My grandfather was one of the 'New', the first volunteers who joined up in 1915. He fought at the battle of Loos in 1915, where he was wounded by artillery fire. He spent most of 1916 in hospital recovering from this, so he missed the slaughter of the Somme. He could have stayed home safe, but he returned to the front in 1917. He survived Paschendaele but would never speak of it. He advanced with the tanks at Cambrai and was also in the battle of Amiens in 1918. I remember him as a kind, generous man who insisted that I wear a poppy on November 11th each year, as he did for his friends who never came home.
I know my Great-Great Uncle was also one of the “New” as he signed up at the outbreak of war in 1914, however all I know is that he was one of the many killed on the first day of the Somme.
Unfortunate fact that many of the records of serving personnel, were lost during WW2 as Somerset House, where records were held took a hit. So records of reasons why medals awarded, were lost. My Grandfather was one of those and relied on personal accounts, as many didn't speak of them, lost forever. All over UK you will see war memorials to the fallen.
I am 73 and my dad was 50 when i was born in 1948. My dad was a sergeant in ww1 and was gassed but that is what my brother told me because i was 6 when he died so he never spoke to me about the war. I believe having a dad in WW1 is quite rare most people say their grandad was in WW1 but i guess dad was getting on when i was born which makes the difference.He was in the Lancashire Fusiliers.
one of the only units of the British Army that achieved its objectives on the first day of the Somme was one of the newly raised 36th Ulster ( Volunteer) Division, they ignored the orders from the high command and infiltrated the German lines after the initial short barrage before the attack. Unfortunatly they were cut off as the follow up forces couldnt reach them to reenforce the salient they had created and after 3 days holding the salient and being attacked on three sides they were forced to withdraw due to running out of ammuntion.
A very common phrase from many UK people is " My (father/G-father/uncle etc) was a volunteer when the war started." In fact, EVERY soldier in the British Army had been a volunteer from even before and since the 17th Century; conscription had never been considered until after the heavy losses suffered up to late 1915, and it was only in 1916 that the first conscripts were taken on - the largest proportion of these young men ("The Pals") featuring heavily in the Somme battles. With regard to the comment on superior training over numbers, that is only one small part, but is not entirely accurate. Many British Regiments had long and proud histories of battle honours that formed the Esprit de Corps of that particular regiment. The first thing every new recruit to a regiment was taught was the Regimental History, and its Battle Honours required each recruit to uphold the honour. Newly-created regiments did not have any honours and thus no tangible Esprit de Corps. While not intending to undermine those new regiments, the lack of battle honours and regimental history did little to spur the men on in difficult circumstances, compared to a proud Front-Line regiment. That's not to say that the former did not display great feats, but overall, they were not expected to compare as favourably. Exceptional courage, bravery and feats of great gallantry were not the sole reserve of hardened Regular units (themselves volunteers), but were evident at all levels of rank and training and the regiment to which they belonged.
Hi good guardsman.Yes your right when u say a smaller but highly trained army should beat a larger but inferior one.A great example of this is the TRUE story of RORKES DRIFT in Zulu land in 1879 when less than 150 British soldiers took on about 4 & a half to 5000 screaming Zulu Warriors coming at them.11 Victoria Crosses were given out.About 17 British soldiers were killed & several 100s of Zulu's were killed & wounded.There's an 18min film clip of this famous great battle which is SPECTACULAR on u tube.I don't think anybody else has done it.Micheal Caine starred in it, if youv'e heard of him.Try & check it out if u can.Amazing Stuff.
My Grandfather was called up in 1916 aged 39 leaving a Wife and 6 Children the oldest 16 years old, he fought at the Somme and was killed 21st October 1916 taking a German Redoubt.
feels bad for the poor royal engineer tunnelers they never get acknowledged evan though they played a massive part in the turning of the war in fact theres a great film that came out just last year called (The War Below ) that is all about the british tunnelers i highly recommend watching it
The British transformed warfare for centuries but only after realising mistakes it is really interesting the Gallipoli campaign was full of failures and Churchill got the blame the lack of armour on the beach meant troops had no cover but these failures would be major learning curves when it came to ww2 the D-day landing had armour, air power and naval bombardments and this was only due to the lessons learned from Gallipoli leading to the successful retaking of Europe and ironically it was Churchill who demanded armoured tanks be made amphibious so the troops had something to hide behind from light machine guns and also the cannons to blow up pillboxes.
