{{short description|Former British army battalions of WW1}} The '''Public Schools Battalions''' were a group of [[Pals battalion]]s of the [[British Army during World War I]]. They were raised in 1914 as part of [[Kitchener's Army]] and were originally recruited exclusively from former [[Public school (United Kingdom)|public schoolboys]]. When the [[battalion]]s were taken over by the [[British Army]] they became variously the '''16th (Service) Battalion (Public Schools)''' of the [[Middlesex Regiment]] and the '''18th–21st (Service) Battalions (1st–4th Public Schools)''' of the [[Royal Fusiliers]]. However, Kitchener's Army was faced with a dire shortage of officers and so 'young gentlemen'— public schoolboys and university graduates, including many of those who had enlisted in the Public Schools Battalions — were encouraged to apply for commissions. The battalions' depleted ranks were made up with ordinary volunteers (and later conscripts) and although they retained the Public Schools titles, their exclusive nature was doomed. Two battalions remained to serve on the [[Western Front (World War I)|Western Front]]: the original battalion was all but destroyed on the [[first day of the Somme]]. After hard service both battalions were disbanded in February 1918 before the end of the war.
==Recruitment== [[File:30a Sammlung Eybl Großbritannien. Alfred Leete (1882–1933) Britons (Kitchener) wants you (Briten Kitchener braucht Euch). 1914 (Nachdruck), 74 x 50 cm. (Slg.Nr. 552).jpg|right|thumb|[[Alfred Leete]]'s recruitment poster for Kitchener's Army.]] On 6 August 1914, less than 48 hours after Britain's declaration of war, [[Parliament of the United Kingdom|Parliament]] sanctioned an increase of 500,000 men for the Regular [[British Army]], and the newly appointed [[Secretary of State for War]], [[Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener|Earl Kitchener of Khartoum]] issued his famous call to arms: 'Your King and Country Need You', urging the first 100,000 volunteers to come forward. This group of six [[Division (military)|division]]s with supporting arms became known as Kitchener's First New Army, or 'K1'.<ref>Becke, Pt 3a, pp. 2 & 8.</ref> The flood of volunteers overwhelmed the ability of the army to absorb and organise them, and many of the units were organised under the auspices of local organisations up and down the country. The concept of a 'battalion of pals' serving together originated with the '[[Stockbrokers' Battalion]]' of the [[Royal Fusiliers]] raised in the [[City of London]] and was taken up enthusiastically as the '[[Pals battalions]]'. These local and pals battalions formed Kitchener's Fifth New Army, or 'K5', authorised on 10 December 1914.<ref name = Becke33>Becke, Pt 3b, pp. 31–9; Appendix 2.</ref><ref>Middlebrook, pp. 9–11.</ref>
One of the most prominent of these units was raised by [[Major (United Kingdom)|Major]] (and self-promoted) [[Lieutenant colonel (United Kingdom)|Lieutenant-Colonel]] J.J. Mackay and a committee of businessmen meeting at [[Harrow-on-the-Hill]] in [[Middlesex]]. They decided to raise a battalion exclusively from former public schoolboys and university men. They established a recruiting office at 24 St James's Street, London SW, and began recruiting on 4 September 1914. Membership was by application only; over 1,500 applications were received including from retired [[Officer (armed forces)|officer]]s who wished to serve in the ranks. Such was the spirit of adventure that many men wished to serve as [[Private (rank)|private]] soldiers alongside their comrades, rather than as officers. Amongst the recruits were enough former international players for the battalion to field two [[rugby union]] and one [[football (soccer)|football]] team. This became the 16th (Service) Battalion of the [[Middlesex Regiment (Duke of Cambridge's Own)]], but was often referred to by its members as the 'PSB'.<ref>Hurst, pp. 12–7, 23–4.</ref><ref>Middlebrook, p. 14.</ref><ref name = Wyrall211>Wyrall, Vol I, pp. 211–2.</ref><ref name = FrederickMx>Frederick, pp. 215–6.</ref><ref name = JamesMx>James, pp. 93–4.</ref><ref name = TrailMx>[http://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/regiments-and-corps/the-british-infantry-regiments-of-1914-1918/the-duke-of-cambridges-own-middlesex-regiment/ Middlesex Regiment at Long, Long Trail.]</ref><ref name = WOAppIX>WO Instruction 59 of July 1915, Appendix IX.</ref>{{efn|The 16th Middlesex formed a [[Pipe band]] and adopted an [[Irish wolfhound]] as its mascot, considered eccentricities for a battalion that was theoretically recruited in London.<ref>Hurst, p. 89.</ref>}}
The volunteers were summoned to [[Waterloo Station]] on 15 September and boarded a special train for [[Kempton Park Racecourse]] where they were to go into camp and begin their training.<ref>Hurst, pp. 17–9.</ref> Such was the success of the original recruitment drive that four further Public Schools battalions were raised by the Public Schools and University Men's Force of 66 Victoria Street, London, beginning on 11 September. These gathered at [[Epsom Downs Racecourse]] and were the battalions that joined the [[Royal Fusiliers|Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment)]].<ref name = WOAppIX/><ref name = FrederickRF>Frederick, pp. 287–9.</ref><ref name = JamesRF>James, p. 50.</ref><ref name = TrailRF>[http://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/regiments-and-corps/the-british-infantry-regiments-of-1914-1918/royal-fusiliers-city-of-london-regiment/ Royal Fusiliers at Long, Long Trail.]</ref>
==16th (Service) Battalion, Middlesex Regiment (Public Schools)== {{Infobox military unit |unit_name=16th (Service) Battalion, Middlesex Regiment (Public Schools) |image=File:Middlesex_Regiment_Cap_Badge.jpg |image_size=200px |caption=Cap badge of the Middlesex Regiment |dates= 4 September 1914 – 11 February 1918 |country={{flag|United Kingdom}} |branch=[[File:Flag of the British Army.svg|23px]] [[Kitchener's Army|New Army]] |type=[[Infantry]] |role= |size=1 [[Battalion]] + Reserve Battalion |command_structure= [[33rd Division (United Kingdom)|33rd Division]]<br>[[29th Division (United Kingdom)|29th Division]] |garrison=[[Kempton Park Racecourse]] |nickname= |patron= |motto= |colors= |march= |mascot= |battles= [[First day on the Somme#Beaumont-Hamel|Beaumont-Hamel]]<br>[[Battle of Arras (1917)|Arras]]<br>[[Battle of Passchendaele|Third Ypres]]<br>[[Battle of Cambrai (1917)|Cambrai]] |anniversaries= |decorations= |battle_honours= |notable_commanders= |current_commander= |ceremonial_chief= |colonel_of_the_regiment= |identification_symbol = |identification_symbol_label = }}
