Britain declared war on Germany on 4 August 1914. By the next day Private Hicks was off to Brecon, arriving there at 7.45pm where there were crowds of reservists waiting to be given their kit. On their first night they had to sleep on the floor of a school.
On 7th August Hicks travelled by train to Bordon in Hampshire and the following day was posted to B Company No. 8 platoon. In spite of heavy rain the battalion paraded in full marching order which meant carrying a weight of 96 pounds. They were now awaiting orders to proceed to the front. No one was allowed to leave barracks but each soldier received pay of 2 shillings. On Wednesday 12th August the soldiers left Bordon with full kit, 120 rounds of ammunition and battalion rations to last till Friday. They were heading for the port of Southampton and then on to France, travelling on the Gloster Castle.
By 13th August Private Hicks had reached Le Havre from where the battalion route marched to No 1 Base Camp in severe thunderstorms. After a couple of days in rest camp the soldiers marched to Wassigny, a small town in Northern France. As the route marching continued through small villages the soldiers received enthusiastic welcomes from local people, with great interest being shown in their cap and shoulder badges. Private Hicks had a treat on the 20th August when he received his first letters from home – three from his wife and one from his father-in-law.
On 22nd August reveille was sounded at 4am and 5 am they left on yet another route march eating breakfast as they went. On arriving at Kauberge they heard rumours that German cavalry had been nearby and the soldiers were ordered to start digging trenches. The following day Private Hicks had his first taste of warfare as he saw an officer of the 20th Hussars killed, shot in the back and his horse covered in blood.
On 24th August Private Hicks with his battalion journeyed on to the village of Peisaint to relieve the Welsh Regiment. His company was posted on outpost and the rest of the men dug trenches. Some German cavalry appeared in the early morning but, according to Hicks, “we soon settled them” after they had been fired at. Meanwhile Hicks’ company was told to withdraw as the enemy was too strong for the battalion. The Germans shelled their trenches for 3 to 4 hours and then made a cavalry charge but the British had managed to get away.
On 26th August the Guards were in difficulty so reveille was sounded at 2.30am and the troops marched to relieve them. They had news that the Germans had been driven away. Heavy firing and booming of guns was going on all the time day and night for 3 or 4 days until the enemy was defeated. After this confrontation the soldiers marched a further 16 miles and on arrival laid out exhausted in a field with waterproof sheets over them as it was raining heavily.
27th August - Reveille was at 3.30am and the command was given to stand to arms This meant standing on the fire step in the trench, with rifles loaded and bayonets fixed. At dawn the Guards made a successful bayonet charge on German trenches. After that the marching resumed and they covered about 34 miles but with the enemy still sniping at them from the woods. By this time the troops, in Private Hick’s words, were “fair done up”. All the men were very tired, stiff and dirty.
29th August was a very welcome and much needed day’s rest for the 1st division. Hicks said, “I was ordered to go sick with my leg by the Company Officer as it was going worse as time went on.” He was sent on to the Field Ambulance in which he travelled all through the night to Soissons .The following day the journey continued with the injured soldiers receiving great receptions from French nursing staff at every station and being given food, drinks and cigarettes.
The train journey continued in all for three days and two nights until they reached Nantes. Apparently the RAMC (Royal Army Medical Corps) knew nothing about their arrival and were reluctant to help them. The soldiers had no food or attention and had to sleep in the goods shed. By September .2nd the injured and sick men were still stranded with no food other than what they managed to buy for themselves. Complaints were made about their poor treatment and eventually it was decided to put up a field hospital. The men who were well enough to do so had to help erect it on a sports field. Three days later the field hospital had been erected just before a new large group of wounded men arrived . At this point the soldiers were sorted into groups - one group who were to return to the front, another group - which included Hicks - were to return to England.
Private Hicks arrived in Southampton on September 7th after a pleasant journey with plenty of food. They disembarked and proceeded to Netley Hospital, near Southampton travelling on an ambulance train. Hicks was given clean clothes, had a bath and a clean bed. He commented: “The first time to have my clothes off since I had put them on in Brecon on the morning of 6th August.”
Reflecting on his experiences he said he had had many “narrow shaves “whilst he crossed Northern France and on into Belgium. “it was nothing but shot and shells and the booming of big guns around us for a whole month.” He stated that the Colonel of his Regiment gave up all hope for them “at least four times”. The battle he fought in was later known as the Battle of Mons which was the first major action of the British Expeditionary Force in the First World War.
When Private Hicks eventually returned to Aberystwyth later in September he received a very warm welcome. The station platform was crowded with well wishers to greet him. However, there were a few moments of concern as most of the passengers had got off the train and there seemed to be no sign of Private Hicks. However, he was discovered in the luggage van where he had been attempting to avoid attention. He was greeted by his wife, friends and a welcome party of the Mayor, College Principal and other prominent townspeople. According to reports, Private Hicks looked well though he was” walking slightly lame”. He was taken in a carriage procession through the town with the police at the head, the Boys Brigade buglers providing music and standard bearers walking alongside carrying large Union Jacks and other national flags. People turned out in their hundreds and gave him three cheers with an extra one for his wife. Private Hicks thanked people for their kindly interest and said he had been given 8 days leave and then would be returning to his regiment.
The newspaper reports give no information about the extent of his leg injury and Hicks himself did not describe it or how it happened in his account. Nor does he say how long he was at Netley which was where he wrote up the notes about his experiences. No further information has been found so far about what happened to him later in the war other than that he went back to Brecon after his short leave in Aberystwyth.
Blog by one of our project volunteers
Source: War Book Aberystwyth Items Vol.1 Collected by George Eyre Evans
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