I come from a coal mining community, a pit village in County Durham, the old Durham Coalfield, the miners were in a restricted job, could not be called up, but they volunteered to a man, but as most where from mining stock they didn’t reach the height needed to pass joining up, they were too short in height. This led to the “Bantams” regiments being evolved, and a truly story it is my friend, and they all joined enmass, this also happened during the 2WW which brought about the “Bevin Boys”, if you were conscripted and your number matched you could end up down the coal mine replacing the miners who had volunteered to join up. There’s is a plaque on the memorial cottages not 50 yds from my back door that has 93 mens names on it, the men that fell in the Great War from this village alone, all miners. And this across the County as well as the Country, the pals battalions absolutely decimated some communities. The series you are watching is a very good place to find references and presented very well, good luck and enjoyment in te learning curve, best regards from County Durham England 🏴
You may like to react to the Battle of Hamel.. It was the first battle to use intergrated and coordinated battle plans. It was one of the first battles in which American troops participated. It was the first time US troops fought with Australian troops when they were incorporated under Australian command to give the US troops battle experience with the experienced Australian troops. The battle was planned to take 90 minutes to complete its objectives. Actual time to complete objectives was 93 minutes. The battle plan was developed by the Australian General Monash and was the model for all future warfare.
One minor point. The presenter describes the British Infantrymen in 1914 as 'Regular soldiers.' This is not entirely accurate as the vast majority of infantrymen were Reservists who had served 'With the Colours' for several years but had returned to civilian life. The vast majority of serving Regular Infantrymen; (and Cavalry and Artillerymen) were in units serving throughout the Empire and, except for the Guards Regiments, all the remaining units on the Home Establishment were cadres who required Reservists being recalled to the Colours to be brought up to full strength.
@@TheBespectacledN00b THAT is what I was referring to. The original BEF was formed from those battalions in the UK. With the exception of the Guards Regiments all the Home Establishment battalions were in cadre form only and needed Reservists mobilised to bring them up to strength. The Battalions with the greatest number of serving Regulars were those which were on Overseas postings around the Empire. It took time for them to be brought back and formed up into Divisions. This was only accomplished in the latter half of 1914 and into 1915. So, as I said, the vast majority of the BEF were actually Reservists NOT Regulars.
@@Adrian-qk2fn I am sure I had read somewhere that the BEF had been formed as a large body of regular troops ready for deployment to continental Europe (though again, I can't remember how far down they would have been entirely regular) as part of a wider redeployment home from the Empire which had been begun decades earlier with the withdrawal of British troops from Canada, Australia and New Zealand to be replaced by locally raised forces. In an analogous way to how the bulk of the Royal Navy's capital ships were concentrated in home waters.
@@TheBespectacledN00b Where diid you read it? Robin Neillands Great War Generals of the Western Front and The Old Contemptibles all refer to how the BEF was comprised mainly of Reservists as does The British Army Handbook 1914-1918 by Andrew Rawson. The BEF was established as an Expeditionary Force of 6 Infantry and 1 Cavalry Divisions but, for the main part, they existed only in Cadre form. Prior to the War, with the exception of the Guards Regiments, Infantry Batallions were paired off, one on the Home Establishment and the other Overseas. The one stationed Overseas was always kept at Full Strength whilst the one on the Home Establishment was kept more in cadre form, training new recruits and periodically sending drafts to the Overseas Batallion. Hence, when the Home Batallions were mobilised they needed large numbers of Reservists Recalled to the Colours to bring them up to strength.
The biggest contribution that America made in WW1 was in compelling the Germans to mount a Spring Offensive in 1918, that they were not really equipped to mount. They were initially successful but were then stopped and pushed back by the British Army who had, unlike the French and Belgians, learned how to fight. Incidentally, during the last 100 days of the war, the British Army took almost as many German prisoners as the French, Belgian and American Armies combined. The Americans contributed to victory....but they did NOT provide it; that was almost entirely British. A big problem for the American commanders was also the fact that they refused to allow their men to be put with British or French units to gain experience; this in turn caused them to suffer many needless casualties because of the learning curve they were compelled to go through.
That’s the point in war like most things in life has lessons learned and training leading to new methods of operation. The rolling barrage is a good example. I’m amazed how the UK failed to continue with modern battlefield tactics between the wars and the Germans didn’t. And so the combined forces tactics of 1940 resulted in an overwhelming blitzkrieg that forced the more numerous and equipped French & British forces in to a humiliating withdrawal and eventual French capitulation.
![อยู่คนเดียวกับเขา - ส้ม มารี (Zom Marie) [Official MV]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/gq1cWAIQDLg/mqdefault.jpg)
My grandfather was one of the 'New', the first volunteers who joined up in 1915. He fought at the battle of Loos in 1915, where he was wounded by artillery fire. He spent most of 1916 in hospital recovering from this, so he missed the slaughter of the Somme. He could have stayed home safe, but he returned to the front in 1917. He survived Paschendaele but would never speak of it. He advanced with the tanks at Cambrai and was also in the battle of Amiens in 1918. I remember him as a kind, generous man who insisted that I wear a poppy on November 11th each year, as he did for his friends who never came home.