===Training=== The battalion was initially issued with blue uniforms and old [[Lee–Enfield#Magazine Lee–Enfield|Long Lee-Enfield]] rifles due to the shortages of khaki and modern [[Lee–Enfield#Short Magazine Lee–Enfield Mk III|Short Magazine Lee-Enfields]] (SMLE Mk III). However, a number of the recruits were already familiar with the older rifle from service in their school [[Cadet Corps]]. A Regular officer, Lt-Col J. Hamilton Hall, took over command. In January 1915 the battalion was marched to a hutted camp at [[Woldingham]], [[Surrey]], with kit being moved by private cars and hired removal vans. By the end of 1914 the battalion had provided 360 candidates for officer training, many of them replaced by volunteers arriving from different parts of the [[British Empire]]. Unfit men were weeded out and posted to the reserve companies, E and F under Maj Mackay (later 24th (Reserve) Battalion ''see below'').<ref>Hurst, pp. 30–5, 47–9.</ref>
On 10 December 1914 the 16th Middlesex was assigned to 119th Brigade in 40th Division, but the [[War Office]] (WO) then decided to convert the K4 battalions into reserve battalions to train reinforcements for the earlier K1–K3 units. So on 27 April 1915 the K5 divisions were renumbered to take up the designations of the K4 formations. The short-lived 40th Division thus became [[33rd Division (United Kingdom)|33rd Division]], and 16th Middlesex was in [[100th Brigade (United Kingdom)|100th Brigade]].<ref name = Becke33/><ref name = Wyrall211/><ref name = Trail33>[http://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/order-of-battle-of-divisions/33rd-division/ 33rd Division at Long, Long Trail.]</ref>
On 1 July 1915 the battalions were formally taken over by the WO and on 9 July the 16th Middlesex moved to [[Clipstone#Clipstone Camp|Clipstone Camp]] in [[Nottinghamshire]] where all the infantry of the division were concentrated by 13 July. On 3 August they went to [[Salisbury Plain]] for final battle training, with 100th Bde at [[Perham Down]].<ref name = Becke33/><ref name = Trail33/><ref name = JamesMx/><ref name = TrailMx/><ref>Hurst, pp. 51–2.</ref>
33rd Division landed in France to join the [[British Expeditionary Force (World War I)|British Expeditionary Force]] (BEF) in November 1915. Advanced parties of the 16th Middlesex arrived at [[Le Havre]] on 14 November and the main body of the battalion left Perham Down on 17 November. In December 33 Division took over the trenches on the [[La Bassée]] front from [[Givenchy-lès-la-Bassée|Givenchy]] to 'Mad Point', just north of the [[Hohenzollern Redoubt]], scene of bitter fighting the previous autumn, but now considered a 'quiet' sector suitable for newly arrived formations to learn the routines of [[trench warfare]]. 16th Middlesex was introduced to the trenches by 1st Middlesex of [[19th Light Brigade (United Kingdom)|19th Bde]], a Regular Army brigade that had been transferred into 33rd Division to exchange experience<ref name = Becke33/><ref name = Trail33/><ref>Hurst, pp. 57–72, 78–82.</ref><ref name="Seton-Hutchinson, pp. 2–5">Seton-Hutchinson, pp. 2–5.</ref><ref>Wyrall, Vol I, p. 200.</ref>
In its first tour of duty at the Annequin North trenches on 2–14 January the battalion suffered its first casualties, losing one officer and 11 other ranks (ORs) killed, with 24 ORs wounded by a single shell. The next tour (27 January–2 February) was responsible for more serious casualties: first the frontline and support trenches were heavily bombarded on 28 January, then the battalion was ordered to carry out a [[Trench raiding|trench raid]] on 'Mad Point'. Although the raid was cancelled, the patrol sent out that night to reconnoitre suffered casualties. Then when the battalion was in brigade reserve on the night of 3/4 February, it was ordered to make a [[Grenade|bombing]] attack on three craters at Mine Point. D Company (140 men plus 32 battalion bombers) went out but the attack was a failure; a second attempt next night also failed, with mounting casualties. On 16 February the Germans exploded a large [[Tunnel warfare#World War I|mine]]; a party of 16th Middlesex held the lip of the crater until relieved by 21st Royal Fusiliers (4th Public Schools).<ref name = JamesMx/><ref name = TrailMx/><ref name = Becke33/><ref name = Trail33/><ref>Hurst, pp. 97–105, 109.</ref><ref name = Wyrall235>Wyrall, Vol I, pp. 235–7.</ref> [[File:British 29th Division Insignia.png|thumb|left|300px|29th Division's formation sign.]] On 25 February the public schools battalions were withdrawn from 33rd Division and assigned to GHQ Troops at [[Saint-Omer, Pas-de-Calais|Saint-Omer]] while their best men were selected for officers' commissions; 16th Middlesex supplied 250 candidates. The rest of the battalion was then quarantined at Saint Omer due to an outbreak of [[German Measles]], and it was not until 24 April that it entrained for [[Doullens]], made up to strength with raw recruits. At Doullens it joined [[86th Brigade (United Kingdom)|86th Bde]] in [[29th Division (United Kingdom)|29th Division]], replacing an Irish battalion of the Regular Army that could not get enough reinforcements from Ireland.<ref name = JamesMx/><ref name = TrailMx/><ref name = Becke33/><ref name = Trail33/><ref name = Wyrall235/><ref name = Becke29>Becke, Pt 1, pp. 117–24.</ref><ref name = Trail29>[http://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/order-of-battle-of-divisions/29th-division/ 29th Division at Long, Long Trail.]</ref><ref>Hurst, pp. 109–15, 123–8.</ref><ref>Gillon, pp. 77, 256.</ref><ref>Middlebrook, pp. 28, 105, 161.</ref>
