The Rifles Are There: 1st & 2nd Battalions The Royal Ulster Rifles in the Second World War

By David Orr, David Truesdale and C.W.B Purdon

Told by the men who lived it, this is a military history of two British Army battalions who landed at Normandy and fought in Europe during World War II.

This is the long overdue history of the two Royal Ulster Rifles battalions during the Second World War. Although there was a healthy rivalry between the battalions, both reserved their fighting skills for the luckless enemy. At the outbreak of the war the 1st Battalion was garrisoned in India whereas the 2nd went to France with the BEF. Indeed, the title of this book is credited to Major General Bernard Montgomery who was commanding 3rd Division during the retreat to Dunkirk. On hearing that the RUR were in the line, he reputedly exclaimed, ‘it’s alright then—the Rifles are there’.

After arduous training both battalions landed in Normandy on D-Day; the 1st by gliders as part of 6th Airlanding Brigade and the 2nd with 9th Brigade of 3rd Division on SWORD Beach. Indeed, the RUR have the unique distinction of being the only British regiment to be represented on D-Day by both regular battalions. In addition, numerous Riflemen were in 9th Parachute Battalion (commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Terence Otway, himself a Rifles’ Officer) and there is a full description of the legendary assault on the Merville Battery.

This well-researched work goes on to describe the long slog through North West Europe to the heart of Germany. Of the many fierce engagements that the battalions fought, those in the Ardennes during the German counterattack and the massive Rhine Crossing Operation (VARSITY) deserve special mention. There were numerous battles, both major and minor, where the Rifles’ legendary fighting skills and courage were put to the test.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Open Road Integrated Media
• Release date: Nov 19, 2005
• ISBN: 9781783830282

David Orr

David Orr is the Paul Sears Distinguished Professor of Environmental Studies and Politics, Emeritus, at Oberlin College and the co-editor (with William Becker, Andrew Gumbel, and Bakari Kitwana) of Democracy Unchained (The New Press).

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First published in Great Britain in 2005 by

Pen & Sword Military

an imprint of

Pen & Sword Books Ltd

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Copyright © David R. Orr and David Truesdale

ISBN 1 84415 3495

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The right of David R. Orr and David Truesdale to be identified as Authors of this Work has been asserted by them in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

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CONTENTS

Foreword

Preface

Acknowledgements

Introduction

PART ONE

2nd Battalion, The Royal Ulster Rifles

PART TWO

1st (Airborne) Battalion, The Royal Ulster Rifles

Roll of Honour

Glossary

Bibliography

Foreword

by Major General Corran Purdon CBE, MC, CPM

The 1st and 2nd Battalions of the Royal Ulster Rifles landed in Normandy on D-Day – the 1st in the 6th Airborne Division, by glider at Ranville, and the 2nd in the 3rd Division, by landing craft across the beach slightly west of Ouistreham. No other regiment in the British Army had both its regular battalions in Normandy on D-Day. Field Marshal Montgomery, himself an Ulsterman, was particularly fond of the Rifles. The 2nd Battalion had served under his command in the 8th Division in Palestine from 1937 to 1939, when they had been awarded five MCs, four MMs and eighty-seven Mentions in Despatches. One of these MCs was awarded to Major Charles Sweeny, who became his ADC, and later, in North-West Europe, one of his liaison officers.

When Major General Montgomery, as he then was, took command of the 3rd Division, he specially asked for our 2nd Battalion. At the time of Dunkirk, when the Germans were attacking in great strength and Louvain was under great pressure, Monty is reported to have said, ‘It’s all right, the Rifles are there’, hence the title of this book. David Truesdale and David Orr are to be congratulated on having ‘caught the flavour’ of this unique Regiment which captivated all who served in it.

Recruited from all over Ireland, it also welcomed English, Scots, Welsh and Canadians into its wartime ranks, all of whom, in addition to contributing their splendid national qualities, tended, if not to become more Irish than the Irish, at least to grow utterly devoted to the Regiment, and to their fellow Riflemen of all ranks. The Rifles are such a family Regiment, and the Riflemen are an honour and a joy to serve with. Tough, hardy and loyal, brave and uncomplaining, keen and confident, they have a terrific and very special sense of humour. The authors tell an easily read, lively story of the peerless men who made my Regiment – Riflemen, NCOs, officers, brothers-in-arms, filled with pride and affection for each other as they fought their war from Normandy to the Baltic, in our splendid 1st and 2nd Battalions. When we talk of ‘our war’, we are proud to say ‘The Rifles were there’ and we thank David Truesdale and David Orr for bringing these achievements to light and to life in such an easy and enjoyable read. Quis Separabit.

