THE MILITARY ON ASHDOWN FOREST 1793-1925 By Mollie Smith 2015 1 Contents Introduction Page 3 – 4 Crowborough Camp Page 5 - 15 Forest Row Camp Page 15 - 23 Maresfield Park Camp Page 24 - 30 Chapelwood Manor, Nutley Page 31 – 33 Acknowledgements Page 33 - 34 2 The Military on Ashdown Forest Introduction From the end of the 18 th . century the army has camped and trained on Ashdown Forest. In the summer of 1793, 7000 men under the command of the Duke of Richmond made a tented camp between Duddleswell and Nutley. 100 years later, from May 16 th until the 27 th . 1893 tented camps were made at Forest Row, Crowborough, and on the forest between Nutley and Maresfield. The troops were reviewed by the Duke of Cambridge, the Commander in Chief of the British Army. Marquees were erected for refreshments and welfare comforts at Forest Row and Crowborough. In 1906 about 2000 men from the 1 st . Cinque Ports Rifle Corps held their annual training camp on St. John’s Common. Duke of Cambridge The Sussex and Kent Volunteer Brigade camped on St. John’s Common in 1910, and also the Royal Engineers, London. The Royal Sussex Regiment under the command of His Grace the Duke of Norfolk trained on the forest from 8 July to 23 July 1911. The London Territorial Camp was held between 29 July to 12 July 1911 with 3,500 men at St. John’s and 7,000 men at Camp Hill. The tented camp can be seen in the background Training pre 1914 Crowborough 3 In 1912 The Royal Engineers were camped at Chelwood Gate for training. The Royal Engineers from the Woolwich district camped close to Pippingford, Nutley from 25 May 1914 for three weeks, with 200 men and 50 horses. The Defence of the Realm Act 1914 specified that land could be used for military training and camps were set up on Camp Hill, St. John’s Common, King’s Standing and in Kidbrooke Park, Forest Row. 4 Crowborough Army Camp 1914-1919 The 2 nd London Brigade of the 1 st London Division, comprising the 1/5 th , 1/6 th , 1/7 th . and 1/8 th . City of London Rifles was the first brigade to camp at Camp Hill. Rifleman Hubert Oldfield Brown had already been a Territorial with the London Rifle Brigade for six years when war was declared, and he kept a personal diary throughout his service until he was wounded in 1916. Hob, as he was known joined the 1/5 th . Battalion City of London Rifles T.A. Unit as No. 8699 Private H.O.Brown of “Q” (Vintry Ward) Company. He was still a member of that company when the City of London was mobilised for war on 4 August 1914. 5 Extracts from the war diaries of Rifleman Hubert Oldfield Brown On Sunday 2 August 1914 Hob goes to Eastbourne for their peacetime camp. There are rumours of war. They put up the tents, have dinner, and then are told to return to London. He remains at home waiting for his mobilisation orders. Initial mobilisation of the battalion took place in London over the next two weeks, with basic training during the day and the majority of men allowed home at night. On 20 August 1914 the battalion began the march to Bisley Camp, arriving on 22 August 1914. Bisley Camp The sixteen days at Bisley were under canvas, usually ten to twelve men to a tent, and concentrated on drill, trench digging, semaphore training, and lectures. On 8 September 1914 the battalion marched out of Bisley towards Crowborough, a distance of 55 miles. They spent the first night in the stables at Horsley Towers, the second night in a school at Boxhill and the next six nights in a boy scouts hut in East Grinstead. Finally on 16 September 1914 the battalion arrived at Camp Hill, only to find that with one weeks notice of movement half of their equipment had gone missing. Their training lasted for a further eight weeks. On 18 September 1914 the Y.M.C.A. start a refreshment bar, a Wesleyan chaplain pays a visit, and a night drill takes place. The following day, Saturday 19 August 1914 began with manoeuvres in the morning, a feast of blackberries, the signing of the foreign service forms, and a concert in the Y.M.C.A. in the evening. Tuesday 22 September 1914 began with trench digging in the morning, semaphore in the afternoon, photographs taken, and a night march. 