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The 'Phantom Brigade' decide that they make too good a target and fire on them, unfortunately they soon come under artillery fire and the author is again wounded but this time more seriously. Separated from the rest of the main body they head off to try and locate them, on the way ambushing a party of German cyclists and obtaining their bicycles, later they themselves are ambushed by a German cavalry patrol and it is only the timely arrival of a party of British lancers that saves them.Ĭrossing a river they crest the brow of a hill to find the main body of the B.E.F digging in, but they decide to rest up before they join them, the Germans however are not far behind and they soon see them crossing the river in force. His wound dressed and with the Germans closing in fast he leaves and joins up with another group of stragglers, two Artillerymen, three from his own regiment, a Army Service Corps man and a Royal Scot and Royal Irish, being the senior man ( L/Corp) he takes command and one of the party christen them the 'Phantom Brigade'. So the Great Retreat from Mons begins, with no sleep and little food they march, their feet bleeding and fighting enemy cavalry patrols along the way, later they dig in and the author is wounded in the head by a shell splinter but he manages to reach a church which is being used as a hospital.

The Battalion regroups and Vivian finds his Company (C) now numbers only Seventy odd men out of Two hundred and fifty, but he is pleased to see amongst the survivors his brother who is a stretcher bearer in another Company. Joining the main body of the battalion they face the oncoming hoards of Germans and cut them down with their deadly accurate and rapid fire, but soon the Germans bring their artillery to bear and suffering heavy losses they are forced to fall back. Leaving the town the battalion arrive at Mons and Vivian finds himself on outpost duty in a small cottage where he and his six man unit soon encounter the spearhead of the mighty German Army in the form of a five man Uhlan Cavalry patrol, in a short but bloody fight they soon dispatch the Germans and the author is shocked by how easy it is to kill and feels like a murderer but soon these feelings are forgotten as more German infantry arrive and they are forced to fall back.

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Amongst much excitement the preparations for war commenced, the reservists arrived, many the worse for wear,having taken advantage of the many free drinks offered by patriotic locals on the way and soon the Battalion was sailing for France.Īrriving in Boulogne they were greeted by enthusiastic crowds and taking the train they arrived at the town of Taisnieres where they billeted, Vivian was a first class shot and managed to swop places in a rifle platoon with a St John's ambulance man who ironically was killed in the first action of the war. Alfred Percival George Vivian joined British Army in May 1907 at the tender age of Fourteen, on the eve of the Great War in August 1914 he found himself at Devonport, a Lance Corporal in the Fourth Battalion Middlesex Regiment in charge of a stretcher party of eight men.

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