nobody left who can remember, but still, never forget. "By ten in the morning, it had all been over. Two out of three men who had gone over the top had become casualties and lay dead or wounded on the gentle slope of ground between their trenches and the German line. The “Pals” who had joined up in all the euphoria of the early weeks of the war; the lads from Leeds, from Bradford, from York, from Lancaster, from Sheffield, from Hull ...... had been slaughtered in the first short hour of the great battle. The last echoes of the cheers and the shouting, the last faint remembered notes of the brass bands that had sent them off from the towns and villages of the North, had died out in a whisper that morning in front of Serre". © Lyn Macdonald
My great uncle Thomas was one of them. Killed in action 1 July 1916 with KOYLI in the attack on Ovillers. He is commemorated on the cenotaph at Wombwell along with his brother Alfred who was killed in April 1918.
The battle of the Somme is one of the most difficult/disturbing reads I've ever done. Lambs to the slaughter. driven forward by commanders who never touched the front line. The phrase is given to General Douglas Haig as many people believe that he was responsible for the deaths of many innocent soldiers. The phrase 'butcher of the Somme' means how many soldiers died during the battle of the Somme due to the tactics General Douglas Haig used. 'We Went over top…after an interminable period of terrible apprehension. Our artillery seemed to increase in intensity and the German guns opened up on No Man’s Land. The din was deafening, the fumes choking and visibility limited owing to the dust and clouds caused by exploding shells. It was a veritable inferno. I was momentarily expecting to be blown to pieces. My platoon continued to advance in good order without many casualties and had reached half way to the Boche line. Suddenly... an appalling rifle and machine gun fire opened against us and my men commenced to fall. I shouted “down” but most of those that were still not hit had already taken cover. I dropped in a shell hole and occasionally attempted to move to my right and left but bullets were forming an impenetrable barrage and exposure of the head meant certain death. None of our men was visible but in all directions came pitiful groans and cries of pain'.
Haig was very popular with his men actually...he set up the poppy fund and thousands turned up for his funeral....the term Butcher Haig was not used widely, if at all, in reference to him at the time, but was brought into common use by John Terraine's biography, 'Douglas Haig, the Educated Soldier'in the 1960's.
Depends on what you read. I'd argue 10s of thousands would have begged to differ. The ordinary soldiers never saw their commanding officers. Only NCO's. 1st day. 19000+ deaths. 50,000 + casualties.
The Battle of the Somme Began on 1 July 1916 and was fought along a 15-mile front near the River Somme in northern France 19,240 British soldiers died on the first day - including 4,000 Welshmen - the bloodiest day in the history of the British army The British captured just three square miles of territory on the first day At the end of hostilities, five months later, the British had advanced just seven miles and failed to break the German defence In total, there were more than a million dead and wounded on all sides, including 420,000 British, about 200,000 from France and an estimated 465,000 from Germany
First day - 19,240 British dead. Horrific though that is you can’t really grasp it just reading the number. But…..imagine standing on the half way line at Oakwell and gazing at all four stands in turn. Almost every seat has a soldier sitting in it. Now imagine every one of those men dying in a single day.
You can argue that, but it's an assumption. I'm not justifying Haig, but historians have debated this and no incontrovertible contemporary evidence has ever emerged that the term Butcher Haig was used by the troops themselves. It's similar to the 'Lions led by Donkeys' statement supposedly attributed to Hindenbergh.. or others in the German High Command, there is no evidence to support that...the phrase came to prominence when used as the title for P A Thompson's book in 1927.
Jeremy Paxman's, Britain's Great War. Gives good account of the 1st war from a range of viewpoints. Not as critical of Hague as I was expecting.
My Great Grandad, Jack Hodgson was wounded at the First Battle of the Somme. Lived to 97, one of the last survivors. Very proud of that wonderful man.
My grandad as shot through the neck at the Somme. Went straight through and out the other side. Came home home to convalesce, met my gran on Junction Street and the rest is history.
I think during the war years, many troops feared the consequences of insubordination or openly criticising their chain of command. Especially so reservists (Pals) who had to be seen to be acting like 'proper' soldiers. My own knowledge of the Bradford Pals shows evidence of almost mutiny approaching demob time, such was their hatred of decisions made by their mostly invisible superiors. This was extended to the very top (Haig) for the ludicrous decision to shoot at dawn two of their number for deserting their post in June. They had in fact got lost. After demob, I would suggest vitriol was aimed at the top.
I'm not so sure Andy...I agree that whilst soldiers were in service opinions would be often kept quiet, but we must be careful not to look at it with modern eyes and interpretations...particularly from relatively recent writings that may not necessarily be a true representation of the thoughts of those involved at the time. The turnouts at Haig's funeral and Memorial Services were immense...even in Dublin.
Yes, I take your point. I guess we'll never truly know as it was a generation who believed Royalty were descended from God therefore demi-aristocracy like Haig were probably held in similar esteem. I know my Great-Grandad always told my Dad "I wear the poppy for my Pals, not for the bloke who's name is on it". Like I say though, he was 2nd battalion Bradford Pals and 2 of their own, Crimmins and Wild, were shot (executed) by their own, after Haig showed no leniency. History has shown though that the trial was flawed and it was possibly their own commander who wanted the executions carried through. The pals bought flowers for the men and the commanding officer kicked them away saying "these men are best forgotten". Later, a plaque was laid from funds raised by his friends and family withe the words "Not forgotten by those who loved them". Sad times, and good to discuss with you.
It would be worth joining for your Pals work Andy...the depth of knowledge offered by the forumites is probably second to none, I've been on there a few years now and I'm still amazed at the info they bring that would be hard/impossible to find anywhere else. https://www.greatwarforum.org/ If it's not one you've used before, read the rules sticky first...and any queries you have, post everything you know to save members spending time duplicating work already done. It's also free.
