Windsor Great Park by Martin Morgenstern
Sunday 29th August: The following is from one of the Battalion members: “This Battalion, which, it will be remembered, was formed as a result of the Recruiting March held last June under the aegis of Major Orlebar, who is now in command, is at present encamped at Bears Rail, Windsor Great Camp. We left Bedford on August 9th and after about two-and-a-half hours’ run were landed safe and sound at Windsor”.
“Our camp is situate about two-thirds of the way along the Long Drive, or as we call it, the “Three Mile Walk”. One end is crowned by a gigantic equestrian statue of King George III and our home; the other is graced by the towering walls of Windsor Castle, the home of our King George”.
“Our main purpose, of course, is to train and send out drafts to fill up those much regretted but unfortunately essential gaps that occur in our first line, the 1st/5th, now fighting hard out at Suvla in Gallipoli”.
“Tent life we find is very jolly, and a great change from the billet era of our previous existence. We are not without some of the luxuries of life either, as a maternal Government has arranged such items as shower baths and floor boards for our tents”.
“Members of the Royal Family constantly visit our lines, even HRH Prince of Wales, home on leave from the front(1). We have frequent calls from battle-planes which come careering madly round the Castle, over the Camp and away again before we have got the stiffness out of our necks”.
“While I think of it, we are all anxious that amongst our forthcoming recruits we should have some good footballers and cricketers; we’re keen to play and beat the Essex, Northants, Hertfords, RAMC(2), ASC(3) etc. who are all here in Camp with us, not to mention the Guards”.
Source: Bedfordshire Standard 27th August 1915
(1) The future Edward VIII, he joined the Grenadier Guards in August 1914 but was not allowed by Lord Kitchener, Secretary of State for War, to serve in the front line. He still managed to win a Military Cross in 1916. This later made him popular amongst Great War veterans.
(2) Royal Army Medical Corps
(3) Army Service Corps
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