CHAPTER 10. DEMOBILISATION.

The 6th Battalion was one of the Battalions chosen to represent the 15th Division in the march past before the King of the Belgians and the Duke of York—the Earl of Inverness—in Brussels. We were the guests of the town of Brussels for the three days we were there, and everyone enjoyed their visit. The men were billeted in good houses, and both they and the officers thoroughly enjoyed the theatres and dancing halls. Their behaviour was exemplary, and when the Battalion "fell in" to march home there was not a single man absent. The parade itself was greatly spoilt by a snow storm. We also arranged for each Company to visit the field of Waterloo, a short lecture being given beforehand on the battle. The men displayed keen interest, especially in the panorama on which they could see the square with the 79th. We were all struck with the smallness of the battlefield, and the enormous number of men that must have been crowded into this space. The whole area would probably not have been more than a two-battalion front in one of our late battles.

Orders were that drills were to be reduced to a minimum, and that education classes for the men were to be started. This education scheme, however, was not a very great success, as we never received any supplies of books or any other material for carrying it out. The French class proved very popular, probably because everyone wanted to be able to converse with the inhabitants, especially the young ladies. In order to employ the men and keep them fit, we took up athletics very keenly. There were several good athletes who had formerly been prize winners both in the 6th and 7th. Once again we managed to prove ourselves the best Battalion in this respect. Every officer and man had to belong to a team, and there is no doubt that the officers taking a keen interest in the games made all the difference in the results.

Our football team won both in the Brigade and Division contests, and had a very tough fight before they were beaten in the Corps. At the end of the first game we were all level, so we played another half hour. As this resulted in another draw, we had a replay, which also proved undecisive, so that we had again to play extra time, in which both teams scored a goal. On the 3rd replay we were unfortunately beaten by one goal to nothing. As our opponents were the Liverpool Scottish, the defeat was somewhat softened. The match was intensely exciting, both for players and spectators. Our cross country team was our greatest success, winning not only the Brigade, Division, and Corps Cups, but finally establishing themselves as "Army" Champions. We also had a strong boxing team, which won the Brigade cup, and one of our men was the runner up in the "Army" Championship lightweights. In the final he was against a much bigger and stronger lad than himself. He was all out in the third round, but he put up such a plucky fight that the referee recommended the Committee to award him a second prize, which they duly did.

With us, as with other units, the demobilisation caused a certain amount of dissatisfaction, owing to the fact that the system of demobilising by "trades" and "districts" enabled many men who had only served a few months to get home before others who had been out for long periods. The Cadre of the Battalion set out for home on the 7th June. We proceeded to Inverness with the Colours, which were duly deposited at the Cameron Depot. The Colour party was received by the Provost and others, and played up to the Depot by the Band. The following day Mr. Barron, brother of the late Major Barron of the 7th, who was killed at Loos, entertained the whole Cadre to lunch, a kindness which we all highly appreciated. We then proceeded to Kinross, where we were finally demobilised.

The Colours of the 7th Battalion were "presented" at the Depot during the Northern meeting in 1920 by the Duke of York, Earl of Inverness, and Hon. Colonel of the 4th Battalion. On that day the Regiment held a reunion parade at which many men who had formerly served in the Battalion were present. After the presentation we all marched through the town, the salute being taken by the Duke of York, who was accompanied by The Mackintosh of Mackintosh, Lord Lieutenant of the County, and Lieut.-General Sir Spencer Ewart, K.C.B. On the Sunday the Colours of both the 6th and the 7th were marched by a Guard of Honour to the High Church, the Parish Church of Inverness, and handed over by Lieut.-Colonel N. Macleod, Cameron Highlanders, for safe custody, to the Minister and Provost as representing the Session and Heritors.

So ends the history of the 7th Battalion, better known as the "Shiny 7th." They received this name because of the great care that was taken by all ranks in their cleanliness and appearance. Even in the front line every man polished his buttons, brushed his boots and cleaned his equipment every day. No doubt this was irksome to a few, but the large majority of the men took a keen pride in themselves.

