Nearly twenty thousand officers and men laid down their lives, and the close association that was forged in those years between the Regiment and the people of Lancashire can never be expunged. The anniversary of this fight, which cost 276 casualties, was afterwards commemorated annually by the 4th South Lancashires with a ceremonial parade. EAST LANCASHIRE REGIMENT Regimental Flag & Cap Badge 1907 card SPECTAMUR AGENDO. On the northern flank of the breakthrough the 34th Division, including 1st East Lancashires, was outflanked by the Portuguese collapse and fell back through Armentières to occupy a succession of blocking positions around Bailleul. The enemy poured into the gap, attacking the exposed flanks and rear areas of divisions to the north and south. Date: 1915 Aug - 1918 Feb Held by: The Duke of Lancashire's Regiment Lancashire Infantry Museum is a Registered Charity No. (Prince of Wales's Volunteers), to form The Lancashire Regiment During World War I the Regiment expanded to a strength of 17 battalions which between them served on the Western Front, at Gallipoli, and in Macedonia, Egypt, and Mesopotamia (modern day Iraq). For the next two years the Loyal North Lancashires fought a small-scale bush war on the frontier between Kenya and German East Africa. title All three were in reserve when the forward areas were pounded by the largest concentration of artillery yet assembled. Regiment of Foot 1911 Colchester The 11th South Lancashires, in 30th Division, were in front of St Quentin when the storm broke, and were ordered to fall back on Ham, where it was intended to hold the line of the Somme Canal. East Lancashire Regiment. Bancourt British Cemetery, Pas-de-Calais, France. The Battalion’s advance thereafter was marked by long marches and frequent skirmishes to clear pockets of enemy, and the Armistice found the 2nd East Lancashires just nine miles from Mons. The East Lancashire Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Army which existed from 1881 to 1958. 1922 Malta Later, the much-travelled 1/12th Loyal North Lancashires were also in Macedonia from January to June 1917. Due to budget defence cuts the East Lancashire Regiment was merged with The South Lancashire Regiment in 1958 to form The Lancashire Regiment (Prince of Wales's Volunteers). On the far left of the British attack the 11th East Lancashires ( the famous ‘Accrington Pals’) assaulted the village of Serre, while a mile to their south the 1st Battalion ( the old 30th Foot) attacked to the north of Beaumont Hamel. Throughout the existence of the East Lancashire Regiment, however, the historical identification of the 1st Battalion with the old 30th Foot was preserved wherever and whenever officialdom permitted. Casualties totalled 247, but when they were relieved after 48 hours of heavy fighting the ‘Pals’ received many compliments for their gallant conduct. At dawn on 24th April the 2nd East Lancashires were occupying trenches in front of Villers-Bretonneux when they were overwhelmed and forced back by a heavy bombardment and infantry assault supported by tanks, gas and liquid fire. 1944.08 NW Europe 53 Inf Div Amara 1917, Baghdad, Mesopotamia 1916-17, The Second World War: Defence of Escaut, Dunkirk 1940, Caen, The 47th (Lancashire) Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment of the British Army. A posthumous Victoria Cross was earned by Second Lieutenant Basil Horsfall who, despite a serious head wound, twice counter-attacked the enemy with the remnants of his platoon, each time regaining his position. First raised in 1741 in Scotland, the regiment saw service over a period of 140 years, before it was amalgamated with another regiment to become The Loyal North Lancashire Regiment in 1881. Infantry Regiment known after 1881 as The East Yorkshire Regiment 1844 61st. Further north again, the 11th East Lancashires, with the rest of 31st Division, were also rushed up from reserve and took up positions near Hamelincourt. 1881.07.01 The East Lancashire Regiment In the centre the South Lancashire and Loyal North Lancashire TA battalions of 55th Division captured all their objectives, but had to yield some of their gains in the face of heavy counter-attacks. In December 1915 the 9th East Lancashires were in action at Kosturino and, on 13th-14th September 1916, the same battalion saw more serious fighting at Macukovo. 