THE BATTALION IS MOVED TO MORN HILL, WINCHESTER

Morn Hill Camp, Winchester, November 1914 - The stormy night when the marquee housing the beer canteen blew down and some of the boys rolled out a barrel of beer during the confusion. Only to see it take charge, roll down the hill gaining momentum every years, and finally to crash through the open ditch latrine much to the discomfort of the Provost Sgt. sitting on the 2 by 4 rail attending to the call of nature.
W. H. Roffey

The Regiment moved to Winchester where we joined the 80th Brigade, 27th Division, which had just landed from India. We were glad to turning our Ross Rifles and get issued with the Short Lee Enfield, which was a wonderful rifle for the type of warfare we were to encounter in Flanders.
H. F. O'Connell
(Letters from the collections of PPCLI Museum and Archives)

War Diary Entries: 

Mon, Nov 16, 1914 MORN HILL CAMP, WINCHESTER, ENGLAND

WINCHESTER 16.11.14. Bn moved to WINCHESTER in 3 trains and camped at MORN HILL. 

Wed, Nov 18, 1914 MORN HILL CAMP, WINCHESTER, ENGLAND

WINCHESTER 18.11.14. Orders to hold Bn in readiness to entrain at 2 hours notice. 

Fri, Nov 20, 1914 MORN HILL CAMP, WINCHESTER, ENGLAND

WINCHESTER 20.11.14. Bn joined 80th Bde Expeditionary Force: other Bns 2nd Bn Shropshire L.I. 3rd & 4th Bns K.R.R.C. & 4th Bn R.B. under Brig. Gen. Hon. C.G. FORTESCUE. C.B.  C.M.G.  D.S.O. 

Sun, Nov 22, 1914 MORN HILL CAMP, WINCHESTER, ENGLAND

WINCHESTER 22.11.14. Emergency duty ready to entrain at 41/2 hours notice from 6 pm until 6 pm 23.11.14. 

N.B. Essential that preserved rations, biscuit et should be issued to Battalions on mobilization & held by them ready for a move: none could be issued at WINCHESTER so it was necessary to purchase in order to have one days rations in case of move. 

Wed, Nov 25, 1914 MORN HILL CAMP, WINCHESTER, ENGLAND

25.11.14. Battalion inspected by Major Gen D'O SNOW. Commdg 27th Divn. accompanied by Brig Gen HON. C.G. FORTESCUE Commdg 80th Bridgade. 

Bn on Emergency Duty ready to move at 81/2 hours notice. 

NOVEMBER 15TH, 1914, BATTALION TO MOVE TO WINCHESTER

Rather than stay with the other troops who were still learning basic soldiering skills, Farquhar felt his men were fit for service and wanted his Regiment assigned to immediate action. After much lobbying to the British authorities in Whitehall, General Alderson finally agreed and recommended their 'early dispatch to the theatre of war'. The Patricias were detached to the 80th Brigade, 27th Imperial Division, British Army.

War Diary entry: 

Sat, Nov 14, 1914, Bustard Camp, Salisbury Plain, England

14.11.14. Orders received from Bn to move to WINCHESTER

Sun, Nov 15, 1914, Bustard Camp, Salisbury Plain, England

15.11.14. Advanced party under Lieutenants (F.) FITZGERALD and (M.S.) DE BAY moved to WINCHESTER

"On November 15 the P.P.C.L.I.'s received orders to pack all blankets in bundles of ten, and all kits, and  make ready to leave for Winchester, twelve miles from Southampton. Southampton is a city of about 120,000 inhabitants and is on the southeast coast of England. As the Pats were leaving Bustard  Camp, the 1st Brigade of the Canadian Army lined the route of our march for perhaps five miles in the direction of Amesbury. As the battalion approached each of their brother battalions gave three rousing, rhythmic, army cheers. The circling hills echoed and reechoed with this enthusiastic farewell as " Pat’s Pets" marched by with their usual "swank" and cockiness. Little did they realize that they were listening to the last Canadian cheers that most of them would ever hear."

