Church parades were carried out with full military ceremonial, and the sight of the battalion marching back on a gorgeous Sunday morning, with the band playing at its head, was a sight to be remembered, and evoked the unstinted admiration of the people and visitors of Margate. The parade ended with "Officers, take post," after which the companies moved off under their senior warrant officer or N.C.O. Upstreet Camp, some miles along the Canterbury Road, was in the meantime being prepared, and our advanced party was busy putting up tents and other necessities. If we had been worked hard at Margate, we had certainly had a good time. Sea bathing, concerts, Sunday afternoons on the promenade with our band playing in the Oval, and other pleasurable forms of recreation abounded. Mention must also be made of two most successful singing competitions organized under the auspices of the Mayor and Corporation, for which the proprietors of the Winter Gardens very generously provided their magnificent hall free of charge. Some 3,000 people were present, and the success of these concerts, not only for the prizewinners, but for all present, was undoubted. The reports in the local press are eloquent on the subject, as they were, in fact, on the "unfailing kindness, courtesy, and general behaviour" of the 2/6th (Rifle) Battalion (as we were now styled) of "The King's" (Liverpool Regiment). On July 13th we marched to Upstreet Camp, set close to the Thanet Marshes, a pleasant spot in summer, but a quagmire in the autumn, as we found out later to our cost. While in camp at Upstreet, except for occasional field operations towards Reculvers and one memorable Brigade field day at Whitstable, the battalion was engaged practically continuously digging trenches, wiring, and revetting in the vicinity of Upstreet and St. Nicholas. The effect of the three months' hard manual labour on the physique of the battalion was very marked, the men growing and broadening out almost beyond recognition. There was considerable movement of men at this period. On August 3rd Captain Wilson conducted 96 men overseas, and on August 6th 112 men were received from the Third Line. Officers were also proceeding at intervals overseas, and others recruiting from hospital were also attached to us for varying periods of time. In November our establishment was reduced to twenty-three officers, and all the remainder were dispatched to the Third Line. On August 8th Major W. A. L. Fletcher, D.S.O., was gazetted Lieutenant-Colonel, and took over the command of the battalion. Captain Gilling had meanwhile assumed command of "A" Company. By October 10th we were more than pleased to vacate our camp, where we were wellnigh drowned and frozen, and moved to billets at Canterbury once more. Our move was made more dignified by the presence of regulation transport, which had been received at Upstreet Camp, in place of our miscellaneous collection of almost prehistoric civilian vehicles.