Page 29 - History of War - Issue 30-16

BRITAIN’S DOOMED ARMIES

FOLLOWING A MASSIVE RECRUITMENT DRIVE, WHOLE COMMUNITIES JOINED UP IN WHAT WAS KNOWN AS ‘KITCHENER’S ARMIES’

14 , 15 , 16 TH 10 TH BATTALION
TH
TH
BATTALIONS, LINCOLNSHIRE
ROYAL REGIMENT
WARWICKSHIRE 103 RD BRIGADE,
REGIMENT GRIMSBY CHUMS 16 TH BATTALION,
ROYAL FORMED: SEPTEMBER 1914
THE BIRMINGHAM PALS NORTHUMBERLAND STRENGTH: 1,000 MIDDLESEX
FORMED: 30 AUGUST 1914 FUSILIERS Although the collective name for REGIMENT,
STRENGTH: 3,000 MEN Lord Kitchener’s ‘New Armies’ were 18 - 21 BATTALIONS,
ST
TH
‘Pals Battalions’, Grimsby was
These battalions were posted to Italy TYNESIDE IRISH the only unit out of around 304 ROYAL FUSILIERS
at different times during the war as FORMED: 14 OCTOBER 1914
well as serving on the Somme. STRENGTH: 5,400 MEN battalions to be called ‘Chums’. PUBLIC SCHOOLS
After enthusiastically raising a BATTALIONS
whole brigade, the Tyneside Irish FORMED: 1-11 SEPTEMBER
advanced on 1 July 1916 to the 1914
march of a bass drum but suffered STRENGTH: 5,000 MEN
heavy casualties.
Exclusively made up of public
schoolboys and university
students, the volunteers were
“THE VOLUNTEERS WERE other regiments. However, many
expected to become oficers in
TH
EXPECTED TO BECOME 17 -20 TH chose to remain as privates in
13 -14 TH BATTALIONS, BATTALIONS, order to stay with their friends.
TH
YORK & LANCASTER OFFICERS IN OTHER THE KING’S
REGIMENT REGIMENTS. HOWEVER, (LIVERPOOL
REGIMENT)
BARNSLEY PALS
FORMED: SEPTEMBER- MANY CHOSE TO LIVERPOOL PALS
NOVEMBER 1914 FORMED: AUGUST 1914
STRENGTH: 2,000 MEN REMAIN AS PRIVATES STRENGTH: 4,000 MEN
The 13th Battalion was irst The Liverpool Pals set the
posted to Egypt before being sent IN ORDER TO STAY WITH precedent for recruiting northern
to France in March 1916. On 1 working men but its volunteers
suffered 545 casualties, a loss of THEIR FRIENDS” consisted of commercial workers
July, the combined battalions
including those who worked in
over a quarter of their strength. shipping, insurance and brokerage.
TH
10 -13 TH BATTALIONS,
LOCAL RESERVE
BATTALION,
EAST YORKSHIRE
REGIMENT
1ST HULL ‘COMMERCIALS’,
2ND HULL ‘TRADESMEN’,
3RD HULL ‘SPORTSMEN’,
TH
17 TH BATTALION, 16 -23 RD BATTALIONS, 11 TH EAST 4TH HULL ‘T’OTHERS’,
MIDDLESEX MANCHESTER LANCASHIRE 5TH HULL ‘BANTAMS’
REGIMENT REGIMENT REGIMENT FORMED: SEPTEMBER-
NOVEMBER 1914
FOOTBALL BATTALION MANCHESTER REGIMENT ACCRINGTON PALS STRENGTH: 6,000 MEN
FORMED: 15 DECEMBER 1914 FORMED: AUGUST- FORMED: 14 SEPTEMBER Occupations and interests
STRENGTH: 600 MEN SEPTEMBER 1914 1914 divided battalions from Hull. The
Founded in Fulham, this battalion STRENGTH: 10,000 MEN STRENGTH: 1,100 ‘Commercials’ were raised from
comprised of hundreds of During the course of World War The most famous Pals Battalion clerks and businessmen, the
professional footballers from 50 I the Manchester Pals lost 4,776 fought bravely on 1 July 1916 ‘Tradesmen’ consisted of welders
clubs including Chelsea, West Ham, men out of almost 10,000. The but were almost wiped out. The and joiners, ‘Bantams’ were men
Liverpool and Reading. They were Manchester Regiment in total lost battalion included volunteers not of ‘smaller stature but big hearts’
also supplemented by amateur 13,000 casualties, of which 37 per just from Accrington but also and ‘T’Others’ were men of any
players, oficials and fans. cent were from the Pals. Burnley, Chorley and Blackburn. class or trade.

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