delicacies such as bottled peas, beans, fruit, etc.  Shearman was by way of saving these against a rainy day I was all for feeding well while we could.  (We had Coy messes).  It was just as well we did eat some of the things as the remainder all fell into the hands of the Germans.

At Pommereuil the men were all billeted in barns, the officers in peasants’ houses, these were scrupulously clean and they refused to accept any payments except for chickens and eggs.  There were large orchards at the back of the farmhouses which the men were told to make free of.  The men tried very hard to make the inhabitants understand Hindustani but when they found that was useless managed to do remarkably well by signs.  For the first few days officers were constantly being asked to translate certain words but the men soon learnt to find for themselves.  We were told that we would probably remain a week in those billets.  On the 19^th & 20^th we went for route marches and on the 21^st orders to move came.  We marched to Gussignies about 12 miles and billeted as before.  On the 22^nd we marched to Boussau Bois where the men were billeted in a school.  We sat down to meals with the school mistress (4 officers) and had typical Belgian food, not much to our liking.  All the buildings were decorated with English & Belgian flags.

On opposite page is a photo annotated Bn H.Q. estaminet on right.  Paturages station destroyed.

On Sunday the 23^rd the men were allowed into the town but suddenly about midday came trooping back by the Br. General’s orders.  Two Coys under Maj Thorpe were sent off to make trenches.  Presently an aeroplane appeared and little cotton wool like puffs pursued it in every direction.  Heavy gun firing could also be heard and the school mistress prudently removed all the bunting.  At 5.30 p.m. we were ordered to move to Paturages station, we were told that our troops were holding the line of the canal.  On the way I was told by a lot of excited Belgians that the Germans were only a few hundred yards up a road we crossed at right angles.  I ordered Lt. Gledstanes to form up his platoon across the road and fix bayonets.  I rode on and reported to Col Griffith who dismissed the report as preposterous so I withdrew the platoon.  Shortly afterwards (7 p.m.) we reached the station where we found a few men of the Cheshires on outpost duty holding a very extended line along the railway.

On opposite page is a sketch map of the Mons area and below that a photograph entitled View towards Frameries the brickfields in foreground.

They had been unable to get in touch with the 3^rd Division on our right.  I was asked to take an officers’ patrol and try and find them without adventuring too far as by that time very alarming rumours were coming in brought by civilians.  After going about a mile eastwards along the line and dropping a post to guard the branch line we heard a large force of guns cavalry and infantry crossing a bridge to our front.  I sent on Lt. Shearman to crawl right up and make sure of them & then returned to the station and reported to Col Griffith that the enemy had evidently penetrated our line.  There was no means of getting the report back except by Belgian civilians and there was every chance of them failing to get through.  We broke into the station masters office but were unable to work the telephone.  A very irate station master then appeared furious with us for breaking into his office.  He was appeased with difficulty but could not get an answer on the phone.  We all left the office but I tackled him again and appealed to him to make another effort as the situation was exceedingly dangerous.  He returned and after some time got a reply.  I called up the Colonel and a message was sent direct to Headquarters.

On the opposite page is a note in red ink saying “To O.C. “C” Coy.  General Haking’s brigade has joined us on our right and is in rear of you.  Take care that your men do not get into his line of fire.  Retire at dawn towards station along the railway line if you are pressed by enemy.  G.R.J. Griffith Lt Col.”

The message came back “Well done the Bedfords hold on at all costs.  The 5^th Brigade is moving to Frameries and 3 Batt^ns will be sent to support you”.  By this time a report had come in from Major Thorpe that owing to shell fire he was unable to leave his trenches and join us while Shearman sent back to say that the Germans had halted and were bivouacking.  I returned to Shearman’s platoon and in the dark took what measures I could to make the place defensible.  About 2.30 a.m. the German patrols began to push forward in the dark and our advanced scouts retired fighting.  Shearman received the Médaille Militaire and the D.S.O. for his day’s work.  At 3 a.m. General Haking’s (15^th) Bde arrived near Frameries and the pressure was relieved; as it grew light we worked hard making a barricade of sleepers across the railway lines and as there were not enough to make it bullet proof I caused packs to be laid on top to make believe they were barricades which were held.

