or that others thought they would get to the Front more
quickly as individual officers than as members of the Battalion (as
indeed proved the case in many instances), but certain it is that the
Colonel began to be inundated with applications to apply for
permission.

Whilst freely recommending all suitable applications, the Colonel, in
order to keep up the strength of the Battalion, made a rule that an
applicant was to supply two other recruits to the Battalion of a
certain height and of absolute physical fitness.

Naturally this was conformed with, and the recruiting sergeants round
Whitehall were all the richer for it. So, too, were the recruits, and
everyone was satisfied. If one man went two others took his place.

[Illustration: FIRST INSPECTION OF BATTALION: HYDE PARK,
OCTOBER, 1914.
To face p. 20]

Finally, as it was found that men constantly leaving was interfering
with the internal organization of the companies, a special company was
formed of all those waiting for their commission papers to come
through.

This company, "E," proved the friendly butt of all the others, one wag
even going so far as to christen it the "Essex Beagles," alleging they
did not "parade," but "met"!

So, in order to free the others for harder training this company
provided very nearly all the fatigue parties for the camp.

Still, this didn't matter. It just gave the budding officers a chance
to show what they were capable of. On several occasions a member of
"E" Company proved he was more than a little useful with his hands
when it came to a matter of treating things from a physical point of
view and cutting the cheap wit out. The fatigues were also done
without a murmur, that was another point of honour, and although the
available strength of the company was dwindling day by day, "grousing"
about extra work was conspicuous by its absence.

There was a funny side about this dwindling of the strength, too. Men
would be on the morning parade, and not on that later in the day. The
explanation was a simple one. Their papers had come through. A man
would walk out through the gates and be pulled up by the sentry.

"What about your pass?" the latter would ask.

"Got my discharge," would be the reply.

"Got a commission?"

"Yes."

"Good luck, old chap. I'm getting my papers to-morrow."

So, many of the original members of the First Sportsman's Battalion
were scattered about on every front in their various regi