===Somme=== [[Image:Public Schools Battalion at White City 1916.jpg|thumb|right|300px|A company of the Public Schools Battalion at "White City" prior to the [[Battle of the Somme]]. Photo by [[Ernest Brooks (photographer)|Ernest Brooks]].]] [[File:Hawthorn_Ridge_(1_July_1916).png|thumb|right|Map of the Hawthorn Ridge sector: British jumping-off trench in red, German defences in blue.]] [[File:Hawthorn_Ridge_Redoubt_mine_(1_July_1916)_1.jpg|thumb|right|The moment the Hawthorn Ridge mine exploded.]] [[File:Hawthorn_Ridge_Redoubt_mine_(1_July_1916)_2.jpg|thumb|right|Hawthorn Ridge: in the foreground men in helmets wait for the debris to fall before attacking at Zero hour.]] 29th Division had recently taken over a section of the line in front of [[Beaumont-Hamel]] and was preparing for the 'Big Push' (the [[Battle of the Somme]]) scheduled for 29 June 1916. The division's objective was to cross {{convert|350|yd|m}} of open ground and penetrate the German front line to Beaumont-Hamel, taking the [[Hawthorn Ridge Redoubt]] with the assistance of a large mine. The 16th Middlesex, like other battalions, had to provide working parties to carry away the chalk excavated by the tunnellers. The plan hinged on a five-day artillery bombardment to destroy the enemy trenches and [[Wire obstacle|barbed wire]]. Bad weather obscured the targets, patrols (including one from 16th Middlesex<ref name = Hurst178>Hurst, p. 178.</ref>) reported much of the wire still uncut, and the bombardment was extended for two extra days, with Z day put back to 1 July. The 16th Middlesex was in support, behind the 2nd Royal Fusiliers attacking towards the Hawthorn Ridge Redoubt and the 1st [[Lancashire Fusiliers]] advancing from a sunken lane in [[No man's land]] towards The Copse a few hundred yards further north. Controversially, the Hawthorn Ridge mine was blown at 07.20, 10 minutes before Zero hour, which allowed the Germans time to recover before the infantry went 'over the top'. The explosion was caught by cameraman [[Geoffrey Malins]] and later shown worldwide in his film ''[[Battle of the Somme (film)|The Battle of the Somme]]''.<ref name = Wyrall235/><ref name = Becke29/><ref name = Trail29/><ref>Cave, pp. 25–30, 49–54.</ref><ref>Edmonds, ''1916'', Vol I, pp. 303–5, 426–32, Sketch 32.</ref><ref>Hurst, pp. 131–4, 143–5, 149–55, 164–6, 169–170, Map 8.</ref><ref>Gillon, pp. 77–80.</ref><ref>Middlebrook, pp. 75–6, 87–8, 119.</ref>
Before dawn on 1 July 16 Middlesex under Lt-Col Hall moved up to assembly trenches named Cripps Cut and Cardiff Street, where they waited while the first wave went forward into No man's land five minutes before Zero. Both the Royal Fusiliers and Lancashire Fusiliers were caught by a cross-fire of machine guns from the 'Bergwerk' to the right of Hawthorn Ridge and from the Copse, and by the artillery [[Barrage (artillery)|barrage]] that the Germans laid down on the British start line. The barrage was so intense and the number of returning wounded so great that the second wave, including B and D Companies of the 16th Middlesex, could not leave their trenches until 07.55. A and C Companies followed, but all were caught by the same fire. The 16th Middlesex just about reached the wire in front of the crater, with heavy loss, but could get no further. Malins' film shows a distant group of men, believed to be from the 16th Middlesex, reaching the crater, then retreating in smaller numbers. 16th Middlesex's [[Adjutant#UK and other Commonwealth countries|adjutant]], [[Captain (British Army and Royal Marines)|Captain]] F.S. Cochram, went forward to reorganise the men of B and D Companies in front of the crater, but was wounded. Following up at 09.15, the [[Royal Newfoundland Regiment|Newfoundland Regiment]] in [[88th Brigade (United Kingdom)|88th Bde]] were cut down, and 29th Division's attack was halted, having achieved nothing. Lt-Col Hall worked to reorganise the survivors and bring up the battalion reserve to hold the front trench. Many of the men remained pinned down among the wounded in front of the wire and were taken prisoner later in the day.<ref>Cave, pp. 20–2, 42–6, 57–64.</ref><ref>Edmonds ''1916'', Vol I, pp. 434–6.</ref><ref>Hurst, pp. 167–8, 171–205.</ref><ref>Gillon, pp. 80–2.</ref><ref>Middlebrook, pp. 160–1, 237.</ref><ref>Wyrall, Vol I, pp. 247, 260–2.</ref>
The battalion was taken out of the line on 3 July, moving back into [[billet]]s. Figures vary, but the consensus is that on the [[First day of the Somme]] the 16th Middlesex lost 22 officers and about 500 ORs in the attack, among the heaviest casualty lists of the day; only one frontline officer remained of the four companies that had attacked.<ref>Edmonds ''1916'', Vol I, p. 437.</ref><ref>Middlebrook, Appendix 5.</ref> Many of the men of the 16th Middlesex are buried in the [[Commonwealth War Graves Commission]]'s Hawthorn Ridge Cemetery No 1, close to the mine crater (41 named graves), others are in [[Auchonvillers]] Cemetery behind the start line (21 named), and 91 names appear on the [[Thiepval Memorial]] to the missing.<ref>Cave, pp. 152–3.</ref><ref>[https://www.cwgc.org/visit-us/find-cemeteries-memorials/cemetery-details/67801/HAWTHORN%20RIDGE%20CEMETERY%20NO1,%20AUCHONVILLERS/ Hawthorn Ridge Cemetery No 1 at CWGC.]</ref><ref>[https://www.cwgc.org/visit-us/find-cemeteries-memorials/cemetery-details/7000/AUCHONVILLERS%20MILITARY%20CEMETERY/ Auchonvillers Military Cemetery at CWGC.]</ref><ref>[https://www.cwgc.org/visit-us/find-cemeteries-memorials/cemetery-details/80800/THIEPVAL%20MEMORIAL/ Thiepval Memorial at CWGC.]</ref><ref>Hurst, Appendix Four.</ref>{{efn|Lt-Col Hall was awarded a [[Distinguished Service Order]] (DSO).<ref>[https://www.greatwarforum.org/topic/68062-major-j-h-hall/ Hall at Great War Forum.]</ref><ref>[https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/29765/supplement/9419 ''London Gazette'', 26 September 1916.]</ref>}}
