Home » History » Crimean War » Rail to the Rescue - Part 2 - Page 4

Rail to the Rescue - Part 2 - Page 4

© John Barham

Beatty completed his white collar recruitment. A surgical team, cashier's team, survey team, a horsemaster, Marine Superintendent, storekeepers timekeepers and bible readers at salaries of £150 up to £500, brought the total to 26.

With no time to be lost the survey team under Donald Campbell left Victoria Station on 8th December on the overland route to Marseilles, and thence by fast packet to the Crimea. Beatty would follow, but wanted to see the first shipload off to sea first. This would be the Wildfire due to sail from Birkenhead on 15th December.

The main party left Euston by train on Wednesday 13th amid a carnival atmosphere. Spirits soon dulled however on arrival at Liverpool; the weather had taken a turn for the worse, a full fledged gale set in and it wasn't until the 20th that the wind dropped sufficiently to fix departure for the next day.That night Beatty gave a farewell dinner for the whole party at Gough's Hotel, Woodside Ferry. The following morning the Duke of Newcastle arrived to see them off. He expressed an interest in the use of the large tarpaulins which were being loaded; he was told they were used by the navvies to sleep under until they had erected their huts. But these would be ideal for the British soldiers - how could he obtain a quantity? 'Any number you wish in 2-3 Days, My Lord' replied Peto. But alas, after Newcastle had told the Ordnance Department to go ahead, he was informed it was not possible as no laid down procedure existed which would cover such a purchase!

With Wildfire away at last, Beatty could look to his own travel arrangements. The good news was that his party had a booking on the French troopship Hirondelle leaving Marseilles on 28th December. The bad news was that he would have have to cross the Channel on Christmas Day to make sure of catching it. He just had time to squeeze in Christmas Lunch with his newly-pregnant wife Sarah and two daughters before leaving.

The passage from Marseilles to Malta was exceptionally rough, and the food aboard the Hirondelle was abominable, but by and large the passage was without incident and they docked at Constantinople on 8th January.

Sources:

Brian Cooke (1990) The Grand Crimean Central Railway Cavalier House, Knutsford GB

Philip Marsh(2000) Beatty's Railway New Cherwell Press, Oxford

.

The copyright of the article Rail to the Rescue - Part 2 - Page 4 in Crimean War is owned by John Barham. Permission to republish Rail to the Rescue - Part 2 - Page 4 in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.