March 1915The Hurtwood Volunteer Training Companies had been set up in February under the command of Acting Voluntary Commander Maj. Gen. Sartorius VC, of Hurtwood House, Ewhurst.
They commenced training with a route march to Peaslake which was reported in the Surrey Advertiser on 6th March -
“EWHURST - VOLUNTEER TRAINING CORPS
The Ewhurst section of the volunteer training corps had a route march on Sunday to Peaslake Cricket Ground where they met the Holmbury and Shere sections. They were inspected by Colonel Creswell of Ewhurst who remarked that he did not expect to find such smartness among them as he did from well trained troops but it was a very creditable performance. After the inspection of the sections the corps had a combined drill.”
The following week, news was received that Major General Sartorius’s son, Euston Frederick Francis Sartorius, serving in the 1st Bt. Grenadier Guards, had been seriously wounded at the Battle of Neuve Chapelle on 11th March 1915 and had been evacuated to the Base Hospital at Boulogne.