29th Division was relieved from duty on 24/25 July and was sent to camp in the [[Ypres Salient]] where the battalions were rebuilt and began doing trench duty once more. In October 29 Division returned to the Somme where it did trench duty in the [[Battle of Le Transloy|Transloy]] area while the Somme Offensive continued, but 86th Bde made no further attacks until 28 February 1917, when it assaulted Palz and Potsdam Trenches near [[Sailly-Saillisel]]. The objective was to gain observation over the valleys to the north, and to discover whether the Germans were planning a withdrawal. The Regular battalions of the brigade attacked behind a [[Creeping barrage]] that moved slowly because of the mud the men had to cross. After a partial success the brigade consolidated the captured trenches.<ref name = Becke29/><ref name = Trail29/><ref>Falls, ''1917'', Vol I, pp. 118–20.</ref><ref>Gillon, pp. 83–96.</ref><ref>Hurst, pp. 229–38.</ref><ref>Wyrall, Vol II, pp. 17–9.</ref>
===Arras=== In April 29 Division moved north to join in the [[Battle of Arras (1917)|Arras Offensive]], entering the line on 14 April too late to take much part in the [[First Battle of the Scarpe]]. It then attacked at the [[Second Battle of the Scarpe]] on 23 April with 86th Bde in support for the second phase. A German counter-attack disrupted preparations for the second attack in the afternoon, and although 86th Bde took its objective it was pushed back from part of it to hold 'Shrapnel Trench', where the [[Lewis gun]]s of B Company held off the last counter-attack until relieved that night.<ref name = Becke29/><ref name = Trail29/><ref>Falls, ''1917'', Vol I, pp. 196, 286–90, 391–3.</ref><ref>Gillon, pp. 115–8.</ref><ref>Wyrall, Vol II, pp. 53, 58–9, 110.</ref> The division went back into the line on 14 May for the final stages of the Arras Offensive. On 30 May 86th Bde attacked to take a trench in front of 'Infantry Hill'. It planned a surprise night attack without preliminary artillery fire, but the attack was postponed and secrecy was compromised. When the attack went in the following night, the Germans saw the attackers leaving their trenches in the moonlight and brought down defensive artillery fire. Most of the attack broke down, but a party of 16th Middlesex succeeded in getting into the enemy trench. However, they could not be reinforced and were forced to surrender next morning.<ref>Falls, ''1917'', Vol I, pp. 516–7.</ref><ref>Wyrall, Vol II, pp. 110–11.</ref>
===Ypres=== In July the division was transferred north to take part in the [[Battle of Passchendaele|Third Ypres Offensive]], and the battalion went into the line on 9/10 August. The following night three platoons of A Company and three from the 1st [[Lancashire Fusiliers]] advanced under a 'pocket barrage' to push outposts across the troublesome Steenbeck stream (which had halted earlier attacks) and take Passerelle Farm. This was successful, but had to be repeated the following night to secure the farm. The battalion was relieved on the night of 12/13 August, having lost two officers and 30 ORs killed and three officers and 83 ORs wounded during this short tour of duty.<ref>Gillon, pp. 127–8.</ref><ref>Wyrall, Vol II, pp. 111–2.</ref>
86th Brigade was in support for the division's attack at the [[Battle of Langemarck (1917)|Battle of Langemarck]] on 16 August, and 16th Middlesex was not called upon. However, that night the battalion moved forward to take over the line and the commanding officer, Lt-Col Frank Morris of the [[Border Regiment]], was killed, only two days after taking command (Lt-Col Hamilton Hall having been promoted earlier). Major J. Forbes-Robertson arrived next day to replace him.<ref>Gillon, p. 132 .</ref><ref>Wyrall, Vol II, pp. 122–3.</ref><ref name = Morris>[https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/435958/FRANK%20GEORGE%20GREIR%20MORRIS/ Morris at CWGC.]</ref>
The battalion was present in the line and suffered casualties but did not attack at the Battles of [[Battle of Polygon Wood|Polygon Wood]] (26 September) and [[Battle of Broodseinde|Broodseinde]] (4 October). At the [[Battle of Poelcappelle]] on 9 October, the battalion was detailed to be a counter-attack battalion for 86th Bde, which reached its objectives by 08.00 without much difficulty. The unused 16th Middlesex then took over the line that night.<ref name = Becke29/><ref name = Trail29/><ref>Edmonds, ''1917'', Vol II, pp. 107, 185, 201, 311, 336.</ref><ref>Gillon, p. 141.</ref><ref>Wyrall, Vol II, pp.131–2, 139–42.</ref>
===Cambrai=== On 16 October 29th Division was moved south by rail to train for the great tank attack on the [[Hindenburg Line]] (the [[Battle of Cambrai (1917)|Battle of Cambrai]]). The plan was for the division to pass through the attacking divisions of [[III Corps (United Kingdom)|III Corps]], advance with the reserve tanks to take the first day's objectives, and then continue the advance next day. Tank–infantry training began at [[Wailly]] in early November, and the division began moving into position during the night of 18/19 November.<ref>Gillon, pp. 146–51.</ref><ref>Miles, ''1917'', Vol III, pp. 19–22, 27, 29, 33, 43.</ref><ref>Cooper, pp. 63–7.</ref><ref name = Landship>[https://sites.google.com/site/landships/home/narratives/1917/cambrainarratives/3-company-20-november-1917 3 Company, A Battalion, 20 November 1917 at Landships.]</ref><ref>Wyrall, Vol II, pp. 148–9, 151.</ref>
The attack was launched at 06.20 on 20 November accompanied by a massive artillery fireplan. By 11.30 III Corps had captured nearly all of the enemy's outpost line and battle zone. 29th Division was given permission to advance at 10.15. Four [[Mark IV tank]]s of No 9 Section, 3 Company, A Battalion, [[Royal Tank Regiment|Tank Corps]], had crossed the British start line an hour after Zero and waited under cover for the infantry of 86th Bde to come up. The lead tank then used its [[Fascine]] to cross the wide Hindenburg Line front trench and the section followed it over. They silenced machine guns and snipers in Couilet Wood and [[Marcoing]] before moving on to Nine Wood, their final objective for the day. 16th Middlesex, leading 86th Bde, followed the tanks to find H Battalion of the Tank Corps already holding the wood. There were still German infantry among the trees, but the battalion suppressed these with the help of No 9 Section. At 13.15 the commander of H Battalion received a receipt for the wood from the infantry, and withdrew to his rallying point. About 16.00 a platoon of 16th Middlesex with one tank captured a bridge across the [[St Quentin Canal]] and linked up at [[Noyelles-sur-Escaut]] (already entered by the cavalry) with 2nd Royal Fusiliers which had fought its way past Marcoing.<ref name = Becke29/><ref name = Trail29/><ref name = Landship/><ref>Cooper, p. 117.</ref><ref>Gillon, pp. 151–8.</ref><ref>Miles, ''1917'', Vol III, pp. 50, 62–3, 67, 75–8.</ref><ref>Wyrall, Vol II, pp. 151–3.</ref>
