INTRODUCTION

On the pages of this book an attempt has been made to set down the plain unvarnished story of the life of a Service Battalion during the European War of 1914–1919.

The book originated with a desire, strongly expressed by all ranks of the Battalion in December 1918, that a history should be written. Accordingly a Battalion History Fund was formed, and the work was commenced.

Many difficulties have been encountered since then which have delayed publication considerably.

The narrative, based on the official War Diary of the Battalion, kindly lent by the Officer-in-Charge of Regimental Records, is strictly correct in all main facts. A mass of other detail obtained from note-books and recollections of many who served with the Battalion has had to be sifted and analysed, and if there are criticisms of minor points, we can only assure readers that we have done our best to get accurate information. We regret that from the details available it has not been possible to prepare an accurate list of the total casualties, and we are therefore not attempting to give figures, which viiiwould be incomplete. In many cases, however, we have been able to give the number of casualties for definite actions or over certain periods.

The photographs were taken after the Armistice, and consequently show places in their condition at the close of the war.

The maps are included by permission of the Geographical Section, General Staff, who gave us every assistance to reproduce them at a reasonable cost.

The portraits are reproduced by the kind permission of the respective photographers.

We would like to acknowledge here the assistance and the considerate treatment received from the printers, Messrs. Hazell, Watson & Viney, Ld.

It is hoped that it will now be possible to distribute the history to those who served in the Battalion and who can still be traced, and to the relatives of our comrades who gave their lives.

We trust that all into whose hands the book may come will read and cherish it, with all its defects, as a memento of the days when they or those dear to them fought for England in the trenches of France and Flanders.

H. J. W.

H. S. B.

March 1921.

ix