Lord Ampthill [X550/1/82]
Tuesday 3rd April 1917 from
our correspondent in the field
The adjutant
of the 2nd Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment, Lieutenant G A Anstee has been
admitted to hospital, sick. The new acting adjutant is Lieutenant L A L Fink
MC. This afternoon the battalion left its billets in Bailleulmont heading for
Blaireville. This place is quite close to Agny, where the battalion has been
for much of the year. Both Agny and Blaireville are south-west of the town of
Arras.
The 8th
Battalion are in the front line near Loos. They came under intense bombardment
for about ten minutes at 10 o’clock this morning and braced themselves for an
enemy raid or attack – but nothing happened. They lost one man killed and
thirteen wounded. The adjutant noted wryly that it was as if it was a fanfare
to welcome their new commanding officer, none other than Lord Ampthill, cousin
to the Duke of Bedford. He is a thoroughly familiar figure to many of the men,
who undertook their training at Ampthill Camp where he was commandant. It is
understood that he has been desperate to command one of “his” battalions at the
front and so one peer of the realm succeeds another (Lord Henry Scott) as the
8th Battalion’s commander. He is expected to assume his duties tomorrow once he
has “learned the ropes”.
Undoubtedly
the biggest news out here, however, comes from our former colonies in North
America. Yesterday President Wilson requested Congress to declare war on
Germany. The enemy’s arrogance in opening a campaign of unrestricted submarine
warfare, posing a real and present danger to all American shipping, and their
foolish suggestion of an alliance with Mexico against three of the USA’s southern
states has rebounded on them in the fullest fashion. All fingers are firmly
crossed that Congress backs their president.
Sources: X550/3/WD; X550/9/1
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