Accrington's Pals: The Full Story: The 11th Battalion, East Lancashire Regiment and the 158th Brigade, Royal Field Artillery

by Andrew Jackson

Overview

Andrew Jackson's new history tells the story of the Great War as it was experienced by the men of the 11th Battalion, East Lancashire Regiment (Accrington Pals), the 158th (Accrington and Burnley) Brigade, Royal Field Artillery (Howitzers) and their families. Using information gathered from years of painstaking research in national and local archives and in private collections, he reconstructs, in vivid detail, the role played by these men on the Western Front. His book, which draws extensively on diaries, memoirs and letters, follows both infantry and artillerymen into the British armys bloodiest battles of the war, giving a graphic close-up view of their experiences. It is a moving record of the wartime service of a select group of local men during a time of unprecedented conflict.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781783468829
Publisher:	Pen & Sword Books Limited
Publication date:	01/24/2020
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	224
File size:	18 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Andrew Jackson was born and raised in Accrington and he has been fascinated by the story of the Accrington Pals since first visiting the battlefields of the Western Front in 1972, accompanied by Harry Bloor, one of the Pals who went over the top on 1 July 1916. He began researching the history of the Pals in 1980 and has been accumulating information about them ever since. He is the creator of the Accrington Pals website (www.pals.org.uk). From its inception in 1997, the website has grown to more than 280 pages. He has also created the one of the best Peninsular War websites: www.peninsularwar.org

Table of Contents

List of Plates vi

List of Maps ix

Preface x

Acknowledgements xi

Abbreviations and Terminology xii

1 A Determination to Make Good 1

2 On the Verge of War 7

3 Why Not Accrington? 12

4 Very Badly Shaken 25

5 We Want to be There 28

6 Not Enough Men Born 42

7 Men of the Mechanic Class 46

8 A Most Colourful Personality 59

9 'Some' Colonel 62

10 Away From All Civilization 72

11 No Time for Anything 79

12 They Fought Like Heroes 97

13 A Devilish Hot Time 115

14 The Old Spirit Still There 127

15 Ceased to Hope for Anything Better 138

16 The Hottest Show 153

17 This Gallant Officer 166

18 With Our Backs to the Wall 176

19 Peaceful Penetration 188

20 With Great Enthusiasm 199

21 Remembrance 207

22 Epilogue 212

Notes 223

Index 252

Editorial Reviews

"...truly brings home the brutal realities of combat from an evocative, firsthand perspective in this intriguing book published to mark the war's centenary."

Toy Solder & Model Figure

"...truly brings home the brutal realities of combat from an evocative, firsthand perspective in this intriguing book published to mark the war's centenary."

Toy Soldier and Model Figure Magazine