Tag: Local History
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Away from the Western Front: 23rd February to 3rd March 1917
At El Arish Once the brigade reached the small town of El Arish on the Mediterranean coast, bathing parades provided welcome relief from the heat and the accumulated dirt and sand of the march across the desert. El Arish had been occupied by Ottoman forces from 1914 -1916. They had only…
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Away from the Western Front: 7th February – 22nd February 1917
The Advance across the Desert : Romani to El Arish Captain FH Garraway, the adjutant of the Finsbury Rifles, wrote the daily entries in the battalion’s war diary in the approved style – terse and strictly factual. His counterpart in the 1/5 Bedfordshire Regiment, another battalion in 162 Brigade, included…
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Away from the Western Front: 1st – 6th February 1917.
The Advance across the Desert Crossing the Sinai Desert was wryly dubbed ‘Our 40 Days in the Wilderness’ by the Finsbury Rifles. Although the journey only took 3 weeks, it was an exhausting and unpleasant experience with the heat by day, the plummeting temperatures by night, heavy storms and as…
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Away from the Western Front: 15th – 31st January 1917.
Preparing to Move The Military Service Act of 1916 stated that men graded A1 were able to march, see to shoot, hear well and stand active service conditions. In addition, they were fit to serve overseas in terms of their physical & mental health and training. ‘B’ class men could…
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Away From The Western Front:1st January 1917 – 14th January 1917
Packing up and the march to Kubri The intense boredom and sand filled discomfort of life for those manning the Suez Canal Defences, described by a soldier in the 1/5 Essex as “a very laborious and tedious sojourn in the wilderness ” was drawing to a close. Orders came through…
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Finsbury Rifles: Away from the Western Front. 13th December – 31st December 1916
Celebrating Christmas and Boxing Day 1916 Troops in the Suez Canal Defence Zone were far enough away from enemy lines to be able to celebrate Christmas with gusto. Different entertainment and food all played their part in keeping up soldiers’ morale while far from home. Many of the battalions in…
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Finsbury Rifles: Away from the Western Front. A Christmas card from Egypt 1916
Greetings for Christmas and the New Year Impressions of Egypt The Finsbury Rifles produced their own Christmas card in 1916 to send home to family and friends. They were not alone; the 54th (East Anglian) Division, of which they were a part, also produced Christmas cards while in the Middle…
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Finsbury Rifles: Away from the Western Front, 23rd November 1916 – 12th December 1916
Lt-Colonel Stanley Cesnola Byrne (1872 – 1936) Lt-Col S.C. Byrne at Bir-el-Mazar, February 1917 ©IWM Q57798 Byrne, Stanley Cesnola (Colonel) collection In May 1914, Major Stanley Cesnola Byrne was promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel and became the Commanding Officer of the 11th Battalion, London Regiment (the Finsbury Rifles). He had joined…
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Finsbury Rifles: Away from the Western Front, 25th October – 22nd November 1916
General Sir Archibald Murray inspects D Company at Kubri East General Sir Archibald Murray (1860 – 1945) was an experienced and decorated staff officer who had fought in South Africa and had served in France in the opening months of the First World War. In January 1916 he was appointed Commander-in-Chief…
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Finsbury Rifles: Away from the Western Front. 20th October – 24 October 1916
Out with the mobile column The mobile columns of camels delivered supplies from the railhead at El Kubri to the outposts of the Suez Canal Defences. This also included small forward camps far out in the Sinai Desert that monitored enemy positions. Although the food, water and equipment were vital,…
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