THE FOURTH BATTALION THE KING’S OWN (Royal Lancaster Regiment) AND THE GREAT WAR Lieut.-Colonel W. F. A. WADHAM and Captain J. CROSSLEY _COPYRIGHT_ CONTENTS. _Page._ CHAPTER I. EARLY DAYS 7 CHAPTER II. FESTUBERT 21 CHAPTER III. PICARDY 32 CHAPTER IV. ARRAS 48 CHAPTER V. THE SOMME 58 CHAPTER VI. YPRES 73 CHAPTER VII. THIRD BATTLE OF YPRES 82 CHAPTER VIII. GIVENCHY 110 CHAPTER IX. CONCLUSION 134 APPENDICES I–XX INDEX XXI–XXIV FOREWORD _These notes have been compiled, more or less in the form of a diary, with a view to placing on record the services of those who voluntarily came forward to serve their country in its hour of need._ WALTER F. A. WADHAM. _February, 1920._ THE FOURTH BATTALION THE KING’S OWN REGIMENT AND THE GREAT WAR NOTES BY LIEUT.-COL. W. F. A. WADHAM, V.D. CHAPTER I. EARLY DAYS. The year 1914 will for ever be looked back upon as the most memorable in the history of the Battalion. The outbreak of the Great War in the month of August of that year caused the Mobilization Scheme, over which for years past each succeeding Adjutant had, in his turn, burned much midnight oil in endeavours to bring up-to-date the efforts of his predecessor, to be put to the test.