Preface

In this the year in which the nation has commemorated the 60th anniversary of the end of the War in Europe and the Far East, attention has rightly focused on those who lived through it all, and in particular the men and women who served in all branches of the Armed Forces. In close parallel with the broad examinations of the events of the Second World War, there have been intense efforts to listen, witness and record the memories of those who took part in the momentous events of those turbulent years. This ranges from small projects in towns and village communities, involving individuals and local museums, to the huge People’s War project by BBC local radio. The work done throughout the UK recognizes not only the significance of such memories as history, but also the need to preserve them before they are lost in the passage of time.

It is therefore fitting that two historians with a passionate interest in the military history of Ireland have compiled this history of the Royal Ulster Rifles. It does not cover the Regiment as a whole, but concentrates on the two principal units which served during the War, the 1st and 2nd Regular Battalions. David Orr and David Truesdale have compiled a fascinating account which successfully combines the official record of the two battalions with the characters and stories of those who served in them. As a result it has provided a broader and more personal aspect to this history of the Regiment, which chronicles the outstanding service of both battalions during the War, at the same time reminding us all that regiments and their battalions are not nondescript, faceless organizations, but bodies of soldiers bound by and fiercely proud of serving under a particular cap badge. In addition, the history describes the various theatres of war that the Regiment served in and shows how the battalions coped with different situations and circumstances. Moreover, the 1st Battalion, in its air-landing role in 6th Airborne Division, clearly demonstrated the ability of a county infantry regiment to change and adapt to whatever new task the Army might require of it.

Stuart Eastwood

Curator

Border Regiment & King’s Own Royal Border Regiment Museum, Carlisle Castle

Acknowledgements

Alan Brown, Curator Airborne Forces Museum, Aldershot

Major J.M. Campbell, D Company, 2nd Battalion, who showed us hospitality and kindness on a warm summer afternoon in June 2003

Colonel Robin Charley, a former Rifleman and a font of knowledge on the Regiment

Paul Clark, UTV

Richard Doherty, for assistance with research in the National Archive, Kew

Stuart Eastwood, Curator, Border Regiment and King’s Own Royal Border Regiment Museum, Carlisle

Captain John England, D Company, 1st (A) Battalion

Lieutenant Colonel Rex Fendick

Cllr. Ronnie Ferguson, who made this book possible. Ronnie and David Truesdale have several things in common, including an interest in military history, and both being ex-Regular Army and ex-lance corporals in the Ulster Defence Force. Their paths parted for a time when David Truesdale joined the RUC and Ronnie became one of the ‘political parasites’, but that does not make him a bad person. The authors and the Museum of the Royal Ulster Rifles owe Ronnie a great deal.

Bob Gerritsen, of Holland

Margaret Graham, of Newtownards, Co. Down

Bob Hilton, ex 2 Para

Colonel Ian Hogg, Curator, King’s Own Scottish Borderers Museum

Captain Jaki Knox, RUR Museum, Belfast

Lieutenant Alan Malcolm, D Company, 1st (A) Battalion

Ian Martin, King’s Own Scottish Borderers Museum

John McCabe, Co. Antrim

Kenneth McClurgan

Gary McCrea, son of Rifleman Charles McCrea, 1st (A) Battalion

Roy McCullough for his help with the maps

Vera McCutcheon, widow of CSM William McCutcheon, 1st (A) Battalion

Molly Pollock McFarland

Craig McGuicken, Somme Heritage Centre, Newtownards, Co. Down

Dougie McGurk, for assistance with the photographs

Amanda Moreno, Curator, Royal Irish Fusiliers Museum, County Armagh

Terence Nelson, RUR Museum, Belfast

Colonel Terence Otway, 9th Parachute Battalion

Mr Harry Pegg, 1st (A) Battalion

Major Cyril Rand, C Company 2nd Battalion

Jim Ryan, son of Sergeant John Ryan, County Armagh

Carl Rymen, of Belgium

Rifleman Bobby Smyth, 2nd Battalion

Major Roy Walker, RUR Museum, Belfast

Les Waring, of Uruguay

Eugene Wijnhoud, of Holland

Molly Wilson, for her knowledge of the men of the 1st (A) Battalion

Chris Wise, for his valuable time working on our behalf in the National Archive, Kew

George Wylie

Tom Wylie, whose good humour and encouragement has, as always, kept us going

Operation Varsity, 24 March 1945

D-Day, 6 June 1944

Introduction

In the period before the invasion of Iraq by American and British forces in 2003, much was made of the logistical effort required to put those forces in place and to sustain them in battle. Coalition triumph was attributed as much to those supporting the front-line troops as to the front-line troops themselves. Much the same has been said of the first Gulf War in 1991, for modern logistics had played a vital part in the success of that operation.

