With the British Army in Flanders & France

The Haldane Reforms of the early 20th Century saw the winds of change sweep through the British military.  Richard Haldane, Secretary of State for War between 1905 & 1912 (and Lord Chancellor for three years thereafter), had introduced a huge range of army reforms in the wake of the war in South Africa, all designed to create a mobile expeditionary force that could swiftly support the French should a hostile Germany launch an attack.  Presumably in the wake of this, 1913 saw the formation of an Army Postal Service, under the auspices of the Royal Engineers – who else, bearing in mind their motto of ‘Ubique’ – comprising ten officers and nearly three hundred men, intended to supply an expeditionary force of six divisions in time of war.  Thus, when the B.E.F. crossed the Channel for the first time in August 1914, men of the postal service went with them.  Continue reading →