Confusion Near Abbeville

Thursday 8th October 1914: The 2nd Bedfords remain in Belgium whilst the 1st Bedfords have alighted from their train at Noyelles just north-east of Abbeville. Their new location has been the occasion of some confusion as our man with the battalion reports: “We had orders to join the rest of the brigade but as we had no maps and no guide we went about six miles out of our way in a fifteen mile march and eventually rolled up quite done in at Neuilly-l’Hôpital to hear that the billeting area had been changed and we had to trek on to another village three miles further on called Millencourt-en-Ponthieu and arrived there at 10 am”. He goes on: “I have had bad toothache all day and so did not get much sleep and also had a bad headache”.

The battalion is due to march off again this evening. The adjutant tells us that the destination is a place called Gennes-Ivergny some thirteen miles north-east. The unit will have had a tiring day.

Sources: X550/2/5; X550/2/7

Train Journeys

Wednesday 7th October 1914: Today the 2nd Battalion finally, to their great relief we are sure, landed on the Continent not, as we had expected, in France but in Belgium. They landed at Zeebrugge and travelled by train (not in passenger carriages but things more akin to goods wagons designed for forty men or twelve horses each) to the beautiful old city of Bruges. Sadly, they had no time to see the sights but marched out to Sint-Kruis a few miles east of the city and into billets.

The 1st Battalion seems to be heading to meet them as it is on board a train heading north, passing through Amiens and Abbeville. Our contact tells us they fixed an officer’s mess in a field near the station “in a house owned by an 1870 veteran[1] who was most enthusiastic and kind”.

“He gave us jam, vegetables etc. and made us very comfortable and in return we gave him as a present one of our German helmets. He was simply overjoyed with this and began to make a nuisance of himself by telling yarns of the ‘70’ war!” When the battalion got on the train they were in for a shock: “The train is a perfectly beastly one, very dirty, no lamps and only 2nd and 3rd Class carriages for officers and cattle trucks for the men!” We hope they soon arrive at journey’s end.

Sources: X550/2/5; X550/2/7; X550/3/wd

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[1] The Franco-Prussian war of 1870-1871 in which the French were defeated and lost their provinces of Alsace and Lorraine to Germany.