Many of those making those comments were probably blissfully unaware that, almost fifty years before the first Gulf War and almost sixty years before the second, those efforts had been dwarfed by an invasion that did not have the assistance of computers, microwave communications and satellite reconnaissance. Furthermore, it was made against a defended coastline in the face of what was regarded as the most professional army in the world and one well versed in fighting a defensive battle. That operation had been based on paper and the brainpower of hundreds of officers and men of the British and American armies and remains to this day the greatest military operation in history. Indeed it is unlikely ever to be surpassed. That operation was the invasion of France on 6 June 1944, the first step in the liberation of occupied Western Europe from Nazi tyranny. Officially it was known as Operation Overlord, but it is remembered popularly as D-Day.

For any regiment that took part in the invasion of France on D-Day, the date became an important one in regimental history and tradition. This was especially true for the Royal Ulster Rifles who can lay claim to being the only British regiment to be represented on D-Day by its two regular battalions – both the 1st and 2nd landed on Norman soil on 6 June. Not only that but the regiment was represented in other elements of the invasion, many riflemen served in the 9th Parachute Battalion, responsible for the destruction of the Merville Battery, and commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Terence Otway, a Rifles officer.

The soldiers who were to do the fighting on the ground arrived in Normandy either from the sea or from the air. Airborne divisions from both British and American formations were dropped on both flanks of the invasion area to protect against German counterattacks and to secure certain river and canal crossings. These troops arrived either by parachute or flimsy wooden glider. The Royal Ulster Rifles arrived in Normandy from both the sea and the air. The 2nd Battalion came ashore on Sword Beach brought from ship to sand in landing craft as part of the 3rd British Division. The 1st Battalion came by glider and arrived in the early evening of D-Day, landing on the left flank of the 3rd Division as part of the 6th Airborne Division.

Both battalions had relatively unscathed arrivals. First to land in France were the men of the 2nd Battalion who came ashore in the late morning and afternoon of D-Day. As one of the three battalions of 9 Brigade, the last element of 3rd Division to land, the horrors of the initial assault across the beaches were spared them. That evening as they awaited the call to action they could see the aerial armada that was carrying the 6th Airlanding Brigade fly over towards the landing zones. One Rifleman is reported to have quipped: ‘I suppose that’s what the ruddy 1st Battalion call a ruddy route march.’ His language may have been a little more colourful.

Although they had expected to suffer casualties from enemy antiaircraft fire over the beaches and in the glider landings, the 1st Battalion lost only one man, a casualty from German mortar fire shortly after landing. This was quite a relief; one officer described the gliders as being so lightly constructed that ‘you could read the cricket scores’ on the recycled newspaper from which they were alleged to have been constructed.

The airborne troops had the task of ensuring that 3rd Division was not attacked from the flank as it came ashore as well as eliminating German shore batteries that might take a dreadful toll of the landing craft. They were successful in this task and ensured that the men of the Division were not subjected to heavy shelling as they made their landing. When the 1st Battalion arrived they were assigned the task of capturing enemy strong points that would enable the airborne bridgehead to be further consolidated and expanded. By their very nature airborne forces are not designed to carry out lengthy operations against a well dug-in enemy with the advantage of artillery and armoured support, but the Rifles, with their comrades, were destined for just such a fight. Not until the battle for Normandy was over, in late August 1944, were they withdrawn from active operations and returned to the United Kingdom to rest, reform and prepare for future operations. They would return to Europe in December 1944 to play their part in what became known as the Battle of the Bulge, where they endured one of the coldest winters in memory. In March 1945 they took part in Operation Varsity and from there continued on fighting through Germany until VE-day.

