World War, 1914-1918 -- Personal narratives, British
[“Eye-Witness,” in his descriptive account of November 4th, dealing
with the first phase of the desperate fight for Ypres, said that a
special feature of the battle was that it formed an epoch in the
military history of the British Empire, and marked the first time
that a complete unit of our Territorial Army has been thrown into
the fight alongside its sister units of the Regulars. That unit was
the 14th (County of London) Battalion London Regiment, better known
as the London Scottish. Its ranks contained many prominent men who
gave up everything at their country’s call and went to the front.
Amongst them was Mr. J. E. Carr, Managing Director of Scremerston
Colliery, Northumberland, a well-known breeder of Border Leicester
sheep, a keen rider to hounds and a thoroughly good sportsman.
Private Carr served with the London Scottish until he was wounded
and invalided home and it is his story which is here retold.]
It is very difficult to keep within defined limits the varied
experiences that are crowded into a few months at the front in a war
which is waged on such a vast scale as the present conflict. Every day
has its own fresh and particular excitements which are worth
remembering, and one can scarcely pick out, off-hand, the most startling
or interesting phases of the campaigning. However, the earliest
impressions undoubtedly cling most tenaciously, and I have vivid
recollections of the thrill I experienced when our transport swung to
her moorings and the London Scottish disembarked on the other side of
the Channel.
I should like to say here that the London Scottish have been the subject
of a good deal of comment, mostly favourable, I am glad to know; but
there has been undue exaltation. The blame for this certainly does not
rest with the London Scottish, but in other perfectly well-meaning
quarters.
I am proud indeed to belong to the London Scottish, because they are
good boys to be amongst, so good that there was no reason whatever why
people should have expressed surprise that the first Territorials to go
into action did so well. I don’t think there was any reason for
astonishment, for the London Scottish had been a well-trained body of
Volunteers before the Territorial system came into being. And if they
pulled through, as they did, when the actual fighting began, do not let
it be forgotten that they had some glorious examples to follow. On their
left and on their right were some of the very finest soldiers in the
world, and it was for the London Scottish to prove that they were worthy
of fighting with these truly splendid fellows. Troops like the
Coldstream Guards, the Scots Guards, the Black Watch and the Cameron
Highlanders are men with whom it is indeed an honour to be associated.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account