Accrington Pals.
 

At 1815 hours 95 years ago, the Pals moved out of Warnimont Wood, and began their journey to the front, laden down with extra ammunition, Mills bombs, picks, shovels, and some with coils of barbed wire.
Their journey was a distance of seven miles through crowded trenches, and other obstacles, so much so that it took 10 hours before they were finally in place, spread out over a distance of 350 yards, in Mathew, Mark, Copse, Campion & Monk Trenches.
Awaiting their fate.
Retlaw.

Re: Accrington Pals.
 

i hope people will take the time tomorrow to attend the commemoration at the pals memorial, church st, 9.15am

Re: Accrington Pals.
 

Can't make it - at work, but I'll be checking out the new display at the art gallery this weekend!

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was a nice little service, had the pleasure of meeting retlaw, the supper room in the town hall after, brew wasn't ready, after 10 mins sodded off to a cafe.:D

Re: Accrington Pals.
 

July 1st 1916, now that darkness has descended on the battlefield, over 100 men of W. Coy who were wounded earlier in the day, are now, helping one another to get back to the British lines, leaving many of their comrades dead on the battlefield, it would take some of these men two or more days of crawling from shell hole to shell hole, with no food and very little water, before their wounds could be treated.
The total for Accrington alone was 70 dead, and 132 wounded, some of those wounded would suffer for years after. One man who died from war related wounds in 1940, was found on his autopsy to still have shrapnel in his back.

Retlaw

Re: Accrington Pals.
 

It's hard to imagine today, the utter heartbreak and devastation, that a little town like Accrington suffered on that one fateful day.

A whole generation of lads wiped out, or horrifically injured, who were someone's sons, husbands, dads, sweetheart, workmates, neighbours, and friends.

They shall never be forgotten.

http://www.accringtonweb.com/forum/d...YHVampqk2RZ//Z

Re: Accrington Pals.
 

Re: Accrington Pals.
 

Every one thinks July 1st 1916 was just the Accrington Pals, but 23 Accrington men serving in other regiments, also lost their lives in the same battle.
Oswaldtwistle had 29 casualties in the 11th E.L., that day.
Retlaw.

Re: Accrington Pals.
 

always been a bone of contention wi me that the story of the pals wasn't taught in history in local schools, instead we learnt about Romans etc n some geek that got n arrow in his eye. i had no knowledge of the pals until years after i left school. think its a bit of a poor do.

Re: Accrington Pals.
 

will second that , but for the work of like folks like Retlaw and Bill Turner's book about the Accrington Pals doubt very much that many of us would know anyting about the "Pals" .
Seems to me youngsters today know more about Ghandi and Mandela than their own history :eek:

Re: Accrington Pals.
 

Went to the Accrington Pals exhibition up at the Art Gallery yesterday. Well worth a visit, well done to Walter and all those involved. The gallery is also now open 5 days a week, closed Monday and Tuesday. There's also a cafe going to be opening at the gallery in a couple of months time,which should add to the appeal of the gallery.

Re: Accrington Pals.
 

[quote=garinda;916068]It's hard to imagine today, the utter heartbreak and devastation, that a little town like Accrington suffered on that one fateful day.

A whole generation of lads wiped out, or horrifically injured, who were someone's sons, husbands, dads, sweetheart, workmates, neighbours, and friends.

They shall never be forgotten.

Accrington's WW1 War Memorial, which is reputed to be the biggest outside London, has 858 names on 11 panels & 21 names on an addenda panel on the side, making 879 in total.
My research has found that 11 of those names are double entries, and 10 have spelling mistakes, then we have the 83 men who were born, or lived in Accrington, who are not on that Memorial, some would argue, that some of the names I've found don't qualify, if they were no longer living in Accrington when war was declared.
To me that is nit picking. Those same people are quick to jump on the Accringtonian platform, if some one wins a medal at the Olympics, or even a singing contest.

Retlaw.

Re: Accrington Pals.
 

we had a sneck up the Haworth this afternoon, was very interesting thanks to all fer taking the time n trouble.;):)

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[quote=Retlaw;916174]I've seen this before. Just out of interest, how is the size of a war memorial assessed? Is it by it's height, by the ground area it covers or by it's inherent mass of material (stone, bricks, metal, etc)?

Re: Accrington Pals.
 

I was there this aft as well, I might have seen you! Where you the guy in the hat with the earring?
We found the photo of the wife's great uncle John Shearon.....Retlaw is there any chance you could post his pic and his medal card if you have it?
Steve.

Re: Accrington Pals.
 

This is the newspaper reports of John Shearon.
Haven't got to the S's yet in the search for medal cards.
Retlaw.

Re: Accrington Pals.
 

[quote=Tealeaf;916400] Nows a chance for you to get your tape measure out, and do a survey of war memorials.
Let me know when you find one thats bigger, as to how the term bigger is used, thats up to you.
Start with the one at Altham, not far from the Walton Arms, then go to Huncote, have a look at theirs, next try Clayton & Snuffy, see if that helps to define whats bigger. Then there's Baxenden, Belthorn, Blackburn, Burnley, the list is gynormous.
Retlaw

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That's fantastic! I'm currently researching my wife's family tree, the family will be thrilled with this. Thanks.

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yep steve twas me n me good lady, yeh should have spoke.;)

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Didn't know it was you but I'll remember you next time!!!

Re: Accrington Pals.
 

Would agree with that, Mr C. Really wish I'd known about the Pals when I was younger, especially when my Grandad was still alive, so I could've asked him about it (if, indeed, he'd wanted to talk about it).