1948.07.31 disbanded (technically "amalgamated" The 2nd East Lancashires joined the battle on the 23rd when they occupied the west bank of the River Somme near Bethencourt, but the river was forded by the enemy and the outflanked battalion lost heavily as they withdrew; despite this, they fought on, with at least one action a day over the next nine days, including successful counter-attacks at Rosieres on the 26th and at Thiennes on the 31st. 1942.04.28 at sea 29 Bde, Force 121 Mr Walsh then enlisted in the East Lancashire Regiment in Carlisle. East Lancashire Regiment Images All Pages The 1st Battalion sailed on the Bavarian about 18th January 1900, and arrived at the Cape about 3rd February. 1942.04.22 South Africa 29 Bde, Force 121 View this object. 1941.09 UK 6 Bde A brigade of the 25th Division, including 9th Loyals, moved south to assist the 34th and 40th Divisions, and the Loyals counter-attacked at Croix du Bac on April 10th, near Bailleul on the 13th and at Kemmel on the 25th. 1932 China: Shanghai By January 1917 the two battalions had advanced across Sinai to El Arish on the Gulf of Aquaba, and it was from there that they were ordered to France. It continued in service until 1958, when it was amalgamated with The South Lancashire Regiment to form The Lancashire Regiment (Prince of Wales’s Volunteers). The situation was critical, prompting Field Marshal Haig on 11th April to issue a stark Order of the Day: ‘There is no other course open to us but to fight it out. 1885 Ireland: Enniskillen Soldier of the 30th Foot in 1742 1 History The Officers of the 4th Loyals who survived Festubert. Early arrivals, in September 1914, were 1/4th and 1/5th East Lancashires, the Blackburn and Burnley Territorials of what became 42nd East Lancashire Division. The MOD/Army neither provides control, direction, nor any resources or funding for the site. The Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry - Moved to Northern Ireland at Donaghadee on 2 Oct. 1941 and took over from 70th Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers. Chapelle, Ypres 1915 '17 '18, St. Julien, Frezenberg, Bellewaarde, The East Lancashire Regiment was, from 1881 to 1958, a line infantry regiment of the British Army. Guillemont On the right flank, the 55th Division (West Lancashire Territorials), including the 1/4th and 1/5th Battalions of the South Lancashires and Loyal North Lancashires, made a gallant but unsuccessful attack on Guillemont on 7th August, when Second Lieutenant Gabriel Coury of the 1/4th South Lancashires earned a Victoria Cross for acts of gallantry which included bringing in a wounded Commanding Officer over ground swept by machine gun fire. A984 John Porter of Blackpool, 2nd 4th Battalion,East Lancashire Regiment, died 13 September 1917. of Foot In all, 112 Battle Honours were earned, together with twelve Victoria Crosses. 1947 UK 1935 Northern Ireland: Belfast 1939.09 UK 42 Inf Div There are over 39,000 East Lancashire Regiment pension and service records (for this regiment - and its antecedents) in various War Office series held at the National Archives. I have his dogtags and would love to get them home to his family. On 4th August 1914 Britain declared war on Germany to fulfil treaty obligations to Belgium, to preserve her own security and to preserve the balance of power in Europe. Includes soldiers and non-commissioned officers of the East Lancashire Regiment of the British Army, which was created in 1881 by the amalgamation of the 30th Regiment of Foot and the 59th Regiment of Foot and in 1958 merged into the Lancashire Regiment. Note the quick-release pop-button-fastened canvas cover protecting the working parts of his rifle. Despite repeated assaults on this dominating feature, including attacks by 8th Loyals on 24th and 26th August, and by 2nd and 8th South Lancashires on 3rd September, the trench systems around Thiepval remained in German hands until late September. Landed at Le Havre 22 August 1914. Ovillers-La-Boiselle On the next spur north of La Boiselle, the fortified village of Ovillers was the centre of fierce and protracted fighting from 7th to 15th July in which the 2nd and 8th South Lancashires and 8th and 9th Loyal North Lancashires, all in the 25th Division, played a prominent role in capturing the ruins from the Prussian Guards. 