Artists' Rifles Notes on Training (1915)

An extremely rare, Artists’ Rifles officers training manual. Undated, but produced early in 1915. Marked 'Confidential' on the front cover, this privately printed handbook was intended solely for the use of members of the Artists' Rifles. Lieutenant H. B. Briggs, who trained with the Artists' Rifles early in 1916 alongside Wilfred Owen, is known to have had a copy of the book. Owen described Briggs in a letter dated 16th April 1916 as 'My closest chum', and it seems highly likely that Owen would also have had a copy of this book.

Notes on Training covers a wide range of subjects which would have formed an essential part of the training of a junior officer in 1915-16. These include: enemy tactics, trenches, rifles, bayonets, artillery, attack and defence, communication, intelligence, supplies, marching, kit, reconnaissance, defensive positions, sniping, bombing, loopholes, German field defences, machine gun tactics, machine gun posts, and general information on machine gun warfare. The book is very well illustrated with sketch maps, diagrams, and line drawings, including weapons, trenches, defensive positions, loopholes, and machine gun posts. 

The Artists’ Rifles: Before WW1 the Artists Rifles was one of 26 volunteer battalions in the London and Middlesex areas that combined to form the new London Regiment. It became the 28th (County of London) Battalion of The London Regiment on 1 April 1908. The Artists Rifles was a popular unit for volunteers. It had been increased to twelve companies in 1900 and was formed into three sub-battalions in 1914, and recruitment was eventually restricted by recommendation from existing members of the battalion. It particularly attracted recruits from public schools and universities. After the outbreak of the First World War, enlisted members of The Artists Rifles were often selected to be officers in other units of the 7th Division. This exercise was so successful that, early in 1915, selected Artists officers and NCOs were transferred to run a separate Officers Training Corps, in which the war poet Wilfred Owen trained before his posting to the Manchester Regiment. Over fifteen thousand men passed through the battalion during the war, more than ten thousand of them becoming officers. The battalion eventually saw action in France in 1917 and 1918. Casualties suffered by both members of this battalion and amongst officers who had trained with The Artists Rifles before being posted to other regiments were 2,003 killed, 3,250 wounded, 533 missing and 286 prisoners of war. Ex-Members of the Regiment won eight Victoria Crosses (though none did so while serving with the Regiment), fifty-six DSOs and over a thousand other awards for gallantry.