On Sword Beach, the British 3rd Division landed on a much narrower front than on the other British/Canadian beaches. Only one brigade made the initial assault and the intention was that elements of the Division would pass through the initial units to race for the city of Caen which, with Bayeux, was to be taken by British Second Army on D-Day itself. The 50th (Northumbrian) Division captured Bayeux on 7 June, while Caen defied the Allies for a month before it finally fell. During that period a number of attempts were made to break through to and capture the city. These did not achieve their objective and General Montgomery excused his strategic failure by claiming that his plan was to draw the bulk of the German armour on to the Allied left flank, the British and Canadian forces. This would allow the Americans to break out to the west and then begin a swing towards the River Seine. During that month, 2nd Battalion Royal Ulster Rifles were involved in heavy fighting and suffered many losses, as well as gaining many decorations. When Caen finally fell, the Rifles had the distinction of being the first British battalion to enter the city, by then a mass of churned rubble. They would continue to fight from Normandy to the Baltic.

In 1940, during the retreat from Belgium towards the beaches at Dunkirk, when asked if a certain part of his defence line could be held, Montgomery replied reassuringly, ‘It’s all right, the Rifles are there.’

This then is the story of these two battalions of riflemen, told mostly from the men themselves, with further information from war diaries and personal journals. It is not concerned so much with the grand strategy of generals, but with the day-to-day events that made up the rifleman’s life during the Second World War.

Form, form, Riflemen, form!

Colonel William Fitch raised the 83rd Regiment of Foot in Dublin in 1793, the third regiment to bear this number. They first saw action in the West Indies during the Maroon War of 1795, while part of the Regiment was engaged at St Domingo. The Regiment remained as garrison troops for the following seven years. During this time they, in common with all other regiments in such service, lost more men to diseases such as yellow fever than to enemy action. The Regiment returned to Ireland after the peace of Amiens and here raised a second battalion to meet the expansion of the army as a result of the Napoleonic Wars. In 1805 the 1st Battalion landed at Cape Town in South Africa and quickly subdued the small Dutch garrison. The Battalion remained in South Africa until 1818.

In 1809, the 2nd Battalion became part of Wellington’s Peninsula Expeditionary Army in Portugal. For the following five years they marched and countermarched the length and breadth of Spain and Portugal, until finally crossing into France. In that time they gained twelve battle honours. Of these two deserve particular mention. In the action at Talavera fought on 28 July 1809, the Battalion suffered over 50 per cent casualties including their commanding officer, Colonel Alexander Gordon. Wounded early on by a French musket ball, the Colonel was being carried from the field on a blanket by four of his men when the party was hit by a howitzer shell and blown to pieces.

Such were the officer casualties in the Battalion that Sergeant Major Joseph Swinburne was granted an Ensigncy for his distinguished service and was appointed Adjutant. Joseph Swinburne was one of the few men in Wellington’s army to rise from the rank of Private to Brevet Lieutenant Colonel, receiving the Peninsula War medal with ten clasps and serving for forty-four years as an officer before retiring in 1853 with a Major’s full pay.

At Badajoz on 25 March 1812, Wellington ordered an assault against Fort Picurina, part of the defences of the town. A ‘forlorn hope’ of 500 men included 2 officers and 50 men from the Battalion. A hero of the assault was Sergeant Thomas Hazlehurst, responsible for saving the life of Captain Powys who fell wounded in the breech and would have been bayoneted to death but for the actions of the determined Sergeant.

The 86th Regiment of Foot was raised in Shropshire by General Cornelius Cuyler and went by the name ‘Cuyler’s Shropshire Volunteers’. Recruiting initially proved difficult, with more men wanting to work on the land than take the King’s shilling. The Regiment therefore moved to Ireland and was allotted the province of Leinster as a new recruiting area, the men becoming known as the ‘Irish Giants’.

The 86th had their first taste of action while serving as marines and were engaged in several actions against the French. A detachment of six companies accompanied the expedition to Egypt in June 1801 and carried out an epic march of some 80 miles from Suez to Cairo, the whole time under a blazing sun. During this time there were no provisions and the column’s water supply had become polluted with maggots. The men were dressed in the heavy scarlet coats of the time, but despite this only seventeen stragglers were reported, of whom eight died.

This campaign resulted in the end of Napoleon’s dream of an Egyptian empire and by royal decree the emblem of the Sphinx, inscribed ‘Egypt’, was added to the regimental crest.

During the Indian Mutiny both the 83rd and 86th Regiments played their part and were involved in many of the actions, perhaps the most famous being the assault on Jhansi on 3 April 1858. The strength of the garrison of the city at the time of the assault was unknown, but was estimated at no less than 13,000 men, supported by some forty pieces of artillery crewed by well-trained gunners. The assault was both fierce and bloody but the storming party surmounted the walls despite a terrible fire from enemy musketry and cannon. There was bitter hand-to-hand fighting and many casualties were sustained, but eventually resistance was crushed and victory went to the British.