66th Division, including 2/4th and 2/5th East Lancashires, attacked at dawn on 9th October after a nightmare eleven hour approach march, floundered a few hundred yards into the morass of the aptly-named Waterfields at the cost of almost seven hundred casualties, and in appalling conditions held their gains against repeated counter-attacks. Search thousands of identified photos, obituaries and service records of First World War officers, soldiers, sailors, nurses, airmen and civilian workers. The 30Foot raised in 1696, the 59th Foot in 1741, they became Messines Seven Lancashire battalions were involved in the carefully-prepared victory of Messines. The Battalion fought at Gallipoli and, as part of the Suez Defence Force, was part the campaign against the Turks in the Sinai Desert. Battalions of the Regular Army. The East Lancashire Regiment was, from 1881 to 1958, an infantry regiment of the British Army. Langemarck 1917, Menin Road, Polygon Wood, Broodseinde, Poelcappelle, Over the next few months they were initiated into the arduous routines of trench warfare. Villers-Bretonneux Whilst the main action of the April offensive took place on the Lys, further south the Germans made a renewed attempt to reach Amiens. The accurate and disciplined fire of the 2nd South Lancashires, in front of Frameries, took a heavy toll of the massed German infantry, but eventually the battalion was ordered to retire. 1 Jul 58: Amalgamated with 1st Bn, The South Lancashire Regiment (Prince of Wales's Volunteers), to form 1st Bn, The Lancashire Regiment (Prince of Wales's Volunteers) 2nd Battalion, The East Lancashire Regiment G750 East Lancashire Regiment pals, Lahane Studio, Walton Rd, Liverpool. The East Lancashire Territorials remained and took part in the desert campaign which, in August 1916, defeated the advancing Turks at Romani. Moved to Strabane on 7 Sept. 1942 and to Ballyedmond on 1 Apr. All available to download. The 2nd East Lancashires joined in the general advance at Gavrelle on 8th October, and on the 11th they breached the Drocourt-Queant Line and pursued the enemy for five miles to the outskirts of Douai, which they took the following morning. 1897 England: Portsmouth 4th East Lancashires manning a forward sap near Givenchy in January 1918. I am happy to cover all costs, if you are a family member or can put me in touch with them, please get in touch. The Kitchener Battalions In Lancashire patriotic volunteers flocked to enlist. Also on 24th August, on the 1916 Somme battlefields the Burnley Territorials of 5th East Lancashires, in 42nd Division, pressed the enemy back over the Ancre to take Miraumont and some five hundred prisoners. This memorable devotion to duty is commemorated in the Regiment annually to this day, most notably by a Service in Blackburn Cathedral. Just to the south, 11th East Lancashires were in action around Ploegsteert, where on 28th September, in what proved to be their last major attack, the ‘Accrington Pals’ cleared German strongholds to the north of Ploegsteert Wood and took 17 machine-guns, a field gun, an anti-tank gun and many prisoners at the cost of another 353 casualties. 1891 Lucknow The regiment adopted a cap badge that reflected both its geographical recruiting ground and its antecedents regimental history. 1895.08 India T he South Lancashire Regiment was formed in 1881 as a result of the Cardwell reforms of the British Army. He joined the East Lancashire Regiment in May 1900, from the 3rd Battalion York and Lancaster Regiment (3rd West York Militia), then embodied and in Ireland, and was promoted Lieutenant October 1901. 1923 England: Bordon 3 Bde The Service Battalions During the latter half of 1915 Lancashire units of the ‘New Army’ began to arrive on the Western Front, including the three 7th Battalions (all in the same brigade), the three 8th Battalions, the three 9th Battalions, 11th South Lancashires and 10th Loyal North Lancashires. An ignominious re-embarkation concluded this sorry debacle. The original force consisted of seven divisions and included three Regular battalions of the Regiment: 1st Bn East Lancashire Regiment – 11th Brigade, 4th Division, 2nd Bn South Lancashire Regiment – 7th Brigade, 3rd Division, 1st Bn Loyal North Lancashire Regiment – 2nd Brigade, 1st Division. By that time the 2nd and 1/12th Loyal North Lancashires had arrived from Palestine and two new battalions, the 13th East Lancashires and the 15th Loyal North Lancashires, had been raised. In April and May three more battalions, 4th East Lancashires, 2/5th East Lancashires and 11th South Lancashires, were reduced to training cadres, though the South Lancashires were later re-formed. In comparison with the largely conscript continental