Berkshire and the War: The "Reading Standard" pictorial record. Volume 1. Introduction [1]

Completed 8/6/14 Nicci.
INTRODUCTION.
The fair shires of England have done nobly in the European War. They are magnificent 'examples of that singleness of spirit and that solidarity of service that ensure success for the Allies. The infantry of this county and that helped to check the German advance in the dark days of August and September 1914, and endured trench warfare with unequalled patience and suffering in the winter ; the best of the manhood rallied to the flag and the flower of the land was sacrificed. The wave of patriotism swept everywhere and enveloped everybody. Women did all they could to ease
the burden of their brothers, chiefly by staffing the hospitals and by making comforts. Every county realised its duty.
Still, none has a grander record of well-doing in a variety of ways than Berkshire. In every crisis in
national history the royal county has furnished men, and good men and in the present struggle it has borne its responsibilities as vast and varied as they are beside the duties of peace days€” with an energy and
enthu­siasm that surpass its most cherished traditions. No explanation , then, is needed for offering the people of Berkshire and adjoining areas a book that shall depict by pen and photograph the part played by this dis­trict in the greatest of wars, remembering that in this case €œ Berkshire€ has a wider territorial significance than the name implies and includes districts on its borders€” South Oxfordshire and North
Hampshire. Our aim is to record activity and achievement, to mirror service and sacrifice.
In a local review of the first year of war pride of place must be given to the Royal Berkshire Regiment.
In every battle, in nearly every notable action, in Flanders and France, the two regular battalions played a
big part. There was historic precedent for it all. In the Danish invasion Berkshire men pursued and slew the invading Danes at Ashdown ; at Flodden Field the archers of Newbury earned lasting fame. In a later era,
100 officers and men faced the whole Afghan Army and with "No Surrender"€ on their lips, the last eleven charged in to certain death.
And on McClintock's Hill at Colesberg half a battalion of Berkshires made a great
stand against the Boers. All this was present in the mind of Field Marshal French, when the
Commander-in-Chief, thanking the 1st Battalion on Nov. 24th, 1914, said : "I remember the laurels your regiment won in Egypt: your glorious colours bear the names of nearly all the battles in which the British rmy has been engaged for the last 200 years."€ Leaving Aldershot on August 12th the 1st Battalion sailed up the Seine to Rouen , crossed the frontier on August 23rd and hastened to Mons.
Hardly had the men entrenched than shells screamed about the position. At
dawn the next morning came the order to retire and the Berkshire's evacuated their trenches, which ten
minutes later were blown in by the enemy's artillery. Southwards the Berkshires moved with the 2nd
Division and billeted on the Tuesday night, August 25th, at Maroilles. Here, after a hard, hot march,
the battalion met the enemy face to face. The Germans had taken at a rush the bridge head
across a river, the Sambre, and the Berkshires regained it at the point of the bayonet.
This inciden in the story of the regiment was not without its glory. As they advanced in
the darkness the Berkshires were caught in a cross-fire, and losses instantly began, but on
they kept without firing a shot.
One party dashed along a bullet-swept causeway led by Lieut. C. St. Q. O. Fullbrook -Leggatt who
was rewarded with the D .S .O . There were about 50 casualties, including Major Scott Turner, who was captured, and Captain H Shott, D .S .O ., killed. But by their gallantry under deadly fire the Berkshires delayed the advance of the Germans at one of the most critical stages in the campaign.
Farther on they stood their ground while covering the retirement of our heavy guns and then retired
through a shower of shrapnel that took heavy toll. So the classic retreat continued, but at last the tide turned, the enemy was thrust over the Marne, and the Berkshires captured his rear-guard.
And then to the Aisne, where the battalion drove the enemy from Metz Farm and began that trench warfare
with all its hardships. The Berkshires held the position for a month, spending 27 days in the trenches, and were then ordered to Ypres to help check the German dash for Calais. On October 20th, when at the last the whole Allied line stretched from Albert to the coast to meet the new offensive, the Berkshires
were entrenched at Zonnebeke and on October 24th drove back the Germans with heavy loss. They were always adding fresh glory to their colours. A sergeant and 25 men fought a 50 to 1 rearguard action with a mass of Prussian Guards, from whom they veiled their numerical weakness by judicious firing and
bull-dog tenacity. Referring to the capture of a field gun by the Berkshire's, the Brigadier-General said,
"œYour regiment has done very well the last two days, and although others collected the spoils, it was the result of your doing."€
The weary months of waiting and watching about Ypres, though unmarked by any arresting action, were distinguished by at least three things,€” the unflinching leadership of the officers, the initiative and resource
of the non-commissioned officers and the courage and never-say-die methods of the rank and file; and the nature of the struggle may e gathered from the acts of such heroes as the late Captain O Steele, who
was always thinking about his men and would walk under heavy fire to see that everything was done properly; the late Lieut. Laurence Nicholson, D.S.O ., who, during an attack on a German position which
resulted in the taking of the enemy's trenches and /0 prisoners, saw that a company was meeting fire from houses and at once went off and cleared some of them , so saving a number of casualties; Acting-Sergt. W. Winter, who in order to save his company recovered a machine gun swept by bullets and worked it
against the enemy; Acting-Corpl. W. Nilen, who under fire cut down a tree that masked
the fire of our guns; Acting-Corpl. H. Day, who left his trench to fetch water for a wounded comrade, and, though hit himself, persisted in his errand ; Acting-Corpl. G. Badcock, who with a few men bluffed the
enemy into the belief that the forward trenches were held in force ; the late Pte. F.Pym, who went alone in to a house and cleared it of Germans who were shooting at his company. But such gallantry was telling on
the strength of the battalion and at the beginning of December it had only three officers who were in the original draft.
