II.—ACTIVE SERVICE. (continued 2)

THE DISBANDMENT.ToC

Hogmanay—with the II. Corps—the blow—new army establishment—Hospital Camp—disbandment—the passing of the "17th."

For some time rumours had been flitting about that certain Battalions were going to be disbanded in accordance with a programme of reorganised military establishments. Every New Army unit in the B.E.F. had about this time qualms of fear that if rumours proved true the selection might fall on them. Esprit de corps was never stronger and the very thought of possible separations from brothers-in-arms, fell as a vague shadowy fear over the 17th because it looked very likely that the 17th, being the junior H.L.I. Battalion of the Division, would be the Divisional victim in any re-arrangement that might be carried out. But nothing definite was known, and the advent of New Year, 1918, brought with it a feeling of hope for the future.

The Battalion was still billeted in the peaceful villages of Landrethun and Yeuse. On the opening day of the year the ground was snow covered, rendering parades well nigh impossible, and so the men were at liberty. Preparations were eagerly pushed forward for a New Year Feast, and on the 3rd, in spite of provisioning difficulties, very complete arrangements had been successfully made considering the length of time available for providing the men with a seasonable repast on that evening. The Companies sat down to a feast of roast pork—which only a few hours before had been a live pig. There was soup, haggis, plum pudding, apple dumpling, cake, cigarettes, and copious supplies of beer. The Commanding Officer, accompanied by Major G.R.S. Paterson, and the Adjutant, visited each Company in turn to wish them the Compliments of the Season, and the night finished with song and story.

Work and training was resumed again in earnest the next day as far as the weather conditions would permit. On the 9th of January the Battalion moved off, embussing for the forward area to operate on the II. Corps Line. After a cold journey in a heavy snowstorm, they arrived at Murat Camp late at night and came under the command of the 35th Division. They found the camp in very bad order and set about putting it right, meanwhile working parties were carrying on under the C.R.E. of the Division. Splendid work was carried out by the Battalion during this period, despite snowstorms and blizzards, and high praise was given to the unit by the Corps Commander. All the Royal Engineer Officers connected with the work declared they had never had better nor keener infantry parties.

On the 16th Major Morton assumed command of the Battalion during the absence of Lieut.-Colonel Inglis on leave; and on the 18th Major Morton was ordered to hospital and Major Paterson took over.

The Battalion Intelligence News Sheet, inaugurated to keep all ranks fully informed of the principal events of the day as regards the war, was circulated, but it could not hope to oust The Outpost as the real news vehicle of the 17th.

On the 25th of January the Battalion left Murat Camp for a camp near Woeston and came under the command of the 1st Division, and on the 27th the Battalion relieved the 10th Gloucesters in reserve in the Het Sas Sector, and carried on improving the line until the 31st of January—when the blow fell and hopes were dashed to the ground. While in Brigade Support at Houthust Forest Sector, Major Paterson was sent for by Brigadier-General C.A. Blacklock, who informed him that the re-organisation of the Army necessitated the disbanding of an H.L.I. Battalion in the 32nd Division. The Battalion selected was the junior one, the 17th. General Blacklock expressed in very generous terms his admiration for the Battalion, and for all that it had done, and expressed his sorrow and regret that so fine a unit had to be broken up, and the officers, non-com. officers and men serving in it would be drafted to other H.L.I. Battalions, which would necessitate, in many cases, the breaking up of what had been very long friendships.

Early in January, 1918, it had been decided by the War Office to adopt the three Battalion per Brigade system throughout the British Army, and this resulted in the disbandment of many Battalions which had seen much service abroad, and had won a name for themselves in France. Perhaps the chief Battalion in the whole army to be disbanded was the 17th Service Battalion of the Highland Light Infantry, and the disbandment of this Battalion came as a bitter blow, not only to those who were serving in the Battalion at that time, but also to those who had served in it at some time or other in the past and possibly to those who were looking forward to serving with it in the future.

