It would take a deuce of a time to collect the Battalion together again!
So we lay down under the shade of the roadside hedge and discussed the
whole affair. Three sergeant-majors had fallen out on the way, two very
bad indeed; officers had fallen out; and men wearing ribbons of the
D.C.M. and the M.M., heroes of Gallipoli and the Somme, men who had
never been beaten by a route march before, were lying along the country
roads; so there must have been some reason for it! Amongst the sturdy
fifteen were the new Regimental Sergeant-Major (Hoyle) and
Sergeant-Major Preston of B Company; and there were also a few officers.
The Transport made us some tea, which we enjoyed immensely. Humfrey had
his little fox terrier, 'Darky,' who was born in the trenches at
Thiepval during the Battle of the Somme last summer, with him. It is a
nice little dog. I found a gold ring on the road just by me; and I
intend to keep it as a souvenir of the episode.
"We remained here for five hours--from 2.30 to 7.30. Men were
reinforcing us all the time. After about half an hour General Stockwell
appeared again. Glaring at Sergeant-Major Hoyle he addressed him as
follows:
"'Here are fifteen men whom _I_ myself--_I_--have collected along the
road. Get them some tea at once, sergeant-major!' He glanced at us all
and then rode off again.
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