The shortage of water did not prevent our men from shaving, and on many occasions, when water could not be got, they reserved a little of their tea for this purpose. There is no doubt about the "morale" effect of keeping clean, and men always feel better for it. Further, it occupied their spare time and so kept their minds from meditating upon their unpleasant surroundings.

This is no new discovery, for one reads that when Sir John Moore started to train men in Ireland for the Peninsular War, one of the first things he did was to encourage the men to clean themselves and take up athletics so as to keep them out of "pot houses" and to increase their morale. It is also interesting to read in Ludendorff's memoirs that one of the chief causes he assigns for the loss of discipline and morale amongst the soldiers of the German Army was the filthy conditions in which they had to live in the trenches, and the impossibility of getting the men to clean themselves. Certainly, from the appearance of prisoners, the Hun paid little attention to cleanliness in the front line areas.

Our "Q" side also had a good deal to do with the morale, as by the system on which we worked everything possible was done for the comfort of the men. Men who were always detached from their companies, such as those in the Transport lines and at Battalion Headquarters, had N.C.O.'s told off to act as Q.M.S. for the detachment. They also had their own cooks, and the officer in charge of them was made responsible for their comfort and welfare. On one occasion Battalion Commanders were called to a conference to discuss the organisation of a Battalion with a General Officer from G.H.Q. We all went full of wrinkles learnt from practical experience, but as soon as the first suggestion was put forward the General got up and stated that a Battalion must consist of four Companies of four platoons each, to which every man and officer must belong, and he would not listen to any discussion as to proposals for Headquarter Companies, etc. In theory we all maintained the four Companies, yet circumstances made it essential there should be Headquarter detachments.

Our Headquarters were divided into platoons or sections, each under an officer, with a senior officer in command of the whole. Thus signallers were under the Signalling Officer, runners and observers under the Observation Officer. Each section had its own battle position in defence of Headquarters, and "stood to" morning and evening in these positions under the command of their officers. If Headquarter rations had been left to the four Companies to provide, and there had been no fighting organisation, it would have led not only to great discomfort but to considerable danger, in the event of a successful attack by the enemy, such indeed as that which occurred in March, 1918. One is glad to know that this fact was generally realised towards the end of the war by Higher Authority. It was often found difficult for old serving soldiers, especially Q.M.'s, to change the routine which has almost grown a part of themselves, but in the 7th Battalion we were lucky in having able Q.M.'s, who were always willing to adopt any scheme that was for the comfort of the men.

We cannot close these notes without stating our profound and deep respect for the officers, non-commissioned officers and men who served along with us in this splendid Battalion. They suffered appalling hardships, especially in winter, living in trenches half filled with freezing mud, often without a shelter; they performed prodigious feats of work for long hours and for days on end; they advanced and conquered despite the most terrible barrages, the men carrying on by themselves after their officers and senior non-commissioned officers had become casualties; they had, moreover, successfully withstood the shock of one of the most terrific attacks which the Germans were able to bring against them. Again and again the Battalion was annihilated, but there were always plenty of recruits ready to uphold the honour of the Regiment. As was once said of the Cameron Highlanders in another great war: "Such troops may be annihilated, they can never be defeated." Nothing better reflects the fine spirit of the young men of Scotland, and their patriotic decision to defend their country at all costs, than the fact that the heavy casualty lists proved the best recruiting sergeant. Justly proud in the knowledge that time cannot wither, nor the centuries deface, the glorious memory of these heroic achievements, every officer, non-commissioned officer and man, whose honour it was to serve with the 7th Battalion, derives his highest pleasure and his truest satisfaction from the reflection that he performed his duty; that he "did his best" in the most critical period which the homeland has ever been called upon to face, and that he and his comrades have written a golden page well worthy of its place in the noble records of their famous and beloved Regiment, the

"Queen's Own" Cameron Highlanders.