Between the devil and the deep blue sea - University of Canterbury

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Most troops were able to travel to their destinations without any problems and
within good time. Naturally, there were hiccups. Delays were common at most stations, and
some soldiers were unsure where they had to report and travelled somewhat aimlessly
throughout the country. 100 Some joumeys were arduously slow, although hunger was
relieved along the way by gifts from locals and refreshments provided by scouting
groups. 101 The movement ofField Army divisions caused a few difficulties because large
concentrations of troops, goods and horses had to be transported to the same place. At some
stations there were not enough carriages or tracks available to do this efficiently. 102 While
military traffic ran smoothly, civilian travel was hampered by the mobilisation. When
normal civilian travel resumed on 4 August, services functioned according to military
demand, the armed forces had priority over seats, and in order to preserve coal stocks, fewer
trains ran than in peacetime. 103
In comparison to the orderly manner by which soldiers travelled and were
organised at railway stations - something facilitated in many places by alcohol bans _104
once they arrived at depots efficient organisation was lacking. Depots were responsible for
issuing weapons, ammunition, rations, blankets and other equipment to troops as well as
co-ordinating soldiers into brigades and finding lodgings for them. The first and most
visually jarring problem for depot staff was the abysmal state of soldiers' uniforms. Rather
than stockpiling clothing, the military allowed conscripts to take their military gannents
home after their initial training period. Unsurprisingly, given that most of the men had
almost never wom their unifonns again, the state of their clothing left much to be
desired. 105 Many, especially the older men, had outgrown the unifonns tailored for them
100 "Schets voor het, door het Departement van OOl'log openbaar te maken Mobilisatie-rapport" in SMG/DC,
"Mobilisatieverslag" 91A13, no page numbers, section "Ret op voet van oorlog brengen van de landweerbataljons";
Staatscommissie, Waarnemingen bi) de Gemobiliseerde Landmacht p. 7.
101 Burger, "Fragmenten" p. 350.
102 Namely at Woerden, Geertruidenberg, Wierickerschans (Wieringerschans) and Delft ("Schets voor het, door het
Departement van Oorlog openbaar te maken Mobilisatie-rapport" in SMG/DC, "Mobilisatieverslag" 91A/3, no page
numbers, section "Bijzondere opmerkingen. 7. Veldpioniers").
103 Koninklijke Bibliotheek, Docllmenten voor de Economische Crisis p. 257; Seyffardt, "Ons spoorwegbedrijf en de
mobilisatie" p. 476.
104 Raags gemeentemuseum, Den Haag '14 - '18 p. 6; Diary entry, 6 October 1914, in SMG/DC, "Schenking uit
nalatenschap. Jh. F, Beelaerts van Blokland" [Gift from the estate of Jh. F. Beelaerts van Blokland] 397/-F.
105 See: ARA, "Archieven van de Generale Star' entry no. 2.13.70, inventory no. 42,48, 50, 54, 231, for clothing
problems as well as other mobilisation shortages. As well: "Schets voor het, door het Departement van Oorlog
openbaar te maken Mobilisatie-rapport" in SMG/DC, "Mobilisatieverslag" 91A13; Staatscommissie, Waarnemingen
bi) de Gel710biliseerde Landmacht; Munnekrede, "De mobilisatie van de landmacht" pp. 11 - 12; Bosboom, In
Moeili)ke Omstandigheden pp. 34 - 35, 162 - 163.