3rd December 1915 Friday

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On the morning of the 3^rd he was on board a London and South Western Train to Farnham eventually arriving back at Tweseldown Training Camp. Tweseldown Camp was near Farnham on the Hampshire / Surrey border, used by the Royal Army Medical Corps in the First World War for young officer training. Douglas had signed up as a corporal in the 18^th Royal Fusiliers formed as a public school and university battalion and received his commission there only a few days before, on the 22^nd November. The new lieutenant was immediately sent to Southampton to join the hundreds of men amassing there. Once there he was assigned as a Medical Officer to the 38^th Welsh Division. Although a Scot, Douglas as all medics would have been, would be assigned to wherever his skills were needed, in this case he would be attached to a Welsh division, the 38^th.

Many of the men from the South Wales valleys in the 38^th Welsh had been training at Flower Down Camp at Winchester. Some of these would later team up with Douglas in France when he would be assigned to the 130^th (St. John) Field Ambulance. Remarkably, British Pathé on their website have unique footage of Queen Mary inspecting the troops at Flower Down and you can see it here.

That afternoon, the men would embark on the S.S Karnak, 230 men and officers set sail.

Tweseldown Camp, Farnham

Find out about our connection with Dr Page and an introduction to his diary here