The firing soon became rather warm the Germans advancing across our front towards Frameries and Gen. Haking’s Bde. 

On the opposite page is a sketch map of the action.

Our advanced posts at X and Y and the platoon under Q.M.S. Hall did yeoman work.  Finally the Germans established a machine gun near Z which raked our line between Y and X killing two men and wounding others.  Shearman had been wounded while reconnoitring earlier in the day.  I was forward at Y and ordered the platoon to move back to a row of houses A. B. but kept a few men still sniping at Y.  Q.M.S. Halls’ platoon had wiped out a party of Germans who had reached C but a strong force (about 400) advanced from Z and got into the railway cutting.  I now withdrew the advanced snipers and opened a heavy fire from A. B. this stopped the advance and they were apparently put off advancing down the cutting under cover owing to the barricades right across with the packs on top.  They would appear to be on the back of men waiting to counter attack.  At this period or a little earlier Major Thorpe’s two companies arrived and Capt Edwards with one company took up a line from C to the right.  General Haking’s Brigade was withdrawn.

On the opposite page is a sketch map showing this action.

            My company, C, still had two platoons guarding the station, one platoon at A.B. and one platoon at E on the knoll behind and a section in the back gardens of some houses at F and another in a garden at G.  The walls were prepared for defence & loopholes made.  An attack was anticipated on the station but it never materialised.  The Germans next brought up some guns peppering the stack heaps badly and demolishing the row of houses A.B.  I was in one of them attending to a wounded man when a shell burst and deafened me.  I could not hear with it for about 6 weeks.  Major Thorpe brought up reinforcements but we found the shell fire too hot.  I withdrew the men to a second line further back covering the station K on fig 1.  This was another row of houses and the men although they had had one block of buildings blown down while in them at once broke into the houses and established themselves in the upper windows.  We were left undisturbed and at 3.30 p.m. received orders to retire.  It would appear that the 5^th Fusiliers were holding a bridge on Sunday across the canal owing to some blunder it was not blown up altho’ prepared.  The 5^th held on in the houses covering the bridge but being heavily shelled retired to Frameries.  The Germans then poured over the canal and began to attack Frameries about 3 a.m.  The 5^th retired altogether about 10 a.m.

The above information was taken from the St. Georges’ Gazette the 5^th Fusiliers Reg^tal Paper.  The Germans had outflanked us 5½ hours before we started to retire so that our getting away was little short of marvellous.

On the opposite page “Throughout the day I heard nothing of our guns and German aeroplanes appeared to be hovering over us like hawks without one of ours being visible.”

Casualties:  Missing Sherman & 66 Other Ranks.

            Within half an hour we were ordered to move back to Wasmes by the Bde Major with two companies but Major Thorpe who was with the leading one became so heavily engaged that orders were issued for each coy to retire independently as best it could through the streets.  I never expected to see Major Thorpe’s coy again.  At every street corner we heard of the Germans at one point we saw some cross the road in front of us.  At another we saw a lot of our men who had been killed just before.  Presently we came on a large (about 100) number of British stragglers, these were pushed on in front then a party of the Cheshire Regt under Capt. Rich came in from a side street.  They had only just escaped capture.  We now got into open country and I arranged a series of ambushes each supporting the other.  This gave the lame ducks a bit of a start and simply transformed the men forming the ambushes.  They hoped they were going to get a little of their own back. 

On the opposite page.  I commanded a house and was able to regulate the withdrawal of the rearmost party.  A task which would otherwise have proved impossible.  There ought to be one Officer with the rear party and a second for placing each of the ambushes.