I know my Great-Great Uncle was also one of the “New” as he signed up at the outbreak of war in 1914, however all I know is that he was one of the many killed on the first day of the Somme.
My grandfather was a tank captain at Cambrai. He died when I was very young so I don't know much more than that.
Unfortunate fact that many of the records of serving personnel, were lost during WW2 as Somerset House, where records were held took a hit. So records of reasons why medals awarded, were lost. My Grandfather was one of those and relied on personal accounts, as many didn't speak of them, lost forever. All over UK you will see war memorials to the fallen.
I am 73 and my dad was 50 when i was born in 1948. My dad was a sergeant in ww1 and was gassed but that is what my brother told me because i was 6 when he died so he never spoke to me about the war. I believe having a dad in WW1 is quite rare most people say their grandad was in WW1 but i guess dad was getting on when i was born which makes the difference.He was in the Lancashire Fusiliers.
one of the only units of the British Army that achieved its objectives on the first day of the Somme was one of the newly raised 36th Ulster ( Volunteer) Division, they ignored the orders from the high command and infiltrated the German lines after the initial short barrage before the attack. Unfortunatly they were cut off as the follow up forces couldnt reach them to reenforce the salient they had created and after 3 days holding the salient and being attacked on three sides they were forced to withdraw due to running out of ammuntion.
th-cam.com/video/qtaRuOK0gm8/w-d-xo.html
A very common phrase from many UK people is " My (father/G-father/uncle etc) was a volunteer when the war started." In fact, EVERY soldier in the British Army had been a volunteer from even before and since the 17th Century; conscription had never been considered until after the heavy losses suffered up to late 1915, and it was only in 1916 that the first conscripts were taken on - the largest proportion of these young men ("The Pals") featuring heavily in the Somme battles.
With regard to the comment on superior training over numbers, that is only one small part, but is not entirely accurate. Many British Regiments had long and proud histories of battle honours that formed the Esprit de Corps of that particular regiment. The first thing every new recruit to a regiment was taught was the Regimental History, and its Battle Honours required each recruit to uphold the honour. Newly-created regiments did not have any honours and thus no tangible Esprit de Corps. While not intending to undermine those new regiments, the lack of battle honours and regimental history did little to spur the men on in difficult circumstances, compared to a proud Front-Line regiment. That's not to say that the former did not display great feats, but overall, they were not expected to compare as favourably. Exceptional courage, bravery and feats of great gallantry were not the sole reserve of hardened Regular units (themselves volunteers), but were evident at all levels of rank and training and the regiment to which they belonged.
Hi good guardsman.Yes your right when u say a smaller but highly trained army should beat a larger but inferior one.A great example of this is the TRUE story of RORKES DRIFT in Zulu land in 1879 when less than 150 British soldiers took on about 4 & a half to 5000 screaming Zulu Warriors coming at them.11 Victoria Crosses were given out.About 17 British soldiers were killed & several 100s of Zulu's were killed & wounded.There's an 18min film clip of this famous great battle which is SPECTACULAR on u tube.I don't think anybody else has done it.Micheal Caine starred in it, if youv'e heard of him.Try & check it out if u can.Amazing Stuff.
In terms of training tactics and morale nothing proves this point more than operation Compass I think
My Grandfather was called up in 1916 aged 39 leaving a Wife and 6 Children the oldest 16 years old, he fought at the Somme and was killed 21st October 1916 taking a German Redoubt.
feels bad for the poor royal engineer tunnelers they never get acknowledged evan though they played a massive part in the turning of the war in fact theres a great film that came out just last year called (The War Below ) that is all about the british tunnelers i highly recommend watching it
The British transformed warfare for centuries but only after realising mistakes it is really interesting the Gallipoli campaign was full of failures and Churchill got the blame the lack of armour on the beach meant troops had no cover but these failures would be major learning curves when it came to ww2 the D-day landing had armour, air power and naval bombardments and this was only due to the lessons learned from Gallipoli leading to the successful retaking of Europe and ironically it was Churchill who demanded armoured tanks be made amphibious so the troops had something to hide behind from light machine guns and also the cannons to blow up pillboxes.
