"He Plays A Scientific Game"

The man that Lieutenant Lummis reported to upon his arrival, was Major G.C. Stubbs.
Stubbs, a professional soldier, had been sucked into the vacuum left by the departing Colonel d'Arch-Smith - who succumbed to injuries received in late March.
​At the time, he was a staff officer at 3rd Division HQ and upon receiving the news of the Colonel's wounds, he championed his superiors to be allowed to return to his old Battalion to assume it's command. His wishes were granted.
Born in 1883 and educated at Lancing College, Guy Clifford Stubbs was a first class sportsman. Excelling at football, the school magazine wrote of him in 1902: "Has played consistently well throughout the season; often succeeds in breaking up the combination of the opposing forwards; goes hard, heads excellently, and passes well, though his shooting is faulty. Captain next year."
​The following year, it noted: "Has played inside left for the larger part of the season, and was of great service there in keeping the forwards together; his shooting was, at times, effective, and his passing accurate, but his real place is at centre half, where he plays a scientific game, using his head well." 
Upon his graduation from Sandhurst in 1902 (where he passed out 76th in the class) he was commissioned into 2nd Suffolk on 10th October 1903. Promoted Lieutenant in 1906, and later Captain in 1914, he became Major in 1916 when on the staff of the 3rd Infantry Division in France. 
Stubbs arrived perhaps fortunately, just before the Battalion we to go into reserve behind the lines. From Reninghelst near Ypres, they were removed to 5th Corps rest area at Caestre near Hazebrouck, where they would be sent out daily on working parties in the locality. No sooner had he acclimatised himself to the Battalion and the men,  Lieutenant-Colonel d'Arch-Smith, having now recovered from his injuries, returned.
​Though his command was short, he would remain with the Battalion, and would return to command it in later days.

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