Next day the brigade was unable to advance as planned because the Germans put in a determined counter-attack at 10.30 to recover Noyelles, and for several hours the 16th Middlesex, 2nd Royal Fusiliers and the [[18th Hussars]] were hard pressed, parts of the village changing hands several times in bitter street fighting. With the help of two tanks they succeeded in driving the Germans out entirely by 16.00 and were then relieved in order to go into billets in Marcoing.<ref>Cooper, p. 133.</ref><ref>Gillon, pp. 158–9.</ref><ref>Miles, ''1917'', Vol III, pp. 105–6.</ref><ref>Wyrall, Vol II, pp. 154–5.</ref>
After the initial stunning success, the Battle of Cambrai died down in stalemate. 29th Division was set to work turning Marcoing and [[Masnières]] into strongpoints. It reported that 29 November was an exceptionally quiet day, but the Germans launched a massive counter-stroke before dawn next day. 16th Middlesex was holding posts at Mon Plaisir Farm and the nearby canal lock bridge; at 07.00 86th Bde called down artillery fire on the approaches to the farm where movement had been detected. Then shortly before 09.00 a frontal attack came in, preceded by low-flying aircraft [[Strafing]] the positions, as well as artillery and machine gun fire. Although the British guns supported as best they could, the Germans had broken through the neighbouring brigade and were streaming towards Marcoing and the battery positions in large numbers. The battalion caused halted these attackers with rifle and Lewis gun fire in [[Enfilade and defilade|enfilade]] at 400–500 yards' range while an improvised flank guard at the canal lock held the Germans and saved the brigade (Captain [[Robert Gee]] of the brigade staff won a [[Victoria Cross]] for this action). The CO, Lt-Col Forbes-Robertson, sent the [[Adjutant#UK and other Commonwealth countries|adjutant]] with a party to the brigade ammunition dump on the other side of the canal; they drove off the Germans who were there and saved some of the ammunition. The Germans did not renew their attacks in the afternoon, but 16th Middlesex remained under heavy artillery and machine gun fire; as the ''Official History'' relates: '[t]his Battalion bore its ordeal with amazing fortitude, heartened by its commanding officer, Lieut.-Colonel J. Forbes-Robertson, who visited all positions in turn even when, blinded by a wound, he had to be led by hand'.<ref name = Becke29/><ref name = Trail29/><ref>Cooper, pp. 180–1.</ref><ref>Gillon, pp. 161–6.</ref><ref>Miles, ''1917'', Vol III, pp. 163–4, 172, 176, 203–10.</ref><ref>Wyrall, Vol II, pp. 159–65.</ref>
86th Brigade bore the main brunt of the German attacks the next day (1 December). 16th Middlesex drove off strong patrols in the morning, but a furious bombardment began at 14.30. Having been forced into an untenable [[Salient (military)|salient]] along the canal by the previous day's fighting, the brigade had to be either reinforced or withdrawn, but it was not until 19.00 that word got through to pull out. All the wounded were evacuated and every man was loaded up with ammunition, the rest being dumped into the canal. The withdrawal was completed by 04.00 on 2 December, and the brigade was sent for well-earned rest in [[Ribécourt-la-Tour]] while the Germans continued to shell their empty positions at Masnières. The shelling extended to Ribécourt, so the brigade went back further to [[Trescault]] to get some peace.<ref>Gillon, pp. 173–5.</ref><ref>Miles, ''1917'', Vol III, pp. 244–6, 250, 253.</ref><ref>Wyrall, Vol II, pp. 167, 170.</ref>
During December 16 Middlesex marched by stages through blizzards to [[Renty]], SW of [[Saint-Omer, Pas-de-Calais|Saint-Omer]], arriving on 18 December, moving to [[Setques]] in early January, where they carried out training. The battalion went back into the line on 18 January 1918, holding a series of shellholes near [[Passendale|Passchendaele]].<ref>Gillon, pp. 181–2.</ref><ref>Wyrall, Vol II, pp. 175, 184–5.</ref>
===Disbandment=== By early 1918 the BEF was suffering a severe manpower shortage: roughly one in four infantry battalions had to be disbanded and their surviving personnel drafted to reinforce other units. After its last tour of trench duty from 23 to 26 January the battalion was sent to work on defences at Gravenstafel, where orders arrived to disband the battalion. 16th Middlesex sent drafts to the 2nd, 18th (1st Public Works Pioneers) and 20th (Shoreditch) Battalions of the Middlesex Regiment (in [[8th Division (United Kingdom)|8th]], 33rd and [[14th (Light) Division|14th (Light)]] divisions respectively). Then on 11 February battalion headquarters and the last details (three officers and 58 ORs) went to [[VIII Corps (United Kingdom)|VIII Corps']] reinforcement camp and the battalion was formally disbanded.<ref name = FrederickMx/><ref name = JamesMx/><ref name = Becke29/><ref name = Trail29/><ref>Gillon, pp. 181–2, 256–7.</ref><ref>Hurst, p. 246.</ref><ref>Wyrall, Vol II, pp. 181–2, 184–5.</ref>
===Insignia=== As well as the Middlesex Regiment cap badge and brass title 'MIDDLESEX' on the shoulder straps, all ranks wore a yellow cloth bar across the base of the shoulder strap and a yellow vertical rectangle on the side of the steel helmet cover. In June 1917 a soldier of the battalion reported that they were wearing a blue band on the arm as well. The red isosceles triangle of 29th Division was won on both sleeves just below the shoulder strap.<ref>Bilton, pp. 258–62.</ref><ref>Elderton & Gibbs, pp. 34, 46.</ref><ref>Hibberd, p. 28.</ref>
===See also=== * [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8YfJmwY5Uo Hawthorn Ridge mine detonation On YouTube]
