The Durhams bid farewell to Shanghai on Monday, after a sojourn in the city of almost twelve months. Embarking on H.M. Transport Lancashire, which vessel brought back the Seaforths last week, the Battalion will proceed to Tientsin to relieve the Ist. Battalion, The Lancashire Fusiliers, who are bound for service in India, Thus the Seaforths, who are stationed only temporarily in Shanghai, will be the only British Infantry Battalion in the city, although it is expected that they will be relieved of many arduous duties in the near future when the 2nd. Battalion, The East Surrey Regiment, who are to relieve the Durhams, arrive from Singapore where they disembarked during the height of the recent European crisis.
During their stay in Shanghai the "Geordies," as the Durhams are po-pulerly known to other British soldiers, have proved to be popular with everybody, and especially with members of the other foreign forces stationed in the city. On the sports fields of Shanghai their prowess was a clearly demonstrated last winter when the Battalion Rugby and Soccer teams proved to be the equal of any! opposition offered by the leading civilian and military sides. The Durhams hockey team, too, proved to be an excellent combination, and it is with regret that Shanghai sportsmen will witness the departure of the Battalion.
The lst. Battalion, The Durham Light Infantry, left England on October 16 last year for service in the Far Bast, after having been stationed at Blackdown, near Aldershot. The Battalion, which was not at full strength immediately after the departure, was reinforced at' Port Soudan by members of the 2nd. Bat talion, who had been stationed in Khartoum, and, upon arrival in Shanghai on November 24, the men were billeted at the Vu Yuen Road School while the Royal Ulster Rifles marched out and boarded H.M.T.
Dilwara which took them to India.
At the time of the Durham's arrival the British Regiments in Shanghai were the 2nd. Battalion The Loyal Regiment, who, later, were tran terzod to Singapore, and the 2nd. Battalion The Royal Welch Fusiliers, who, now are stationed in the Sudan. Following the departure of thei Loyals, the Durhams occupied the Great Western Road and Jessfield billets, where they remain today.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.