R.--Digressing for a moment, though, it may be
mentioned that the various shopkeepers were always very, very good to
us! They always supplied us with what we needed, if they had it, and
they never put the prices up to us! At least, not much. For instance,
if a resident could buy a pair of bootlaces for a penny, we were only
occasionally charged more than threepence. Other things were in
proportion, and Essex to-day has quite a lot of nice new shops,
unknown before the advent of the First Sportsman's Battalion. It is
pleasing to remember that a Navvy Battalion followed us!

To resume the trench digging. As we were later complimented on the
quality of the work we did, we must have shone in the way of handling
the pick and the spade. At the end of our labours, when the "fall in"
was sounded, we were quite ready to say we were looking forward to a
hot meal in our huts in camp, where, outside, the breezes whispered
through the branches of the trees lining the drive, where the moon
silvered the tin roofs of our living quarters, and all was bright and
jolly--in the sergeants' mess!

So time sped away, and still we kept on wondering if we were
forgotten. We sat by the fires in "stoves, hot, combustion slow," and
we told the tale of the two highly placed War Office officials who
were discussing the war years after it had finished. One had asked the
other how the Sportsman's Battalion had shaped in "the Great
Adventure," and then would come the climax. "Good God!" the other
would say, "I've forgotten them. They're still at Hornchurch!"

All things have to come to a finish though, and so we found. We had
night attacks, some three and four day route marches, even a
recruiting march through Barking and its neighbourhood, we did our
shooting tests, got through our bayonet exercises, had battalion drill
in the early mornings, with a fair amount of ceremonial drill thrown
in as a makeweight, and then came the rumour that a real big move was
to be made, such a move that the departure for the Front could not be
long delayed.

This was the move to Clipstone Camp for brigade training. We had heard
so many rumours previously that we did not believe this, the latest,
at first. But it was correct, and at last the Battalion, formed up in
hollow square, was found on the parade ground at Grey Towers, where
the Rector of Hornchurch bade us God speed and good cheer.

A few days later the Battalion, leaving two companies behind as depot
compa