The story of the 6th Battalion, the Durham Light Infantry : $b France, April 1915-November 1918 — John Shaqi
The story of the 6th Battalion, the Durham Light Infantry : $b France, April 1915-November 1918
History
The story of the 6th Battalion, the Durham Light Infantry : $b France, April 1915-November 1918
Great Britain. Army. Durham Light Infantry; World War, 1914-1918 -- Regimental histories -- Great Britain
The end of March, 1915, found the 50th (Northumbrian) Division of the
Territorial Force awaiting orders to proceed overseas. The infantry of
the Division consisted of the 149th Infantry Brigade (4th, 5th, 6th and
7th Battalions Northumberland Fusiliers), the 150th Infantry Brigade (4th
Battalion East Yorkshire Regiment, 4th and 5th Battalions Yorkshire
Regiment, and 5th Battalion The Durham Light Infantry), and the 151st
Infantry Brigade (6th, 7th, 8th and 9th Battalions The Durham Light
Infantry). Early in April, when the 6th Battalion The Durham Light
Infantry were in billets at Gateshead, the orders arrived and on the 10th
April Capt. F. Walton proceeded to Havre to make arrangements for the
arrival of the transport section. The first detachment of men to leave
Gateshead consisted of the transport and machine-gun sections which,
under Major J.E. Hawdon, Second in Command, and Lieut. H.T. Bircham,
Transport Officer, entrained at the Cattle Market, Newcastle, on the 17th
April for Southampton, _en route_ for Havre.
Two days later the remainder of the Battalion entrained at the Central
Station, Newcastle, with the following officers: Lieut.-Col. H.C. Watson
in command, Capt. J.W. Jeffreys, Adjutant; Major W.M. Mackay, Medical
Officer; Capt. A.P. Cummins, commanding A Company; Major S.E. Badcock,
commanding B Company; Capt. W.H.D. Devey, commanding C Company; and Capt.
J. Townend, commanding D Company. Arriving at Folkestone the same day,
the Battalion embarked for Boulogne, where it arrived about midnight and
marched up to Ostrohove Camp.
The following day it entrained at Pont de Briques Station, on the train
which brought the transport and machine-gun sections from Havre. The
complete battalion detrained at Cassel, and after marching all night
arrived in billets at Hardifort at 5 a.m. on the 21st April.
On the 23rd April orders were received to march at very short notice to
Steenvoorde, where the whole of the 151st Infantry Brigade, commanded at
this time by Brig.-General Martin, was assembled in a field at the
eastern end of the town. During the remainder of the day the men were
allowed to rest. At dusk two battalions of the Brigade, the 7th and 9th
Battalions, marched off in fighting order. The other two Battalions (the
6th and 8th) proceeded by 'buses through Poperinghe to Vlamertinghe,
where they took over a hut camp recently vacated by the 9th Royal Scots.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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