==24th (Reserve) Battalion, Middlesex Regiment== When the four service companies of the 16th Middlesex went to Clipstone Camp they left the two depot companies (E and F) at Woldingham under the command of Lt-Col MacKay. They later moved to [[Tring]] in [[Hertfordshire]] and formed into 24th (Reserve) Battalion on 25 September 1915 to supply reinforcement drafts to the parent battalion. It joined [[23rd Reserve Brigade]] at [[Northampton]], moving to [[Aldershot Garrison|Aldershot]] by May 1916. On 1 September the local reserve battalions were transferred to the Training Reserve (TR) and it became '''100th Training Reserve Battalion''' in 23rd Reserve Bde. It was redesignated as '''256th (Infantry) Battalion, TR''' on 6 September 1917, then transferred to the [[Royal Sussex Regiment]] on 27 October 1917 as '''52nd (Graduated) Battalion''', engaged in progressive training of 18–19-year-olds. Finally, on 8 February 1919, after the [[Armistice with Germany|Armistice]], it became a Service battalion of the Royal Sussex. It was disbanded on 27 March 1920.<ref name = FrederickMx/><ref name = JamesMx/><ref name = TrailMx/><ref name = WOAppXVII>WO Instruction 205 of July 1915, Appendix XVII.</ref><ref>[http://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/regiments-and-corps/training-reserve/ Training Reserve at Long, Long Trail.]</ref><ref>Frederick, pp. 211–2.</ref>
==18th–21st (Service) Battalions, Royal Fusiliers (1st–4th Public Schools)== {{Infobox military unit |unit_name=18th–21st (Service) Battalions, Royal Fusiliers (1st–4th Public Schools) |image=Royal Fusiliers cap badge 1941.jpg |image_size=200px |caption=Cap badge of the Royal Fusiliers |dates= 11 September 1914 – 16 February 1918 |country={{flag|United Kingdom}} |branch=[[File:Flag of the British Army.svg|23px]] [[Kitchener's Army|New Army]] |type=Infantry |role= |size=4 Battalions + 2 Reserve Battalions |command_structure= [[33rd Division (United Kingdom)|33rd Division]] |garrison=[[Epsom]] |nickname= |patron= |motto= |colors= |march= |mascot= |battles= [[Attacks on High Wood|High Wood]]<br>[[Battle of Arras (1917)|Arras]]<br> [[Battle of Polygon Wood|Polygon Wood]] |anniversaries= |decorations= |battle_honours= |notable_commanders= |current_commander= |ceremonial_chief= |colonel_of_the_regiment= |identification_symbol = |identification_symbol_label = }} The four Public Schools Battalions of the Royal Fusiliers formed at Epsom Downs Racecourse on 11 September 1914:<ref name = JamesRF/> * 18th (Service) Battalion, Royal Fusiliers (1st Public Schools) * 19th (Service) Battalion, Royal Fusiliers (2nd Public Schools) * 20th (Service) Battalion, Royal Fusiliers (3rd Public Schools) * 21st (Service) Battalion, Royal Fusiliers (4th Public Schools)
Their training experience was similar to the 16th Middlesex and other Kitchener battalions. Like all Kitchener units, there was an initial shortage of experienced officers and NCOs to train the battalions. The commanding officer appointed to the 18th Bn was [[Lord Henry Scott]], former commanding officer of the [[3rd (Reserve) Battalion, Royal Scots]], in the [[Special Reserve]].<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=28937|date=13 October 1914|page=8222|supp=y}}</ref> The 20th and 21st Battalions were camped at [[Ashtead]] and at [[Leatherhead]] in Surrey during the winter of October 1914–March 1915 while the others stayed at Epsom.<ref name = JamesRF/>
From 10 December the four battalions constituted 118th Brigade in 39th Division of K5, but when the K5 divisions were reorganised on 27 April 1915 the brigade was transferred to 33rd (formerly 40th) Division and was renumbered [[98th Brigade (United Kingdom)|98th Brigade]].<ref name = Becke33/> By 26 June 1915 the brigade had concentrated at [[Clipstone#Clipstone Camp|Clipstone Camp]] in [[Nottinghamshire]] and on 1 July the battalions were formally taken over by the WO. All the infantry of the division were concentrated at Clipstone by 13 July and on 3 August they moved to [[Salisbury Plain]] for final battle training, with 98th Bde at [[Tidworth Camp]].<ref name = Becke33/><ref name = Trail33/><ref name = JamesRF/><ref name = TrailRF/>
===Western Front=== [[File:British 33rd Division insignia.png|thumb|right|150px|33rd Division's formation sign.]] 98th Brigade landed in France to join the [[British Expeditionary Force (World War I)|British Expeditionary Force]] (BEF) in November 1915, but 18th and 20th Bns were immediately detached on 27 November to join 19th Bde, which had been transferred into 33rd Division to exchange experience (''see above''). After only a short period learning the routines of trench warfare the 18th, 19th and 21st Battalions were all transferred to GHQ Troops on 27 February 1916 and disbanded on 24 April, when the majority of their personnel were commissioned as officers (''see above'').<ref name = Becke33/><ref name = JamesRF/><ref name = TrailRF/><ref name = Trail33/><ref name="Seton-Hutchinson, pp. 2–5"/>
The remaining battalion, 20th (3rd Public Schools), continued serving in 19th Bde. Captain [[Robert Graves]] of 2nd Bn [[Royal Welch Fusiliers]], also in 19th Bde, was highly critical of the battalion: 'Their training had been continually interrupted by the large withdrawal of men needed to officer other regiments. The only men left, in fact, appeared to be those unfitted to hold commissions; or even to make good private soldiers'. He claimed that the remaining battalion 'proved a constant embarrassment to the brigade'. One night he visited the front line when an apparent German raiding party was detected: after a flare and a few machine gun rounds had been fired over their heads the 'raiders' surrendered and turned out to be a large patrol from the public schools battalion that had been wandering aimlessly in [[No man's land]].<ref>Graves, p. 178.</ref>{{efn|Hurst<ref>Hurst, Appendix Two.</ref> goes to great lengths to exonerate 16th Middlesex (Public Schools) from Grave's criticism (which he terms a 'libel'), but has missed the fact that it clearly relates to 20th Royal Fusiliers (3rd Public Schools) in 19th Bde.}}After conscription was introduced in 1916 the special character (good or bad) of the Pals battalions was diluted as the war went on.