25^th August.  Presently an Artillery General rode up and directed the retirement to continue with all speed.  We reached a bivouac near St. Waast in which we found Major Thorpe’s company at 7.30 p.m.  We rested an hour (having been on the move 25 hrs) and then marched 17 miles meeting Col Griffith with the other two Coys on the way.  We had 4 hours rest in a field, here we formed up after dark I had to send out posts to hold the edge of a wood a few hundred yards off.  There was no water obtainable.  I had lost my waterbottle & field glasses.  Three men were sharing the remains of a waterbottle boiling the water to make tea.  It was brought round to me first but I refused to take it tho’ I appreciated the spirit which prompted the offer.  And then marched 23 miles on to Le Cateau.  It was a boiling hot day as the column marched along there was a constant accompaniment of big guns every moment we expected a heavy shelling.  An aeroplane fight occurred during the march.  We did not witness its conclusion but heard later that the German was killed.  A French girl in high-heeled shoes and open work stockings kept up with us for miles.  Her brother was grumbling the whole time but she was as cheery as possible.

We rested in a field for 2 hrs and then about 5 p.m. moved to another field where we understood we were to remain a week to recoup.  The 4^th Div newly out from England covering our front in a previously prepared position.  I went to a farm house at Troisvilles borrowed a towel & soap and had a good wash in an outhouse.  It was needed.

            26^th August.  At midnight Sgt. Nolans ran into camp saying the Germans were on us.  Investigation proved that his platoon had fired at shadows but it alarmed the whole camp.  We were ordered to stand to arms at 3.30 a.m. & were told that the retirement would be continued at 8 a.m.  Just as we were marching off a counter order came to occupy the trenches as the Germans were on us.  We did so getting there just in time.  I galloped along our line of trenches and thus had a fair idea of the number of men to hold each.  We held on till 4 p.m. and then received orders to retire by the right.  The troops on the right had retired some time before & I had been obliged to order Capt. Newington to take up a position on a ridge to cover my retirement a little earlier.  The men went beyond the ridge instead of following Capt. Newington and were stopped by Count Gleichen who ordered them forward again.  This forward movement was assumed to be a counter attack & is said to have delayed the enemy’s advance.  On my left Capt. Monteith had already moved back.  To create a diversion I ordered my two platoons in 2^nd line to open a heavy burst of fire with “combined” sights on a point where some German machine guns were firing.  The leading platoons then doubled back over about 400 yards of open ground to the sunken road whence I sent them on to the village.

On the opposite page is a plan of the Troisvilles situation.

Two men carried a box full of ammunition back between them even tho’ they could only carry it at a walk and German machine guns were playing on them at a range of about 400 yds.  The trenches had been dug by civilian labour and were very poor.  They had to be improved under fire.  Our transport and the 2 guns which had been doing great execution behind us had already gone back.  We then gave another burst of fire and retired to a position in front of the village.  From here we witnessed the shelling of the sunken road we had left and then they started on the village. 

By this time all the other troops had gone and Major Onslow ordered our retirement.  The road along which we moved was being heavily shelled.  Presently we were joined by a dozen K.O.S.B. who came in from a side turning and a little way on saw an ambulance wagon full of wounded, with the pole and traces broken, abandoned on the road.

On the opposite page is a newspaper cutting showing St. Quentin.  Above this is written Von Kluck states in The March on Paris “The IV Corps engaged strong B^rit forces on the front Caudry, Troisvilles Renmount at about 9 a.m. and got into a difficult position.”

Casualties: Lt. Wagstaff & 30 men.

At this point the rear guard struck off to the right across country.  I decided not to leave the wounded behind and with Lt. Duke some of our own men and some of the K.O.S.Bs we pushed it along the road.  Dr Cheques was mentioned in despatches for taking part.  We had a lively time as the Germans were concentrating their fire on the road which ran parallel to their front for a bit.

Another party of K.O.S.B. then joined us and we put Col Stephenson (K.O.S.B.) in the wagon.  He had been stunned by a shell.  We went on about 5 miles in all and then met Gen. Count Gleichen who ordered the wagon to be abandoned and the men with it to act as a rear guard along the road. 

27^th Aug.        We marched on till about 1.30 a.m. when having lost 2 coy we halted for 2½ hrs in a field and then marched just beyond St. Quentin.  Here we found Col. Griffith & 2 Corps and remained from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. while we all had bread and foie gras I had purchased in the town.  We then marched on till 6 p.m. & bivouaced.

