A Soldier Gone to Sea

In this memoir spanning nine decades, Lieutenant Colonel C.F. Jerram (1882–1969) of the Royal Marines recounts his life and military service through both world wars. Jerram describes in candid detail his late 19th-century childhood in Devon and Cornwall, the late Victorian and Edwardian Royal Navy, the Royal Navy’s Far East Station, a traditional Corps of Marines, the Gallipoli Campaign, the World War I Western Front and the interwar and World War II years. His experience and insight convey two fundamental lessons: “Know thy profession and look after those for whom you are responsible.” An essay by the editor, based on other sources, provides a broader perspective on Jerram, whose approach to professional military service is still pertinent today.

Donald F. Bittner is a professor emeritus of military history at the United States Marine Corps Command and Staff College, Marine Corps University, and the Secretary-General of the United States Commission on Military History. He has served with the U.S. Marine Corps since 1961 in uniform and as a civilian, retiring from active duty in the grade of Lieutenant Colonel in 1989. He lives in Stafford, Virginia.

Charles Frederic Jerram
Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 240
Bibliographic Info: 63 photos, appendices, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2016
pISBN: 978-0-7864-4618-6
eISBN: 978-1-4766-2406-8
Imprint: McFarland

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments (Donald F. Bittner) ix
A Note on Illustrations (Donald F. Bittner) xi
Preface by Donald F. Bittner 1
1. Prologue—Early Life 9
Early Days 9
We Move to Cornwall 11
A Brief Description of Talland 12
The Road to Looe 13
“Doddites” (Hillside) 14
Excursions and Discoveries 16
2. Joining the Royal Marines, 1901–04 20
3. The Mediterranean Fleet, 1904–06 33
4. China Station, 1907–10 43
To China, 1907 43
Shanghai, 1907–10 54
5. Marking Time, 1910–14 68
6. War at Sea, 1914 78
7. Gallipoli, 1915 87
8. The Western Front, I—1915–18 97
With the Marines in France, 1915–16 97
With the Army: The 31st Division, 1917 100
With the Army: XIII Corps, 1917–18 104
9. The Western Front, II—1918 109
With the 46th (North Midland) Division 109
Open Warfare, 1918 119
10. Between the Wars, 1919–40 125
Staff College, Camberley 125
Back to the Sea 130
Between the Wars, 1922–40 137
Pensioned Off 142
11. Epilogue—World War II and Beyond, 1940–69 144
Back to the Regiment: World War II 144
The End 149
Appendices
I. Lieutenant Colonel Jerram: An Historian’s Assessment of an Officer and His Career (Donald F. Bittner) 153
II. Career Chronology 170
III. Service Career of Lieutenant Colonel Charles Frederic Jerram, CMG, DSO, RM, as Drafted by Him 174
IV. War and Other Services of My Family 176
V. [World] War [II] Services of My Wife’s and My Own Family 177
VI. Abbreviations 178
VII. Royal Marine Light Infantry Batch, 1 September 1901 180
VIII. Status of Divisions on the Western Front, 11 November 1918 182
IX. King George V Prize Recipients, 1914 to 1923 183
X. British Armoured Divisions of World War II 184
Notes 187
Essay on Sources 213
Index 219