Shorncliffe appears to have been a military base at least as far back as 1802, when General Sir John Moore ("the father of the Light Infantry") "began to develop further his ideas for the training of infantry" at that location.  Germans troops were even trained there during the preparations for the Crimean Campaign.  Otterpool was another training camp to the west of Shorncliffe, near Lympne.  Shorncliffe and Dibgate became major training and embarkation camps for Canadian (C.E.F) soldiers during the First World War, and the base for the entire Canadian Second Division.  Shorncliffe is still an army barracks, and at present is home to a Ghurka Regiment.

The following is from notes made by CBP:

"The 1" O.S. map of 1945 (Sheet 173) shows what I think is likely to be [Dibgate] camp, though it isn't named, about 1½ miles N.E. of Hythe Town centre.  In September 1950 my parents & Bunnie spent a holiday at Folkestone and I joined them for a [weekend]. (By bus from Canterbury where I worked 28th August 1949 to 15th Nov 1950.)  On 10th September Dad & I walked to Sandgate, on the road to Hythe, and I vaguely recall his mentioning having been at a camp nearby.  Or do I imagine it?"

A week later, on Monday 10th May, Nos. 7 & 8 Companies moved to Dibgate Camp.  They were accomodated in tents, the area was very sandy and dirty, the water supply was indequate, and the camp was in an inferior location.  However, in spite of inclement weather for much of the time, their health was reported to be better than that of the soldiers in huts.  On the 22nd May, Nos. 5 & 6 Companies were moved to Newingreen Camp, also under canvas, but located in a good position.

Life at the camp seems to have been quite varied, as evidenced from the following excerpts from published material.  Louis Duff, of the 28th (North-West) Battalion from Moose Jaw, wrote in letters to his uncle and aunt in Saskatchewan:

"29th June 1915, Dibgate Camp, Shorncliffe:  Just a line to let you know we arrived O.K. and am well.  We had a glorious trip across the water, fine weather and comparatively calm sea.  Only a few of the 2000 on board suffered from sea sickness, as for myself, I was really sorry the trip was so short, 10 days from Montreal to Plymouth … Our camp is seven miles west of Dover on a height overlooking the sea.  We have two very pretty coast towns close by, Hythe west of us about an hours walk and Folkestone, a popular sea side resort, east of us a couple of miles. On a clear day the coast of France shows up very plainly.  Submarines and Torpedo Boat Destroyers are patrolling the sea all the time.  Aeroplanes and dirigible balloons are a common sight.  We thought we were training pretty hard in Winnipeg but we are going at it even harder now.  About another four weeks and they figure we will be fit for the firing line."

"21st August 1915, Otterpool Camp, Kent:  Well I have sure had some seige with my ankles, exactly one month in the hospital.  I arrived back in Camp on the 1st of Aug with my ankle anything but strong so I got a 10 days sick leave and went up to London for a 'quiet time'. Well it is certainly a wonderful old city and although I was handicapped with a bad ankle I managed to see a good many interesting places … I arrived back in camp a week ago but have not gone on parade yet, my ankle is pretty weak yet.  I expect to be on light duty around camp for the next week or so.  By that time we will be figuring on striking camp and pulling out for 'Somewhere in France' or the Dardonelles.  The first week in Sept. is when we expect to move."

H.C. Singer, in his History of the 31st (Alberta) Battalion, C.E.F. (Calgary, n.p., 1938, p. 22), has written:

"Company and battalion drill and manoeuvres, trench digging, and similar work occupies most of the time.  Courses of special instruction and bayonet fighting, grenade throwing, machine-gunnery, musketry, signalling and map reading were also inaugurated …"

"Friday, September 17, 1915:  After a four months' training in Kent, England, where we had a very enjoyable time, first at Dibgate in the vicinity of Shorncliffe, then at Lydd where we had a rush shooting practice and finally at Otterpool where water was very scarce, we were considered fit and skilled in the art of warfare, ready to meet the hated Hun.  When I think of it, our training was decidedly amateurish and impractical.  It consisted mainly of route marches and alignment movements.  Our musketry course amounted to nothing; we had only half an idea about the handling of bombs.  We were perfectly ignorant regarding rifle grenades."

"17th September 1915:  We had a good trip over here & a good time.  I kept a diary on the boat a copy of which I am enclosing.  You will notice by my address that I am with the 32nd now.  It trains the men as they come from Canada & then sends them to other Battn. at the front.  We are in a nice place here.  About 1 mile from Folkstone & we go down there nearly every night.  We see quit of lot of Airoplanes around here.  They are sailing around all the time.  We go down to the sea every morning at 6 o'clock.  The drill is a lot harder here than a Sewell, but we can stand it all night.  I am going to London soon I expect"
"29th September 1915:  We have had nice weather here till today and its raining cats & dogs.  We are fixed up alright though.  We are in huts.  About 30 men live in each hut and have their beds and tables and chairs and crockery.  The food is brought from the cook house and we eat right in our huts.  They are pretty big although the name makes one think they are small.  I believe I told you that we are near Folkstone.  We go there nearly every night.  I am learning to roller skate.  It is great fun although kind of rough for a learner."