===Somme=== In early July 1916, 33rd Division was sent south from [[First Army (United Kingdom)|First Army]] to reinforce [[Fourth Army (United Kingdom)|Fourth Army]] fighting on the [[Battle of the Somme|Somme]]. It began to move south by train on 10 July and was in Corps Reserve during the [[Battle of Albert (1916)|Battle of Albert]] (12–13 July) before part of the division was committed to action during the [[Battle of Bazentin Ridge]] on 14 July. 19th Brigade then took part in the [[Attacks on High Wood]]: at dawn on 20 July the brigade attacked with two battalions, who forced their way into the wood but came under machine gun fire. 20th Royal Fusiliers, following close behind, cleared the southern part of the objective, but the losses in senior officers led to confusion in the brigade. With fresh support, 20th Royal Fusiliers then reached the northern part after hard fighting, but were driven back to the southern half by [[High explosive shell|high explosive]] and [[Chemical weapons in World War I|gas]] shelling before relief could arrive. Casualties suffered in holding the positions in High Wood under shellfire were heavy.<ref name = Becke33/><ref name = Trail33/><ref>Miles, ''1916'', Vol II, pp. 36, 84, 95–6, 110–11.</ref><ref>Seton-Hutchinson, pp. 16–9.</ref>
33rd Division was rested until the night of 6/7 August when it returned to the High Wood sector to carry out engineering preparations for the next attack on 'Wood Lane'. When the attacking brigade launched the assault on 18 August the various engineering aids failed and the brigade was so badly hit that 19th Bde was urgently called up to relieve it before next morning. On 28 October, during the [[Battle of Le Transloy]], the division captured 'Dewdrop' and 'Rainy' trenches, but twice failed against 'Boritska' trench before taking it on 5 November.<ref name = Becke33/><ref name = Trail33/><ref>Miles, ''1916'', Vol II, pp. 186–7, 194–5, 468–72.</ref><ref>Seton-Hutchinson, pp. 19–21, 25.</ref> At this period the 20th Royal Fusiliers was commanded by [[Lieutenant colonel (United Kingdom)|Lieutenant-Colonel]] W.B. Garnett.<ref>Seton-Hutchinson, p. 23.</ref> Supplies had to be manhandled to the front line across {{convert|5000|yd|m}} of thick mud. The division then took over a section of line from the French and garrisoned this during the winter.<ref>Seton-Hutchison, pp. 25–32.</ref>
===Arras=== 33rd Division was engaged in actions against rearguards as the Germans withdrew to the Hindenburg Line in March 1917 in [[Operation Alberich]].<ref>Falls, ''1917'', Vol I, p. 118.</ref> It was then put into the line for the Arras Offensive, during which the 19th Bde fought in the First Battle of the Scarpe on 14 April under the command of 21st Division, attempting to push into the Hindenburg Line positions. 20th Royal Fusiliers made a second unsuccessful attempt on the night of 15/16 April.<ref name = Becke33/><ref name = Trail33/><ref>Falls, ''1917'', Vol I, pp. 196, 289, 380</ref><ref>Seton-Hutchinson, p. 35.</ref> The rest of the division attacked in the [[Second Battle of the Scarpe]] on 23–24 April.<ref name = Becke33/><ref name = Trail33/><ref>Falls, ''1917'', Vol I, pp. 384–9.</ref><ref>Seton-Hutchinson, pp. 35–8.</ref> On 20 May the division made a surprise frontal attack on the battered Hindenburg Line, and made some progress.<ref name = Becke33/><ref name = Trail33/><ref>Falls, ''1917'', Vol I, p. 518.</ref><ref>Seton-Hutchinson, pp. 39–41.</ref> Casualties were heavy during the operations of April and May, and included the commanding officer of the 20th Royal Fusiliers, Lt-Col L.F. Leader, who was wounded and succeeded by Lt-Col Modera, [[Military Cross|MC]] (Lt-Col Garnett, [[Distinguished Service Order|DSO]], was now commanding 2nd Royal Welch Fusiliers in the same brigade).<ref>Seton-Hutchinson, pp. 46, 61.</ref>
In the summer 33rd Division was transferred to [[Nieuwpoort, Belgium|Nieuport]] on the Flanders coast, where [[Fourth Army (United Kingdom)|Fourth Army]] was intended to make an amphibious assault behind the enemy lines and advance up the coast in conjunction with the BEF's Flanders offensive (the [[Battle of Passchendaele|Third Battle of Ypres]]). It arrived on 31 July and spent the next three weeks under shellfire – both high explosive and [[Mustard gas]] – and nightly air raids, as well as repelling one serious attack on 19th Bde, but by the end of August it was clear that the BEF was not going to achieve a clean breakthrough, and the units on the coast began to be sent to the [[Ypres Salient]] to reinforce the offensive there.<ref name = Becke33/><ref name = Trail33/><ref>Edmonds, ''1917'', Vol II, p. 110.</ref><ref>Seton-Hutchinson, pp. 62–4.</ref>
===Ypres=== Elements of the division went into the line in the Ypres sector during September, and then whole division moved up from reserve and was committed to the [[Battle of Polygon Wood]] on 26 September. But the division had to fight off a spoiling attack by the Germans the day before, so its own planned attack was dislocated and limited to recovering lost ground.<ref name = Becke33/><ref name = Trail33/><ref>Edmonds, ''1917'', Vol II, pp. 242, 282–7, 292.</ref><ref>Seton-Hutchinson, pp. 65–7, 72.</ref>
In November 1917 the 33rd Division was moved to the north of Ypres to take over the Passchendaele Salient from the Canadians, and spent the winter months taking turns of duty in this, probably the worst area on the Western Front, a sea of mud with no cover, with appalling trackways to traverse to and from the line, and under persistent shellfire, particularly with mustard gas shells.<ref>Seton-Hutchinson, pp. 75–8.</ref>
===Disbandment=== Like the 16th Middlesex, the 20th Royal Fusiliers was disbanded between 2 and 15 February 1918, when 19 officers and 520 ORs were posted to other battalions, and the remainder sent to VIII Corps' Reinforcement Camp.<ref name = Becke33/><ref name = FrederickRF/><ref name = JamesRF/><ref name = TrailRF/><ref name = Trail33/><ref>Seton-Hutchinson, p. 78.</ref>
