Friday, 22nd January 1915

Tunstill’s Company paraded, along with the whole of 23^rd Division, for inspection by Lord Kitchener and by the French Minister of War, Alexandre Millerand.

Kitchener and Millerand on a similar inspection, on this occasion of French troops and accompanied by Joffre and Foch.

However, a sudden deterioration in the weather turned what should have been a routine event into a severe trial for the men. The author of the official Divisional history referred to it as:
“a day that few who took part will ever forget. The inspection was timed for 2.30pm but M. Millerand had, unfortunately, been delayed, and did not arrive until 3.30pm. Snow fell during the morning and was lying four inches deep on the   parade ground at 12 noon, when heavy rain set in. The men, in their blue serge uniforms and civilian greatcoats, were soaked to the skin … It was a most trying day for all concerned”.

The author of the battalion memoir also commented on the event, “The day was a very bad one, snow and sleet falling for several hours. After parading for a couple of hours on Queen’s Parade, Lord Kitchener passed in his car along the road and the parade was dismissed”. He also made it clear that the rigours of the day proved too much for the Battalion C.O.; “As the result of this parade Colonel George Rainier Crawford C.B. (see 30^th December 1914), who had commanded the Battalion since its formation, was taken ill and was never able afterwards to be with us. He was greatly beloved by all ranks and was largely responsible for the very high standard which the Battalion had already reached.” (The exact date on which Col. Crawford left the Battalion has not been established, but he was certainly still serving on 12^th February).

J.B. Priestley also referred to the day in a letter home to his family, “What a day it was! All the morning it snowed heavily, and then after dinner changed to a veritable tornado of sleet. Well over twenty thousand of us lined up on our parade ground and then we had to wait over two hours in the most awful deluge of sleet, cold and pitiless, that I have ever known. After the first ten minutes we were soaked through and the rest was a matter of sheer endurance. And the review consisted of six motor cars driving past us on the road!”