On the 7th July, Leslie Payne was promoted to the rank of Full Corporal, and accordingly his pay was raised by an extra 10c. per day from this date.  It was on this and the following day, according to the War Diaries, that Nos. 7 & 8 Companies were busy moving the 29th and 31st Battalions and their equipment from Dibgate Camp to Lydd.  Leslie Payne received his pay again at Dibgate on Thursday 15th July.  Leslie may have gained his claimed "knowledge of machine guns" - that would stand him in such good stead when he applied for transfer to the C.M.G.C. a year or so later - during the month of August, while he was temporarily employed as an armourer.
 

The BANDOLIER photo shown (at left) was taken by "Treble, of Derby".  Comparisons with other photos of CLLP during this period suggests that Leslie may have visited his family in Derby, possibly during a brief period of leave, some time during the summer of 1915.  He does not have any corporal's stripes on his uniform in this photo, and for this reason it seems likely that it would have been taken prior to his promotion in early July.  It's also possible that he just hadn't sewn the stripes on yet, although I think this is unlikely.  He withdrew a large portion of his pay in June and July 1915 - a total of $82.50 - and the only other times during his service that he withdrew large amounts was immediately prior to going on leave.  Would it also have been more likely to be shortly after a visit to Derby that he would have assigned a portion of his pay to Con?  There is no evidence from his service records that he was granted any leave at this time, and it's possible that this photograph was taken a year later, when we know he had some leave.  In the latter case, however, his uniform and insignia would surely have been those of the Canadian Machine Gun Company, to which he had transferred in June, and which they are definitely not.

On Saturday 17th July, the whole Train paraded with the entire Second Canadian Division at Beechborough Park, having practiced most of the previous day.  They were inspected by Right Honorable Sir Robert L. Borden (then Canadian Prime Minister), accompanied by Sir George Perley (Canadian Overseas Minister), R.B. Bennet, M.P. (and Future Canadian Prime Minister) and Gen. Sir Sam Hughes (Canadian Minister of Munitions and Defense).  On the 20th July, Nos. 7 & 8 Companies  moved the 6th Infantry Brigade from Dibgate to another camp at Otterpool.  On the 28th July, No. 7 Company was allotted to the 6th Infantry Brigade, and the following day they joined them at Otterpool, where there was a far better camp than the one at Dibgate.  On Friday 30th, when Leslie Payne was given his pay at Otterpool, they moved the 29th and 31st Battalions, also part of the 6th Brigade, from Lydd to Otterpool.

On the afternoon of the 4th August, the 2nd Division was paraded at Beechboro Park, Shorncliffe, for inspection by the Rt. Hon. Sir Bonar Law (then British Secretary for the Colonies), accompanied by Major-Gen. The Hon. Sam Hughes, and they were addressed at the Drill Hall later that evening.  On the following day Major-Gen. Samuel Benfield Steele, C.B., M.V.O., A.D.C., Commanding 2-Canadian Division, assumed command of stations.  On the 10th and 11th August, and again on the 14th, No. 7 Company participated very satisfactorily in training manoeuvres with the 6th Infantry Brigade.  Between the 23rd and 26th August, they joined in with the other companies in the much more extensive, and correspondingly less successful, Divisional manouevres.
 

The photo of Leslie Payne seated, with at least three others, on the ground drinking his "rum ration" from a mess tin (above left), was one of a batch sent to CLLP by Ed Pye in 1936, who refers to it thus:   "His lordship taking his rum ration - The latter I have removed from my war picture album" On the reverse of the photo, it is inscribed: "Will... (?sp) Kent, August 1915"

Presumably Ed Pye was present at the time the photo was taken, and if it was taken in August 1915, it is possible that the photo was taken at Willisborough Lees, where the entire Train bivouacked for two nights on the 24th and 25th August (see War Diary).  It is interesting to compare the line of trees in background of this photo with a similar photograph (right) taken of soldiers training somewhere near Shorncliffe (©Folkestone Local Studies Library & Courtesy of Alan & Alison Smith).

On the 30th, they were told to prepare for an inspection by H.M. the King in three days' time, so they must have realized that their training was shortly to come to an end, and that departure for France, and the War, was imminent.

Chapter 5: The Continent & War (Winter 1915/1916)