Pontru and Pontruet.

" 26th   Moved back to bivouacs near Vendelles. " 29th   Battle of Bellenglise. " 30th   In dug-outs near Lehaucourt and Magny-la-Fosse. Oct. 2nd   " 3rd   Battle of Ramicourt. " 5th
7th   In line at Sequehart. " 8th   Resting at Lehaucourt. " 9th
12th   Moved via Levergies and Mericourt to Jonnecourt Farm, near Bohain. " 17th   Battle of Regnicourt.—The Last Fight. " 18th   Moved back to Fresnoy-le-Grand for training. " 30th   Marched to Bohain. Nov. 3rd
4th   Marched via Escaufort to Catillon. " 5th   Crossed Sambre-Oise Canal and advanced to Mezières. " 6th   Occupied Prisches and Cartignies. " 7th
9th   At Cartignies. " 10th   Marched from Cartignies to Boulogne-sur-Helpe. " 11th   Armistice. " 14th   Marched to Landrecies. " 15th   Clearing battlefield in Landrecies area. Demobilisation begun. 1919. Jan. 2nd   " 3rd   Marched from Landrecies to Prisches and continued clearing battlefield. Feb. 19th
20th   Marched via Bazuel to Bethencourt, near Candry, for completion of Demobilisation.   June 23rd   Return of Cadre and Colours to Headquarters at Newark.

CHAPTER I

ENGLAND

August 4th, 1914.—February 25th, 1915.

When the 8th Sherwood Foresters concentrated at Hunmanby, at the end of July, 1914, for their usual annual training, the International horizon was clouded with the diplomatic conversations which had followed the murder of the Archduke Francis Ferdinand of Austria by Servians at Sarajevo. Many hoped, no doubt, that the experience of the Morocco incident of 1905 and the Agadir incident of 1911, would again be repeated and that once more the clouds of a world war would be dissipated, but when we reflect upon this period of the world's history it is easy now to see that war with Germany, sooner or later, was inevitable.

The atmosphere was so charged with electricity that it was impossible to settle down to the normal routine of training, and there was little surprise when on August 3rd, Bank Holiday, Germany declared war on France, and when on the following day, August 4th, Great Britain herself, following upon the violation of the neutrality of Belgium, joined forces with Russia and France.

Territorial Camps were at once broken up and all ranks ordered home, with instructions to hold themselves in readiness for any emergency.

The Royal Proclamation for the embodiment of the 8th Battalion Sherwood Foresters (Notts. and Derby Regiment) was issued at 6.45 p.m. on Tuesday, August 4th, and notified to all units in the briefest possible telegram—"Mobilise." During Wednesday and Thursday, August 5th and 6th, all Companies were endeavouring to purchase locally and issue to every man, underclothing and necessaries according to scale. This was a big undertaking, as the scheme for earmarking such goods in the case of embodiment had not been completed, and there was, therefore, some delay in obtaining all requirements. The strength of the Battalion on mobilisation was 29 officers and 852 other ranks.

On Friday, August 7th, the Battalion concentrated at Newark, under the Command of Lieut.-Col. C. J. Huskinson, T.D., with Major G. H. Fowler second in Command, and Capt. E. N. T. Collin, Adjutant, Companies and their Officers at this time being as follows:—

A Company—Retford.—Lieut. W. R. Smith, 2nd Lieuts. L. Rose and E. C. A. James.
B     "    Newark.—Capt. L. C. B. Appleby, Lieuts. C. Davenport and A. H. Quibell.
C     "    Sutton-in-Ashfield.—Lieut. M. C. Martyn, 2nd Lieuts. H. G. Wright and R. H. Piggford.
D     "    Mansfield.—Capt. A. C. Clarke, 2nd Lieut. J. W. Turner.
E     "    Carlton.—Lieut. F. G. Cursham, 2nd Lieut. H. Kirby.
F     "    Arnold.—2nd Lieuts. G. Clarke and A. F. O. Dobson.
G     "    Worksop.—Capt. E. W. E. Tylden-Wright, Lieut. W. H. Allen.
H     "    Southwell.—Capt. J. P. Becher, Lieut. J. K. Lane, 2nd Lieut. H. B. S. Handford.

Lieut. A. L. Ashwell was Machine-Gun Officer; Capt. F. W. Johnson, and Surgeon-Capt. H. Stallard, Medical Officers, and Rev. J. P. Hales, Chaplain; Major W. N. Sarll was Quarter-Master, but, being medically unfit, at once handed over his duties to Capt. R. F. B. Hodgkinson, who joined from the Territorial Force Reserve. Capt. R. J. Wordsworth mobilised with Brigade Headquarters.

The Battalion was billeted for the most part in Schools: B Company were detailed for various duties in the town, and H Company found guards on bridges and other points on the Great Northern Railway, the most important being the Tubular Bridge. Nothing of interest happened except that a too keen sentry one night loosed off at some suspicious looking persons, who turned out to be innocent platelayers returning home from work. Fortunately there were no casualties.

On Monday, August 10th, at 9.30 a.m., we paraded in the Market Place ready to begin our move to concentration areas. The Mayor (Mr. J. C. Kew) and Corporation were present, accompanied by Canon Hindley, Vicar of Newark, and other Clergy, and there was a dense crowd of onlookers. After an address by the Mayor, who wished us God speed, and a short service, we marched off via the Fosse Way to Radcliffe-on-Trent, leaving behind H Company under Capt. Becher, to guard the railway.

For the first