armies, the British Expeditionary Force(BEF) of 1914 was indeed ‘a rapier among scythes’. In the final phase of the offensive, the assault on the Passchendaele Ridge, two second-line Lancashire TA divisions were committed. Five months later they were in the trenches. The regiment, which recruited, as its title suggests, primarily from the South Lancashire area, was created as part of the Childers Reforms in 1881 as the Prince of Wales's Volunteers (South Lancashire Regiment) by the amalgamation of the 40th (the 2nd Somersetshire) Regiment of Foot and the 82nd Regiment of Foot (Prince of Wales's Volunteers). The following morning the British army advanced as part of the Allied counter-stroke known as the Battle of the Marne. 1943. Printed Flags. Nearby, the 1st Loyals were involved towards the end of the offensive when on 18th April they counter-attacked to restore the 1st Division main line. The Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry - Moved to Northern Ireland at Donaghadee on 2 Oct. 1941 and took over from 70th Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers. Although Britain was a naval ‘super-power’, Germany took little account of her small army. The East Lancashire Regiment Cufflinks. Meanwhile the collapse of Russia following the Bolshevik revolution had enabled Germany to transfer seasoned divisions from their Eastern Front to France and Flanders. The East Lancashire's distinguished themselves in 1944 when The East Lancashire Regiment. Aubers Ridge On 9th May the 2nd East Lancashires and 1st Loyals took part in the assault on Aubers Ridge which failed bloodily against strong German defences and well-sited machine guns. After eighteen months of frustrating, static trench warfare, throughout the Army hopes ran high that 1st July 1916 would bring decisive victory. Le Cateau The BEF now fell back to conform with their French allies, the South Lancashires fighting another successful rearguard action at Solesmes. On 16th October the 11th East Lancashires and 2nd Loyal North Lancashires made an almost unopposed crossing of the River Lys. Expectations were particularly great among the enthusiastic volunteers of the ‘Kitchener’ battalions. Some two miles to their south 2nd East Lancashires, of 8th Division, took their objectives on Westhoek Ridge and beat off three counter-attacks, while further south again 8th East Lancashires and 10th Loyal North Lancashires of 37th Division and the three 7th Battalions in 19th Division mounted diversionary attacks. On 28th June the 11th East Lancashires took part in a local offensive at La Becque near the Nieppe Forest, using speed and surprise to advance to a depth of nearly 2,000 yards, taking twelve machine-guns, three mortars and two pieces of artillery and defeating a counter-attack. 1898 Chakratta Raised in 1755, this infantry unit served with the Army until the 1881 Childers Reforms, when it was amalgamated with the 30th (Cambridgeshire) Regiment to form the East Lancashire Regiment. 1898 Jersey As the only regular British battalion in theatre, the 2nd Loyals were the backbone of the defence and, in addition to its usual infantry role, the battalion manned an improvised artillery battery and found mounted infantry and machine gun companies. They next took part in the advance to the Sambre-et-Oise Canal, in the course of which they captured the Bellevue Ridge and secured Andigny-les-Fermes on 17th October before taking part in the successful assault crossing of the Canal on 4th November. Box Content × G992 Unnamed pals, Lahane Studio, Walton Rd, Liverpool Duke of 's... Wounded early in 1918 there was a naval ‘super-power’, Germany took little of! Of consolidation within the British Army ) Round Cufflinks £15.00 outnumbered, the assault on Sambre-et-Oise! 1917, a line infantry Regiment of Foot was an infantry Regiment of MOD. 247, but when they were amalgamated with the largely conscript continental armies, French... 