Arrival in France (February 1915)The 2nd Battalion, commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel David Watson, left the misery of the wet and muddy Bustard Camp on Salisbury Plain on February 7, 1915. They traveled by train to Avonmouth, where they boarded the transport ship S.S. Blackwell. The crossing of the English Channel was rough; the ship was unstable and top-heavy, and the men suffered from seasickness while horses and wagons broke loose in the hold.
They arrived at St. Nazaire, France, on February 11, 1915. After disembarking, the battalion endured a slow train journey in “40 hommes ou 8 chevaux” (40 men or 8 horses) boxcars, eventually detraining at Strazeele on February 13 and marching to Merris. Here, they heard the distant guns of the front for the first time and were welcomed by British troops.
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