Rowlands - Aldershot in the Great War : the home of the British Army

First published in Great Britain in 2015 by
PEN & SWORD MILITARY
an imprint of
Pen and Sword Books Ltd
47 Church Street
Barnsley
South Yorkshire S70 2AS

Copyright Murray Rowlands, 2015

ISBN 978 1 78303 202 6
eISBN 9781473853874

The right of Murray Rowlands to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

A CIP record for this book is available from the British Library

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Above all to Wendy without whom this book would not have appeared.

Hampshire Library and Archive Service. Particularly in this connection the staff of Aldershot and Farnborough Libraries

Mr David Strong for his help and support

Paul Vickers and the staff of the Prince Consort Library

The Imperial War Museum

FAST Museum and Ian Fagg in Farnborough

The News Group Aldershot News

Surrey Archive Centre, Woking

St Michaels Church, Aldershot

St Josephs Church, Aldershot

Holy Trinity Church, Aldershot

The Aldershot Command

The Heritage Centre, Bramshott

The Royal Military College Library

Finally, thanks and acknowledgment to Gillian Barnes-Riding and Surrey Heath Museum for permission to publish the paintings and drawing from the German POW Camp at Frith Hill, Frimley.

M C Rowlands
March 2014

When Pen and Sword suggested I write about Aldershot in World War One I assumed that because the town and camp was the home of the British Army, much would have been written about what happened during the war.

I quickly discovered that no history had been written. Colonel Cole, who published the only history of the town, devoted hardly any space to the period of the towns history when it occupied a pivotal position in the Allied powers conduct of the war.

There are likely reasons for the dearth of information about the years 1914 to 1918. The first is that under the Defence of the Realm Act there was an absolute freeze on any communication of information about what was happening in Aldershot. This was to such an extent that one director of the military publishers Gale and Polden, based in the town, went to prison for two months for publishing information they had gleaned from the War Office. It appears that Aldershot resembled a closed town in the Soviet Union during the Cold War.

The second reason relates to the fate of Gale and Polden itself. It was taken over by Robert Maxwell, the publishing mogul, and closed. At the time of its closure there were reports of its bank of archival material being taken to the local tip. Only a record of the Aldershot News published by the firm remained, and I am deeply indebted to this source for providing me with a starting point.

I made a remarkable discovery writing this book. No reliable list existed of the names of the fallen from Aldershot. This was reflected by the towns war memorial having no names on it. My wife and I therefore made a strenuous effort to produce a reasonably reliable list.

Winchester School Army Cadets in Camp, Aldershot 1912 .

General William Knollys, reforming Commandant .

Queens Lancers on parade for Kings birthday 1912 .

King George V with Staff Officers watching manoeuvres above the Long Valley 1914 .

Postcard Greetings from Aldershot .

Cavalry training at Long Valley .

Aldershot Garrison Church .

Lady Dorothy Haig, General Haigs wife, known for her philanthropic work in Aldershot .

Aldershot Railway Station .

Miss Daniells centre for soldiers in Aldershot .

Lt.-Gen. Sir Horace Smith-Dorrien, reforming Camp Commandant .

King Edward VIIs visit to Aldershot 1909 .

Aldershot Command Headquarters 1908 .

An Aldershot group pre war .