Index - 1914 - 1915 - 1916 - 1917 - 1918 - Links - Local Soldiers
13th January. 5th (Reserve) Battalion transfer to Salisbury Plain for training.
February. An example of censorship gone badly wrong! In the Yorkshire Observer on 18th February appeared a photograph of several Bradfordian officers. The caption reads, “Off duty Bradford officers, “Somewhere in the East”. Understandabe that the location isn’t going to be given away. A quick glance at the Pyramid and Sphinx in the background might help the enemy to locate them though! Evidence link (Page 8)
March 1916. The Leeds Pals board HMS Asconia and sail from Port Said to France. In France they are assigned a position on the Somme front. They are initially billeted at merelassat (16th Battalion, 1st Bradford pals) and Citerne (18th Battalion, 2nd Bradford Pals)
Evidence Link 1 Evidence Link 2 (Page 13)
AUDIO: A soldier remembers travelling on the ship Empress of Britain and landing at Marseilles - play clip (0:24)
AUDIO: Travelling across France in a cattle truck - play clip (1:42)
March / April. ‘Half companies’ of the Leeds and Bradford pals are attached to the Durham Light Infantry who are in the front line, in order for them to gain experience of fighting conditions. A number of officers and NCO’s were also temporarily assigned to the Durham LI to gain experience.
Evidence link (page 14)
AUDIO: A man recalls his first time in the trenches - play clip (2.28)
22nd April. First Casualty for the Bradford Pals. Private E MacKay is seriously wounded by shrapnel. The following day brought the first fatalities, Privates Smith, Slingsby and Bannister being killed by shelling.
Evidence link (page 19)
June 4th. First officers to be killed. Lieutenant Laxton is killed immediately as shells hit C company HQ and Captain H Russell dies after being buried as a result of the shelling. Evidence link (Page 19)
June 8th. 5th (Reserve) Battalion placed on Coastal Defence duties at Lowestoft.
Local soldier, Noel Hodgson, wrote a poem, ‘Before Action’
towards the end of June 1916. The poem can be found on this webpage.
It was published 2 days before he was killed in action.
07.39am July 1st 1916. The Pals go ‘over the top’ as part of the Somme Offensive. They attack the village of Serre. 13 officers of the Leeds Pals are killed on the day. 2 more later die of wounds sustained in the attack. 209 other ranks are killed on the day, with a further 24 later dying of wounds.
THE SOMME – ORDERS AND OBJECTIVES
First Objective - 15th Battalion (Leeds pals) objective – German trench K30c 2.6 to K30c 1.9 (Green Line)
Second Objective - 16th Battalion (Leeds pals) objective – ‘Leap Frog’ the 15th Battalion and reach and take K36a 8.7 (Red Line)
Remainder of 15th Battalion – consolidate Red Line.
Third Objective – 16th Battalion to take line between orchard and a copse (L25a 7.4 to L23a 2.6) (Brown Line)
Fourth Objective – 18th Battalion (Bradford pals) objective – take and garrison German trenches between L25a 7.4 to L26a 5.6 (Blue Line)
To see the geography of these references, see Map
1 in this
document.
A detailed account, including many stories as told
by survivors of the battle, can be found in this
document.
AUDIO: The way in which a soldier might be recommended for
a commission - play
clip (0.21)
AUDIO: The trench positions of the Bradford Pals - play
clip (0.52)
AUDIO: A man talks of his feelings during the Battle of the
Somme - play
clip (0.26)
July 6th. Bradford Pals
withdrawn from the Somme.
27th July. Bradford Pals
take up position in front lines at Neuve Chappelle. That evening a German raid
on the trench is successful and results in a number of prisoners being taken.
This included several officers and Dickie Bond, the England footballer. Evidence
link (Page 52) (6 killed, 42 wounded of whom 4 later died of wounds and
36 missing assumed taken prisoner)
21st August. LOW
MOOR EXPLOSION. The Low Moor Munitions factory exploded killing 34 and
injuring 60 more workers and fire-fighters. Many others were injured in the
local area. Buildings upto 2 miles away were damaged by the blast. Over 30 railway
wagons were destroyed and a further 100 badly damaged. Evidence
Link
September 5th. Private H Crimmins and Private A Wild, 2nd Bradford pals, are executed after a court martial finds them guilty of desertion. Evidence link.
Mid September. Bradford Pals on front line at Givenchy.
25/26 September: ZEPPELIN RAID on York and Leeds. Evidence Link
October 21st. 93rd Brigade (Includes Leeds / Bradford Pals) moved to Hebuturne sector.
October 23rd. ‘Winkling’ parties begin. This involves small patrols attempting to find isolated German sentries, capture them and then ‘winkle’ out prisoners from dug-outs behind the sentry post. Evidence link (Page 58)
December 31st. Brigade relieved. 18th Battalion remain in front lines until January 10th.