Quoted from the book, "Mopping Up", written by Lieutenant Jack Monroe PPCLI

MABEL VISITS BUSTARD CAMP

Two weeks after Mabel's arrival in England she arranged a visit to see Agar at Bustard Camp. After a harrowing days' drive in a hired car with Porter she arrived at Agar's tent to find he wasn't there. 

Salisbury Plain,

Thursday, 10th November 1914

My dear Mabel,

I wired you today and have engaged a room in a cottage in Salisbury. We take our meals in an old 14th Century pub where Mrs. bell is laid up. I wired to bring a chain for one hind wheel which can be put on if you find the car will not get over the downs – all cars carry one.

Thine Agar.

Directions: On reaching Bustard Village ask for Princess Patricia’s Regiment, north of the village ½ mile over the down, the going is a bit poached, but every car makes it, so don’t get out till you get to my tent or you will get lost.

Friday

My dear Mabel,

The C.O. sent for me this morning, he had just received an order from Head Quarters that the Senior Captain of this Regiment had to be left behind as a base officer, taking over 100 men left and waiting for 500 extra men from Canada. He was very nice about it and said he regretted it very much. I offered to drop my rank and go as a subaltern or do anything rather than remain behind and go to Bustard. He has now gone to see the General and try to persuade him to allow one of the other Captains to take my place. You can only have a small idea what this means to me and I am wretched. McKinery has also put in an official report that the C.O. can’t get along without me and adding that (at my request) I am no good at detail. I wired you not to come. I should be too unhappy, so please don’t. I will wire you if there is any lucky change.

Agar did finally appear after having been detained on the shooting range and was able to join Mabel at the Old George Hotel in Salisbury by 11 pm. That had given Mabel enough time to look around and see that Agar had not been exaggerating in his description of the camp. She found the conditions completely appalling. 

"There is simply no place for the meant to get dry. They route-march through the pouring rain, and come back to leaky tents, twelve to fifteen men in each....The cooking is done out in the open, with a blanket hung up on the windward side of the stove. The men have no messy nets, a big black pot of food is deposited in front of each ten, out of which they dig their respective portions....(The horses) are most miserable, tethered in the awful wind and rain with no protection whatsoever. They are said to be dying at the rate of thirty a day."

TRAINING AT BUSTARD CAMP

Thu, Nov 5 to Fri Nov 13, 1914 BUSTARD CAMP, SALISBURY PLAIN, ENGLAND

War Diary entry: 5.11.14 to 13.11.14 Bn at Field Training, musketry, digging trenches, route-marching etc. 

"Route marches, parades. Inspections, and all the " stuff " that the veteran in the  game dislikes so thoroughly were fully engaged In here. A fortnight of tramping over this ground transformed it and the camp to a veritable morass of mud and water. The daily rains started in enthusiastically to help, so that soon the quagmire was up to the knees… The rain continued steadily. There was scarcely a day without its showers. The downpours interrupted parades and route marches, and the soldiers’ clothing was wet most of the time. In fact, it was seldom dry, there being no fire by which to dry it. The Canadians found the  much heralded " ideal” climate of " the tight little isle " the wettest, dankest sponge in the shape of weather they had ever experienced. And the Canucks were  more than ever surprised to find that the English houses were about as cold as the outside weather."

Quoted from the book, "Mopping Up", written by Lieutenant Jack Monroe PPCLI

NOVEMBER 4th, 1914 INSPECTION BY THE KING

The first entry in Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry War Diaries was on Wednesday November 4th, 1914 while the unit was stationed at Bustard Camp, Salisbury Plain, England:

Bustard Camp Salisbury Plain 4.11.14 Inspection of Battalion with rest of Canadian Contingent by HM The King accompanied by HM The Queen, Lord Roberts, Lord Kitchener.

During the ceremonial parade of November 4th, Hamilton Gault formally handed the Regiment to the King who, with Lord Roberts and Lord Kitchener, then inspected them. The King told Farquhar, 'This is the finest battalion I have ever inspected', and likely he was genuinely impressed. The Patricia's had been garnering this same reaction from the many British visitors who'd come through the camp to visit with family members over the weeks. Rather than the expected ragtag bunch of civilians awkwardly learning how to soldier, the Patricia's were disciplined and mature men. Together they wore a combined total of 771 decorations and medals.