It was a beautiful day we crossed the Oise and marched for some distance along its banks to Eaucourt.  Here there was a huge jumble of units C Coy was detailed to find certain ill defined picquets on the roads and to have two platoons on guard at Div. HQ.  I was on the move all night.  About 2 a.m. on 28^th bad news came in and orders to continue the retirement were issued.  Gledstanes & I managed to get some food in the chateau kitchen.  Proceeding to the river bank at dawn I found that all the bridges were being blown up but an infinite number of large barges and small boats containing refugees were on the water so that the Germans could make floating bridges at the shortest notice.  This I reported to Gen. Fergusson but he said it did not matter.  Perhaps there was no time to issue fresh orders.  We were two hours late getting away.  The confusion was very great.  Gen. Fergusson himself stood at some cross roads trying to get a semblance of order into some units.

28^th     We moved off at 4.30 a.m. & went through Augny halting short of Noyon for 4 hrs at noon.  It was exceedingly hot and a long line of transport monopolised the greater part of the road.  Straggling was very bad a lot of men got lifts on carts.  We & the Dorsets were almost the only Batt^ns that really kept together.  The four hours rest enabled the men to eat their food in comfort and we then marched through Noyon, a fine town, the whole British army seemed to be passing through.  We went on across the suspension bridge to Pontoise taking hours to cover the last few miles, we got into bivouac, a field by the road side, after dark about 9 p.m.  Pte Hawkins rejoined here.  He was shot through the bone below the knee and marched 3 days – on extra ordinary feat of endurance.

29^th  The next morning I received orders to reconnoitre the high ground north of the river as to its suitability for defence.  I took two mounted orderlies with me and started out at 1 p.m.  Soon after crossing the river we met two dragoons who reported that a few hours before the Germans had rushed their post at Ginnard and that they had only just escaped by the skin of their teeth. 

On the opposite page a diagram of the German attack on Le Cateau.

I sent one Dragoon back, with one orderly to show him the way, to Count Gleichen and went on with the other two, expecting every moment to run into a German patrol as they would naturally also be making for the same high ground.  Rounding a corner we came across an infantry Bⁿ resting, their sentries were within 100 yards of the troops.  I was informed that they had orders to take up an outpost line on the high ground further on.  I explained that if they did not hurry up they would find the enemy there first and sent my other orderly to report the fact of British troops being on the hill side to Count Gleichen.  I rode on to make my reconnaissance keeping the Dragoon to watch for the enemy while I was doing so.  On completing the work I rode back 3 hrs later passing the same Battⁿ in the same position.  There was a gap between them and the Battⁿ on their left of a good mile.  This last Battⁿ had its sentries stuck out in the middle of a field where they could be seen quite a mile off.  A German aeroplane passed over only about 600 feet up but was not fired at.  It was taken to be British or French.  No distinguishing marks were in use but pamphlets had been issued showing different types.  On arrival in bivouac I found the troops moving off I delivered my report.  We reached Carlepont about midnight.  The troops halted in the streets while I tried to arrange about billets. 

30^th.    These were rather split up and as we had to move on at 3.30 a.m. the C.O. decided to leave the men where they were.  I had some food in a house & then slept for an hour in the street with my head on the curb stone.  The men had some straw to lie on but moving off in the dark men are very apt to lose their kit and swap rifles and straw does not improve matters.

We reached Crotuy about noon.   I slept in a bed and had a bath in an outhouse attached to the chateau of Gen de France.  There was also a large garden full of fruit.  The men were all housed in barns and a great shaving and washing took place.

31^st.  We had quite a Europe morning and did not move off till 7 a.m.  It takes about 2 hrs from the time of getting up to get the breakfasts finished & the carts loaded up.  We marched via Share passing Pierrefords to Crepy where we arrived at 6 p.m. and bivouaced in a field. 

On the opposite page is a chart showing locations in the text.