Wednesday 12th
December 1917
The adjutant
of the 1st Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment has sent me the two operational
orders which deal with the entraining of the Battalion for Italy. As a movement
on such a scale is rare, your correspondent thought he would present them to
you in full, albeit with the military acronyms given in full to avoid
scratching of heads.
OPERATION
ORDER No. 119
1st
Battalion. Bedfordshire Regiment.
November
27th, 1917.
1. Battalion
will entrain at Anvin Station, date and time to be notified later.
2. TRAINS.
There are two trains at the disposal of 1st Bedfords. Each train will consist
of: -
1 First or
Second Class Coach, (probably 4 Compartments)
2 Third Class
Coaches (each 5 Compartments)
22 Covered
Trucks.
13 Flats.
2 Brake Vans.
The Battalion
will be distributed as under: -
(A) Train No.
20. (Serial Number of Unit 523.) to convey: -
Headquarters
- i.e. Commanding Officer, Adjutant, Captain J. C. A. Birch, Quartermaster,
Second Lieutenant H. J. Snashall, Transport Officer, Medical Officer,
Regimental Sergeant Major, Headquarter Servants and Mess Staff, Sergeant
Wheeler and 4 Pioneers and Drums
"B"
and "D" Companies complete, one Medical Officer’s Orderly.
Half Transport
i.e. 2 Lewis Gun Limbers,
1 Small Arms
Ammunition Limber.
Half Limber
Bombs
Half Limber
Tools.
Half Limber
Signalling.
1 Watercart
1 Cooker.
1 Cook’s
Wagon.
1 Baggage
Wagon.
1 Supply
Wagon
Chargers [i.e.
horses] - Officers’, travelling on train.
(B) Train No.
25 (Serial Number of Unit 523.a.) to convey: -
Major W. S.
Chirnside, M.C. (Officer Commanding Train)
Captain S. H.
Draper. Acting Adjutant.
Regimental
Quarter Master Sergeant., Transport Sergeant, one Medical Officer’s Orderly,
"A"
and "C" Companies complete.
Remainder of
Transport, Corporal Belben and 4 Pioneers
N.B. All Headquarter employ not enumerated above, will travel with their Companies.
Quarter
Master employ will travel with Transport.
Quarter
Master and Transport Officer will forward returns having exact numbers of personnel
under their Command, horses, vehicles, travelling on each train as soon as
possible.
3. Regimental
Transport Officer Captain Warner, M.C. 15th. Trench Mortar Battery is appointed
Acting Regimental Transport Officer, Anvin.
Captain
Henderson, 1st Battalion, Norfolk Regiment is appointed Acting Regimental
Training Officer, detraining station.
4.
ENTRAINING. All animals and vehicles will arrive at the entraining Station
three hours before the train is timed to start.
Personnel
will arrive at the entraining station one hour before the train is timed to
start.
5. LOADING
PARTIES. A party of 2 Officers and 100 Other Ranks from 1st Battalion, Cheshire
Regiment will be detailed for loading at Anvin.
A similar
party from 16th Battalion, Royal Warwickshire Regiment for unloading at
detraining station.
6. EQUIPMENT
& RATIONS. Each man will entrain carrying full equipment, 120 Rounds Small
Arms Ammunition, rations for day of entrainment, iron ration, full water
bottle, steel helmet, box respirator, gas helmet, and 2 blankets. All animals
must have one rug.
7. FORAGE.
Forage for day of entrainment will be carried in the horse trucks. Men in
charge of horses will travel in the horse trucks. Supply wagons will be loaded
full.
8. ANIMALS.
Animals will be entrained unharnessed and rugged. Harness may be loaded under
its vehicle. Canvas buckets will be carried in each horse truck. Cinders or
gravel should be strewn on the floors of horse trucks, otherwise they become
very slippery.
9. LENGTH OF
JOURNEY. The journey will take about 5 days. Halts will be arranged for
watering, feeding, washing, etc. approximately 1 hour in every 10. A list of
halts will be given to the Officers Commanding Trains by the Regimental
Transport Officer.
10. RATIONS.
Nine days’ rations, in addition to those mentioned in paragraphs 6 and 7, will
be carried in bulk for all men and animals in each train. A covered truck will
be set aside for issue of rations enroute. Forage and non-perishable supplies
can be loaded under vehicles.
One day’s
supplies will be on ration wagons.
Nine days’
supplies loaded in bulk.
11.
DISCIPLINE. The strictest discipline will be maintained throughout the journey.
The Senior Combatant Officer will command each train, and he will appoint
Orderly Officers who will take tours of duty, and will also detail a guard at
each end of the train. The duties of the Orderly Officers and guards are (a) To
see that no one leaves the train when it halts, unless authorised to do so at a
recognised halting place by the Officer Commanding.
(b) To ensure
that no men ride on the steps or the tops of carriages, or climb along the
train from truck to truck. There is very little clearance between the tops of
trucks and tunnels.
(c) To guard
all stores on the train throughout the journey.
(d) To watch
both sides of the train when halted.
Each Officer
Commanding Train will obtain from the Regimental Transport Officer before
starting a copy of General Head Quarters instructions for Officers Commanding
Trains. These instructions are Secret*, and should be destroyed before
detraining.
11.
ENTRAINING STATES. The Officer Commanding each train, or portion of a Unit
entraining, will bring with him an entraining state, in duplicate. This State
will shew strength Officers, Other Ranks, horses by types, vehicles by types,
the number of days’ rations entrained. These states will be handed over to the
Acting Regimental Training Officer at each station. A certificate will be added
to the effect that the Unit is complete with equipment and rations.
* reference
above. Each Officer Commanding Train will detail an Orderly Officer daily. Each
Company will detail 2 guards, (1 N.C.O. and 3 men) to be on duty one on each
side of the train.
They will see
that above orders are strictly carried out.
The following
amendments and alterations are made to Operational Order 119, dated November
27th, 1917.
1. Battalion
will entrain on December 2nd at Anvin.
1st Train No.
442 at 8.20 a.m. via Étaples.
2nd. Train
No. 445 at 18.57 p.m. via Arras.
2. (A) For
train in No. 20 read train No. 442. Delete name of Captain J. C. A. Birch in
Head Quarters, and add two Orderly Room Clerks (Sergeant H. Hoar and Lance
Corporal R. Vallance.)
Mess Cart.
4 Pack
Animals.
(B) For train
No. 25 read Train No. 445..
Add two
Orderly Room Clerks (Lance Corporal S. Kingsman and Private W. Maundrell.)
Maltese Cart.
4 Pack
Animals.
3. Breakfasts
for No. 442 train will be eaten at Anvin Station, on December 2nd.
Dinners for
No. 445 train will be eaten at Anvin Station on December 2nd. before
entraining.
4. Two
Lorries for each train will convey Blankets to the Station. Blankets for No.
442 train will be rolled in bundles of 10, marked with wooden label, and be
ready for loading at Quarter Master Stores at 2.30 a.m. on December 2nd.
Blankets for
No. 445 train to be at Quarter Master Stores 7 a.m. on December 2nd.
The blankets
will be issued to the men at Anvin before entraining, 2 per man.
As can be
seen from the above, the trains were nine days late!
