Little Gaddesden's “Herts Guards”

Little Gaddesden's “Herts Guards”

Men from Little Gaddesden whose Medal Index Cards show that they served in France with the 1st Battalion Hertfordshire Regiment, the “Herts Guards”, from 6th November 1914. The men of the Hertfordshire Regiment were Territorial Volunteers - part-time soldiers from all walks of life who training together at weekends and at annual summer camps, often held at Ashridge, to the delight of local school children who would take time out of school to watch them. Little Gaddesden men served in F Company. At the start of August 1914 they had been at camp at Ashridge for a week, with parades, drills, skirmishes and night ops. and with camp sports, inter-company football, boxing and a tattoo with massed bands, not to mention a visit to the Ashridge Flower Show, all planned. But at 5am on Monday 3rd August, the order was received to strike camp. All thoughts of the tattoo, the boxing finals and the football cup match forgotten, the men of F Company returned home to await further orders. These, received next day, instructed them to report to Company HQ at The Bury in Hemel Hempstead on 5th August. From there they went to Hertford to join the rest of the regiment before moving on to Romford then Bury St Edmunds, where they trained for two months. On 5th November 1914, they left Bury St Edmunds by train, embarking aboard the “City of Chester” at Southampton, sailing for Le Havre at midnight and arriving in France 6th November 1914. Five days later they were at the front at Ypres.

Created by: , Jane31029

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