Pals

[semihere]

everyone's heard of the accrington pals! well, everyone who's heard of the first world war anyway...

[cashman]

Originally Posted by semihere

everyone's heard of the accrington pals! well, everyone who's heard of the first world war anyway...

theres quite a few threads on the subject.

[semihere]

Hehe, yeah... just thought I should put a thread on here... under "What's Accy Famous For?"

[Eric]

Accrington Pals ... 11th. (service) Batallion East Lancashire Regiment .. two years in the making, 10 minutes in the breaking ... Attacked at Serre on July 1, 1916 ... of the 700 or so men who went over the top 584 casualties ... well worth a visit is the memorial to the Pals at Serre ... made out of NORIS. Reading about the Pals makes one proud to be from Accy.

[Eric]

Another quick comment with Canadian content: the Newfoundlanders who attacked at Beaumont Hamel, right next door to Serre lost over 600 men. Newfies, who qualify as "gradely", commemorated this by naming July 1, "Memorial Day." The university in St. John's, Nfld, is called Memorial University to honor the fallen.

[Less]

http://www.accringtonweb.com/forum/s...ccrington+pals (Accrington Pals.)

[LancYorkYankee]

Thanks alot Less. Just had alook at that old thread. Was able to do more research on my Granddad, George Henry Hall. Found a couple of hit on the Gazette for 1914 - 1915.

I tried to access his name on the National Roll of the Great War but looks like they all want me to buy the book. Does anyone know where I could found out if this is indeed my Grandfather?

The story from me mum is that he signed up in 1914 at the age of 16. He so immediate action in "the trenches" and was burned pretty bad by mustard gas. He supposedly promoted to Corporal for capturing 3 germans.

He would not talk about the War except to say he lost too many Mates over there. Also how he had to watch his dead mates hung up on the barb wire.

I'm not sure about these facts cause I can't find specific info. I hope to do some research over there when I come over. He probably joined up out of Ashton-Under-Lyne with PALS from Manchester.

ANY guidance would be SO very much appreciated!

Brian

[Eric]

Originally Posted by LancYorkYankee

Thanks alot Less. Just had alook at that old thread. Was able to do more research on my Granddad, George Henry Hall. Found a couple of hit on the Gazette for 1914 - 1915.

I tried to access his name on the National Roll of the Great War but looks like they all want me to buy the book. Does anyone know where I could found out if this is indeed my Grandfather?

The story from me mum is that he signed up in 1914 at the age of 16. He so immediate action in "the trenches" and was burned pretty bad by mustard gas. He supposedly promoted to Corporal for capturing 3 germans.

He would not talk about the War except to say he lost too many Mates over there. Also how he had to watch his dead mates hung up on the barb wire.

I'm not sure about these facts cause I can't find specific info. I hope to do some research over there when I come over. He probably joined up out of Ashton-Under-Lyne with PALS from Manchester.

ANY guidance would be SO very much appreciated!

Brian

There were several pals battallions from Manchester: You can probably get lots of info on the net, but if you like reading I suggest "The First Day on the Somme" by Martin Middlebrook. Check out the order of battle for that day. The pals battalions are sometimes listed by their "pals" name, or by their official numbers. Pals battallions usually have high numbers. Also worth a look, is the more recent offering by Gary Sheffield titled "The Somme."

[davidf]

May I post this as an observation? Not all Accrington infantrymen who fought in WW1 were enlisted into the Pals. A Grand Uncle of mine, who was a 32-year old married man with a child, was killed at the Battle of Loos in late 1915 (before The Battle of The Somme, which as you know was July 1916). He was serving with 2nd Battalion The Suffolk Regiment! He has no known grave and his name is engraved on the Loos Memorial in north France. My GU had been born in Bury in 1882 but his family had moved to Accrington during 1883 or 1884.

[motherhubbard]

Two of my relatives were killed in the Great War, I was told one of them was the youngest English soldier to die in this war, he was only 15 and the regiments drummer boy, he was serving in the East Lancs Regiment, with his two older brothers, they were with him when he was shot and relayed the message that he died quickly to my great grandfather, who was the colour sergeant major for the regiment.
The other was killed at the Somme aged 24, he was born in Birtwistle Street yard in Accrington.
All my family are from the Coppice end of Accrington, although as a child we lived in Park Road and then College Street

[cashman]

me dad was in the East Lancs Fusileers mother hubbard, that was in the second though,cant remember what me grandad was in.