Sheffield City Battalion
Encyclopedia
The Sheffield City Battalion was a Pals battalion
during the First World War .
Raised in 1914, it was designated as the 12th (Sheffield City) (Service) Battalion, York and Lancaster Regiment
.
alongside the 1st and 2nd Barnsley Pals
from the Yorks and Lancs and the Accrington Pals
from the East Lancashire Regiment
.
but after arriving there it was sent back to France
where it found itself in the line opposite the fortified town of Serre
in April 1916.
For the Somme offensive, the Sheffield City battalion would have the dubious honour of being on the extreme left of the 15-mile British front. On 1 July
, at 7.20 am, the battalion moved into No Man's Land while the German lines were mortared. The Germans responded with a counter-barrage while the second waves were coming out of the trenches.
At 7.30 am the bombardment stopped and the four waves of the battalion rose and advanced into a devastating hail of machinegun bullets and artillery fire. They were caught in machinegun fire from their exposed left and their front. The third and fourth waves were cut in half before they even reached No-Mans land. A few survivors made it to the German wire (uncut) and on the right wing some even found their way into the German front line. Few of these were able to return. Corporal Outram, a signaller, recalled that;
The remnants of the battalion were taken out of the line on the evening of 3 July, having lost 513 officers and men killed, wounded or missing; a further 75 were slightly wounded.
Serre would remain uncaptured until the German withdrawal to the Hindenburg Line
in 1917. The Pals character of the battalion would never be regained, losing many more casualties before the end of the Somme campaign. By the early weeks of 1918' the greatly weakened battalion was disbanded.
Pals battalion
The Pals battalions of World War I were specially constituted units of the British Army comprising men who had enlisted together in local recruiting drives, with the promise that they would be able to serve alongside their friends, neighbours and work colleagues , rather than being arbitrarily...
during the First World War .
Raised in 1914, it was designated as the 12th (Sheffield City) (Service) Battalion, York and Lancaster Regiment
York and Lancaster Regiment
-History:It was formed in 1881 through the amalgamation of two other regiments:*65th Regiment*84th RegimentThe title of the regiment was derived not from the cities of York and Lancaster, or from the counties...
.
Recruits
The battalion found its recruits came from all walks of life; from £500 a year businessmen and stockbrokers to shop assistants and clerks. By 5 December 1914, there were 1,131 officers and men in the battalion. It was brigaded in the 94th Brigade of the 31st DivisionBritish 31st Division
The British 31st Division was a New Army division formed in April 1915 as part of the K4 Army Group and taken over by the War Office on 10 August 1915. Comprising mainly battalions from Yorkshire and Lancashire, the division was sent to Egypt in December 1915 before moving to France in March 1916...
alongside the 1st and 2nd Barnsley Pals
Barnsley Pals
The Barnsley Pals were two Pals battalions during the First World War.They were formed as the 13th and 14th Battalions of the York and Lancaster Regiment...
from the Yorks and Lancs and the Accrington Pals
Accrington Pals
The Accrington Pals was a British First World War Pals battalion of Kitchener's Army raised in and around the town of Accrington in Lancashire. When the battalion was taken over by the British Army it was officially named the 11th Battalion, The East Lancashire Regiment.Recruiting was initiated by...
from the East Lancashire Regiment
East Lancashire Regiment
The East Lancashire Regiment was, from 1881 to 1958, an infantry regiment of the British Army. The regiment was formed under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of two 30th and 59th Regiments of Foot with the militia and rifle volunteer units of eastern Lancashire...
.
The Destroying
The 31st Division had been assigned to the defence of the Suez CanalSuez Canal
The Suez Canal , also known by the nickname "The Highway to India", is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. Opened in November 1869 after 10 years of construction work, it allows water transportation between Europe and Asia without navigation...
but after arriving there it was sent back to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
where it found itself in the line opposite the fortified town of Serre
Serre
Serre may refer to:* Claude Serre , a French cartoonist* Jean-Pierre Serre , a French mathematician active in algebraic geometry, number theory and topology* Serre Chevalier, a major French ski resort in the southern part of the Alps...
in April 1916.
For the Somme offensive, the Sheffield City battalion would have the dubious honour of being on the extreme left of the 15-mile British front. On 1 July
First day on the Somme
The first day on the Somme, 1 July 1916, was the opening day of the Battle of Albert, which was the first phase of the British and French offensive that became known as the Battle of the Somme...
, at 7.20 am, the battalion moved into No Man's Land while the German lines were mortared. The Germans responded with a counter-barrage while the second waves were coming out of the trenches.
At 7.30 am the bombardment stopped and the four waves of the battalion rose and advanced into a devastating hail of machinegun bullets and artillery fire. They were caught in machinegun fire from their exposed left and their front. The third and fourth waves were cut in half before they even reached No-Mans land. A few survivors made it to the German wire (uncut) and on the right wing some even found their way into the German front line. Few of these were able to return. Corporal Outram, a signaller, recalled that;
"as far as the eye could see, the last two men left standing on the battlefield were himself and another signaller, A. Brammer. They signalled to each other. Outram turned his head for a moment, and when he looked back Brammer had gone."
The remnants of the battalion were taken out of the line on the evening of 3 July, having lost 513 officers and men killed, wounded or missing; a further 75 were slightly wounded.
Serre would remain uncaptured until the German withdrawal to the Hindenburg Line
Hindenburg Line
The Hindenburg Line was a vast system of defences in northeastern France during World War I. It was constructed by the Germans during the winter of 1916–17. The line stretched from Lens to beyond Verdun...
in 1917. The Pals character of the battalion would never be regained, losing many more casualties before the end of the Somme campaign. By the early weeks of 1918' the greatly weakened battalion was disbanded.