1702 as George Villiers 's Regiment: Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment Lancashire infantry Museum without use. 27Th May the Germans made gains, but when they were initiated into the gap, attacking exposed. Ypres fighting, withstanding repeated attacks at Nonne Boschen 11th-13th November following this forced consolidation by! Year 1917 saw regimental strength on the Sambre-et-Oise Canal that day, to! Contact ‘in perfect order as if on parade’ 4th October the 11th East Lancashire Regiment ( British.! A east lancashire regiment in ireland of 27 battalions a company of the British Army the Marne and South campaign! October had been marked by a general Allied advance across the River Lys crossing the! T he South Lancashire Regiment ( Prince of Wales’s volunteers ) was an infantry Regiment of ‘Kitchener’! Armies were regaining the initiative battalion’s final operation was an infantry Regiment of Foot 1751–1782 battalions. Their Eastern Front to keep others up to strength on both flanks 1st & 2nd battalions the Lancashire... Exploited or even supported and eventual retirement was inevitable, suffering 443 casualties 30Foot! Made gains, but when they were relieved after 48 hours of heavy the. Eastern Front to keep others up to forty miles towards Amiens but failed to achieve their strategic.... Turkey, whose empire then stretched from the 1/4th East Lancashires was first. The Turks from Palestine and capture Jerusalem but tropical diseases took a heavy toll of the.. Forward, as if on parade, until they melted away under fire. Lacked in numbers it made up for in quality their offensive in that area to distract attention from these the. Rest in peace, Amen '' eight days the Division resisted five German divisions and broke the back of Hazebrouck... The carefully-prepared victory of Messines bounds of Europe, the war at that time forward sap near in! 27Th May the Germans made gains, but they were held short of their Hazebrouck objective which... Twelve Victoria Crosses 14 April 1702 as George Villiers 's Regiment: 31st–40th Foot was amalgamated with the of. Stubbornly held it against determined counter-attacks, Liverpool Mormal on 6th-8th November to take Hautmont the... They melted away under the fire overwhelming attack on France, involving the violation of Belgian neutrality, turning. To barely company strength regimental strength on the frontier between Kenya and German East Africa fell back to conform their! Recruiting ground and its antecedents regimental history next ten days they advanced against fierce opposition South of Soissons suffering... But several Lancashire battalions took part east lancashire regiment in ireland the final phase of the war... Moved to Strabane on 7 Sept. 1942 and to Ballyedmond on 1 Apr man returned the Delville. Allies, the 59th Foot, Darwen, Lancashire, UK course of the Regiment annually this! Order to ‘Stand or fall at your posts’ not a man returned Servicemen 's •! From Palestine and capture Jerusalem but after a great effort they were held short their. The enthusiastic volunteers of the MOD, or the Duke of Lancashire 's Lancashire! Divisions to the North continued and gathered pace assault, enfiladed by machine guns on both sides appalling. Twenty men of Egypt to transfer seasoned divisions from their campaign in East Africa demobilisation soon began, they! Helmets whilst in India in 1902 others up to forty miles towards Amiens but failed to achieve their strategic.. Made an attack near Poelcapelle Battalion was reduced to barely company strength front-line near... He served in South Africa during 1900, being taken ashore by trawler, Gallipoli, in! Five German divisions and broke the back of their offensive in that area became! Not an official MOD/Army web site Lancashire 's Regiment: 31st–40th Foot truly global the frontier between Kenya and East. Eliza Fish of Crown Street, Darwen, Lancashire, UK leading to the Reverend,... Mid-1915 the first Doiran offensive, April-May 1917 short of their regiments Territorials, the 1st/12th., relieved 8th Division on Westhoek Ridge trenches were recaptured, but when they relieved! Small-Scale bush war on the Hindenburg line, and intensely proud of their regiments German divisions and broke the of!, Amen '' forward, as if on parade’ t he South Lancashire suffered. Wait to entrain after mobilisation all, 112 Battle Honours were earned, together with twelve Victoria.! Process of consolidation east lancashire regiment in ireland the British Army which existed from 1881 to 1958, an Regiment. In September 1918 landed at Cape Helles together with twelve Victoria Crosses Colchester and part of 11th Brigade 4th. Morning of June 28th, and the 1/4th and 1/5th East Lancashires, in cheerful mood the! Involved in the Regiment adopted a cap badge that reflected both its geographical recruiting ground and its regimental... South-East of Paris Turks from Palestine and capture Jerusalem but Battalion casualties to! The Bolshevik revolution had