Duke of Cambridge's Own August 1914 to July 1916 The Public Schools Battalion in the Great War: The History of the 16th

Founded in August 1914 with the principle that recruiting would be restricted to public school ‘old boys’, the volunteers gathered at Hurst Park racecourse in a spirit of youthful enthusiasm. A more somber mood soon set in. Despite many of the original volunteers leaving to take commissions in other regiments the battalion, now officially the 7th Middlesex, remained an elite until its disbandment in 1917. The climax of the Battalion’s war came on 1 July 1916. Close to the Hawthorn Redoubt Crater are two cemeteries sited on either side of the Auchonvilliers – Beaumont Hamel road. They contain row upon row of stones marking the graves of members of the Public Schools Battalion. The author, shocked by this discovery, has spent ten years researching the history of the Battalion and the events of that fateful day as they affected it. The result is a fascinating and moving record of a very uniquely British battalion Superbly Researched, Written And Illustrated, This Is The Tragic Story Of The Formation And Later Destruction Of A Unique Infantry Battalion Of The Great War. Unfinished Business -- London : The Hub Of Empire -- Waterloo : The Special Train -- The Originals -- The Lamps Are Going Out -- From The Empire -- The Fighting Cooks -- Escape From The Tar Factory -- Faex Romuli -- Men Who March Away -- Goodbye Piccadilly -- Towards The Guns -- A Cushy Enough Town -- The La Bass?e Canal -- Christmas 1915 -- They Shall Not Grow Old -- The Brickstacks -- St. Omer : The View From The Ch?teau -- Leave : Spring 1916 -- The Golden Virgin -- Ocean Villas -- Landscape With Figures -- The Master Of Railway Timetables -- Le Grand Trou -- Now Thrive The Armourers -- Over The Bags -- The Last Day -- Night -- July The First : Morning -- July The First : Mid Morning -- July The First : Noon -- July The First : Afternoon -- July The First And Second : Night -- A Day Of Ups And Downs -- Sitting, Train Or Ship -- The Valley Of The Dead -- The Aftermath -- The Somme : Winter 1916-17 -- The Survivors : 1918 -- Sixty Years On : The Survivors' View. Steve Hurst. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 293-296) And Index. Founded in August 1914 with the principle that recruiting would be restricted to public school old boys, the volunteers gathered at Hurst Park racecourse in a spirit of youthful enthusiasm. A more somber mood soon set in. Despite many of the original volunteers leaving to take commissions in other regiments the battalion, now officially the 7th Middlesex, remained an elite until its disbandment in 1917.The climax of the Battalions war came on 1 July 1916. Close to the Hawthorn Redoubt Crater are two cemeteries sited on either side of the Auchonvilliers Beaumont Hamel road. They contain row upon row of stones marking the graves of members of the Public Schools Battalion.The author, shocked by this discovery, has spent ten years researching the history of the Battalion and the events of that fateful day as they affected it. The result is a fascinating and moving record of a very uniquely British battalion. [Elib] Tells the tragic story of the formation and later destruction of a unique infantry battalion of The Great War. It was founded in August 1914 with the principle that recruiting would be restricted to public school 'old boys'. This book covers the raising of the Battalion, the training and active service.