With the Royal Naval Division

Royal Naval Division recruiting poster

Thursday 4th March 1915: A letter has been received from Frederick Newman, recruit, Collingwood Battalion, Naval Brigade [sic Royal Naval Division], interned at Groeningen, Holland, to his parents at Campton under the date 19th February 1915 giving his experiences with the Naval Brigade, which made such a gallant stand at Antwerp against a superior force of the enemy. After describing the routine of the Naval Brigade's arduous work in helping to restrain the German efforts, the writer goes on to say: "The enemy were close on us and we were outnumbered, so there seemed nothing for us to do but cross the frontier into Holland and lay down our arms rather than be made prisoners of war by the enemy. We were marched to Hulst, under Dutch escort, and sent by train to Ternewzen, where we spent the night. We were then shipped to Dordrecht and from thence sent by train to Lewwarden arriving at about 5 o'clock on Sunday 11th [October 1914], just a week after leaving England. After a week at Lewwarden we were sent to Groningen, arriving the same day"(1).

Source: Bedfordshire Standard 5th March 1915

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(1) The 63rd (Royal Naval) Division was formed on the outbreak of war from Royal Naval reserves who had no ship to go to nor any conceivable duties on land. It included eight battalions of naval personnel, named after famous admirals (Drake, Collingwood, Benbow, Hawke, Anson, Nelson, Hood and Howe) in two brigades as well as four battalions of Royal Marines in another brigade. The division was sent to help defend Antwerp due to its strategic importance as a major port on the English Channel. It arrived on 4th October and, realising it was outnumbered and the situation hopeless, was evacuated on 10th October. Netherlands remained neutral in 1914 doing a healthy trade with Germany, which is why the Germans saw no reason to occupy it. Around 1,500 men of the Royal Naval Division crossed into Netherlands to avoid capture. The division took part in the battles at Gallipoli in 1915 and in 1916 was sent to the Western Front. By this time it had been reorganised into two brigades of naval and royal marine battalions and one of army battalions: 7th Battalion, Royal Fusiliers; 1st/1st Battalion, Honorable Artillery Company (infantry not artillery!); 10th Battalion, Royal Dublin Fusiliers and 4th Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment.