The Pals Battalion | Western History Animation "1st Official Documentary" |

At the outbreak of World War I in August 1914, Lord Kitchener who was a British Secretary of State for a war believed very early on that overwhelming manpower would be the key to winning the war. So he began to look for ways to encourage men of all classes to join the British Army. Now, this was a concept that flew in the face of centuries of British military tradition on which the British army had relied on a very small but professional group of soldiers and they had always drawn the members of their officer class from the gentry and the lower classes were where they got most of their enlisted men, but, it was General Sir Henry Rawlinson who would go on to command the army at the Somme. Who suggested that men would be more inclined to enlist in the Army. If they knew that they were going to serve alongside their friends, family, and co-workers. And so he appealed to London's stockbrokers to raise a battalion of men from the workers of London to set an example Sixteen Hundred men enlisted in what became the 10th Battalion of the Royal Fusiliers the so-called Stockbrokers Battalion within a week in late August 1914. A Few Days later, The Earl of Darby decided to raise a Battalion very similar to that out of men from Liverpool within two days Fifteen Hundred Men had joined this New Battalion Speaking to these men Lord Darby Quoted.

"This should be a Battalion of Pals. A Battalion in which from the same office fight shoulder to shoulder for the honor of Britain and the Credit of Liverpool." -Earl of Darby

Within the next few days, three more battalions were raised in Liverpool and so these four formed the 17th, 18th, 19th, and 20th Battalions of the King's Regiment. Encouraged by Lord Darby's Success Lord Kitchener promoted the Idea of Organizing Similar Recruitments drives throughout Britain. By the End of September 1914, more than 50 towns Formed Pals Battalions the larger towns and cities were able to form several battalions each so for Example Manchester they were able to raise four Battalions in August. And Four more a few months later from the perspective of the War Office these Pal Battalions were just incredible because they relieved the heavy strain not only by recruiting a suddenly much more expanded regular army but also relieved the Financial strain. After all, they decided in September 1914, that the organizers of these Battalions would be responsible for meeting the initial cost of their accommodations and other training costs until the War Office takes over and that worked out very well for the War Office but also the men because this meant that many of these recruits and these Pals Battalions were initially live at home they would go to during the day with their local community with the other men and then they would go home after the basic training.

Birmingham Pals
Barnsley Pals
Manchester Pals
Liverpool Pals
etc.

The Accrington Pals are probably one of the best-remembered of those battalions that were raised in the early months of World War 1 in response to Lord Kitchener's call for a volunteer army groups of friends from all works of life in Accrington and Other Neighboring towns enlisted together to form their Battalion with a distinctively local identity. A month after the outbreak of the war the Accrington observer in the Times newspaper on September 8, 1914, reported that the War Office have accepted an offer made by the Mayor of Accrington Cpt. John Harwood to raise a complete battalion. When recruitment began on the 14th of September 104 men were accepted in the first three hours brothers, cousins, friends, and workmates enlisted together and within 10 days the Accrington battalion had reached a full strength of 1,100 Men around half of the Battalion had been recruited from Accrington the majority of the remainder had been raised in neighboring towns but they all came basically in the same area. Throughout the early months of the Battalion's existence, the men trained and drilled in and around their hometowns like most of the Pals Battalions did. In February 1915, they were given this Magnificent send-off as they left for Accrington for training in Carnarvon where Lieutenant C. A.W Rickman of the Northumberland fusiliers took direct command on the Battalion. In May 1915 the battalion have moved from Carnarvon to Parkridge bank camp near Rugley outside of Birmingham where it joined the 12th, 13th, and 14th battalions of the York and Lancaster Regiments to form the 94th Brigade of the 31st Division. The Battalion made further moves in July as then in September 1915 before they embarked in December for Egpyt of all places to Counter the Turkish threat in the Suez Canal that danger passed and in the last week of February 1916 the 31st Division was ordered to France to take part of preparations for the joint British and French Attack that was to come in Somme. The Objective of the Pals Battalion of the 94th Brigade was to Capture the hilltop of Ser and form a defensive flank facing northeast and north they were the Northernmost point on the attack at the Somme on July 1st that attacked was led by the 11th east Lancashires on the right and the 12th Yorkin Lancaster's the Sheffield city Battalion on the left the first and second Barnsley Powell's the 13th and 14th York and Lancaster's we're in support in reserve for those leading Battalions. Facing them at ser was the 169th Infantry Regiment of the German Army the Eight Baden Infantry. On the 24th of June as was true all along the line the British Artillery opened a Bombardment that was to continue until the very morning of the Attack. This bombardment was intended to destroy German Defences but also to open holes in the Barbed Wire and allow for easy access to the strong points but it has failed to penetrate through to many underground shelters and it had left much Barbed Wire intact in the early evening of the 30th of June the 11th East Lancashire left their Camp at Warnimont Wood for a seven Mile Journey to the Trenches in front of Ser. The lead elements didn't even arrive on the front until 2:40 AM on the morning of Saturday, July 1st just a few hours before the attack was meant to commence. the area was heavily shell damaged the buildup had not gone unnoticed by the Germans as daylight broke the forward lines were getting bombarded by German Artillery.