6 Photograph taken at Crowborough on 22 September 1914. Hob is seated at the left- hand end of the front row, with hands clasped. The remaining weeks continued with manoeuvres, bayonet drill, musketry exercises, semaphore exercises and marches. Much of the weather was poor with rain and mist. Medical examinations were carried out on 28 October 1914, new uniform and rifle were drawn on the 30 October 1914, followed by clothing inspection and haircut on 31 October 1914. Hob then travelled home to Croydon in the evening, returning to camp on the evening of Sunday 1 November 1914, when back in the camp a Parade for valise, ration bag and puttees. An inspection by General Fry on 3 November 1914, followed by a route march in the morning, and then bayonet drill in the afternoon. Wednesday 4 November 1914 the battalion left the camp at 11.00am. for Crowborough Station. They had a send off by the Post Office Rifles and 6 th . London. Entrain for Southampton, and board the “ Chyebassa”, leaving at 8.00pm. In Southampton Water they pass a hospital ship, and are lit from searchlights. Hob sleeps in a horse box. The battalion War Diary lists 863 men, 29 officers and 1 medical officer leaving Crowborough. Hob survived the war. Henry Williamson joined the 1/5 th Battalion of the London Rifle Brigade as a Territorial soldier on 22 January 1914, enrolment No. 9689. He was a private in “ P” Company. His training was alongside that of Hob Brown and he sailed with the battalion on 4 November 1914. Henry Williamson was later commissioned as a lieutenant in the 3 rd Battalion The Bedfordshire Regiment. He survived the war and later became an acclaimed author, of which “ Tarka the Otter” is well known. 7 Rifleman Jack Widdicombe enlisted on the 7 August 1914 in the1/5 th Battalion of the London Rifle Brigade, “ E Company”. He also followed the same training and sailed for France on 4 November 1914. He was severely wounded on the first day of the Battle of the Somme and returned to hospital in England, being released in January 1917. He was sent to the Labour Corps at Farnborough and in December 1917 was declared unfit to return to France. In May 1918 he returned to the 5 th London Rifles as a bombing instructor in Farnborough. Douglas Walter Belcher, V.C. was a lance-sergeant in the 1/5 th Battalion of the London Rifle Brigade. He trained at Bisley and Crowborough and on 15 May 1915 in the Second Ypres was awarded the Victoria Cross for bravery. He survived the war. The 1/6 th Battalion, mobilised on 4 August 1914, after training at Crowborough moved to Watford on 5 November 1914 and landed in France on the 18 March 1914, and the 1/7 th Battalion, mobilised on 4 August 1914 also moved to Watford on 5 November 1914 and landed in France on the 18 March 1914. The 1/8 th Battalion, the Post Office Rifles moved to Abbot’s Langley on the 6 November 1914 and landed in France on 18 March 1915. During the initial training period at Crowborough there were four battalions under canvas at Camp Hill. With battalion strenths of approximately 900 soldiers and 30 officers a total of approximately 4000 men were in the camp. No battalion was up to full strength in 1914. The 3 rd London Brigade comprising the 1/9 th , 1/10 th , 1/11 th , and the 1/12 th battalions arrived at Crowborough after their initial training at Bullswater and Pirbright. William John Sydney Simpson, M.C. joined the 1/9 th Battalion , Queen Victoria’s Rifles in 1909 as a private. On Sunday 2 August 1914 the QVR’s were en route to their summer training camp at Lullworth Cove when a telegram was received by their advanced party ordering them to return to London. On 5 August 1914 Rifleman Simpson, No. 580 signed the Army form 635, for war service. For the first two weeks training took place in London and on 21 August 1914 the battalion set out to march to Bullswater in the Aldershot Command District, arriving on the 24 August 1914. On 8 September 1914 the battalion began the march to Crowborough, which took four days. They arrived at St. John’s Camp on 12 September 1914 and were there until 30 October 1914. The camp was described as in a lovely spot, very high up, and with plenty of fresh air. The day began at 5.30am. with training until 5.00pm. Two evenings a week marches lasting three and a half hours took place. The 1/9 th Battalion, sailed from Southampton to France on the SS Oxonian on the 4 November 1914. Rifleman Simpson was commissioned as a lieutenant in the 8 th Middlesex Regiment in August 1915, and finished his army career as a captain. He survived the war. The 1/10 th Battalion, mobilised on 4 August 1914 moved to Crowborough after initial training at Bullswater and Pirbright.