Incidentally, Retlaw's "as it happened" descriptions are really vivid and bring home perhaps just a little bit of what it must have been like for our fellow townsmen from the district. Really going to make a point of getting up there for this exhibition.

Re: Accrington Pals.
 

thats it wynonie, me grandad died in me early teens, knew sod all about it then.:(

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Now midnight of day 3 of the battle of the Somme, a small group of Pals who had gathered in Rolland trench, led by R.S.M. Stanworth, have spent the last 36 hours, assisting the stretcher bearers with the wounded, bringing in their dead for identification & burial, wondering what they would say to the relatives of their dead mates, who not many hours ago, had been the ones they had lived with, through some good & bad times for the past 22 months, all the time with what ever meals, water, and sleep they could get, dodging jerry shells, and snipers, who were still trying to kill them.
Yet the Pals carried on with their grim task, how they managed to contain themselfs, and their sanity in those condition, is beyond belief.
The hardest part was yet to come, having to compose & write letters to their dead comrades family.
Retlaw.

Re: Accrington Pals.
 

christ father that's given me goose bumps!
Even after visiting the somme area, pals memorial & ypres i still cant comprehend the enormity of it all and what went on. Cemetary after cemetary after cemetary . . . . . .

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Midnight July 4/5th1916, the Pals are relieved by the 6th Gloucesters.
They then formed up & marched back to Louvencourt, on the way passing other units who were moving up to take their places, silent sympathy was passed to the remnants of the 11th, who were still marching as proud soldiers, not a man out of step.
Dazed, blood stained, & weary, uniforms torn, they finally arrived at their billet for the rest of the night. To tired to eat, they just lay down where ever they could, and were blessed by sleep and forgetfulness.
The images of the past few days would remain with them forever. In 1975 I visited the Somme Battlefields, with some of the survivors, even thought 59 years had passed, they all had tears in their eyes as they stood before the graves & monuments of their former comrades, memories of those fateful days still vivid in their minds.
Many stories were told during that tour of the battlefields, where they were, and what had happened during their time in France.

None of their families ever knew of the horrors they had suffered, during the Great War, little would they understand the horror, and best if they never knew.

Now 95 years later, very few people can imagine the suffering those brave men went through.
Heroes All.

Retlaw.

Re: Accrington Pals.
 

Mean while back home in Accrington & District, news of the disaster, reached Accrington, not from official sources as one would expect, but via a hospital train carrying wounded soldiers, on its way North, halted by signals, a voice shouted from one of the carriages where are we, a small group of women on the platform heard this, and responded “Accrington” the response Accrington, "yes", Oh the Accrington Pals have been wiped out. Immediately the news started to spread though out the town.

Father who should have been in school, but had bunked off again, was in Cannon St when he heard the news, he immediately ran home, telling every one he met the horrible news, on arriving home he told his mother, who thanked God her son wasn’t with them. (Walter was on a different part of the front as a machine gunner.)

Angry relatives, who wanted official news of the tragedy, besieged the mayor,
This was not to be, despite telegrams to the War Office, they refused to release details or lists of the casualties until all known relatives had been informed by telegram, some of which were already being received. The bells at Christ Church started pealing which carried on all day, curtains started to be drawn, at the houses of relatives of the dead, It was reckoned that by the end of the week practically every street in Accrington had a house with drawn curtains.

Retlaw

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The grief n horror the town felt at that time is impossible to comprehend.

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i cant belive it was 1975 when you visited. I can still remember you & grandad going but didnt know what it was all about. Sadly, unlike us, not many families have kept the memory of their Pal going. I see Great Uncle Walter every day - he keeps an eye on me - suppose someone needs to!

Re: Accrington Pals.
 

That was the first visit, you were'nt in your teen's
then.
The Pals meanwhile, after a nights sleep, and breakfast, equipment and uniforms had to be scraped clean of mud, letters, and parcels had arrived from home, letters to men that would never read their letters, or open their parcels of goodies from home. The survivors opened the parcels, and shared out the contents amongst his mates, and write as kindly as they could to the senders.
Many on their next leave home would have to visit them, and tell them how their son, father or husband had died.
No rest for the remaining Pals, who could no longer be known as the Accrington Pals. On the 8th July, the remnants of the 11th Battalion marched to Prevent, and after the usual wait for French trains boarded the carriages, which were labeled 8 Chevaux Or 40 Hommes (8 horses or 40 men), which transported them to Steenbecque, although uncomfortable it was better than marching, arriving at 2130.
This period Steenbecque was then spent in reorganization, training Lewis gunners & bombers.
The 11th was being slowly brought back up to strength, several drafts of officers and men, some of them from the 12th Battalion, now the 75th Training Reserve joined the battalion.
Retlaw

Re: Accrington Pals.
 

Had a look at the display in the foyer of Accy Town Hall this afternoon, very interesting indeed

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I hope they checked your travel documents at the border crossing, on your way into Accrington.:D:D
Retlaw.

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Ya got mi visa stamped on way in and way out Walter:D

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On this day, 23rd February 1915, A, B, Coys of the Accrington Pals paraded on Ellison Tenement at 0630 hrs, luggage was sent to the railway station, then home for breakfast, and parade again at 0830. At 0900 A & B Coys headed by Major Slinger marched to Accrington Railway Station, the 100's of pepole lining the streets to see them off were disappointed that no band was there to play. Many comments were made & in the press that no band had played the men off, although several local bands had offered the C/O would not allow it. Several men made their own music with concertina’s, and harmonicas.
E Coy, and the Blackburn contingent left an hour later. On arrival in Carenarvon the whole battalion was together for the fist time, trains having brought the C & D Coys from Burnley, and Chorley.
Little would they know of the fate that awaited them in 16 months time.

Retlaw