" Note: Sheffield Memorial Park is a Place to Honor the Pals Battalion who attacked that Area."

At 6:30 Am the morning, the British Artillery began its final bombardment of the German frontlines as shells continued to burst on the German front trench the men from the 3rd and 4th Companies of the German 169th Infantry scrambled from underground shells bringing up their Machine guns their rifles their grenades ready to put them onto the fire the attacking troops.
At 7:30 AM the bombardment was lifted from the German Frontlines and the leading waves of the Pals Battalion rose and began to walk toward the German positions they were convinced that the frontlines had been eliminated and so there was no threat so they walked crossed. But. They found out almost immediately in 300 yards (900 feet) of deadly space that the Germans were very much active and they tore huge holes in the advancing Infantry. One British observer likened the lines of the dead to quote

"I Foresaw the British Soldiers, being cut into swaths of cut corn at Harvested."

Now as incredible as it seems groups of Pals Defied the Machine Gun fire they threaded their way through the Barbed wire and dropped into the German Trenches on their left some of the 12th York and Lancasters also fought their way through but it was all in vain behind them were the forth and third waves also suffered horrifying casualties before they even reached No Man's Land because of the German Artillery. The leading companies of the 13th York and Lancasters we're cut down. Some of the pals their officers being killed or wounded continued to Attack the Town of Ser and they were never seen again. The remaining survivors of the German frontlines having received no reinforcements were forced to withdraw. By 8 AM just 30 minutes into the fight, The Battle of Ser was Effectively Over. The History of the East Lancashire Regiment in the Great War records that out of 720 Accrington Pals who took part in the attack in just a span of Half an Hour 584 were killed wounded or missing.

Brigadier General H.C Rees

Said quote

"The Result of High explosive shells the shrapnel the machine-gun fire and the rifle fire was such, that hardly any of our men even reached the German Front Trench the Lines which advanced in such admirable order melted away under fire, yet not a man wavered not a man broke the ranks or attempted to go back. I have never seen indeed could never imagine such a magnificent display of gallantry discipline and determination. "

Now back home from England the initial accounts of success on the Somme including an erroneous report of the capture of the Town of Ser soon gave way to Newspapers' pages full with photographs of the killed wounded or missing soldiers. Few if any of the town's population could have been untouched by the tragedy. Percy Holmes who was the brother of one of the original Pals Battalion members recalled the quote.
"I remember when the news came through to Accrington that the Pals have been wiped out, I don't think there was a street in Accrington that didn't have their blinds were drawn and the bell at Christ Church told all the day."

Sergeant John Williams Streets who was one of the Pals he was in the 12th Battalion York and Lancaster, The Sheffield Pals he was also a Poet he wrote these words.

"Behind that long and lonely trenched line To which men come and go where brave men die, There is a yet unmarked and unknown shrine, a broken pot, a soldier's cemetery."

Sergeant Streets was killed in Ser in the Morning Attack. His body was laid beside the Thousands who attacked Ser for almost 10 months before he was eventually recovered and Buried at Houston Road's Cemetary he was only 31 Years Old. Around the time when his body has recovered a collection of Poems he wrote was posthumously published titled "The Undying Splendor" this is what he wrote.

"Reach out thy hands, thy spirit's hand to me and pluck the youth the magic from my heart. Magic of dreams whose sensibility is plumed like the light visions that start mad pressure in the blood desire that thrills the soul was mad delight to yearning wed, all slothfulness of life draw from it's the bed the soul of dawn across the twilight hill, reach out thy hands o spirit till I feel that I am fully thine, for I shall in the proud consciousness that thou dost and if thy twilight fingers round me steal and draw me steal unto death, thy votery am I o life reach out thy hands to me."

Thank you for Reading, our Producers worked extremely hard for this Script. And Goodbye.

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  🇵🇭 Philippineball

This made me read this more like 2 hours

3 years ago   Reply

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