forward at once to the Ussurie front to render what assistance was possible.  I naturally pointed out that my battalion was composed of B1 men, most of whom had already done their “bit” on other fronts, and that a few weeks before I had had about 250 General Service men in my ranks, but on a blundering suggestion of the G.O.C. at Singapore they had been taken from my unit and transferred to others doing garrison duty in India.  I had protested against this at the time, but had been over-ruled by London, so that my command was reduced to men of the lowest category.  However, after making this statement I informed the council that in view of the desperate circumstances in which the Ussurie force was placed I would render every assistance in my power.

About 2 P.M.  Commodore Payne, R.N., came to my quarters and showed me a paraphrased cable he had received from the War Office.  The cable authorised the immediate dispatch of half my battalion to the front, subject to the approval of the commanding officer.  It seems to me they might have plucked up courage enough to decide the matter for themselves, instead of putting the responsibility upon the local commander.  As it was left to me, however, I gave the necessary orders at once.  That very night, August 5, I marched through Vladivostok to entrain my detachment.  It consisted of 500 fully equipped infantry and a machine-gun section of forty-three men with four heavy-type maxims.  Leaving my second in command, Major F.J.  Browne, in charge of the Base, I marched with the men with full pack.  The four miles, over heavy, dirty roads, were covered in fair time, though many of the men became very exhausted, and at the end of the march I found myself carrying four rifles, while other officers carried packs in addition to their own kit.

The train was composed of the usual hopeless-looking Russian cattle-trucks for the men, with tiers of planks for resting and sleeping on.  A dirty second-class car was provided for the Commanding Officer and his Staff, and a well-lighted first-class bogey car of eight compartments for the British Military Representative, who was merely travelling up to see the sights.  When I got to the front I found a first-class car retained by every little officer who commanded a dozen Cossacks, but I proudly raised the Union Jack, to denote the British Headquarters, on the dirtiest and most dilapidated second-class contraption that could be found on the line.  But of course we meant business; we were not out for pleasure.

I was advised before I started from Vladivostok that Nikolsk, the junction of the Manchurian and Central Siberian Railways, was the most important strategical point on the South Siberian end of the line, and that though the position on the Ussurie was pretty hopeless and retirement might take place at any moment, we were not in any circumstances to retire below Nikolsk.  The place to which we were to retire and take up a new position had been already decided—­a line just below Spascoe, with Lake Hanka on the left and a line of forest-covered mountains on the right.