You should react to the world war 1 series (1914,1915,1916,1917&1918) by epic history tv. A great informational series you definitely should react to
I come from a coal mining community, a pit village in County Durham, the old Durham Coalfield, the miners were in a restricted job, could not be called up, but they volunteered to a man, but as most where from mining stock they didn’t reach the height needed to pass joining up, they were too short in height. This led to the “Bantams” regiments being evolved, and a truly story it is my friend, and they all joined enmass, this also happened during the 2WW which brought about the “Bevin Boys”, if you were conscripted and your number matched you could end up down the coal mine replacing the miners who had volunteered to join up. There’s is a plaque on the memorial cottages not 50 yds from my back door that has 93 mens names on it, the men that fell in the Great War from this village alone, all miners. And this across the County as well as the Country, the pals battalions absolutely decimated some communities. The series you are watching is a very good place to find references and presented very well, good luck and enjoyment in te learning curve, best regards from County Durham England 🏴
You may like to react to the Battle of Hamel.. It was the first battle to use intergrated and coordinated battle plans. It was one of the first battles in which American troops participated. It was the first time US troops fought with Australian troops when they were incorporated under Australian command to give the US troops battle experience with the experienced Australian troops. The battle was planned to take 90 minutes to complete its objectives. Actual time to complete objectives was 93 minutes. The battle plan was developed by the Australian General Monash and was the model for all future warfare.
One minor point.
The presenter describes the British Infantrymen in 1914 as 'Regular soldiers.' This is not entirely accurate as the vast majority of infantrymen were Reservists who had served 'With the Colours' for several years but had returned to civilian life. The vast majority of serving Regular Infantrymen; (and Cavalry and Artillerymen) were in units serving throughout the Empire and, except for the Guards Regiments, all the remaining units on the Home Establishment were cadres who required Reservists being recalled to the Colours to be brought up to full strength.
I think he was on the BEF.
@@TheBespectacledN00b THAT is what I was referring to.
The original BEF was formed from those battalions in the UK. With the exception of the Guards Regiments all the Home Establishment battalions were in cadre form only and needed Reservists mobilised to bring them up to strength.
The Battalions with the greatest number of serving Regulars were those which were on Overseas postings around the Empire. It took time for them to be brought back and formed up into Divisions. This was only accomplished in the latter half of 1914 and into 1915.
So, as I said, the vast majority of the BEF were actually Reservists NOT Regulars.
@@Adrian-qk2fn I am sure I had read somewhere that the BEF had been formed as a large body of regular troops ready for deployment to continental Europe (though again, I can't remember how far down they would have been entirely regular) as part of a wider redeployment home from the Empire which had been begun decades earlier with the withdrawal of British troops from Canada, Australia and New Zealand to be replaced by locally raised forces. In an analogous way to how the bulk of the Royal Navy's capital ships were concentrated in home waters.
@@TheBespectacledN00b Where diid you read it?
Robin Neillands Great War Generals of the Western Front and The Old Contemptibles all refer to how the BEF was comprised mainly of Reservists as does The British Army Handbook 1914-1918 by Andrew Rawson.
The BEF was established as an Expeditionary Force of 6 Infantry and 1 Cavalry Divisions but, for the main part, they existed only in Cadre form.
Prior to the War, with the exception of the Guards Regiments, Infantry Batallions were paired off, one on the Home Establishment and the other Overseas. The one stationed Overseas was always kept at Full Strength whilst the one on the Home Establishment was kept more in cadre form, training new recruits and periodically sending drafts to the Overseas Batallion. Hence, when the Home Batallions were mobilised they needed large numbers of Reservists Recalled to the Colours to bring them up to strength.
The biggest contribution that America made in WW1 was in compelling the Germans to mount a Spring Offensive in 1918, that they were not really equipped to mount. They were initially successful but were then stopped and pushed back by the British Army who had, unlike the French and Belgians, learned how to fight. Incidentally, during the last 100 days of the war, the British Army took almost as many German prisoners as the French, Belgian and American Armies combined. The Americans contributed to victory....but they did NOT provide it; that was almost entirely British. A big problem for the American commanders was also the fact that they refused to allow their men to be put with British or French units to gain experience; this in turn caused them to suffer many needless casualties because of the learning curve they were compelled to go through.
also the the americans didnt enter ww1 till 1917
That’s the point in war like most things in life has lessons learned and training leading to new methods of operation. The rolling barrage is a good example. I’m amazed how the UK failed to continue with modern battlefield tactics between the wars and the Germans didn’t. And so the combined forces tactics of 1940 resulted in an overwhelming blitzkrieg that forced the more numerous and equipped French & British forces in to a humiliating withdrawal and eventual French capitulation.
I'm distantly related to a man called Thomas Corlett who was Killed at the Somme in 1916. He was a dragoon I am led to believe.
Check out know your ally ww2 video which was made for americans going to england in ww2
Captain Liddel - Hart British Army developed the strategy known as "Blitz Kreig" which was being used towards the end of WW1.
React on Gurkhas world war