Three Victoria Crosses were awarded to the 86th. These were Lieutenant H.E. Jerome, and Privates Byrne and Pearson. Jerome had been born ‘in the regiment’ and would later be promoted to Brevet Major; his brother also served with the 86th and was later its commanding officer. James Byrne came from County Wicklow, survived to old age and died in Dublin in 1872. James Pearson, from Queen’s County (Leix), died in India in 1900.

In 1881 the 83rd and 86th Regiments amalgamated to form the Royal Irish Rifles, 1st and 2nd Battalions respectively. The Royal North Downshire Militia formed the 3rd Battalion, the Antrim Militia the 4th, the Royal South Down Light Infantry the 5th and the Louth Rifles Militia the 6th.

The 2nd Battalion was mobilized for duty in the South African War on 9 October 1899. Of the 704 men called to the colours only nine failed to appear. As none of these men were ever heard of again, evidence would point to the fact that they had died prior to the call-up. The Battalion left Victoria Barracks, Belfast on 25 October and travelled south by train to Queenstown. From here they embarked on the SS Britannic for South Africa, arriving in Cape Town on 13 November. Throughout the War the Battalion served at Cape Colony, Orange Free State, Belfast (SA), Ladysmith, Paardeberg, the Transvaal and Tugela Heights. They were also present at Stormberg, the anniversary of which is commemorated to this day at the City Hall in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

No Victoria Crosses were earned in the conflict, but three DSOs and ten DCMs reflected the service and valour of both officers and men.

In a brief introduction such as this there is little space to record the heroism and devotion displayed by the Rifles in the First World War. The 2nd Battalion formed part of the Expeditionary Force that fought at Mons during the Retreat, and subsequent battles of the Marne and the Aisne, prior to moving north into Flanders. In the ensuing trench warfare the 1st and 2nd Battalions served throughout the War, losing many times their number in casualties. The 6th Battalion served with 10th (Irish) Division at Gallipoli, in Macedonia and Palestine. A further fifteen battalions of the Rifles were formed, all but one of which served on the Western Front, mostly with 36th (Ulster) Division.

In 1921 came another change of title when, with the partition of Ireland, they changed to the Royal Ulster Rifles. (Actually as a result of a War Office decision to mark the province of Ulster with a regiment, Leinster, Connaught and Munster already having regiments.)

With partition the British Army lost the services of the Royal Irish Regiment, Connaught Rangers, the Leinster Regiment, the Munster Regiment, Royal Dublin Fusiliers and the South Irish Horse.

In 1937, the London Irish Rifles joined the Regiment as a Territorial Army battalion. The LIR had been formed in 1859 as a ‘Corps of Irish Gentlemen at Arms’, subsequently becoming a Volunteer Corps. They had served in the South African War and in the First World War as part of the London Regiment; they would see further service in the Second World War in the Middle East, Sicily and Italy.

At the beginning of 1939, both Battalions of the Royal Ulster Rifles were serving abroad. The 2nd Battalion was in Palestine and by the time it left to return to the United Kingdom a total of 5 MCs, 4 MMs and 87 Mentions in Despatches had been awarded.

PART ONE

2nd Battalion

The Royal Ulster Rifles

France, September 1939 to June 1940

The 2nd Battalion Royal Ulster Rifles received its orders to mobilize on 1 September 1939. Three days later a party of 208 reservists under the command of Lieutenant E.D.D. Wilson had arrived from the depot at Gough Barracks in County Armagh to bring the Rifles up to war strength. For the remainder of the month ‘old’ and ‘new’ soldiers trained together to form a battalion fit enough to take the field.

The Rifles on parade numbered 23 officers, 20 Warrant Officers and 674 other ranks. Like their predecessors of 1914–18, they wore khaki and carried the Lee Enfield .303 rifle as standard issue; the equipment had changed since the First World War, as had the design of the uniform. The Battalion was organized into a headquarters and five rifle companies, A, B, C, D and a Support Company. These were in turn organized into three platoons, each platoon having a headquarters and three sections commanded by either a corporal or lance corporal, with ten men armed with nine rifles and a Bren gun. Within the platoon headquarters of an officer and six men were an anti-tank rifle and a 2-inch mortar. An issue of the Boyes anti-tank rifle was made prior to embarkation for France, but few men had the opportunity to fire it before crossing the Channel. As the Riflemen assembled they began to form a cohesive unit from the mixture of ‘old soldiers’ from Palestine, many of whom were not so old, and the new recruits, recently enlisted.

