BRITAIN'S EXPEDITIONARY FORCE
A PERFECT MOBILISATION TRIUMPH OF ORGANISED EFFORT Interesting comment on the character and progress of the mobilisation of the British Expeditionary Force, as .witnessed at Alderehot and elsewhere,'appeared in the "Morning Post" of August 20 from a military correspondent, 'i.'he writer states:—The general result has been admirable and the working out of the plans made in peace time has been almost perfect. Later, when all the dotailed reports are dealt with, it will be found that the mobilisation of the Army_,has been a veritable . triumph for all concerned, and is orie of the best feats ever performed in. the preliminary stages of war. Fourteen days were allowed, according to schedule, for the mobilisation; and on the evening of the last day, Monday, Earl Kitchener was able to report to Hie Majesty that not only was the Expeditionary Force mobilised but that the troops were concentrated on the shores of France,' after a succession of sea movements made without a single casualty. Rapid Work. W'hen the- order to mobilise was received on August 4 by Generals Sir Arthur Paget, Sir Horace Smith-Dor-rien, Sir Douglas Haig. and the late sir James Grierson, and other General Officers Commanding, the whole machinery so carefully prepared in peace time began to move. The word "Mobilise was flashed to every station, and at once ther.e began to appear on all public notice boards the call to arms, whilst the General Post Office, by studied arrangements made in peace, delivered to the address of every Reservist his orders for rejoining. A , warrant for his joumoy was enclosed, and on the sth instant the depots in every town were opened to receive, clothe, and equip Reservists. Men of all classes of the community answered the roll, from casual labourers to managers of bu«iness houses, who'had rapidly risen in life since leaving the Colours. ■ Quickly clothed and equipped, the men '■ were next dispatched to their battalions at Aldershot, Tidworth, Portsmouth, Plymouth, Colchester, and other training centres. Every train on August 5 and 6 brought crowds of men, and it was dt once seen that the machinery was working without a hitch. Whilst this massing of men was going forward the Special Service section of the Territorial Force had been, at the, very outset, posted on every railway line, bridge, culvert, and cutting. Each station wae the sleeping-place of a small party, and all Government stores, harbours, docks, and transports were under military guard. . . : ' ' Transformed Battalions. Meanwhile, not a word reached the members of the public. - Mobilisation was ordered and was progressing, they knew, but beyond the'casual sight of a troop train or a marching unit, a veil of secrecy cloaked the great work. In less than twenty-four hours the Reservists were in their places. When the rolls were called the absentees were found to bo few, and it is well known that many of these, had emigrated, and would rejoin, the nearest units, to their new homes; Similarly, the Territorial Force and the Special Reserve were mobilised. . In the Regular Army the effect of the Reservists joining was to transform.,,the appearance of the.battalions; 'From young 'poking battalions of 600 strong the units broadened out into mature of 1000 men each. The stamp of Reservist was a revelation. Having been carefully selected on offering for enlistment, their service with the colours had developed them spleu-, didly at the right ago of seventeen to eighteen years on ward. They rejoined in the prime of manhood and of excellent physical proportions. And they came in such great numbers that all could not be absorbed in the ranks. In making up the units the men air ready serving who were qualified by age and fitness were first taken. Then the balance of the 1000 men per battalion was. made up from the Reservists of Section A who had most recently left the colours. Aβ many battalions received 600 and TOOimen each iipm civil life, they were able to leave behind in the older Reservists and young serving soldiers enough to form very strong Reserve depots for reinforcement. ■:< ;■ Tha Horses. In the cavalry and artillery the same tale -was told, and the impressment of horses was promptly made, even to stopping them on the roads and raiding stables, so that the heavier men rejoining the mounted units were able to have horses big enough to carry them. In all matters a fixed time-rtable was followed, and the usual trouble with fitting boots and clothing was reduced to a minimum by the peace system' which obtain annually the measurements of the. Reservists when they were called up for musketry. It is due to these precautions that the men's garments fitted them when served out, and the boots, instead of causing lameness, as ic reported of the German troops, became comfortable in a day. Valuable time was thereby saved, and the men also found that the' butts of tho Lee-Enfield rifles issued to them fitted comfortably to the neck, and no shortnecked ,man struggled with a longbutted small arm. There was no promiscuous detailing of men. Each, dropped into an allotted place, and men acoustomod to signalling were not sent into the sanitary squads, nor were machine-gun men made into cooks. The work and place of each Reservist was pre-determmed, and automatically on joining he took up his. accustomed duties. A Magnificent Army. Promptly to time every ounce of -war material, stores, and ammunition was drawn, and inside of a week the Forco stood ready. The mobilisation authorities had completed their .work magnificently and reapSd a grand result after years of patient preparation, and they handed fever to the General Staff a Force such as Britain has never before put into tho field. At A]dorshqt tho battalions of 1000 strong had the look of long-service soldiers, and as they route marched to harden., tho newlyjoined men they had the appearance of Guards battalions. The French General Staff officers ■ who saw the completed units were struck with admiration, and His Majesty the King, when he paid a. farewell visit to Aldershot,, saw a Forco xinequallod, with an average age of twenty-five vears, developed to the fullest 1 physically, and in the height of manhood's power for enduring tho strain of war.' The men actually with tho Colours are known to- be perfectly trained and the influx of Reservists has added bone and muscle. All ranks showed eagerness to take part in a popular war, arid the enthusiasm of the troops found vent in the tremendous cheering which greeted the King when ho said "Good-bye I"
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Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2275, 8 October 1914, Page 5
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1,091BRITAIN'S EXPEDITIONARY FORCE Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2275, 8 October 1914, Page 5
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