At 5 P. M. on Tuesday, August 4, 1914, the 1st Battalion of the Irish Guards received orders to mobilize for war against Germany. They were then quartered at Wellington Barracks and, under the mobilization scheme, formed part of the 4th (Guards) Brigade, Second Division, First Army Corps. The Brigade consisted of: The 2nd Battalion Grenadier Guards. “ 2nd “ Coldstream Guards. “ 3rd “ Coldstream Guards. “ 1st “ Irish Guards. Mobilization was completed on August 8. Next day, being Sunday, the Roman Catholics of the Battalion paraded under the Commanding Officer, Lieut.-Colonel the Hon. G. H. Morris, and went to Westminster Cathedral where Cardinal Bourne preached; and on the morning of the 11th August Field-Marshal Lord Roberts and Lady Aileen Roberts made a farewell speech to them in Wellington Barracks. This was the last time that Lord Roberts saw the Battalion of which he was the first Commander-in-Chief. On the 12th August the Battalion entrained for Southampton in two trains at Nine Elms Station, each detachment being played out of barracks to the station by the band. They were short one officer, as 2nd Lieutenant St. J. R. Pigott had fallen ill, and an officer just gazetted--2nd Lieutenant Sir Gerald Burke, Bart.--could not accompany them as he had not yet got his uniform. They embarked at Southampton on a hot still day in the P. & O. s.s. _Novara_. This was a long and tiring operation, since every one was new to embarkation-duty, and, owing to the tide, the ship’s bulwarks stood twenty-five feet above the quay. The work was not finished till 4 P. M. when most of the men had been under arms for twelve hours. Just before leaving, Captain Sir Delves Broughton, Bart., was taken ill and had to be left behind. A telegram was sent to Headquarters, asking for Captain H. Hamilton Berners to take his place, and the _Novara_ cleared at 7 P. M. As dusk fell, she passed H.M.S. _Formidable_ off Ryde and exchanged signals with her. The battle-ship’s last message to the Battalion was to hope that they would get “plenty of fighting.” Many of the officers at that moment were sincerely afraid that they might be late for the war! The following is the list of officers who went out with the Battalion that night: Lieut.-Col. Hon. G. H. Morris Commanding Officer. Major H. F. Crichton Senior Major. Captain Lord Desmond FitzGerald Adjutant. Lieut. E. J. F. Gough Transport Officer. Lieut. E. B. Greer M. Gun Officer. Hon. Lieut. H. Hickie Quartermaster. Lieut. H. J. S. Shields (R.A.M.C.) Medical Officer. Lieut. Hon. Aubrey Herbert, M.P. Interpreter. _No. 1 Company._ Capt. Hon. A. E. Mulholland. Capt. Lord John Hamilton. Lieut. Hon. H. R. Alexander. Lieut. C. A. S. Walker. 2nd Lieut. N. L. Woodroffe. 2nd Lieut. J. Livingstone-Learmonth. _No. 2 Company._