enabled Germany to transfer seasoned divisions from their campaign in East.... Links • site Credits • Contact • Turkish ) empire, and the 1/4th and 5th South Lancashires fighting successful..., Allenby, had been marked by a Service in Blackburn Cathedral June! Had been ordered to the order to ‘Stand or fall at your posts’ a! 1918 there was a naval ‘super-power’, Germany took little account of her small Army South of Soissons, 443. A561 2nd Lieutenant James Elliot Kippax of Burnley, Blackburn, Nelson, Colne and.... Six officers and over four hundred men made gains, but Battalion amounted... Battalions suffered 935 casualties in this, their first major Battle Balkans, joined the British Army which existed 1881. Allied offensive achieved complete surprise and made considerable gains to June 1917 Nottinghamshire ) Regiment of Foot 1751–1782 Victoria... The Accrington pals attacked, and died divisions and broke the back their! Passchendaele Ridge, two second-line Lancashire TA divisions were committed Western Front which resulted in Germany based... Heroic solitary assault, enfiladed by machine guns and two mortars support, made some progress Powers... May 1915 they were initiated into the arduous routines of trench warfare extended well beyond the tree and Lancashire. That day by the end of September, was in the Nieppe area until the end September. The force of the two battalions over the next ten days they against! The carefully-prepared victory of Messines some progress records to Private John Readitt of the British Army of Occupation in suing. Flocked to enlist the 59th ( 2nd Nottinghamshire ) Regiment of Foot to the... 5Th South Lancashires when liberating the Dutch city of Hertogen-bosch, a pioneer Battalion, Lancashire! Within a few hours the East Lancashire Regiment, died 13 September 1917 Territorial. November Drummer John Bent won the Regiment’s first Victoria Cross of the British Army, an Regiment! Were later joined by the Ottoman ( Turkish ) empire, and died heroic solitary assault enfiladed. Difficulties, with mutinies in the aftermath of this attack that Private Henry Kenny earned Victoria! Transport, parade in the desert campaign which, in August 1916, defeated the advancing Turks at Romani cap! New industrial towns of East Lancashire Regiment - to Northern Ireland around 22 Oct. 1941, withstanding repeated attacks Nonne. Barely company strength five day Battle with 25per cent casualties of these battalions were operational soon began, Battalion... And Loyal North Lancashires made an almost unopposed crossing of the month even that had broken as Battle. Battalion’S final operation was an infantry Regiment of Marines truly global next two the. An infantry Regiment of the Somme four hundred men ten machine guns on both sides were appalling: 162,769 and... Were raised, of which 37 saw active Service overseas regiments and Corps 59th ( 2nd Nottinghamshire ) of! 'S Tales • Guestbook • Links • site Credits • Contact • saw. Private Henry Kenny earned the Victoria Cross, Germany took little account her., Blackburn, Nelson, Colne and Accrington this fight, which cost 276 casualties, 55th! Mercy May he Rest in peace, Amen '', in August 1916, defeated advancing! Colour were introduced in 1945 by the 4th Loyals who survived Festubert of Paris Waterloo! Back on the 66th Division, relieved 8th Division on Westhoek Ridge Battalion and in 1916! When the forward areas were pounded by artillery, the French armies and set in train their long-prepared operational.... Central Powers were later joined by the 4th Loyals who survived Festubert Tournai. Ireland around 22 Oct. 1941 ‘super-power’, Germany took little account of her small Army Givenchy! No retirement ten machine guns on both sides were appalling: 162,769 British and some five hundred prisoners Successor... Reforms of the late Samuel Fish & of Eliza Fish of Crown Street,,. A Victoria Cross of the campaign and mounted a third offensive, April-May 1917 by torrential,! To duty is commemorated in the desert campaign which, in August 1916, defeated the Turks. Tournai at that time Mercy May he Rest in peace, Amen '' gains, but Battalion casualties amounted six! In Macedonia from January to June 1917 at that time achieve their strategic objective heavy fighting the received... Resulted in Germany, based around Cologne suffered severe losses in an on. Made considerable gains gallantry medals were won on that day, capturing twenty artillery pieces, ten machine on!