Needless to say all ranks of the Battalion were deeply disappointed at the Commander-in-Chief's decision, which was received as a calamity. The highest traditions of the Battalion had been maintained throughout, and the esprit de corps and good comradeship of all ranks made the news almost unbearable.

As soon as the official notification arrived the Battalion was relieved by the First Battalion, the Dorset Regiment, and was withdrawn to Hospital Camp near Woesten where the disbanding was to be carried out. From then onwards an enormous amount of work fell on everybody, especially on the Adjutant, Captain Dunsmuir, M.C., who was responsible for compiling the rolls of the different drafts, which were to proceed to the various H.L.I. Battalions in France, comprising the 10/11th, 12th, 14th, 15th, 16th, and 18th Battalions.

On the 11th of February the first draft, consisting of about seven officers and 200 other ranks marched out of camp to the tune of the pipes en route for the railway station at Boesinghe, where it entrained and proceeded to join the 10/11th Battalion H.L.I. Although there was much cheering as the train steamed away, yet there were many men with sad hearts at leaving the Battalion they had served in from the beginning, which had become their home in the Army.

For the next few days that followed, similar drafts were sent off until the strength of the Battalion was reduced to the establishment for Headquarters with Transport. For about a week this small unit carried on, until the Transport section, under the Transport Officer, Lieut. Smith, was detached, and was attached to the Division where it remained for some time until it was sent to the base for drafting. All that remained now was the Headquarters establishment, commanded by Lieut.-Colonel Inglis, D.S.O., who had returned from leave, and this establishment was sent to take over another camp which was to be run as a Divisional Reception Camp for men returning to their units from leave. About a week later orders were received that some of the H.Q. personnel were to be drafted away, and on the next day a draft of about thirty men under R.S.M. Burns proceeded to join the 13th Entrenching Battalion. A few days later all that was left of the Battalion under Captain Dunsmuir, M.C., was drafted to the same Battalion, and Lieut.-Colonel Inglis, D.S.O., and Major Morton, who was again with the Battalion, were ordered to report to Divisional Headquarters.

All that remained now of the 17th Battalion Highland Light Infantry was the name, but that name will always remain in the minds of those who served in the Battalion, and the mere mention of it brings back happy memories of days spent both at home and abroad to those who knew it.

As William Glennie of "A" Company, writes:—"That the good old Battalion would end, we all expected, as the happy sequence of completed duty, and somehow we all imagined we would be there. In our ideal picture of the scene, George Square was clearly outlined; somehow we fancied old Hughie would order 'Officers, fall out please,' and while the ranks took the rhythmical right turn, the 'Faither' would step forward from the right of 'C' Company, give his characteristic red army salute, shake his cane and rap out 'Quick time off the parade ground' in his best Troon parade style. But we forgot the war, as too often in our ideal outlook we did.

"'Fall out ... the 17th Highland Light Infantry....' That was at No. 6 Camp, Calais, in the chill dusk of 6th February, 1918. Back from Blighty leave, as the news spread, we took it philosophically—the old Battalion had been disbanded, and scattered to various sister battalions. Here we were, practically all the originals to the number of about 50, the sole remnants of 26 months of war, welcomed back to France for the second time, but not to the Seventeenth; orphans to be adopted by strange parents.

"'Quick march.' The party swung slowly down the rough track between the huts. It was one of those innumerable hutted campments behind Poperinghe. At the junction of the road stood Colonel Inglis, Majors Morton and Paterson, Captain Dunsmuir and R.S.M. Kelly. It all seemed so usual, save that there was more handshaking and waving of bonnets. 'Cheerio, old chap—best of luck.' Gone, those pals of three years in camp, trench, billet and shell hole; but we never knew how great a part of our life they had become. Then in the look in each other's eyes, in the huskiness of the voice, rather than in the ill-concealed tear, came the full realisation of the undying spirit of our old Chamber of Commerce Battalion, and the certainty that the death of the Battalion had bequeathed to us the Living Soul of the Seventeenth."