===Insignia=== Before uniforms were issued, the men trained in civilian dress wearing a lapel badge with the intertwined letters 'PUS' (for Public Schools and University Mens Force). Later the four battalions wore the Royal Fusiliers' crowned 'bomb' badge with [[Tudor rose]] and garter superimposed. During their short existence, the other ranks of 18th (1st) Bn wore a red rectangle, 19th (2nd) a violet bar), 20th (3rd) a blue rectangle, and 21st (4th) a green rectangle. 20th Royal Fusiliers had given up special badges by July 1917. 33rd Division's badge was a 'Double-3' domino.<ref>Bilton, pp. 14, 67, 69, 74.</ref><ref>Elderton & Gibbs, pp. 34, 48.</ref><ref>Hibberd, pp. 39.</ref>
==28th and 29th (Reserve) Battalions, Royal Fusiliers== When the four Royal Fusiliers Public Schools battalions went to Clipstone Camp their depot companies had remained at Epsom and in August 1915 these were formed into two reserve battalions:<ref name = WOAppXVII/><ref name = FrederickRF/><ref name = JamesRF/><ref name = TrailRF/> * 28th (Reserve) Battalion, Royal Fusiliers – from 1st and 2nd Public Schools * 29th (Reserve) Battalion, Royal Fusiliers – from 3rd and 4th Public Schools
In November 1915 the two reserve battalions moved to [[Oxford]] and then in March 1916 to [[Edinburgh]]. On 1 September 1916 they became 104th and 105th Training Reserve Bns in 24th Reserve Bde at Edinburgh. 105th TR Battalion was disbanded at [[Catterick Garrison|Catterick Camp]] on 14 December 1917, but 104th TR Bn reverted to the Royal Fusiliers on 1 November 1917 as 53rd (Young Soldier) Bn. On 8 February 1919, after the Armistice, it became the 53rd (Service) Bn at [[Ripon]]. It was absorbed into the 26th (Service) Bn, Royal Fusiliers (Bankers) on 2 April 1919.<ref name = FrederickRF/><ref name = JamesRF/><ref>Frederick, p. 414.</ref>
==Footnotes== {{notelist}}
==Notes== {{reflist|3}}
==References== {{refbegin|2}} * Maj A.F. Becke,''History of the Great War: Order of Battle of Divisions, Part 1: The Regular British Divisions'', London: HM Stationery Office, 1934/Uckfield: Naval & Military Press, 2007, {{ISBN|1-847347-38-X}}. * Maj A.F. Becke,''History of the Great War: Order of Battle of Divisions, Part 3a: New Army Divisions (9–26)'', London: HM Stationery Office, 1938/Uckfield: Naval & Military Press, 2007, {{ISBN|1-847347-41-X}}. * Maj A.F. Becke,''History of the Great War: Order of Battle of Divisions, Part 3b: New Army Divisions (30–41) and 63rd (R.N.) Division'', London: HM Stationery Office, 1939/Uckfield: Naval & Military Press, 2007, {{ISBN|1-847347-41-X}}. * David Bilton, ''The Badges of Kitchener's Army'', Barnsley: Pen & Sword, 2018, ISBN 978-1-47383-366-1. * Nigel Cave, ''Battleground Europe: Somme: Beaumont Hamel, Newfoundland Park'', Barnsley: Leo Cooper, 1994, {{ISBN|978-0-85052-648-6}}. * Brig-Gen Sir [[James Edward Edmonds|James E. Edmonds]], ''History of the Great War: Military Operations, France and Belgium, 1916'', Vol I, London: Macmillan,1932/Woking: Shearer, 1986, {{ISBN|0-946998-02-7}}. * Brig-Gen Sir James E. Edmonds, ''History of the Great War: Military Operations, France and Belgium 1917'', Vol II, ''Messines and Third Ypres (Passchendaele)'', London: HM Stationery Office, 1948/Uckfield: Imperial War Museum and Naval and Military Press, 2009, {{ISBN|978-1-845747-23-7}}. * Clive Elderton & Gary Gibbs, ''World War One British Army Corps and Divisional Signs'', Wokingham: Military History Society, 2018. * Capt [[Cyril Falls]], ''History of the Great War: Military Operations, France and Belgium 1917'', Vol I, ''The German Retreat to the Hindenburg Line and the Battle of Arras'', London: Macmillan, 1940/London: Imperial War Museum & Battery Press/Uckfield: Naval and Military Press, 2009, {{ISBN|978-1-84574722-0}}. * J.B.M. Frederick, ''Lineage Book of British Land Forces 1660–1978'', Vol I, Wakefield: Microform Academic, 1984, {{ISBN|1-85117-007-3}}. * Capt Stair Gillon, ''The Story of the 29th Division'', London: Nelson, 1925/Uckfield: Naval & Military Press, 2002, {{ISBN|978-1-843422-65-5}}. * [[Robert Graves]], ''Goodbye to All That'', Revised Edn, London: Penguin, 1960. * Mike Hibberd, ''Infantry Divisions, Identification Schemes 1917'', Wokingham: Military History Society, 2016. * Steve Hurst, ''The Public Schools Battalion in the Great War: A History of the 16th (Public Schools) Battalion of the Middlesex Regiment (Duke of Cambridge's Own), August 1914 to July 1916'', Barnsley: Pen & Sword, 2007, {{ISBN|978-1-84415-510-1}}. * Brig E.A. James, ''British Regiments 1914–18'', London: Samson Books, 1978/Uckfield: Naval & Military Press, 2001, {{ISBN|978-1-84342-197-9}}. * [[Martin Middlebrook]], ''The First Day on the Somme, 1 July 1916'', London: Allen Lane 1971/Fontana, 1975, {{ISBN|0-00-633626-4}}. * Capt Wilfred Miles, ''History of the Great War: Military Operations, France and Belgium 1916'', Vol II, ''2nd July 1916 to the End of the Battles of the Somme'', London: Macmillan, 1938/Imperial War Museum & Battery Press, 1992, {{ISBN|0-89839-169-5}}. * Capt Wilfred Miles, ''History of the Great War: Military Operations, France and Belgium 1917'', Vol III, ''The Battle of Cambrai'', London: HM Stationery Office, 1948/Uckfield: Naval and Military Press, 2009, {{ISBN|978-1-84574724-4}}. * Lt-Col Graham Seton-Hutchinson, ''The Thirty-Third Division in France and Flanders, 1915–1919'', London: Waterlow & Sons 1921/Uckfield: Naval & Military Press, 2004, {{ISBN|978-1-84342-995-1}}. * ''Instructions Issued by The War Office During July, 1915'', London: HM Stationery Office. * Everard Wyrall, ''The Die-Hards in the Great War'', Vol I, ''1914–1916'', London: Harrisons, 1926/Uckfield: Naval & Military Press, 2002, {{ISBN|978-1-84734-574-5}}.
===External sources=== * [https://www.cwgc.org Commonwealth War Graves Commission] * [https://www.greatwarforum.org Great War Forum] * [https://sites.google.com/site/landships/home Landships] * [http://www.longlongtrail.co.uk Chris Baker, ''The Long, Long Trail''] {{refend}}
[[Category:Pals battalions]] [[Category:Kitchener's Army]] [[Category:Private schools in the United Kingdom]] [[Category:Middlesex Regiment]] [[Category:Royal Fusiliers]]