The newly-appointed Secretary of State for War, Earl Kitchener of Khartoum, issued his famous call to arms: 'Your King and Country Need You', urging the first 100,000 volunteers to come forward.

These were deployed at their war stations in coastal defence where they were training and equipping reservists to provide reinforcement drafts to the Regular Army fighting overseas.

The complete Tyneside Scottish Brigade of four battalions was raised by 16 November 1915 by Johnstone Wallace, Lord Mayor of Newcastle upon Tyne and a committee of Scotsmen.

Although many of the elderly 'dugout' officers were replaced by younger men, Boer War veteran Lt-Col Arthur Elphinstone (a former pupil of Monkton Combe School) continued to command the 3rd Tyneside Scottish.

Attacking on the right of III Corps, its objectives (recognised as being ambitious) were the Capture of La Boisselle situated on a spur, and then an advance of 3,500 yards (3,200 m) almost to Contalmaison, crossing six successive trench lines.

Next day, 2 July, 19th (W) Division continued the attack on La Boisselle while Acklom held the crater with his party and some machine guns from 102nd MG Co later joined by some trench mortars.

102nd and 103rd Brigades were temporarily amalgamated under the command of Brig-Gen Ternan and held the quiet line opposite Monchy-au-Bois and then the more active Vimy Ridge sector while being reinforced.

[34] On 26 January 1917 the division was suddenly rushed from Armentières to go into reserve at Méteren in case the Germans attacked over the now-frozen marshes north of Boezinge.

However, the failure of 103rd Bde meant that 24th NF's flank was 'in the air', and the battalion was delayed cutting through barbed wire and lost the protection of the creeping barrage.

XVII Corps and 34th Division decided to make a surprise attack that night with 102nd Bde in an attempt to capture the chemical works at Rœux.

At 22.00 the 18th NF (the divisional pioneer battalion) was already digging a communication trench across the old No man's land while the Lincolns carried up supplies and 208th Field Co, RE, helped to form strongpoints in the new front line.

The area had been devastated by the Germans before they retreated to the Hindenburg Line earlier in the year, and much labour was required to repair roads and erect huts to replace the destroyed buildings.

Preparations on 8 September were hampered by enemy artillery fire but promptly at 23.45 21st and 23rd NF were formed up on their jumping off tapes in No man's land, about 350 yards (320 m) from the German trenches.

About 10.00 the enemy broke through 59th (2nd NM) Division's left brigade, forcing back the adjacent company of 22nd NF, which had practised this manoeuvre and sent up signal rockets to inform the artillery that this had been done.

This held up the advance for some time with rifle and Lewis gun fire, then about 15.30 they were pushed back until they joined up with the defensive flank formed by 101st Bde along 'Factory Avenue', where the companies of 25th NF had gathered.

[8][9][43][44][45][46] The following morning also dawned with mist, covering the German advance, which after a whoile succeeded in penetrating between 101st and 102nd Bdes, the 25th NF losing a few men surrounded and captured.

101st Brigade was forced back by heavy artillery fire, opening a wide gap that the 102nd Bde battalion was too small to fill, even with reinforcement from the pioneers of 18th NF and 207th and 209th Field Companies, RE.

Together they held their own front in the 'Third System' trenches behind Henin Hill, but their left flank was forced further and further back as the enemy pushed through towards St Léger.

Once again, the division was forced to form a defensive flank to the south, while 102nd Bde remained defending Armentières, with Brigade HQ in an old jute factory by the railway line.

A party penetrated into the houses at Pont-de-Nieppe, and when they began expanding outwards 102nd Bde fell back to the Nieppe Switch line, almost all of the rearguard, C Company, 22nd NF, and several MG teams being killed or captured.

34th Division HQ now had six brigades under its command, and with good artillery support they mainly managed to maintain their positions throughout 12–13 April despite heavy onslaughts.

23rd NF held up the enemy on the De Seule–Neuve Eglise road, and 25th BF came up from reserve to help form a line facing north, but the whole battalion HQ staff of 22nd NF became casualties when it was hit by a single enemy shell.Late on 13 April 34th Division ordered them to continue in these positions, but the brigadiers on the spot disagreed, arguing that the pressure of four full German divisions was proving too much and a further stand would result in unnecessary casualties: 102nd and 88th Bdes were almost surrounded.

Although Bailleul fell, and 34th Division's weak brigades were once again in the front line on 16 April, in shallow trenches without any wire, the German attack out of the town was crushed by massed artillery and small-arms fire.

Next morning the battalion advanced behind a creeping barrage and by the end of the day 1/7th Cheshires and 1/1st Herefords had reached 'Peckham Farm' and 'Ulster Road' on the slopes of Messines Ridge.

With morning fog, enemy gas, and a smoke barrage fired to mask the village of Geluwe, the visibility was no more than 5 m, and attacking infantry were led by compass, many of them holding the belt of the man at front.

Casualties were caused by enemy outposts too far forward to be included in the barrage (the trench mortars had tried to deal with them), but thereafter progress to the first objective, the Black Line 1,500 yards (1,400 m) ahead, was straightforward, and prisoners were taken.

Machine gun fire prevented patrols from entering Menin during the night while the enemy destroyed their stores there, but early on 15 October 1/4th Cheshires pushed through the town.

1/4th Cheshires then went forward, with 1/1st Herefords protecting its open flank, and as darkness fell it reached its objective at Autryve, close to the River Schelde, liberating Belgian civilians.

[8][9][73][74] 34th Division was selected to form part of the occupation forces in Germany (the British Army of the Rhine, but first it moved to the Lessines area on 17 November to continue training.

[75] 102nd Brigade was not reformed during World War II,[77] although a new Tyneside Scottish was formed in 1939 as a battalion of the Durham Light Infantry, later affiliated to the Black Watch.