Cambusbarron, Scotland: Hayford Mill and the 52nd Lowland Divisionβs preparations for Gallipoli
The story of the training undertaken by the 52nd Lowland Division prior to heading to fight at Gallipoli.
In the spring of 1915, men of the 52nd Lowland Division were billeted and being trained near Stirling.
They were based at Hayford Mill in the village of Cambusbarron, and their training took place both near the Mill and also close by on Touch Moor.
βThey would have been doing hard core training on Touch Moor,β explains Stirling Council archaeologist Murray Cook. βRunning, firingβ¦getting used to being muddy. But probably not really adequate preparation for the full industrialised horror of the Gallipoli campaign.β
In May 1915, Kitchener sanctioned the dispatch to Gallipoli of the 52nd Lowland Division to reinforce the Allied assault. But the realities of warfare on the Turkish peninsula were a far cry from the training the men had had near Stirling.
βIf the men of the 52nd had been sent to the Western Front, their training in Stirling would have been first rate,β says military historian Trevor Royle. βBut it wasnβt of any use when they arrived at Gallipoli. Not only did they find the ground conditions were difficult, but of course the weather conditions were completely different: hot sun, difficulties with sanitation and bringing up food β this all added to problems which could never have been foreseen.β
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