Although this was the Royal Ulster Rifles the men who filled the ranks from 1939 to 1945 came from many places within the United Kingdom – there were ‘loyal’ Ulstermen, ‘neutrals’ from Eire, cockneys from the East End of London and men from the Home Counties. Both Protestants and Catholics were present in large numbers, plus enough men of the Jewish faith, to warrant a church parade on a Saturday. From the old sweats of Palestine to the new recruits, all trained together for the coming conflict.

Among the officers was Lieutenant Corran Purdon. Deemed too young to accompany the battalion to France, he applied for the Commandos and took part in the raid on St Nazaire on 28 March 1942, leading a demolition party with great success despite being wounded. Subsequently taken prisoner, he was awarded the Military Cross for his actions during the raid.

Charlie Alexander who came from County Antrim was reading medicine at Queen’s University, Belfast but he interrupted his studies to take a commission in 1940. ‘Billy’ Baudains, who had enlisted at the age of thirteen years as a band boy, had previously served in India and Palestine and was a first-class rifle shot. As a Sergeant he would be awarded the Military Medal for his actions at Louvain in 1940. He was later commissioned in the field in 1943 and would serve in Normandy as a Captain. Eric Boyd from County Tyrone had been educated at RBAI and was well known in amateur music circles in Belfast prior to his enlisting.

Not all riflemen would serve with the Regiment. John Ryan had been born in Dublin in 1909. On leaving school he went to Canada to seek his fortune only to find himself in the middle of a depression. One winter’s day while standing in a soup kitchen queue he, along with several other men, were approached by some people who were handing out blankets and clothing to help keep out the bitter cold. A young girl draped an ex-army greatcoat around John Ryan’s shoulders and wished him good luck. A few days later he boarded a ship and worked his passage to Belfast. On arriving in the city in September 1931, he made his way to the recruiting office at Clifton Street and asked to join the Regiment indicated by the buttons on his greatcoat. So John Ryan found himself in Palestine with the 2nd Battalion Royal Ulster Rifles. He was discharged to the Reserve on 18 September 1938 on completion of seven years service with the Colours, but John was recalled to the Colours on 14 December 1940 and was posted to the Maritime Artillery Regiment. He served on board various ships seeing action in the Atlantic, Mediterranean, Indian and Pacific Oceans. He eventually left the Army on 29 May 1950, one of the few riflemen to have earned the Pacific Star.

On 3 October 1939, the Rifles went to war under the command of an officer who had witnessed the horrors of 1914–18. Lieutenant Colonel Gerald Whitfeld had graduated from Sandhurst in April 1915 and was appointed as a Second Lieutenant in the 1st Battalion Royal Irish Rifles. For the following two years he experienced almost continuous severe fighting on the Western Front. During his time in the trenches he was wounded, awarded the Military Cross and received a Mention in Despatches, later being attached to the Royal Flying Corps as an observer.

Between the wars he saw the name of the regiment change and returned to Sandhurst as a member of Staff, he saw service in India before being posted to the regimental depot in Armagh. Promoted to Lieutenant Colonel in 1938, he led the 2nd Battalion to the Holy Land. Now he was returning to France, commanding a battalion that contained some men who were the sons of those he had served with over twenty years before.

The Rifles boarded their troop train at the market town of Sherborne in Dorset and travelled the 60 odd miles to Southampton. After a brisk march from the railway station to the harbour 717 officers and men crammed aboard the Mona’s Queen, a small, elderly Isle of Man packet boat. It quickly became evident that the ‘ship’ was unsuitable for the job in hand, there was little room to stand much less sit down and any chance of a hot meal was totally out of the question. Nevertheless, the crossing to Cherbourg went ahead, and after an uneventful voyage the Rifles disembarked, cold, wet and hungry. From the seafront another march brought them to another railway station and as darkness fell the Rifles boarded their second train of the day. Shortly afterwards they left the port for the town of Silly-le-Guillaume, a journey that lasted throughout the night. From here it was again a matter of boots on pavé until they reached their final destination at Parennes where billets were found for the men which were described as comfortable, but somewhat scattered for a unit supposed to be on active service.

The Rifles’ stay here was short lived and soon they were on the move again. Another train journey and they found themselves at Templemars, arriving on 12 October; two days later and it was on to Lezennes, a suburb of Lille. On 4 November the Rifles experienced