No wonder that even the Commander-in-Chief personally thanked the attenuated battalion for its magnificent work. "œ It is men like you who have enabled us to gain the successes that have been won.
In these battles in France not only have you maintained your reputation, but you have won fresh laurels."€
Though there was a comparative lull in affairs until the mid-May advance, the battalion was gaining fresh
honours: for instance, at Givenchy on February 20th Acting-Sergt. E. Burgess and Pte. L. J. Penney were to the fore in a storming party, in which the former took command after his officer had been wounded ; and Acting-Sergt. E. Ward went out several times under heavy fire and brought in wounded men; while at the same place on Christmas Day, 1914, Acting-Corpl. A. W. Sear assisted in bringing in under fire two
wounded, a comrade and a German. The battalion was proud to be engaged in the successful attack which was made on Saturday night, May 15th, between Richebourg and Festubert, when the enemy's line
was broken over the greater part of a two mile front. The Berkshire's took the first two lines of trenches€” and held them the next day under heavy artillery fire, preventing all attempts to dislodge the new-comers. The success was at the cost of eight officers and 320 of the rank and file, among the killed being Captain
Gordon Belcher, the Berkshire cricketer, and Lieut. H. J. Clarke. A lance corporal tells the tale : "We had yet a few hours to make the best of, and my section sat round the fire and had a bean feast. We finished up by each singing a song or giving a recitation , all joining in the choruses. The German artillery opened fire with a terrible crash and we charged through the fire and smoke of bursting shell and a hail of bullets shouting "Come on, Berkshires, we will dig them out." By this time we were one big crowd, going
through the barbed wire entanglements throwing bombs and storming the front parapets.
Most of our opponents took to their heels and fled, while those who stood their ground were bayoneted. We had to stay and suffer the worst bombardment I have experienced. As we marched away we played mouth organs and sang, for General Fanshawe said to us, "You came up here to do a job and you have done it. I shall never forget you. Many brave fellows have you lost, but you have something to be proud of as long
as you live."€
Recognition was gained by Second Lieut. E. L. Jerwood, who under fire set a machine gun in position in the second captured German trench and recovered a lost machine gun; Second Lieut. C. S. Searle,
who although wounded took command of his company and remained at his post all night and all the next day consolidating a captured trench; Acting-Sergt. S. Summers, who was instrumental in bombing the enemy out of a communication trench and repelled two counter-attacks on an advanced post which
he held with five men, besides which he re-organised two companies ; and Pte. T. Giles, who assisted to lay a telephone wire under heavy fire and, although wounded, stuck to his post all day. There were exciting events on the night of June 21st at Cuinchy. Following a gas attack by the Germans, they exploded a mine and a sergeant and eight men of the Berkshires were entombed. However, they were all rescued, thanks to Captain M.C. Radford, Second Lieutenant E. Tv. Colbourne and a few men, who repeatedly went
down among the fumes and suffered considerably. Acting-Sergt. R. H. F. Hart descended time after time. For his devotion the D.S.O. was awarded Captain Radford , who did not survive the battle of Loos three months after and whose brother officer was mortally wounded a month after his brave deed.
Lieut-Colonel M. D.Graham commanded the 1st Battalion until November, 1914, when wounds prevented his return to the field. He was decorated with the C .B . and the Tsar conferred the Order of St. Anne. In due
course the command was offered to Major C.G. Hill, D.S.O ., who had received his commission in 1893.
Unfortunately, he was killed by a chance shell in July,1915. "€œ He loved us all, and we in turn had the greatest admiration and respect for him"€ wrote an officer. He was a born leader and a fine soldier and
it was a characteristic act to write, when he was given the C.M.G . a short time before his death, "œ That comes of being in command of the finest battalion in the British Army, all the credit is due to them! "€ Colonel Hill was succeeded by Captain L. W. Bird, of the 1st Berkshires, who had served at the front from
the first.